A few things upfront to make this easier on myself, and any of you:
1. I haven't played D&D in around 15-16 years. Acronyms that I see many people using are just gibberish to me, so please, if you are including any, also give me the elongated version so that I can make sense of what you are talking about, and look up additional reference information in the Players Handbook (PHB, I know that one!).
2. My group is one session in. We haven't done anything other than speak to local villagers. That being said, I believe the DM would be amicable to my character making some changes to my starting weapons and/or spells if What I've chosen to start don't work.
3. I don't want to change my character's race or class, I am just looking for what I should do to optimize my characters combat capabilities, while keeping a goodly number of spells available for roleplaying (RP) purposes.
Here is my character information:
Tiefling Warlock Lvl 1:
Str: 10
Dex: 14
Con: 13
Int: 10
Wis: 12
Cha: 17
Patron: The Hexblade. Hex Warrior allows me proficiency with Medium Armor, Shields, and Martial Weapons. Currently my character is starting with a long sword, a shield, and scale mail. I currently chose 2x Cantrips: Eldritch Blast and Green-Flame Blade, and 2x 1st Lvl Spells: Armor of Agathys and Hellish Rebuke.
Our group is made up of a Rogue, Ranger, Wizard, and another Warlock. I keep seeing information online that suggests I use a polearm and start as a warrior and multiclass into a Warlock etc. I'm already a Warlock, so I'm looking for advice moving forward from where I've started. I don't really know what Invocations are best choices, but they seem fairly important since I'm limited to 2 spell slots for quite a long time.
What spells should I be starting with and/or learning as I level my character?
What Invocations are valuable for my character and which should I be avoiding?
How does combat play out for a Warlock (am I casting Eldritch Blast until something engages me, casting defensive buffs and then rushing into the fight, using curses to increase my melee damage slightly)?
What is the best armor/weapon combination I should be aiming for with my character as they are now?
Should I be looking at multi-classing, and if so, when and what should I be getting from that class (also, what is the RP process for this)?
Thank you in advance for any advice and suggestions you all may have. It is fairly daunting coming back to the game after such a long time (and having played VERY little even when I did get the chance), and I'm attempting to build a character that fills a role in combat effectively (I don't necessarily care about having the highest damage output, just that I know what I should be focusing on in a combat situation), and has some good spells and abilities to make the role playing aspect of our games fun, funny, and enjoyable.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Tea Twospoons: Lvl3 Deep Gnome Arcane Trickster Rogue - Sea of Annihilation PbP
It would be good to know if you were able yet to find out what the other characters of the group like to do in combat. Is the Ranger a classic Archer-Type? Does the Rogue try to go into CC (close combat) and is a skirmisher? What does the other Warlock do? Is he all about EB (Eldritch Blast) in combat and will be so in the future? And is the Wizard the archetypical caster or does he want to go into CC? This is important as the Hexblade can be developed to fill different roles, especially if multiclassing is on the table. Just reading the classes of the party members suggests that there are no real "Tanks". And a group has an easier time in combat if there are (two) characters able to fill that role.
I believe the rogue will be a close combat style. The other Warlock has stated they plan on using Eldritch Blast, I'm just not sure which path they chose. The Wizard is definitely situated to be ranged, not close combat. And the Ranger is a wild card. They're a gnome ranger, and their character is a loner, and everything I've seen thus far seems to indicate they're going to stay ranged focused, but they also grabbed a couple of short swords. I am expecting to both be a shield for the ranged players, as well as a potential target for the rogue to amplify their abilities via having someone engaged with their target in melee.
Our group met via a local LFG facebook group, and the DM is running their own homebrew adventure for us. My wife is playing the Wizard, and the Ranger is an acquaintance of hers from her work. Other than that, none of us know each other, and the way we started the adventure didn't really allow for the characters to go through the "ice-breaker" stage of the game. We are coming up on a moment where that information may be able to come up, but right now I'm in limbo.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Tea Twospoons: Lvl3 Deep Gnome Arcane Trickster Rogue - Sea of Annihilation PbP
As a Hexblade and looking at your group you'll probably end up being the one in close combat most of the time acting as the target to hit. You have the most potential with armor class (ac) out of the gate and some good survivability. To begin with at the low level of 1 I suggest picking up hex (your best accomplice to damage) and shield (survivability is important at those low levels!) Along with eldritch blast and another cantrip of your choice. As you level up the spells you pick begin to not matter as much as you only have two slots per short rest and shouldn't be going too crazy with the spell damage.
But probably around level three I'd say you should toss shield for armor of agathys. The armor is probably one of my favorite spells, giving you ten temp hp and so long as you have those temp hp and someone hits you they take 10 cold. They only deal 3 damage and you still have 7 temp left? They take 10 cold and you still have that buffer.
Invocations dont matter as much until level 5 for most, and they ultimately revolve around which pact you take at three. While you are a hexblade, it doesn't mean you're immediately thrown down the pact of blade route.
For my own Hexblade (he's only level three at the moment) I have him as a pact of the blade with improved pact weapon and agonizing blast. The imrpoved lets me sword and board while still being able to cast most spells (as your hand holding your spell focus can also do the somatic parts of spells) and agonizing blast gives you a range option with competitive damage to your melee. Come level four though I'll be dropping the shield in favor of a polearm with polearm master for that sweet bonus action attack and reaction attacks. Themeatically Endrik, my hexblade, is a fallen Assimar who made a deal with the god of death of the world my DM made. Osmanus is a dead god and could only give enough power to Endrik to be a warlock, but eventually (level 6) Endrik will become a paladin of devotion, devoted to the dead god and to bringing his name back to the world. Its a pretty fun story so far.
Anyway. Grabbing the polearm and flavoring it to be a Scythe (glaive) weapon, making Endrik Osmanus's champion and reaper of those who would try to avoid death. For a pact of the blade polearm master links up pretty well as the Lifedrinker invocation can trigger off of the bonus attack. With a 20 cha, hex, and thirsting blade thats a potential 2d10+1d4+15 slashing + 3d6+15 necrotic. I dunno the average for that.
What sort of pact are you thinkin? It'll influence your invocations. If you wanna be in melee but not have pact of the blade there's also Sword Coast Adventure's Guide (Scag) melee cantrips Booming Blade and Green Flame Blade to cover you as they deal more damage as you level up.
I did not have the time to really adress the question. But I at least want to give some thoughts.
The Polearm-Master and Sentinel Feats are both great for a Hexblade but as a Tiefling you will not be able to get one of those before level 4. Also you will lose 2 AC. That is okay if there are other party members taking the blows in combat. What you write about your Party sounds like there won't be other characters doing that. So I would Plan for "sword and Board": weapon and shield. Hex and Shield as spells are good for the start and make sure to take the fiendish vigor Invocation asap. Look for the best medium Armor you can get your hands on and think about taking Devil's sight as your second Invocation. If you see that you do ranged damage often take agonizing blast instead.
I am thinking pact of the blade. The polearm sounds awesome, but like you said, the rest of the party is going to be fairly squishy, and I may want to stick with Sword and Board to ensure our group has a body to soak up some attacks with a high enough AC that I'm not then falling over every combat. Why shouldn't I just start with Armor of Agathys instead of getting shield and then swapping out later?
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Tea Twospoons: Lvl3 Deep Gnome Arcane Trickster Rogue - Sea of Annihilation PbP
Is the Polearm-Master something you can get without multi-classing? I was under the assumption that you needed to multi-class to fighter in order to get the feat. I think i'm planning for the sword and board route, as you and Kage point out that the 2 AC drop is fairly significant. So you also recommend Hex and Shield. What is it about shield that beats out Armor of Agathys? I grabbed Devil's Sight, and was going to pick up Agonizing Blast as I was assuming at least a few interactions where I'm starting at range, but I haven't looked at Fiendish Vigor, so I'll check that out as a replacement for the Agonizing Blast.
Edited: I read up on Shield. I see the difference in benefits to each of the two spells, but the +5 AC seems really solid for making me nearly impossible to hit at early levels (at least for a round or two).
Quick update: The GM advised us that based on the fact we are doing Milestone level advancement, and avoided multiple combat situations through roleplaying, he was having us level up to 2. Based on D&D Beyond, I gain a new 1st level spell when I hit level 2 as well as my 2 invocations. Is it correct that I gain an additional spell slot at level 2, and if so, should I use that slot to grab Armor of Agathys?
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Tea Twospoons: Lvl3 Deep Gnome Arcane Trickster Rogue - Sea of Annihilation PbP
Indeed! The reason I say shield first is that armor only gives a buffer of 5 temp hp at a low level, which mathmatically makes shield better. But as you level your spell slots do as well, giving you extra temp hp and damage.
As for the feats, you can nab those instead of ability score increases, letting you grab any feat. You dont need to multi for it.
Made a Tiefling HexBlade. Going to play him next session. Only level 7, but cant wait to try him out. Been playing D&D since 2nd edition and cant remember the last time I was so eager to play a character! And was really lucky with the stats, roll 11, 12, 15, 16, 17 and 17.
The abilities ended up like this: Str: 11, Dex: 16, Con: 18, Int: 13, Wis: 15 and Cha: 20.
Heres the build up to lvl 7:
HexBlade patron
Invocations:
Thirsting Blade
Eldritch Spear
Agonizing Blast
Improved Pact Weapon
Pact of the Blade
Spells:
Eldritch Blast
Minor Illusion
Sword Burst
Hex
Thunder Step
Blight
Dimension Door
Fire Shield
Sickening Radience
Staggering Smite
On level 8 I will be choosing Polearm master so I can have fun with my Pact Blade Glaive.
Also, I usually make a compendium that I use so I can look up stuff instead of using my phone or tablet. Really helpfull when checking up the abilities my characters have. Some might say I have too much time on my hands while working nights! :D
If anyone got any tips or comments, feel free to share them!
Took this from another post, maybe it can help you? Been having a blast playing him, both during RPing and combat!
Notes: Link removed due to having prohibited content.
Cool, thanks for the breakdown. I assume from Staggering Smite that you (or they) started with the 1st Lvl smite ability, and just replaced it as you leveled up?
What is a typical round of combat look like for you (standard, as I understand that each encounter has it's own specifics that will alter your approach)?
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Tea Twospoons: Lvl3 Deep Gnome Arcane Trickster Rogue - Sea of Annihilation PbP
Cool, thanks for the breakdown. I assume from Staggering Smite that you (or they) started with the 1st Lvl smite ability, and just replaced it as you leveled up?
What is a typical round of combat look like for you (standard, as I understand that each encounter has it's own specifics that will alter your approach)?
Staggering Smite was a mistake, going to swap it for something else when I level to level 8 soon. The problem with warlocks is that you got too many spells that are either Concentration or bonus actions, so choose wisely and consider every aspect of your abilities and their area of usage.
The nice thing about our campaign is that I feel there is no "typical round of combat". First of all we are up to eight players, but seldom no more then 3-4 people on each session. Two barbarians, one barbarian/druid, one rogue, two warlocks and one wizard. The last one I dont remember right now, but I think he might be a paladin or a cleric. And our DM is really good at giving us a wide specter of challenges.
But if there would be a typical round, I would probably try to move towards the toughest enemy or the biggest cluster of them and get as close as I can. If Im not in melee range, I consider the spells at my disposial. If there are large cluster of foes or a tactical advantage in doing it, I really enjoy tossing out Sickening radiance. If you choose other invocations then I have, you can have fun pushing or pulling foes into the radiance with your Eldritch Blast, or as I plan to do; Polearm master and Sentinel. Using a Glaive with reach.
My Eldritch Blast and my Pact Blade Glaive do about the same amount of damage and has almost the same amount of +hit at my lvl, so it all depends on the situation and tactics used. One combat, as I wrote about in another post here, I was just tossing out Eldritch Blast with my fellow warlock at swarms of low level barbarians charging us. While against some werewolves in a later encounter, I was on the frontline taking the blunt of the attacks since I was one of the few able to hurt them (only a few with magic weapons in the group. Improved Pact blade makes your Summoned pact blade magical).
Short reply: while Armor of Agathys is nice, Fiendish Vigor gives you temporary hitpoints without draining resources. This is great in low levels. As you can get temporary hitpoints only from one source at any given time better use that spell slot for another Spell.
Short reply: while Armor of Agathys is nice, Fiendish Vigor gives you temporary hitpoints without draining resources. This is great in low levels. As you can get temporary hitpoints only from one source at any given time better use that spell slot for another Spell.
I dont use either of those spells, so I havent considered it. But I sense that the overall notion is that Armor of Agathys trumps Fiendish Vigor
Sure armor of Agathys is better at least at higher levels. The difference is that you have to use one of two spellslots to Cast it while you can use fiendish vigor all day long. That means that you start every combat with 8 temporary hitpoints and if hitpoints get low you can always use it again for another d4+4 temporary hitpoints. Plus you start combats with both of your precious spell slots while having those temporary hitpoints. I would not miss out that one if you are the one taking blows. You can always swap it later.
Also I would try to synergize with the other Warlock once you reach level 3. If both of you have Devil's Sight one should cast Darkness and cover both of you.
Also I recommend to get Resilient Constitution. This and Charisma 20 should be priorities once you start getting Ability Stat Increases (ASI).
Weapons: Longsword, Battleaxe, and Warhammer are perhaps the best hexblade weapons until level 3 because it is versatile and not two handed so you can assign your Hex Warrior ability to any one of them. HOWEVER, since you can apply this to ANY pact weapon. Which opens up some powerful weapon feat combinations.
Great weapons master Feat: (Great for killing week "adds" or minions quickly with low AC) Using Heavy weapons you may choose to take -5 to hit for +10 damage and if you kill an opponent once per round you can use a bonus action to make another attack. Glaive, Greataxe, Greatsword, Halberd, Maul, and Pike are all useable weapons for this feat. If you multi-class fighter the "Great Weapon fighting" fighting style enhances this since all the heavy weapons are two-handed weapons as well.
Pole-arm master Feat: (Great for getting multiple chances to hit a single target to trigger abilities like Eldritch Smite and/or Hex so its more useful as a boss/tank killer against High AC targets you might need more than one attempt to hit, then you pump all your damage into each hit. If they all hit you just do a ton of damage but you can't transfer hex or the hexblade's curse on the same turn as you use the bonus attack so its less effective against enemies that can't take multiple hits, because it takes 2 turns of casting hex and the hexblade's curse and you will not be able to really dish out full damage until the 3rd turn on each new enemy.) Make Bonus action attack other end of a Quarterstaff, Glaive, or Halberd and you can make an attack with your reaction if they enter your reach. With a strait warlock, using Thirsting Blade invocation at level 5, you can get up to 4 attacks a single round if a target moves into your reach. (all triggering Hex, the hexblade's curse, and possible targets of Eldritch Smite invocation at level 5, don't forget you can drop on of your previous invocations so you can also get this at level 5) ... The down side is since this works best against one target with high AC/HP it may take several turns to kill them and to get the most out of it you need to break reach so they have to move into you again... which will mean they get an attack of opportunity on you. That's where a you having high AC and Armor of Agathys can really pay off. They miss GREAT!! They hit... they take some more damage. If you multi-class fighter the "Great Weapon fighting" fighting style enhances this since all the heavy weapons are two-handed weapons as well and the Quarterstaff is versatile and also qualifies for the fighting style.
Sentinel Feat: (has a few good effects which help you defend allies but most importantly, Like polearm master, it gets you more attacks to use your hex, the hexblade's curse where it shines is that it works without provoking attacks of opportunity and it can be used with any weapon so sword and shield is fine AND two weapon fighting is an option, unfortunately its better for Eldritch Knights since Warlock's can normally only have one single pact weapon but Eldritch Knights can have two and can take two-weapon fighting style so they do the same damage. That said... if you want to go the two handed route ask your GM. Maybe a kind GM will let you have to pact weapons.) Use your reaction to attack an enemy within 5ft who just attacked an ally other than you. So if your two weapon fighting and an ally, its another way to get 4 attacks a turn ...hex/the hexblade's curse/Eldritch Smite... or If you want to sword and shield with the options stated under weapons... its the only feat you can still use to achieve this. I would point out that if you are wielding two weapons or sword and shield and you have a decent strength or dex you .... don't really need to go pact of the blade... it works just as well with all 3 options. You really only need to go pact of the blade to use two-handed weapons as your "hexblade" weapon. Alternately if your going to cross class fighter the defensive fighting style for higher AC with your sword and shield (possibly Longsword, Battleaxe, or Warhammer using one hand and a shield) or the two-weapon fighting style with shortswords or rapiers are options here that aren't compatible with the other two feats.
You will notice Glaive and Halberd are usable with all three feats.... as a result you will see a lot of Glaive and Halberd wielding Hexblade warlocks.
The lack of inflection in text means that a reader of any post adds their own inflection as they "verbalize" it in their head. I write long and repetitive in an effort to be clear and avoid my intent from being skewed or inverted. I am also bad at examples. It is common for people to skim my posts pull out the idea they think I mean or want to argue against or focus on my bad example instead of the point I am actually trying to make. I apologies for the confusion my failure to be clear and concise creates.
If you multi-class fighter the "Great Weapon fighting" fighting style enhances this and it's the only one of the 3 feats compatible with the "Protection" fighting style if you want to do damage but also watch out for your squishy friends.
Protection requires that you be wearing a shield. Great Weapon Fighting requires that you be wielding a weapon two-handed.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both" -- allegedly Benjamin Franklin
If you multi-class fighter the "Great Weapon fighting" fighting style enhances this and it's the only one of the 3 feats compatible with the "Protection" fighting style if you want to do damage but also watch out for your squishy friends.
Protection requires that you be wearing a shield. Great Weapon Fighting requires that you be wielding a weapon two-handed.
Your right to about protection (I was looking at the feat when I wrote the above but didn't read the last line I guess) so I removed the Protection style part from my post.
Great Weapon Fighting however "must have the two-handed or versatile property". All the heavy weapons also have the two-handed property and would qualify for both "Great Weapon Fighting" fighting style and the Great Weapon Master Feat. However, "Great Weapon Fighting" fighting style also works with quarterstaffs, greatclubs, Battleaxes, Longswords, and Warhammers. So it it also includes all the weapons used for the Pol-arm Master Feat and the 3 weapons I mentioned for beginner weapons or with the Sentinel Feat. As a result, Its generally just a slit damage bump with all 3 feats. Though, if your going sentinel feat I might consider the Defense fighting style with the shield for +3 to AC a better buy in since using a shield means you can't use the versatile weapons two-handed. If your going Sentinel feat two weapon fighting then "two-weapon fighting style" is the best since you have to use short swords or rapiers that don't qualify. Although you could take sentinel and drop the shield to do more damage, but if that was the case I would take the Great Weapon Master Feat instead of the sentinel feat. Generally though I think its better to focus on one style other wise your always working wasting some skills but it could be fun. (I also updated the cross class lines for more clarity based on this.)
The lack of inflection in text means that a reader of any post adds their own inflection as they "verbalize" it in their head. I write long and repetitive in an effort to be clear and avoid my intent from being skewed or inverted. I am also bad at examples. It is common for people to skim my posts pull out the idea they think I mean or want to argue against or focus on my bad example instead of the point I am actually trying to make. I apologies for the confusion my failure to be clear and concise creates.
You should have an eye on level progression if you suggest this. A non-Variant Human character can get there (Polearm and Great Weapon Master, Sentinel Feat) at level 12. The character would still be Cha 17, Con 13. For the one holding the line I would think about that twice.
So, I emailed my GM about our party and the general problem with having no real 'tank' to soak up the damage. I advised him that I had been looking online, and that I would prefer to start my character as a Lvl 1 Fighter, and then have my characters Warlock-magic potential rise from dormancy as I leveled up. Essentially from my backstory, when my character turns 25, his patron activates his hexblade potential, feeling that my character has finally learned enough to being his quest while also not embarassing the name of his patron.
The GM and I agreed to just do a reroll of stats, and start out Lvl1 Fighter, and now that we hit Lvl2, put my 1Lvl into Warlock. My roll breakdown was: 16, 15, 14, 13, 10, 9. Currently I'm assuming 13 STR, 14 DEX, 15 CON, 9 INT (+1 to 10 as Tiefling), 10 WIS, 16 CHA (+2 to 18 as Tiefling). Character is starting wearing Scale Mail and wielding a Sword and Shield. This puts my AC at 18. Under the assumption that I am going to be the meat-shield for our group, should I use my Fighter ability and get the +1AC (Defense?), or will going Great Weapon Fighter and Grabbing up Polearm Mastery around Lvl4 still provide my character with enough AC that I'm not constantly sitting at low HP or falling unconscious?
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Tea Twospoons: Lvl3 Deep Gnome Arcane Trickster Rogue - Sea of Annihilation PbP
To post a comment, please login or register a new account.
A few things upfront to make this easier on myself, and any of you:
1. I haven't played D&D in around 15-16 years. Acronyms that I see many people using are just gibberish to me, so please, if you are including any, also give me the elongated version so that I can make sense of what you are talking about, and look up additional reference information in the Players Handbook (PHB, I know that one!).
2. My group is one session in. We haven't done anything other than speak to local villagers. That being said, I believe the DM would be amicable to my character making some changes to my starting weapons and/or spells if What I've chosen to start don't work.
3. I don't want to change my character's race or class, I am just looking for what I should do to optimize my characters combat capabilities, while keeping a goodly number of spells available for roleplaying (RP) purposes.
Here is my character information:
Tiefling Warlock Lvl 1:
Str: 10
Dex: 14
Con: 13
Int: 10
Wis: 12
Cha: 17
Patron: The Hexblade. Hex Warrior allows me proficiency with Medium Armor, Shields, and Martial Weapons. Currently my character is starting with a long sword, a shield, and scale mail. I currently chose 2x Cantrips: Eldritch Blast and Green-Flame Blade, and 2x 1st Lvl Spells: Armor of Agathys and Hellish Rebuke.
Our group is made up of a Rogue, Ranger, Wizard, and another Warlock. I keep seeing information online that suggests I use a polearm and start as a warrior and multiclass into a Warlock etc. I'm already a Warlock, so I'm looking for advice moving forward from where I've started. I don't really know what Invocations are best choices, but they seem fairly important since I'm limited to 2 spell slots for quite a long time.
What spells should I be starting with and/or learning as I level my character?
What Invocations are valuable for my character and which should I be avoiding?
How does combat play out for a Warlock (am I casting Eldritch Blast until something engages me, casting defensive buffs and then rushing into the fight, using curses to increase my melee damage slightly)?
What is the best armor/weapon combination I should be aiming for with my character as they are now?
Should I be looking at multi-classing, and if so, when and what should I be getting from that class (also, what is the RP process for this)?
Thank you in advance for any advice and suggestions you all may have. It is fairly daunting coming back to the game after such a long time (and having played VERY little even when I did get the chance), and I'm attempting to build a character that fills a role in combat effectively (I don't necessarily care about having the highest damage output, just that I know what I should be focusing on in a combat situation), and has some good spells and abilities to make the role playing aspect of our games fun, funny, and enjoyable.
Tea Twospoons: Lvl3 Deep Gnome Arcane Trickster Rogue - Sea of Annihilation PbP
It would be good to know if you were able yet to find out what the other characters of the group like to do in combat. Is the Ranger a classic Archer-Type? Does the Rogue try to go into CC (close combat) and is a skirmisher? What does the other Warlock do? Is he all about EB (Eldritch Blast) in combat and will be so in the future? And is the Wizard the archetypical caster or does he want to go into CC? This is important as the Hexblade can be developed to fill different roles, especially if multiclassing is on the table. Just reading the classes of the party members suggests that there are no real "Tanks". And a group has an easier time in combat if there are (two) characters able to fill that role.
I believe the rogue will be a close combat style. The other Warlock has stated they plan on using Eldritch Blast, I'm just not sure which path they chose. The Wizard is definitely situated to be ranged, not close combat. And the Ranger is a wild card. They're a gnome ranger, and their character is a loner, and everything I've seen thus far seems to indicate they're going to stay ranged focused, but they also grabbed a couple of short swords. I am expecting to both be a shield for the ranged players, as well as a potential target for the rogue to amplify their abilities via having someone engaged with their target in melee.
Our group met via a local LFG facebook group, and the DM is running their own homebrew adventure for us. My wife is playing the Wizard, and the Ranger is an acquaintance of hers from her work. Other than that, none of us know each other, and the way we started the adventure didn't really allow for the characters to go through the "ice-breaker" stage of the game. We are coming up on a moment where that information may be able to come up, but right now I'm in limbo.
Tea Twospoons: Lvl3 Deep Gnome Arcane Trickster Rogue - Sea of Annihilation PbP
As a Hexblade and looking at your group you'll probably end up being the one in close combat most of the time acting as the target to hit. You have the most potential with armor class (ac) out of the gate and some good survivability. To begin with at the low level of 1 I suggest picking up hex (your best accomplice to damage) and shield (survivability is important at those low levels!) Along with eldritch blast and another cantrip of your choice. As you level up the spells you pick begin to not matter as much as you only have two slots per short rest and shouldn't be going too crazy with the spell damage.
But probably around level three I'd say you should toss shield for armor of agathys. The armor is probably one of my favorite spells, giving you ten temp hp and so long as you have those temp hp and someone hits you they take 10 cold. They only deal 3 damage and you still have 7 temp left? They take 10 cold and you still have that buffer.
Invocations dont matter as much until level 5 for most, and they ultimately revolve around which pact you take at three. While you are a hexblade, it doesn't mean you're immediately thrown down the pact of blade route.
For my own Hexblade (he's only level three at the moment) I have him as a pact of the blade with improved pact weapon and agonizing blast. The imrpoved lets me sword and board while still being able to cast most spells (as your hand holding your spell focus can also do the somatic parts of spells) and agonizing blast gives you a range option with competitive damage to your melee. Come level four though I'll be dropping the shield in favor of a polearm with polearm master for that sweet bonus action attack and reaction attacks. Themeatically Endrik, my hexblade, is a fallen Assimar who made a deal with the god of death of the world my DM made. Osmanus is a dead god and could only give enough power to Endrik to be a warlock, but eventually (level 6) Endrik will become a paladin of devotion, devoted to the dead god and to bringing his name back to the world. Its a pretty fun story so far.
Anyway. Grabbing the polearm and flavoring it to be a Scythe (glaive) weapon, making Endrik Osmanus's champion and reaper of those who would try to avoid death. For a pact of the blade polearm master links up pretty well as the Lifedrinker invocation can trigger off of the bonus attack. With a 20 cha, hex, and thirsting blade thats a potential 2d10+1d4+15 slashing + 3d6+15 necrotic. I dunno the average for that.
What sort of pact are you thinkin? It'll influence your invocations. If you wanna be in melee but not have pact of the blade there's also Sword Coast Adventure's Guide (Scag) melee cantrips Booming Blade and Green Flame Blade to cover you as they deal more damage as you level up.
I did not have the time to really adress the question. But I at least want to give some thoughts.
The Polearm-Master and Sentinel Feats are both great for a Hexblade but as a Tiefling you will not be able to get one of those before level 4. Also you will lose 2 AC. That is okay if there are other party members taking the blows in combat. What you write about your Party sounds like there won't be other characters doing that. So I would Plan for "sword and Board": weapon and shield. Hex and Shield as spells are good for the start and make sure to take the fiendish vigor Invocation asap. Look for the best medium Armor you can get your hands on and think about taking Devil's sight as your second Invocation. If you see that you do ranged damage often take agonizing blast instead.
That for the start...
I am thinking pact of the blade. The polearm sounds awesome, but like you said, the rest of the party is going to be fairly squishy, and I may want to stick with Sword and Board to ensure our group has a body to soak up some attacks with a high enough AC that I'm not then falling over every combat. Why shouldn't I just start with Armor of Agathys instead of getting shield and then swapping out later?
Tea Twospoons: Lvl3 Deep Gnome Arcane Trickster Rogue - Sea of Annihilation PbP
Is the Polearm-Master something you can get without multi-classing? I was under the assumption that you needed to multi-class to fighter in order to get the feat. I think i'm planning for the sword and board route, as you and Kage point out that the 2 AC drop is fairly significant. So you also recommend Hex and Shield. What is it about shield that beats out Armor of Agathys? I grabbed Devil's Sight, and was going to pick up Agonizing Blast as I was assuming at least a few interactions where I'm starting at range, but I haven't looked at Fiendish Vigor, so I'll check that out as a replacement for the Agonizing Blast.
Edited: I read up on Shield. I see the difference in benefits to each of the two spells, but the +5 AC seems really solid for making me nearly impossible to hit at early levels (at least for a round or two).
Tea Twospoons: Lvl3 Deep Gnome Arcane Trickster Rogue - Sea of Annihilation PbP
Quick update: The GM advised us that based on the fact we are doing Milestone level advancement, and avoided multiple combat situations through roleplaying, he was having us level up to 2. Based on D&D Beyond, I gain a new 1st level spell when I hit level 2 as well as my 2 invocations. Is it correct that I gain an additional spell slot at level 2, and if so, should I use that slot to grab Armor of Agathys?
Tea Twospoons: Lvl3 Deep Gnome Arcane Trickster Rogue - Sea of Annihilation PbP
Indeed! The reason I say shield first is that armor only gives a buffer of 5 temp hp at a low level, which mathmatically makes shield better. But as you level your spell slots do as well, giving you extra temp hp and damage.
As for the feats, you can nab those instead of ability score increases, letting you grab any feat. You dont need to multi for it.
Cool, thanks for the breakdown. I assume from Staggering Smite that you (or they) started with the 1st Lvl smite ability, and just replaced it as you leveled up?
What is a typical round of combat look like for you (standard, as I understand that each encounter has it's own specifics that will alter your approach)?
Tea Twospoons: Lvl3 Deep Gnome Arcane Trickster Rogue - Sea of Annihilation PbP
Short reply: while Armor of Agathys is nice, Fiendish Vigor gives you temporary hitpoints without draining resources. This is great in low levels. As you can get temporary hitpoints only from one source at any given time better use that spell slot for another Spell.
Sure armor of Agathys is better at least at higher levels. The difference is that you have to use one of two spellslots to Cast it while you can use fiendish vigor all day long. That means that you start every combat with 8 temporary hitpoints and if hitpoints get low you can always use it again for another d4+4 temporary hitpoints. Plus you start combats with both of your precious spell slots while having those temporary hitpoints. I would not miss out that one if you are the one taking blows. You can always swap it later.
Also I would try to synergize with the other Warlock once you reach level 3. If both of you have Devil's Sight one should cast Darkness and cover both of you.
Also I recommend to get Resilient Constitution. This and Charisma 20 should be priorities once you start getting Ability Stat Increases (ASI).
A reply on weapons and feat choices...
Weapons: Longsword, Battleaxe, and Warhammer are perhaps the best hexblade weapons until level 3 because it is versatile and not two handed so you can assign your Hex Warrior ability to any one of them. HOWEVER, since you can apply this to ANY pact weapon. Which opens up some powerful weapon feat combinations.
Great weapons master Feat: (Great for killing week "adds" or minions quickly with low AC) Using Heavy weapons you may choose to take -5 to hit for +10 damage and if you kill an opponent once per round you can use a bonus action to make another attack. Glaive, Greataxe, Greatsword, Halberd, Maul, and Pike are all useable weapons for this feat. If you multi-class fighter the "Great Weapon fighting" fighting style enhances this since all the heavy weapons are two-handed weapons as well.
Pole-arm master Feat: (Great for getting multiple chances to hit a single target to trigger abilities like Eldritch Smite and/or Hex so its more useful as a boss/tank killer against High AC targets you might need more than one attempt to hit, then you pump all your damage into each hit. If they all hit you just do a ton of damage but you can't transfer hex or the hexblade's curse on the same turn as you use the bonus attack so its less effective against enemies that can't take multiple hits, because it takes 2 turns of casting hex and the hexblade's curse and you will not be able to really dish out full damage until the 3rd turn on each new enemy.) Make Bonus action attack other end of a Quarterstaff, Glaive, or Halberd and you can make an attack with your reaction if they enter your reach. With a strait warlock, using Thirsting Blade invocation at level 5, you can get up to 4 attacks a single round if a target moves into your reach. (all triggering Hex, the hexblade's curse, and possible targets of Eldritch Smite invocation at level 5, don't forget you can drop on of your previous invocations so you can also get this at level 5) ... The down side is since this works best against one target with high AC/HP it may take several turns to kill them and to get the most out of it you need to break reach so they have to move into you again... which will mean they get an attack of opportunity on you. That's where a you having high AC and Armor of Agathys can really pay off. They miss GREAT!! They hit... they take some more damage. If you multi-class fighter the "Great Weapon fighting" fighting style enhances this since all the heavy weapons are two-handed weapons as well and the Quarterstaff is versatile and also qualifies for the fighting style.
Sentinel Feat: (has a few good effects which help you defend allies but most importantly, Like polearm master, it gets you more attacks to use your hex, the hexblade's curse where it shines is that it works without provoking attacks of opportunity and it can be used with any weapon so sword and shield is fine AND two weapon fighting is an option, unfortunately its better for Eldritch Knights since Warlock's can normally only have one single pact weapon but Eldritch Knights can have two and can take two-weapon fighting style so they do the same damage. That said... if you want to go the two handed route ask your GM. Maybe a kind GM will let you have to pact weapons.) Use your reaction to attack an enemy within 5ft who just attacked an ally other than you. So if your two weapon fighting and an ally, its another way to get 4 attacks a turn ...hex/the hexblade's curse/Eldritch Smite... or If you want to sword and shield with the options stated under weapons... its the only feat you can still use to achieve this. I would point out that if you are wielding two weapons or sword and shield and you have a decent strength or dex you .... don't really need to go pact of the blade... it works just as well with all 3 options. You really only need to go pact of the blade to use two-handed weapons as your "hexblade" weapon. Alternately if your going to cross class fighter the defensive fighting style for higher AC with your sword and shield (possibly Longsword, Battleaxe, or Warhammer using one hand and a shield) or the two-weapon fighting style with shortswords or rapiers are options here that aren't compatible with the other two feats.
You will notice Glaive and Halberd are usable with all three feats.... as a result you will see a lot of Glaive and Halberd wielding Hexblade warlocks.
The lack of inflection in text means that a reader of any post adds their own inflection as they "verbalize" it in their head. I write long and repetitive in an effort to be clear and avoid my intent from being skewed or inverted. I am also bad at examples. It is common for people to skim my posts pull out the idea they think I mean or want to argue against or focus on my bad example instead of the point I am actually trying to make. I apologies for the confusion my failure to be clear and concise creates.
"Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both" -- allegedly Benjamin Franklin
Tooltips (Help/aid)
The lack of inflection in text means that a reader of any post adds their own inflection as they "verbalize" it in their head. I write long and repetitive in an effort to be clear and avoid my intent from being skewed or inverted. I am also bad at examples. It is common for people to skim my posts pull out the idea they think I mean or want to argue against or focus on my bad example instead of the point I am actually trying to make. I apologies for the confusion my failure to be clear and concise creates.
You should have an eye on level progression if you suggest this. A non-Variant Human character can get there (Polearm and Great Weapon Master, Sentinel Feat) at level 12. The character would still be Cha 17, Con 13. For the one holding the line I would think about that twice.
So, I emailed my GM about our party and the general problem with having no real 'tank' to soak up the damage. I advised him that I had been looking online, and that I would prefer to start my character as a Lvl 1 Fighter, and then have my characters Warlock-magic potential rise from dormancy as I leveled up. Essentially from my backstory, when my character turns 25, his patron activates his hexblade potential, feeling that my character has finally learned enough to being his quest while also not embarassing the name of his patron.
The GM and I agreed to just do a reroll of stats, and start out Lvl1 Fighter, and now that we hit Lvl2, put my 1Lvl into Warlock. My roll breakdown was: 16, 15, 14, 13, 10, 9. Currently I'm assuming 13 STR, 14 DEX, 15 CON, 9 INT (+1 to 10 as Tiefling), 10 WIS, 16 CHA (+2 to 18 as Tiefling). Character is starting wearing Scale Mail and wielding a Sword and Shield. This puts my AC at 18. Under the assumption that I am going to be the meat-shield for our group, should I use my Fighter ability and get the +1AC (Defense?), or will going Great Weapon Fighter and Grabbing up Polearm Mastery around Lvl4 still provide my character with enough AC that I'm not constantly sitting at low HP or falling unconscious?
Tea Twospoons: Lvl3 Deep Gnome Arcane Trickster Rogue - Sea of Annihilation PbP