Eldritch Blast is a powerful spell for Warlocks, so much so that some players choose to create a character that revolves around making their Eldritch Blasts as strong as possible. If this idea sounds appealing to you, then consider following our guide to building your very own Blastlock.
Blastlocks excel at dealing ranged damage and controlling the battlefield with their Eldritch energy. In this guide, we will cover recommended Race selection, Ability Score allocation, and some additional strategies to ensure your character is as powerful as can be.
Step 1 – choosing your Blastlock build race
Your Race is a vitally important pick for your Blastlock. Since the class is inherently a min/max type of build, there are some Races that serve our purposes better than others.
Aside from the optimization, Race determines your backstory, how you see the world, and how the world accepts you into it. Choose a Race that fits the flavor you want, but consider these as more potent picks.
Best Race Pick – Tiefling
Tieflings make excellent Blastlocks due to their innate spellcasting prowess. As a Tiefling, you gain a +2 to your Charisma as well as the Infernal Legacy trait, granting access to Hellish Rebuke. Charisma is your primary spellcasting stat, so having an inherent +2 is great at all stages in the game.
Hellish Rebuke allows you to push enemies off you if they get too close and it acts as a cantrip, meaning no spell slots are spent the turn you use it. Lastly, the fire resistance that Tieflings earn will make you bulkier to other mages or infernal-type creatures, a welcome bonus to an otherwise squishy class.
Second Best Race Pick- High Elf
If the Tiefling’s infernal heritage is not your forte, perhaps you will want to take up the high Elf. While their inherent bonuses go to Intelligence, this can help pad out some of the less invested in abilities, and if you plan to take proficiencies in skills that utilize Intelligence, such as Arcana, History, or the all-important Investigation, then the boost can become quite valuable.
The real reason High Elves make great Blastlocks is they gain additional cantrip slots when other Races do not, meaning more free spells to use and more room to cast Eldritch Blast with your spell slots.
Alternative Race Pick- Half-Elf
An alternative Race pick from these two great choices is the Half-Elf. The Half-Elf offers versatility and choice to players as well as a bonus to Charisma. While not as strong as the Tiefling, this Charisma bonus offers the same function: an inherent boost that will support your character from the beginning to the end of the campaign.
You also gain bonus proficiencies, so if you aim to be a Blastlock that can do multiple things during roleplay, the Half-Elf will surely help with that mission.
Step 2 – Ability Score Allocation
Once you have decided on a Race, it is time to allocate your Ability Scores. Your allocation is entirely up to you and depends on the method set by your Dungeon Master, but for the most part, the abilities you choose here will reflect your investment priorities. Because of this, these three options are highly recommended:
Highest Priority – Charisma
As a Blastlock, Charisma is your primary ability score, determining the effectiveness of your Eldritch Blasts. Maximize your Charisma score to increase your spell save DC, spell attack bonus, and overall Eldritch Blast damage.
High Charisma also doubles as a great roleplaying Ability Score since the outcomes of many conversations will be determined by your Charisma checks, either through skill checks or flat Charisma rolls.
Second Priority – Dexterity
Some may argue that the second highest Ability Score priority should be Constitution; however, Blastlocks tend to have middling Health Points at best. Instead, opt for investing in Dexterity, as it will boost your Armor Class and Initiative rolls, allowing you to move first more often and to dodge more attacks.
There are many spells available for boosting your defenses further, so your Health Points will stay manageable even without high Constitution investment. Dexterity also supports some finesse weapons in the event you are unable to use Eldritch Blast and have to resort to a physical weapon instead.
Third Priority – Intelligence
Intelligence may not be an Ability Score that affects your combat abilities, but it is tied to some of the most important skill checks in most Dungeons and Dragons games. Investigation supports your search for loot, items, or other important elements your Dungeon Master will try to hide from you.
Thematically, Religion and Arcana make sense for Blastlocks to take an interest in, especially those of Eldritch origin. Intelligence also supports a Wizard multiclass opportunity, since that is the primary spellcasting ability for that class.
Overall, once your Charisma and Dexterity are in a good spot for you, consider taking up Intelligence to round your character out in what they are capable of doing.
Step 3 – Explore Warlock Pacts
Your Warlock Pact is your class’s subclass. Different Pacts will offer various advantages and flavorings for your character; however, for a Blastlock, you will want to take up a Pact that supports your Eldritch Blasts and inclination toward the Old One. Consider either Pact of the Great Old One or Pact of the Fiend as your character’s subclass.
- Pact of the Great Old One- This subclass focuses on manipulating the minds of others. The Awakened Mind feature allows you to communicate with others telepathically, which provides valuable communication opportunities. The Entropic Ward feature imposes disadvantage on any attacks made against you, supporting your defenses greatly. If your Blastlock has nefarious goals and likes underhanded methods, this Pact can support such endeavors.
- Pact of the Fiend- This subclass provides additional firepower and survivability. The feature “Dark One’s Blessing” grants temporary Hit Points when you reduce a hostile creature to 0 HP, sustaining your own bulk and giving an air of lifesteal to your character. Fiendish Resilience also increases durability with its resistance to a damage type of your choice.
Strategies for Playing a blastlock build
Now that you have planned out your character’s Race, Ability Scores, and Pact, we can dip our toes into the strategies of playing a Blastlock. The simple nature of wanting to cast Eldritch Blast as much as possible can be deceptive at best.
Combat and Roleplay go hand-in-hand for the Blastlock especially depending on any patron deities you may devote yourself to in order to gain your powers, so keep these tips in mind as you play.
Strategies for Combat
- Master the Eldritch Blast- Eldritch Blast is the Blastlock’s main tool. It is the centerpiece of your character’s kit and where most of the damage output will be coming from. Once you are able to cast this spell, keep in mind your available spell slots and always shoot at the highest level possible when casting in order to maximize damage.
- Balance Your Spells- Eldritch Blast is your main form of damage; however, you do not actually have the ability to cast this spell until Warlock level 7 when you gain access to 4th-level spells. Because of this, you should play a normal Warlock with whichever Pact you chose until you are able to cast Eldritch Blast. Keep defensive, utility, and support spells in mind, even when you do have your signature move as the damage may end up being negated in the future plus you will want to have more ways to increase party survival.
Strategies for Roleplay
- An Eldritch Tale- As mentioned in the combat strategies, you do not earn Eldritch Blast until Warlock Level 7. As such, consider the story reasons for why you want to be a Blastlock. Was it planned by your character from the start or does a specific event happen upon reaching level 7 that forces them to only use this single spell? What are the implications for the rest of the party? How should the world view you for using old magic? You control your story, but that does not mean the story only affects you, so take these ideas to heart when planning how to roleplay your character.
- Keep Your Goals in Mind- Your Blastlock made a pact with something in order to receive your powers, potentially from an old and forgotten god. Your Blastlock also has goals they wish to see to fruition. Sometimes these two factors will not align with the rest of the party’s views. When these times come around, keep in mind what your character wants and why they want it before deciding to bend to the rest of the party’s wishes. While cooperative play is healthy, these instances also make for great roleplay, meaning you should pick your battles and always have fun with the others in your group.
Conclusion on making a strong Blastlock in 5e
Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition can offer both simple and complex class systems for players. Building and playing a Blastlock blurs the line between simple and complex as much as the controlling player wants, offering a uniquely thrilling experience.
With an Eldritch Blast that has no rival and a variety of backup spells to choose from, your Blastlock will surely put fear into the hearts of all who oppose you.