Well warlocks are about flavor and versatility really. Silver lining imo is its fairly front loaded so you can easily dip a level or 2 into and make other classes or builds work. Like paladin for instance can be less dependent on str or dex and put more into char. as they are a char. caster. Hexblade basically made Blade pact no longer be MAD in order to work. it can keep pace well enough with other melee.
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Grianne Wildpaw: Wood Elf Druid level 12 (8W-4L)- - Coliseum of Conquest: Master of Faerie Fire. Just don't ask her to spell it.
Grianne Wildpaw: Wood Elf Druid level 6 (2W-1L)- - Coliseum Reborn : Master of a Myriad of forms.
Runt, the Stormchosen: Half-Orc barbarian level 5 -- The Guild
Just remember that the Darkness spell is concentration, meaning you cant maintain a Hex on the target or other warlock spells. Seems to me that many of the nice warlock spells sadly are concentration.
I'm actually considering a build similar to this. My idea is Hexblade 17/ Sorcerer 3, just enough to get meta magic, and a handful of spell slots for utility. Plan to grab subtle spell for manipulating encounters. Since Flexable Casting can cannibalize Warlock slots to recharge Sorcerer points and therefore slots, it's a heck of a lot more useful than waiting for Eldritch Master.
Take at least 1-2 lvs of hexblade warlock, and take the oathbreaker archetype at third lv for paladin. This will allow you to add your charisma to hit and damage x2 at level 7 paladin along with some powerful effects from hexblade's curse that stack static damage. You have options from there as you could choose to prioritize more guaranteed spell slots with paladin or fewer higher level spells with warlock. Taking more levels in paladin you should go until level 13 (11 levels of paladin) in order to get improved smite, or taking more levels in warlock you would should try and attain Lifedrinker at character level 19 (warlock level 12).
I'm building a half elven 11lvl Conquest Pal 6 lvl Shadow Sorcerer 3 lvl Hex Blade.
Aura at 6th (+ all saves)
7th lvl aura (5 psych dmg/round and bonus if enemies afraid)
Multi attack
Improved smite extra 1d8 every attack
Smite extra when needed
Fighting style
Quicken Spell (quicken true strike if other options won't work for advantage on first attack, then Eldrich Smite to knock Prone for advantage on additional attacks)
Extend Spell (utilize special darkness spell longer)
Magical Darkness you can see through (advantage)
Spell Font
Beast of Omen 3 (flanking, decoy, spot hidden enemies, advantage on spells)
Improved Pact Weapon
Eldritch Smite (advantage if you knock them prone)
I'm actually considering a build similar to this. My idea is Hexblade 17/ Sorcerer 3, just enough to get meta magic, and a handful of spell slots for utility. Plan to grab subtle spell for manipulating encounters. Since Flexable Casting can cannibalize Warlock slots to recharge Sorcerer points and therefore slots, it's a heck of a lot more useful than waiting for Eldritch Master.
Agreed. I am working on the same build. I choose Divine Soul (Evil) Origin which fits pretty neatly with most Warlock Patrons. Why did your patron choose you? Because you are a vessel of divine magic, of course! While Eldritch Master at level is better than some folks make it out to be, the extra spells and spell slots, meta magic, and 1st level Sorcerer feature make the dip worth it, IMO. This build also does not sacrifice 9th level spells...
This is pure theory crafting because no GM has ever let me play it. It is potentially game breaking but has some severe downsides, as well as some fun role play opportunities built in.
Divine Soul Sorcerer 9/Warlock 9 (any subclass but I prefer the Hexblade because of the Hex Warrior feature.)/ 2 levels in any class. Needs the Greater Restoration spell and at least one healing spell from the Sorcerer, the Pact of the Tome and Aspect of the Moon eldritch invocation* from the Warlock. Basically, it lets you store extra spell slots indefinitely. Stop taking long rests and instead take multiple short rests; using the Greater Restoration spell to remove the level of exhaustion you will get from not taking long rests. Then convert sorcery points onto spell slots, convert warlock spell slots into sorcery points and take short rests to restore your warlock spell slots. Rinse and repeat.
Upsides:
Has potentially hundreds of spell slots.
Has access to the spell lists of the Sorcerer, Cleric and Warlock classes.
Downsides:
Only has up to 5 th level spell slots which can make some encounters difficult.
Has a substantial daily gold requirement in spell components.
Needs to use spells to heal because your health and hit dice aren’t restored by long rests.
As for role playing opportunities I would play the extra magic and use of the Grater Restoration spell as an addiction, the spell components for Greater Restoration could be stolen or you could run out and have to find more, also you are basically stealing and hoarding magic from your Warlock Patron and it could get angry and start sending things after you.
*It doesn’t technically need the Pact of the Tome and Aspect of the Moon eldritch invocation. It’s mostly there so the GM can’t say that the character goes crazy from lack of sleep.
I have a 7th level ShadowBlade. Half elf(I rolled quarter-drow, quarter sun-elf lol!) finds his grandmother's(matriarch of a drow household) Book of Shadows; he's not only got the latent underdark shadow realm magic in his bloodline but he also makes a pact with the Tome(which acts as his Hexblade patron).
Essentially I started at level 1 with Sorcerer, then 3 levels of Warlock so as to utilize the Book of Ancient Secrets to pick up Find Familiar, Identify and switching out Detect Magic and Comprehend Languages(you have to copy scrolls, he is proficient in forgery kits and has a scholar's pack as well). It's a lot of fun, I play him as a entrepanurial Zhentarim; I was able to buy a flying snake(faction bonus) and grabbed Animal Messenger scroll to copy into my book of shadows.
You don't lose out on level 9 spells, which I think is a fair enough trade off for level 4 of warlock. You're SAD so I have a 14 in dex, and he wears a gunmetal chiseled breastplate under his ridiculous mistborn-inspired trench-cloak (cross with a pirate coat amg) and he basically is themed towards psionics and shadow magic.
If you look closely at Sorcerer, level 14 is a good break point, giving you 6 levels with other classes. You miss out on, 6 sorcerer points, 2 spells choices, level 7+ spells, the level 18 sorc ability, and the capstone. So, say you are a level 14 shadow sorcerer, and you add 5 or 6 level of hexblade warlock, and 0 or 1 level of something else, and I believe the trade off worth it. The biggest question, is Wish, or not to Wish? Level 7 and 8 spells on the sorcerer list frankly, are lacking, and there are some gems at level 9, but it really comes down to Wish. I feel I make my living with level 3 through 6 spells, and taking at least 3 levels of Warlock replaces your capstone, I don't see too many downsides to a build like this. Oh yes, you only will get a total of 4 ASI's, and again, the trade offs to me seem to be well worth it.
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I'm more or less trying to find the silver lining to Hexblade.
Well warlocks are about flavor and versatility really. Silver lining imo is its fairly front loaded so you can easily dip a level or 2 into and make other classes or builds work. Like paladin for instance can be less dependent on str or dex and put more into char. as they are a char. caster. Hexblade basically made Blade pact no longer be MAD in order to work. it can keep pace well enough with other melee.
Grianne Wildpaw: Wood Elf Druid level 12 (8W-4L)- - Coliseum of Conquest: Master of Faerie Fire. Just don't ask her to spell it.
Grianne Wildpaw: Wood Elf Druid level 6 (2W-1L)- - Coliseum Reborn : Master of a Myriad of forms.
Runt, the Stormchosen: Half-Orc barbarian level 5 -- The Guild
Tomoe Gozen: Human Fighter Samurai level 5 -- Cronero (Solo Campaign)
Just remember that the Darkness spell is concentration, meaning you cant maintain a Hex on the target or other warlock spells. Seems to me that many of the nice warlock spells sadly are concentration.
I'm actually considering a build similar to this. My idea is Hexblade 17/ Sorcerer 3, just enough to get meta magic, and a handful of spell slots for utility. Plan to grab subtle spell for manipulating encounters. Since Flexable Casting can cannibalize Warlock slots to recharge Sorcerer points and therefore slots, it's a heck of a lot more useful than waiting for Eldritch Master.
Take at least 1-2 lvs of hexblade warlock, and take the oathbreaker archetype at third lv for paladin. This will allow you to add your charisma to hit and damage x2 at level 7 paladin along with some powerful effects from hexblade's curse that stack static damage. You have options from there as you could choose to prioritize more guaranteed spell slots with paladin or fewer higher level spells with warlock. Taking more levels in paladin you should go until level 13 (11 levels of paladin) in order to get improved smite, or taking more levels in warlock you would should try and attain Lifedrinker at character level 19 (warlock level 12).
I'm building a half elven 11lvl Conquest Pal 6 lvl Shadow Sorcerer 3 lvl Hex Blade.
Aura at 6th (+ all saves)
7th lvl aura (5 psych dmg/round and bonus if enemies afraid)
Multi attack
Improved smite extra 1d8 every attack
Smite extra when needed
Fighting style
Quicken Spell (quicken true strike if other options won't work for advantage on first attack, then Eldrich Smite to knock Prone for advantage on additional attacks)
Extend Spell (utilize special darkness spell longer)
Magical Darkness you can see through (advantage)
Spell Font
Beast of Omen 3 (flanking, decoy, spot hidden enemies, advantage on spells)
Improved Pact Weapon
Eldritch Smite (advantage if you knock them prone)
Eldritch Sight
Hex Warrior (CHA dmg)
Hex curse (19-20 crit)
Pact Magic (refillable smites)
Elvin Accuracy (better advantage)
Lots of cantrips and spell versatility
This is pure theory crafting because no GM has ever let me play it. It is potentially game breaking but has some severe downsides, as well as some fun role play opportunities built in.
Divine Soul Sorcerer 9/Warlock 9 (any subclass but I prefer the Hexblade because of the Hex Warrior feature.)/ 2 levels in any class. Needs the Greater Restoration spell and at least one healing spell from the Sorcerer, the Pact of the Tome and Aspect of the Moon eldritch invocation* from the Warlock. Basically, it lets you store extra spell slots indefinitely. Stop taking long rests and instead take multiple short rests; using the Greater Restoration spell to remove the level of exhaustion you will get from not taking long rests. Then convert sorcery points onto spell slots, convert warlock spell slots into sorcery points and take short rests to restore your warlock spell slots. Rinse and repeat.
Upsides:
Downsides:
As for role playing opportunities I would play the extra magic and use of the Grater Restoration spell as an addiction, the spell components for Greater Restoration could be stolen or you could run out and have to find more, also you are basically stealing and hoarding magic from your Warlock Patron and it could get angry and start sending things after you.
*It doesn’t technically need the Pact of the Tome and Aspect of the Moon eldritch invocation. It’s mostly there so the GM can’t say that the character goes crazy from lack of sleep.
I have a 7th level ShadowBlade. Half elf(I rolled quarter-drow, quarter sun-elf lol!) finds his grandmother's(matriarch of a drow household) Book of Shadows; he's not only got the latent underdark shadow realm magic in his bloodline but he also makes a pact with the Tome(which acts as his Hexblade patron).
Essentially I started at level 1 with Sorcerer, then 3 levels of Warlock so as to utilize the Book of Ancient Secrets to pick up Find Familiar, Identify and switching out Detect Magic and Comprehend Languages(you have to copy scrolls, he is proficient in forgery kits and has a scholar's pack as well). It's a lot of fun, I play him as a entrepanurial Zhentarim; I was able to buy a flying snake(faction bonus) and grabbed Animal Messenger scroll to copy into my book of shadows.
You don't lose out on level 9 spells, which I think is a fair enough trade off for level 4 of warlock. You're SAD so I have a 14 in dex, and he wears a gunmetal chiseled breastplate under his ridiculous mistborn-inspired trench-cloak (cross with a pirate coat amg) and he basically is themed towards psionics and shadow magic.
So, so anime.
If you look closely at Sorcerer, level 14 is a good break point, giving you 6 levels with other classes. You miss out on, 6 sorcerer points, 2 spells choices, level 7+ spells, the level 18 sorc ability, and the capstone. So, say you are a level 14 shadow sorcerer, and you add 5 or 6 level of hexblade warlock, and 0 or 1 level of something else, and I believe the trade off worth it. The biggest question, is Wish, or not to Wish? Level 7 and 8 spells on the sorcerer list frankly, are lacking, and there are some gems at level 9, but it really comes down to Wish. I feel I make my living with level 3 through 6 spells, and taking at least 3 levels of Warlock replaces your capstone, I don't see too many downsides to a build like this. Oh yes, you only will get a total of 4 ASI's, and again, the trade offs to me seem to be well worth it.