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This week, the Warlock is coming off-the-grid with Hellish Rebuke. The Hellish Rebuke at-will is an infernal pact power that deals 1d6+Constitution damage and an additional 1d6+Constitution damage if the caster is damaged before the end of its next turn. Depend on the application, this power could be used to place an opponent in a difficult position.
The Warlock
Hellish Rebuke
The night had not gone well for Jinx. His diabolical plans dashed to pieces by that do-good, diminutive ranger of the city. With Dok’s blades pressed to his gut (for he couldn’t quite reach Jinx’s neck), the encounter had ended. Like so many times before, Dok Tortran had saved the day. But like so many times before, Jinx would live to scheme another day.
“You may have won the battle, wee one. But the war rages on!” Jinx shouted and waved his hand. The rope that held a cage of nuns and orphans above a pool of liquid magma caught flame and burned most of the way through. The cord unraveled slightly, the cage dipped, the innocents screamed, and an unholy red glow smoldered on the smoking strands.
“You won’t get away with this, Jinx.” Dok shouted and pressed his blades forward for the kill. But the look in Jinx’s eyes made him hesitate.
The warlock waved his finger at the halfing. Each word passed slowly from his lips, like an adult would chastise a child. “Don’t be so hasty. My blood fuels the fire. Strike me down and flames burn the rope through. Let me go and the devilry will leave with me.”
Dok backed away and Jinx slid across the wall towards the exit.
Just as he was about to leave, Jinx grabbed the frame of the exit with one hand and spun around. “Do you know what makes you weak, halfing?”
“Are you going to make another short joke?”
“Oh no. Your height is a challenge, but not your greatest flaw. Your weakness is your inability to make sacrifices. This deadly game could have ended tonight, but now it goes on.” Jinx turned back and slammed the door without removing his hand from the frame.
The warlock let out a yelp of pain as he withdrew his injured hand. The flames erupted on the rope once more and burned through.
“Gods save my poor little body,” Dok muttered as he leapt down the pit after the plummeting cage.
With the encounter over and Dok Tortran waiting to take the evil Jinx into custody, the warlock made one last gambit and cast Hellish Rebuke on the rope holding the cage. While the first blast wasn’t enough to break the thick binding, the rope would certainly not withstand another blast of fire. The at-will deals additional damage if Jinx is damaged from the time he casts Hellish Rebuke to the end of his next turn. He now has more than enough time to make his escape without fearing Dok’s blades.
Dok holds his action to see what Jinx will do. Jinx takes a move to leave the room, gives a villainous monologue, and attacks his own hand with the door, dealing a slight amount of damage to himself and a large amount of fire damage to an already burning rope.
Unfortunately for Dok Tortran, I can’t think of an at-will that would keep the cage from falling or preserve him from burning up in the magma. This could be the end of our heroic halfling.
I started Dungeon Mastering with secondhand AD&D materials in 1996 and have run a vast number of D20 campaigns, from cliche' medieval adventures in a kingdom made of Lego bricks to fighting zombies and the mob in the mid 1930s. I try to make the gaming experience as enjoyable, fast-paced, and easy to play as humanly possible. 
What about Priest’s Shield? +1 to AC isn’t much, but casting it on himself and the cage might help a bit. (Assuming he’s multiclassed cleric somehow.)
Dok is rather awesome, but I don’t think his AC is high enough to overcome the natural attack bonus of magma, even with a divine +1 bonus.
Oddly enough, Dok is multiclassed Cleric. He’s a real PC I use in a face to face game. He multiclassed after a priest of Bahamut showed him that the god of dragons could cure hangovers. Unfortunately, the only priest power he’s taken so far is healing word.
Bahamut, god of hangover cures. That’s awesome. Great job as always, sir.