Our DM decreed that "if it's written, it's fair game". I decided to take advantage of that and chose Oathbreaker at level 3. Our party consists of me, a Wild Surge Barbarian, a Moon Druid, a Hexblade, and a guy who so far has taken a level in fighter, hexblade, and storm sorcerer ( I have no idea what he is trying to do ). The DM has stated that, as long as we are willing, the campaign we are doing has level 20 play.
My question is, is it worth sacrificing the capstone ability to make a 2-3 level dip into hexblade, or should I take the Magic Iniate feat, and get Eldritch Blast and Hex from that? Help me Obinternet, you are my only hope.
My one point to have you consider by multiclassing Warlock is:
You're losing alot more than you're Capstone. You're also losing an ASI, a 5th lvl spell slot, and potentially you're 30ft Aura increase.
The question is more what do you gain from doing the multiclass and does it benefit losing those 4 things. It every well could. That's for you to decide based of your character and what you want him to do.
It's so unusual for players to get to play at 20th level, so normally I'd say go forth and multiclass----but seeing this isn't the case here, you shouldn't sacrifice your lvl 20 boons. It isn't worth it for the reasons the posters above have mentioned. :/
Keep in mind that the Aura of Hate ability works on both allies and enemies. So if your DM is gonna use undead and fiends against you.... they'll be buffed as well.
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Born under the watch of something from the furthest corners of the far realms.... It knows all.... it sees all... and it asks: "What is it that you want to see?"... and my answer is... ALL"
Even if you do manage to hit 20, which is unlikely to begin with since lots of people go "that sounds fun" without realizing actually hitting that level, unless your skipping out a lot of the tiers, is likely to take at least a year or more of weekly play, so the 20 capstone is so far away and chances are the campaign ends quickly at that point. I wouldn't plan your character around the last few levels that you might spend a few months, but focus on the year of play leading up to it. The second reason why eldritch blast is considered so good isn't just the multi-hitting scaling, but the fact you can take invocations to then give it the scaling of some fighter using a longbow (ignoring the sharpshooter and action surge and everything else). This makes the magic initiate idea, while not horrible if you never wanted to multi, a subpar option compared to warlock levels. Another thing to think about is if you do go 3 levels into warlock, that can net you some extra slots on short rest, meaning that you can actually use some smiting as a short rest resource instead of a long rest one. The question isn't if it is a good multiclassing choice, because it is widely understood that the dip is worth whether or not you stay for longer, but when to actually do it and for how long. 3 Warlock dip gets you your pact, two invocations for either utility or making your eldritch blast good, and two second level spell slots and access to the warlock spell list. Hexblade means you can, once you take it, leave strength low and just pump Charisma as the only stat to matter for you. Taking a single Hexblade level very early might be a really good idea for that reason alone, then picking up some more levels later on. Paladins are getting their major power bumps from levels 5-7 with their auras, second level slots, and extra attack.
Personal preference for me, assuming your starting at a low level or medium level. Start as a Paladin, get the armor and weapon proficiencies as well as a fighting style and basic smite. Then grab Hexblade for Cha scaling and the ability to leave your strength at a medium value. After that first level, think about if you think grabbing a second level of it for eldritch blast invocation is worth having to wait an extra level for the melee range extra attacking and your aura. Remember, you are only DELAYING these features, and not losing them. Also decide if you like the 3rd level Warlock for hitting the 2nd level spell slots for casting such useful spells as; Darkness, Hold Person, Misty Step, Mirror Image, Shatter. All of these spells can provide things a paladin might feel lacking in, that being some mobility, battlefield control, a good defensive option against non supernatural foes, and AOE.
In the end, a normal paladin can benefit from a warlock dip. A paladin that might, in some situations, do more harm than good in melee with enemies will appreciate a competitive and resource free ranged option. Do the dip, be smart, and remember that a few levels don't deprive you of most of the paladin features, it only means you wait an extra level after getting more goodies that might just be better for your progression at that point anyway.
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Our DM decreed that "if it's written, it's fair game". I decided to take advantage of that and chose Oathbreaker at level 3. Our party consists of me, a Wild Surge Barbarian, a Moon Druid, a Hexblade, and a guy who so far has taken a level in fighter, hexblade, and storm sorcerer ( I have no idea what he is trying to do ). The DM has stated that, as long as we are willing, the campaign we are doing has level 20 play.
My question is, is it worth sacrificing the capstone ability to make a 2-3 level dip into hexblade, or should I take the Magic Iniate feat, and get Eldritch Blast and Hex from that? Help me Obinternet, you are my only hope.
My one point to have you consider by multiclassing Warlock is:
You're losing alot more than you're Capstone. You're also losing an ASI, a 5th lvl spell slot, and potentially you're 30ft Aura increase.
The question is more what do you gain from doing the multiclass and does it benefit losing those 4 things. It every well could. That's for you to decide based of your character and what you want him to do.
If you think the campaign has a reasonable chance of hitting 20, I would not multiclass for the reasons KhaldoDraigo states.
It's so unusual for players to get to play at 20th level, so normally I'd say go forth and multiclass----but seeing this isn't the case here, you shouldn't sacrifice your lvl 20 boons. It isn't worth it for the reasons the posters above have mentioned. :/
Keep in mind that the Aura of Hate ability works on both allies and enemies. So if your DM is gonna use undead and fiends against you.... they'll be buffed as well.
Born under the watch of something from the furthest corners of the far realms.... It knows all.... it sees all... and it asks: "What is it that you want to see?"... and my answer is... ALL"
Even if you do manage to hit 20, which is unlikely to begin with since lots of people go "that sounds fun" without realizing actually hitting that level, unless your skipping out a lot of the tiers, is likely to take at least a year or more of weekly play, so the 20 capstone is so far away and chances are the campaign ends quickly at that point. I wouldn't plan your character around the last few levels that you might spend a few months, but focus on the year of play leading up to it. The second reason why eldritch blast is considered so good isn't just the multi-hitting scaling, but the fact you can take invocations to then give it the scaling of some fighter using a longbow (ignoring the sharpshooter and action surge and everything else). This makes the magic initiate idea, while not horrible if you never wanted to multi, a subpar option compared to warlock levels. Another thing to think about is if you do go 3 levels into warlock, that can net you some extra slots on short rest, meaning that you can actually use some smiting as a short rest resource instead of a long rest one. The question isn't if it is a good multiclassing choice, because it is widely understood that the dip is worth whether or not you stay for longer, but when to actually do it and for how long. 3 Warlock dip gets you your pact, two invocations for either utility or making your eldritch blast good, and two second level spell slots and access to the warlock spell list. Hexblade means you can, once you take it, leave strength low and just pump Charisma as the only stat to matter for you. Taking a single Hexblade level very early might be a really good idea for that reason alone, then picking up some more levels later on. Paladins are getting their major power bumps from levels 5-7 with their auras, second level slots, and extra attack.
Personal preference for me, assuming your starting at a low level or medium level. Start as a Paladin, get the armor and weapon proficiencies as well as a fighting style and basic smite. Then grab Hexblade for Cha scaling and the ability to leave your strength at a medium value. After that first level, think about if you think grabbing a second level of it for eldritch blast invocation is worth having to wait an extra level for the melee range extra attacking and your aura. Remember, you are only DELAYING these features, and not losing them. Also decide if you like the 3rd level Warlock for hitting the 2nd level spell slots for casting such useful spells as; Darkness, Hold Person, Misty Step, Mirror Image, Shatter. All of these spells can provide things a paladin might feel lacking in, that being some mobility, battlefield control, a good defensive option against non supernatural foes, and AOE.
In the end, a normal paladin can benefit from a warlock dip. A paladin that might, in some situations, do more harm than good in melee with enemies will appreciate a competitive and resource free ranged option. Do the dip, be smart, and remember that a few levels don't deprive you of most of the paladin features, it only means you wait an extra level after getting more goodies that might just be better for your progression at that point anyway.