Hi all, new to the forum boards. Have recently discovered the warlock, and I think I really like the class. I've made a melee gestalt combo I think is pretty sweet, and we've house ruled that PrCs can be used on both sides of the combo, so here goes:
On one side, Warlock 16/Binder 1/Hellfire Warlock3
On the other Chaos Monk 2/Battle Dancer 8/Panther Shen 10
Monk Feats: Imp. Grapple, Imp. Initiative
Other feats, in no particular order: Spell Penetration, Imp. Natural Attack, Superior Unarmed Strike, Elditch Claws (Dragon # 358), Beast Claws (Dragon #355), Grappling Blast (Dragon #358), Scribe Scroll
HellFire Warlock, or course, gives you the Hellfire Shield whenever you get hit, and Panther Shen lets you make an AoO WHENEVER someone attacks and misses if they threaten you. At epic levels (if you took Hideous Blow and the epic feat Eldritch Sculptor) you're pumping out some hefty damage every round. Add a pair of Slippers of Battledancing (gives Cha to attack and damage instead of Str or Dex - DMG2) and maybe a Monk's Belt, and you really only need to worry about your Cha and Con scores. (Battledancer [Dragon Compendium] gives you Cha to AC like the monk's Wis to AC.)
Our DM also ruled that since Hideous Blow IS essentially an attack action, it does not provoke AoO. (Knowing my predilection for unarmed combat.) He figured it was only fair since the rogue gets weapon damage and sneak attack damage, and spellcasters are just crazy powerful. With his campaigns, no one gets what they want to do all the time, so I would be using ranged combat quite a lot as well, giving everyone a chance to be badass.
With epic levels, taking Eldritch Sculptor and Lord of all Essences will truly make Hideous Blow worthwhile for melee warlocks.