A few of my players have been confused about the hexblade for background and story purposes. Here is some clarification for those looking for a bit of help. This is just a simplified explanation based on character design, game design and intent and is certainly not written in stone. Your DM may fabricate something completely unique just for you.
So my pact is with my hexblade???? No its not. The hexblade it the TYPE of pact you have made. Your actual patron could be anything you want. Xanathar's Guide suggests creatures of the shadowfell and the raven queen but its wide open for different ideas. I have a hexblade who made a pact with a pair of genies who forged him a double bladed scimitar from their own weapons as part of a wish. Be creative with it.
So how does it work???? I want you to think of it like this:
- you obtain an object somehow. Usually its a weapon of some kind, but it doesn't have to be. It could be a gauntlet, a stick, an instrument, a shield, a piece of a weapon like the hilt of a broken sword, etc.
- this object is connected somehow to a powerful entity. Perhaps they created it, they are imprisoned inside it, its made from a part of the entity like a horn, it killed the entity at some point, etc. Point is, this object is a conduit that allows you to access the power of that entity.
-You forge a hexblade pact and through the object you are able to tap into the power the entity has access to. And the entity may be aware of that access or not. Like a sentient sword may allow you to access the raven queens power because it it mystically connected to her, but she might not even be aware you are doing it. You getting magic from her may be like a drop of water taken from the ocean.
It takes the idea of a "pact mark" and expands on it. Erin M. Evans character Farideh gained a brand or tattoo on her arm that connected her to her devil patron Lorcan. It worked like this: The 9 hells has magic all through it that Lorcan can access. Farideh has a pact mark on her arm that connects her to Lorcan and allows the magic of the 9 hells to filter through him to her via the pact mark she has. Hexblades work the same as this.
Fjord in the Mighty Nein has his falchion that connects him to his patron Uk'otoa. He didnt make a deal with the falchion though. And through the falchion Uk'otoa can even access Fjords dreams.
One of the most famous contemporary Hexblades is Prince Adam from the He-Man cartoon series. He uses his Sword of Power to access the Power of Greyskull granting him strength and other abilities. He might be a STR 8 kid as Adam, but uses his CHA 20 to power his attacks and damage as He-Man. He could even be using his Mask of Many Faces Invocation to change the way he looks as He-Man. (not literally of course but in game terms you can see how the visual can be reasonably explained if you were making the character)
- So as a hexblade I get a free magic weapon or an artifact???? NO not at all. Being a hexblade doesn't give you access to any extra equipment or items outside of what you can get at character creation. If you want a longsword or a glaive to be your "object" you still need to purchase it for your character or fold it into your background somehow. Your DM may just give it to you for free but that's their call. This is one reason to take pact of the blade. You can summon any weapon you like and make it your hex weapon. As a note: you may not ever get to even handle the "object" that connects you to your patron. Blackrazor may speak to you and channel power to you, but remains hidden and locked away in a mountain somewhere. It could be encased in crystal, locked in a wizards vault or stuck in a stone in the middle of a public square. Sentient magical weapons may never let you wield them or may be too dangerous for you to wield until you are a much higher level. They still act as a conduit to greater power for you even if you dont get to have them in your inventory.
Have fun with it and be creative. Warlocks have story written into their character design. If you want your pact to be with the actual weapon its self, go for it. A tempermental moonblade like Elaine Cunningham's character Arilyn Moonblade may make a pact with its inheritor. If your magic shield is actually the magic mirror that an archfey would ask "Who is the fairest one of all" and its how she stays connected to you, that's cool too. You can still mess things up with your rapier. Maybe your "object" is an old oil lamp that summoned a genie and he gave you a blade to use as your hex weapon but you are still connected to him/her via the lamp. There is always room for story with your character. You can play a completely non-melee hexblade who found a magic glove and be an amazing character to play, or be a full-on polearm wielding weapons master who has a balor trapped in his glaive that grants him power while he never casts eldritch blast or a support spell his whole life.
TLDR: your Hexblade is a type of pact, not your patron (although in your story you could make it be if you and your DM wanted it to be). You use an object connected to the patron (usually a weapon of some kind but doesn't have to be) and that connection allows your patrons magic to flow into you so you can use it. Think of your "object" as a bank card. The bank (your patron) has access to all the money (magical power). The bank gives you a card (the object that is usually a weapon) that lets you access the money so you can do fun stuff with it. Maybe you stole the bank card. Maybe you have multiple bank cards you use to pay for different things. Maybe your bank card is on your smartphone and talks to you, plays music and tells you where the best restaurants are. Point is you didn't make a deal with the bank card.
Hope this helps alleviate some confusion about the hexblade and gives some ideas on how to involve your story more to the class.
Check out my Disabled & Dragons Youtube Channel for 5e Monster and Player Tactics. Helping the Disabled Community and Players and DM’s (both new and experienced) get into D&D. Plus there is a talking Dragon named Quill.
Background story info and examples that some of my online players asked me to post for them all to read (and anyone else who wants to use it I suppose). They were getting bogged down and confused with Hexblade pact vs patron, hex weapon, pact blade, etc. And sage advice seemed to confuse them more. Just clarifying some ideas to help them out. That’s all
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Check out my Disabled & Dragons Youtube Channel for 5e Monster and Player Tactics. Helping the Disabled Community and Players and DM’s (both new and experienced) get into D&D. Plus there is a talking Dragon named Quill.
Ok. I love the patron but I don’t like how it is presented...clumsy and confusing. I just tell players to imagine their patron as a “Master of Hexes” or a “Curse Bringer”. Baba Yaga, for example, is a great example of a powerful curse bringer for a Hexblade Chainlock. I never thought of He-Man. That is a good example.
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A few of my players have been confused about the hexblade for background and story purposes. Here is some clarification for those looking for a bit of help. This is just a simplified explanation based on character design, game design and intent and is certainly not written in stone. Your DM may fabricate something completely unique just for you.
So my pact is with my hexblade???? No its not. The hexblade it the TYPE of pact you have made. Your actual patron could be anything you want. Xanathar's Guide suggests creatures of the shadowfell and the raven queen but its wide open for different ideas. I have a hexblade who made a pact with a pair of genies who forged him a double bladed scimitar from their own weapons as part of a wish. Be creative with it.
So how does it work???? I want you to think of it like this:
- you obtain an object somehow. Usually its a weapon of some kind, but it doesn't have to be. It could be a gauntlet, a stick, an instrument, a shield, a piece of a weapon like the hilt of a broken sword, etc.
- this object is connected somehow to a powerful entity. Perhaps they created it, they are imprisoned inside it, its made from a part of the entity like a horn, it killed the entity at some point, etc. Point is, this object is a conduit that allows you to access the power of that entity.
-You forge a hexblade pact and through the object you are able to tap into the power the entity has access to. And the entity may be aware of that access or not. Like a sentient sword may allow you to access the raven queens power because it it mystically connected to her, but she might not even be aware you are doing it. You getting magic from her may be like a drop of water taken from the ocean.
It takes the idea of a "pact mark" and expands on it. Erin M. Evans character Farideh gained a brand or tattoo on her arm that connected her to her devil patron Lorcan. It worked like this: The 9 hells has magic all through it that Lorcan can access. Farideh has a pact mark on her arm that connects her to Lorcan and allows the magic of the 9 hells to filter through him to her via the pact mark she has. Hexblades work the same as this.
Fjord in the Mighty Nein has his falchion that connects him to his patron Uk'otoa. He didnt make a deal with the falchion though. And through the falchion Uk'otoa can even access Fjords dreams.
One of the most famous contemporary Hexblades is Prince Adam from the He-Man cartoon series. He uses his Sword of Power to access the Power of Greyskull granting him strength and other abilities. He might be a STR 8 kid as Adam, but uses his CHA 20 to power his attacks and damage as He-Man. He could even be using his Mask of Many Faces Invocation to change the way he looks as He-Man. (not literally of course but in game terms you can see how the visual can be reasonably explained if you were making the character)
- So as a hexblade I get a free magic weapon or an artifact???? NO not at all. Being a hexblade doesn't give you access to any extra equipment or items outside of what you can get at character creation. If you want a longsword or a glaive to be your "object" you still need to purchase it for your character or fold it into your background somehow. Your DM may just give it to you for free but that's their call. This is one reason to take pact of the blade. You can summon any weapon you like and make it your hex weapon. As a note: you may not ever get to even handle the "object" that connects you to your patron. Blackrazor may speak to you and channel power to you, but remains hidden and locked away in a mountain somewhere. It could be encased in crystal, locked in a wizards vault or stuck in a stone in the middle of a public square. Sentient magical weapons may never let you wield them or may be too dangerous for you to wield until you are a much higher level. They still act as a conduit to greater power for you even if you dont get to have them in your inventory.
Have fun with it and be creative. Warlocks have story written into their character design. If you want your pact to be with the actual weapon its self, go for it. A tempermental moonblade like Elaine Cunningham's character Arilyn Moonblade may make a pact with its inheritor. If your magic shield is actually the magic mirror that an archfey would ask "Who is the fairest one of all" and its how she stays connected to you, that's cool too. You can still mess things up with your rapier. Maybe your "object" is an old oil lamp that summoned a genie and he gave you a blade to use as your hex weapon but you are still connected to him/her via the lamp. There is always room for story with your character. You can play a completely non-melee hexblade who found a magic glove and be an amazing character to play, or be a full-on polearm wielding weapons master who has a balor trapped in his glaive that grants him power while he never casts eldritch blast or a support spell his whole life.
TLDR: your Hexblade is a type of pact, not your patron (although in your story you could make it be if you and your DM wanted it to be). You use an object connected to the patron (usually a weapon of some kind but doesn't have to be) and that connection allows your patrons magic to flow into you so you can use it. Think of your "object" as a bank card. The bank (your patron) has access to all the money (magical power). The bank gives you a card (the object that is usually a weapon) that lets you access the money so you can do fun stuff with it. Maybe you stole the bank card. Maybe you have multiple bank cards you use to pay for different things. Maybe your bank card is on your smartphone and talks to you, plays music and tells you where the best restaurants are. Point is you didn't make a deal with the bank card.
Hope this helps alleviate some confusion about the hexblade and gives some ideas on how to involve your story more to the class.
Check out my Disabled & Dragons Youtube Channel for 5e Monster and Player Tactics. Helping the Disabled Community and Players and DM’s (both new and experienced) get into D&D. Plus there is a talking Dragon named Quill.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPPmyTI0tZ6nM-bzY0IG3ww
Are you asking or question or just telling us how to write a Hexblade backstory?
Background story info and examples that some of my online players asked me to post for them all to read (and anyone else who wants to use it I suppose). They were getting bogged down and confused with Hexblade pact vs patron, hex weapon, pact blade, etc. And sage advice seemed to confuse them more. Just clarifying some ideas to help them out. That’s all
Check out my Disabled & Dragons Youtube Channel for 5e Monster and Player Tactics. Helping the Disabled Community and Players and DM’s (both new and experienced) get into D&D. Plus there is a talking Dragon named Quill.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPPmyTI0tZ6nM-bzY0IG3ww
Ok. I love the patron but I don’t like how it is presented...clumsy and confusing. I just tell players to imagine their patron as a “Master of Hexes” or a “Curse Bringer”. Baba Yaga, for example, is a great example of a powerful curse bringer for a Hexblade Chainlock. I never thought of He-Man. That is a good example.