So after many terrible experiences in the past playing D&D I decided to give it a go with a group recently. We started at level one and have played some sessions so far.
I really like the concept of Hexblade so I decided to go down that path. Now I am pretty new to the class and having some issues with the build. I was going to go for the polearm feat at lvl 3 but I was told by people in my group why I would do that and skip the +2 CHA bonus since I just Eldritch Blast everything. They are making me think that this is a bad choice but I have heard of many great builds that do this.
I am half drow currently lvl 2.
Str 8 Dex 14 Con 14 Int 10 Wis 12 Cha 17 are my stats.
Invocations - Agonizing Blast, Mask of Many Faces.
I have also considered multiclassing possibly with Sorcerer in the future, but it seems like Hexblades get some nice feats down the line. I have also heard of Hexblades taking Str for their bonuses and I am not sure I understand why. Sorry if this may seem common sense, but I haven't played D&D in a very long time because of my bad experiences. I am enjoying the group I am with so far and just trying to understand the class a bit more.
Do you really just Eldritch Blast everything? If that's the case, you could take a different Patron...
A stereotypical Hexblade takes power from it's weapon - in early levels, not literally, but a weapon attack is usually the go-to attack. Using that weapon should be the default, since there's many invocations related to weapon attacks. There's several related to EB also, but not limited to Hexblade.
Figure out your play style, and adjust your invocations and pact soon...
The Hexblade helps make the Warlock, a full caster, into a partial melee combatant. While Eldritch blast is good, Hexblade's are useful both at range and in melee. If you're focusing solely on eldritch blast and either not making an effort to get into melee, or simply don't want to, you could do better with other pacts. It sounds as though you're squandering the melee capabilities you traded better spellcasting for by focusing on your ranged attacks.
Using Eldrtich blast isn't a problem as a Hexblade, it's when you rely on it instead of your weapon. If you prefer to stand back and blast things, you may consider looking at the other pacts and seeing if they better suit your playstyle.
I have a 5th level Hexblade warlock, and my preferred tactics are using eldritch blast (in conjunction with the agonizing blast invocation) for a round or two, and then closing for melee, using a combination of Hexblade curse and either Hex or Branding Smite with my pact weapon. (I also have the Thirsting Blade and Improved Pact Weapon invocations.)
Because I'm a Hexblade, my pact weapon is a greatsword. So what that means as far as number crunching:
Hex warrior allows me to use my Charisma modifier on hit and damage rolls (in my case, +5) Hexblade curse provides +3 on damage rolls Hex provides extra d6 damage on each damage roll OR Branding Smite provides extra 3d6 on first hit Improved Pact Weapon provides +1 on hit and damage rolls
So what that means is that at a minimum, each hit with my pact weapon means 2d6 + 1d6 + 5 + 1 + 3...and I get two attacks per turn. Which means I can potentially do 54 hit points of damage per turn.
My suggestion, to echo others, is for you to decide what kind of tactics your character prefers (ranged? melee?) and make your choices accordingly. Your other players should support what you're doing, not dictate your actions.
One of the things I was thinking of for the class is to get the invocation that brings the enemy closer to me with Eldritch Blast to get them into melee range.
My Hexblade 5 / Rogue Swashbuckler 2 is melee heavy, and has probably used Eldritch Blast in 5-6 battles... maybe a couple of times within the battle, but she prefers to dash in, or even Misty Step to where the baddies are hiding, and start slashing away...
I also have another PotB Warlock, but with the Celestial Patron. Considering not even taking the Eldritch Blast cantrip, and using one or more of Toll the Dead/Frostbite/Chill Touch for ranged damage. Still very melee heavy, sword and board.
I am using a glaive at the moment. I think my struggle is I am looking at the future path like I am playing a video game instead of taking one step at a time with the levels. My intention was to play more melee but my team keeps relying me on range.
Does your group of PCs not have any other characters with ranged attack capabilities, weapon or spell?
You may want to compromise: eldritch blast absolutely makes your warlock a great ranged attacker and that should be used to help the party...but it's ok to mix that with closing in for melee. It doesn't have to be all of one or the other.
It sounds like you might need to have a discussion with the other players, too. This is a game, and it should be fun. If fun for you means having a character that's more melee-based, then it should be OK for you to run your character that way.
Yeah, this is about fun... about getting a gameplay flow in your head and going with it. Of course, as you play more, and your character progresses, you should adapt, and evolve.
At lower levels, it's probably most effective to EB from range, and then get into melee and start attacking. When you get more powerful, so will your party. One of them may get better at blasting from far away, and do more effective damage than your Hexblade. By then, you should have Thirsting Blade dual attack, and at least one Smite option, combined with HB Curse or Hex, and you will be a terror on the front lines.
Glaive with Polearm Master is just a nasty combo... you can do some sweet damage with that. Especially with the Hex/Curse effects, and sweet, sweet smites...
Nothing wrong with EB blasting, but if you wanna get messy, then you gotta assert yourself, and get into the front lines. You gotta play how you want, or it won't be fun.
I may have a talk with them then. Hexblade just seemed so neat and interesting so I want to stick with that, but I feel behind because I do not know the material as much as the others. I read the books, and research but I think something just gets lost in translation which is why I am trying to understand things a bit more. We have a fighter that complains when any enemy has resistance to melee and has a bow but doesn't like to use it, but I am not letting him bring me down from enjoying the sessions.
I've been playing 5E for two years and I still feel like I'm very much in learning mode. It's OK to adapt and change as you (and your character) get more experience. I'm not an optimizer or min/maxer, for good or ill, so I'm sure there are a lot of ways I'm underutilizing my warlock's melee capabilities...but I also kinda don't care, because I'm having a blast running him with what I know and what I continue to learn.
I have a 5th level Hexblade warlock, and my preferred tactics are using eldritch blast (in conjunction with the agonizing blast invocation) for a round or two, and then closing for melee, using a combination of Hexblade curse and either Hex or Branding Smite with my pact weapon. (I also have the Thirsting Blade and Improved Pact Weapon invocations.)
Because I'm a Hexblade, my pact weapon is a greatsword. So what that means as far as number crunching:
Hex warrior allows me to use my Charisma modifier on hit and damage rolls (in my case, +5) Hexblade curse provides +3 on damage rolls Hex provides extra d6 damage on each damage roll OR Branding Smite provides extra 3d6 on first hit Improved Pact Weapon provides +1 on hit and damage rolls
So what that means is that at a minimum, each hit with my pact weapon means 2d6 + 1d6 + 5 + 1 + 3...and I get two attacks per turn. Which means I can potentially do 54 hit points of damage per turn.
Hello there! Me and my friends just recently got into playing D&D and after looking at all of my options I decided to build a Hexblade Warlock because it sounded the most fun. So my question to you is if you could break down your damage numbers individually for me? Because I don't really understand where all of these numbers come from yet.
5th level Hexblade warlock, using pact of the blade. This means the warlock can use a greatsword as the pact weapon. Greatswords do 2d6 damage.
The Hex Warrior feature allows me to use my Charisma modifier when using my pact weapon. So that's +5 (20 Charisma score) to the damage roll.
I've taken the Improved Pact Weapon invocation. This grants +1 for hit and damage rolls.
The Hexblade Curse applies your proficiency bonus to all damage rolls. In my case, at 5th level, that's +3. (This requires a bonus action to be in effect.)
Finally, if I cast Branding Smite, I add 3d6 damage to my first successful hit. Alternately, I can cast Hex and add 1d6 to every successful hit.
5th level Hexblade warlock, using pact of the blade. This means the warlock can use a greatsword as the pact weapon. Greatswords do 2d6 damage.
The Hex Warrior feature allows me to use my Charisma modifier when using my pact weapon. So that's +5 (20 Charisma score) to the damage roll.
I've taken the Improved Pact Weapon invocation. This grants +1 for hit and damage rolls.
The Hexblade Curse applies your proficiency bonus to all damage rolls. In my case, at 5th level, that's +3. (This requires a bonus action to be in effect.)
Finally, if I cast Branding Smite, I add 3d6 damage to my first successful hit. Alternately, I can cast Hex and add 1d6 to every successful hit.
Whoa! That's awesome! AND makes a whole lot more sense to me now. Thank you!
I've been reading/researching around the web about the Hexblade the last couple of weeks and it seems there is a lot of people that think doing a pure Hexblade/Pact of the Blade build isn't that good and that you need to multi-class it to make it good. My DM said he doesn't want to get into multiclassing & feats since this is our first time playing and it will complicate things too much. Which is fine by me since I have enough rules I'm trying to understand already. So do you think this is true ? Or do you think a pure Hexblade build can hold its own just fine throughout a 1-20 campaign ?
It depends on your approach to the game. As I wrote, I'm not really an optimizer or min/maxer; while I do like having a character that's badass and can deal a lot of damage, I also like having a character that's not perfect, who has some weaknesses as a reflection of their personality, and allows for some uncertainty in the game.
For me, a warlock is a class that has a limited number of other classes it would fit well with. I've seen a number of people extol the value of a paladin/warlock, but to me, that's bordering on a nonsense pairing. Warlocks, by their nature, have to make a pact to wield magic; for me, this makes them antithetical to most other spellcasting classes. Combining warlocks with rogues, fighters, or barbarians makes much more sense to me.
But I don't intend to multiclass with my warlock; I like him focused, and I like the challenge of having to figure out how to compensate for the inherent soft sides/weaknesses of the class without having to add on another class.
For other folks, I understand that for them, having fun in the game means optimizing their character and mastering every rule and feature so they can deal maximum damage as often as possible with as little danger to themselves as possible. It's a completely valid approach - it's just not one I personally enjoy.
But I don't intend to multiclass with my warlock; I like him focused, and I like the challenge of having to figure out how to compensate for the inherent soft sides/weaknesses of the class without having to add on another class.
THIS!!! I feel exactly the same way. I get that the Hexblade's AC isn't that great in the beginning for doing much melee but after you get some gold just buy the best medium armor you can afford. Maybe find a Ring or Cloak of protection along the way to help out that AC some more. I had to learn this the hard way on our first night of D&D when I almost got killed by some Redbrand soldier in one attack form him. Whoops!!
I went to level 5 with my Hexblade before I decided to do a 3-level dip into Rogue for Swashbuckler, but also for roleplay reasons - she is the sneaky stealth one, and she has the criminal contacts and activity. She is even working to start a brothel in Phandalin.
I built a backup Warlock that started as a Fighter 2, but then has gone 5 levels of Celestial Warlock PotB. She needed Fighter to get melee weapons and armor, since she's also a front line melee / medic.
That's the great thing with Warlocks - they're so versatile. A straight Warlock 1-20 run is very solid.
My only gripe so far (I've only gotten to play 4 sessions thus far) with my Hexblade Warlock is the lack of Spell Slots. But I get it that's their "thing". And I am looking for ways to around it/improve upon it. Like magic items that give me another spell slot. (Rod of the Pact Keeper, Pearl of Power, Ring of Spell Storing, etc...) I'm guessing Multi-classing into other classes would probably solve the spell slot shortage problem? But doing that kinda stuff is probably way out of my mental grasp for awhile. Plus I also kinda like the idea of my Warlock being a bit of a "John Constantine" type of character. Where he really doesn't have any actual powers but knows how to work the system to get what he needs.
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So after many terrible experiences in the past playing D&D I decided to give it a go with a group recently. We started at level one and have played some sessions so far.
I really like the concept of Hexblade so I decided to go down that path. Now I am pretty new to the class and having some issues with the build. I was going to go for the polearm feat at lvl 3 but I was told by people in my group why I would do that and skip the +2 CHA bonus since I just Eldritch Blast everything. They are making me think that this is a bad choice but I have heard of many great builds that do this.
I am half drow currently lvl 2.
Str 8 Dex 14 Con 14 Int 10 Wis 12 Cha 17 are my stats.
Cantrips - Dancing Lights, Eldritch Blast, Sword Burst
Spells - Hex, Armor of Agathys, Hellish Rebuke
Invocations - Agonizing Blast, Mask of Many Faces.
I have also considered multiclassing possibly with Sorcerer in the future, but it seems like Hexblades get some nice feats down the line. I have also heard of Hexblades taking Str for their bonuses and I am not sure I understand why. Sorry if this may seem common sense, but I haven't played D&D in a very long time because of my bad experiences. I am enjoying the group I am with so far and just trying to understand the class a bit more.
Do you really just Eldritch Blast everything? If that's the case, you could take a different Patron...
A stereotypical Hexblade takes power from it's weapon - in early levels, not literally, but a weapon attack is usually the go-to attack. Using that weapon should be the default, since there's many invocations related to weapon attacks. There's several related to EB also, but not limited to Hexblade.
Figure out your play style, and adjust your invocations and pact soon...
Oh shoot really? I just used EB because we have alot of melee in my group and I can take out ranges.
The Hexblade helps make the Warlock, a full caster, into a partial melee combatant. While Eldritch blast is good, Hexblade's are useful both at range and in melee. If you're focusing solely on eldritch blast and either not making an effort to get into melee, or simply don't want to, you could do better with other pacts. It sounds as though you're squandering the melee capabilities you traded better spellcasting for by focusing on your ranged attacks.
Using Eldrtich blast isn't a problem as a Hexblade, it's when you rely on it instead of your weapon. If you prefer to stand back and blast things, you may consider looking at the other pacts and seeing if they better suit your playstyle.
I have a 5th level Hexblade warlock, and my preferred tactics are using eldritch blast (in conjunction with the agonizing blast invocation) for a round or two, and then closing for melee, using a combination of Hexblade curse and either Hex or Branding Smite with my pact weapon. (I also have the Thirsting Blade and Improved Pact Weapon invocations.)
Because I'm a Hexblade, my pact weapon is a greatsword. So what that means as far as number crunching:
Hex warrior allows me to use my Charisma modifier on hit and damage rolls (in my case, +5)
Hexblade curse provides +3 on damage rolls
Hex provides extra d6 damage on each damage roll OR Branding Smite provides extra 3d6 on first hit
Improved Pact Weapon provides +1 on hit and damage rolls
So what that means is that at a minimum, each hit with my pact weapon means 2d6 + 1d6 + 5 + 1 + 3...and I get two attacks per turn. Which means I can potentially do 54 hit points of damage per turn.
My suggestion, to echo others, is for you to decide what kind of tactics your character prefers (ranged? melee?) and make your choices accordingly. Your other players should support what you're doing, not dictate your actions.
One of the things I was thinking of for the class is to get the invocation that brings the enemy closer to me with Eldritch Blast to get them into melee range.
A very good idea if you're wanting to have a melee-focused warlock.
My Hexblade 5 / Rogue Swashbuckler 2 is melee heavy, and has probably used Eldritch Blast in 5-6 battles... maybe a couple of times within the battle, but she prefers to dash in, or even Misty Step to where the baddies are hiding, and start slashing away...
I also have another PotB Warlock, but with the Celestial Patron. Considering not even taking the Eldritch Blast cantrip, and using one or more of Toll the Dead/Frostbite/Chill Touch for ranged damage. Still very melee heavy, sword and board.
I am using a glaive at the moment. I think my struggle is I am looking at the future path like I am playing a video game instead of taking one step at a time with the levels. My intention was to play more melee but my team keeps relying me on range.
Does your group of PCs not have any other characters with ranged attack capabilities, weapon or spell?
You may want to compromise: eldritch blast absolutely makes your warlock a great ranged attacker and that should be used to help the party...but it's ok to mix that with closing in for melee. It doesn't have to be all of one or the other.
It sounds like you might need to have a discussion with the other players, too. This is a game, and it should be fun. If fun for you means having a character that's more melee-based, then it should be OK for you to run your character that way.
Yeah, this is about fun... about getting a gameplay flow in your head and going with it. Of course, as you play more, and your character progresses, you should adapt, and evolve.
At lower levels, it's probably most effective to EB from range, and then get into melee and start attacking. When you get more powerful, so will your party. One of them may get better at blasting from far away, and do more effective damage than your Hexblade. By then, you should have Thirsting Blade dual attack, and at least one Smite option, combined with HB Curse or Hex, and you will be a terror on the front lines.
Glaive with Polearm Master is just a nasty combo... you can do some sweet damage with that. Especially with the Hex/Curse effects, and sweet, sweet smites...
Nothing wrong with EB blasting, but if you wanna get messy, then you gotta assert yourself, and get into the front lines. You gotta play how you want, or it won't be fun.
I may have a talk with them then. Hexblade just seemed so neat and interesting so I want to stick with that, but I feel behind because I do not know the material as much as the others. I read the books, and research but I think something just gets lost in translation which is why I am trying to understand things a bit more. We have a fighter that complains when any enemy has resistance to melee and has a bow but doesn't like to use it, but I am not letting him bring me down from enjoying the sessions.
I've been playing 5E for two years and I still feel like I'm very much in learning mode. It's OK to adapt and change as you (and your character) get more experience. I'm not an optimizer or min/maxer, for good or ill, so I'm sure there are a lot of ways I'm underutilizing my warlock's melee capabilities...but I also kinda don't care, because I'm having a blast running him with what I know and what I continue to learn.
Hello there! Me and my friends just recently got into playing D&D and after looking at all of my options I decided to build a Hexblade Warlock because it sounded the most fun. So my question to you is if you could break down your damage numbers individually for me? Because I don't really understand where all of these numbers come from yet.
Sure. Here goes:
5th level Hexblade warlock, using pact of the blade. This means the warlock can use a greatsword as the pact weapon. Greatswords do 2d6 damage.
The Hex Warrior feature allows me to use my Charisma modifier when using my pact weapon. So that's +5 (20 Charisma score) to the damage roll.
I've taken the Improved Pact Weapon invocation. This grants +1 for hit and damage rolls.
The Hexblade Curse applies your proficiency bonus to all damage rolls. In my case, at 5th level, that's +3. (This requires a bonus action to be in effect.)
Finally, if I cast Branding Smite, I add 3d6 damage to my first successful hit. Alternately, I can cast Hex and add 1d6 to every successful hit.
Whoa! That's awesome! AND makes a whole lot more sense to me now. Thank you!
I've been reading/researching around the web about the Hexblade the last couple of weeks and it seems there is a lot of people that think doing a pure Hexblade/Pact of the Blade build isn't that good and that you need to multi-class it to make it good. My DM said he doesn't want to get into multiclassing & feats since this is our first time playing and it will complicate things too much. Which is fine by me since I have enough rules I'm trying to understand already. So do you think this is true ? Or do you think a pure Hexblade build can hold its own just fine throughout a 1-20 campaign ?
It depends on your approach to the game. As I wrote, I'm not really an optimizer or min/maxer; while I do like having a character that's badass and can deal a lot of damage, I also like having a character that's not perfect, who has some weaknesses as a reflection of their personality, and allows for some uncertainty in the game.
For me, a warlock is a class that has a limited number of other classes it would fit well with. I've seen a number of people extol the value of a paladin/warlock, but to me, that's bordering on a nonsense pairing. Warlocks, by their nature, have to make a pact to wield magic; for me, this makes them antithetical to most other spellcasting classes. Combining warlocks with rogues, fighters, or barbarians makes much more sense to me.
But I don't intend to multiclass with my warlock; I like him focused, and I like the challenge of having to figure out how to compensate for the inherent soft sides/weaknesses of the class without having to add on another class.
For other folks, I understand that for them, having fun in the game means optimizing their character and mastering every rule and feature so they can deal maximum damage as often as possible with as little danger to themselves as possible. It's a completely valid approach - it's just not one I personally enjoy.
THIS!!! I feel exactly the same way. I get that the Hexblade's AC isn't that great in the beginning for doing much melee but after you get some gold just buy the best medium armor you can afford. Maybe find a Ring or Cloak of protection along the way to help out that AC some more. I had to learn this the hard way on our first night of D&D when I almost got killed by some Redbrand soldier in one attack form him. Whoops!!
I went to level 5 with my Hexblade before I decided to do a 3-level dip into Rogue for Swashbuckler, but also for roleplay reasons - she is the sneaky stealth one, and she has the criminal contacts and activity. She is even working to start a brothel in Phandalin.
I built a backup Warlock that started as a Fighter 2, but then has gone 5 levels of Celestial Warlock PotB. She needed Fighter to get melee weapons and armor, since she's also a front line melee / medic.
That's the great thing with Warlocks - they're so versatile. A straight Warlock 1-20 run is very solid.
My only gripe so far (I've only gotten to play 4 sessions thus far) with my Hexblade Warlock is the lack of Spell Slots. But I get it that's their "thing". And I am looking for ways to around it/improve upon it. Like magic items that give me another spell slot. (Rod of the Pact Keeper, Pearl of Power, Ring of Spell Storing, etc...) I'm guessing Multi-classing into other classes would probably solve the spell slot shortage problem? But doing that kinda stuff is probably way out of my mental grasp for awhile. Plus I also kinda like the idea of my Warlock being a bit of a "John Constantine" type of character. Where he really doesn't have any actual powers but knows how to work the system to get what he needs.