I have read a little on the Paladin Hexblade build, but have never made one. I also searched the Paladin and Warlock forums to see other content but didnt' find much for the first 6 pages. I am only seeing Hexadin builds. What other subclass combos are done well?
Keep in mind that if you're comfortable with your character's ability scores and modifiers, swapping an ASI for a feat can significantly improve a character's effectiveness/fun level. Assuming your gamemaster allows feats and depending on which feat is selected, of course. Never look at an ASI as "just an ASI". Sometimes a +1 to an attribute modifier may not be as useful as a feat.
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Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming "Wow! What a Ride!" - Hunter S. Thompson
When life is bleak, all hope is lost, a wall is at your back, you always have one option left...attack! Attack! ATTACK! - Me
You should really do some digging into the Undead Warlock/Oath of Conquest Paladin multiclass... it's an awesome fear machine.
Ohh! A Nazgul from the Lord of the Rings!
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Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming "Wow! What a Ride!" - Hunter S. Thompson
When life is bleak, all hope is lost, a wall is at your back, you always have one option left...attack! Attack! ATTACK! - Me
I realize this post is over a year old, but I was going to be doing this exact build. What do you think is the best division of classes? Would you throw in 2 levels of fighter for Action Surge?
No, I wouldn't add two levels of fighter. Everytime you multiclass, you delay things: Spells, class features, subclass features, feats, stat upgrades etc. You have to decide, is do I gain more than I lose when I MC. When most games fizzle out around level 12 or 13, the price of admission for 3 classes is, imo too high.
Most of the old hexadin builds were using 1 level of warlock, and the rest paladin IIRC.
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Any time an unfathomably powerful entity sweeps in and offers godlike rewards in return for just a few teensy favors, it’s a scam. Unless it’s me. I’d never lie to you, reader dearest.
There is actually a better combo based on the Archfey Warlock. It is called the 'Portal Paladin'. The general idea is to go full CHA and CON, dumping strength meaning it is easier to max out stats. You essentially become a teleporting, massive damaging tank, with insane AC and imposing disadvantage on enemy attacks to the party.
Start with a level in Paladin, for heavy armor, martial weapons, WIS and CHA proficiency and Divine Smite. Get a Greatsword and it's Mastery.
Next take a level in Warlock, Eldritch Blast and Booming Blade work great for cantrips, and Hex is a great first level spell. Grab the Pact of the Blade, the key here is to bond with the Greatsword, allowing you to attack with CHA instead of STR. Then another Warlock level, take Agonizing Blast for the damage and Lessons of the First Ones - Savage Attacker (this lets you take a 1 or 2 on a damage dice as a 3, this gives a minimum 6 damage on a hit and, assuming 20 CHA, 5 damage on a miss with Graze). Choose your preferred spells it doesn't make a huge difference at this stage. 3rd Warlock level is key, Archfey patron for some of the best subclass spells in the game: Sleep, Misty Step, Blink, Dominate Person, all round great spells. Its best feature is 'Steps of The Fey' allowing you to cats Misty Step a number of times equal to your CHA modifier. In addition each time you do this you gain an effect: 1d10 temp hitpoints or taunt all enemies within 5 ft of you, on a failed WIS save they have disadvantage attacking anyone other than you until your next turn. Now you can jump into combat with good AC from Ring/Chain Mail or Half Plate, good hitpoints from a d10 health die, and great weapon attacks from 4th level.
Now take 2 more levels in Paladin for Oath of Devotion and Divine Smite. With Sacred Weapon (Channel Divinity Feature) you can 10 minutes you can add your charisma modifier to attack rolls now with CHA 20 your attack rolls have +13 to hit (+5 from CHA attack - Pact Weapon, +3 from PB and now +5 from Sacred Weapon). AND you can change the damage type to radiant, not always useful but handy to bypass damage resistances.
From here it's fully customizable. BUT that being said, here's how I'd continue. 2 more levels in warlock to get the Thirsting Blade invocation and 3rd level spells. Remember Blink. The now when you Misty Step and taunt you can pop out of existence giving an enemy disadvantage on all attack rolls against allies. Think an Adult Red Dragon, you taunt and it fails because the wizard has some insane feature like Silvery Barbs or Portent (both of which you'd have at this level), now you blink out of existence and the dragon struggles to hit the fighter with a Greataxe or the Sorcerer casting fireball, because it attacks at disadvantage (maybe not a dragon cause of its breath weapon but you get the idea). You now get a feat I'd either go ASI, Magic Initiate Cleric or Polearm Master. Guidance is great and Toll the Dead is useful but you'll mostly be using Eldritch Blast.
Either keep going into just Warlock and Paladin for maximum spells or if you want to go damage go the Sentinel/Polearm Master route through Warlock then take a 3 level dip into Champion Fighter for improved crit, hit for good damage (take Eldritch Smite) crit then either Paladin Smite and Eldritch Smite or just one if your DM rules Eldritch Smite as a spell. This will stop you from accessing 9th level spells, so multiclass with caution. Let me know if I'm forgetting anything.
Paladin/Warlock is one of my favourite combos in the game and this allows for good utility and damage with a hint of battlefield control in the mix. Enjoy!
I came up with a build for Paladin 1 (smite, favor, armor, mastery), Warlock 2 (true strike, agonizing blast[debatable whether it works], pact of the blade), Valor Bard 6 (extra attack), Celestial Warlock 6 (radiant soul, eldritch smite), Devotion Paladin 3 (sacred weapon), Champion Fighter 4 (improved critical, action surge, epic boon[yes, that is how it works]), Paladin 4 (epic boon)
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I have read a little on the Paladin Hexblade build, but have never made one. I also searched the Paladin and Warlock forums to see other content but didnt' find much for the first 6 pages. I am only seeing Hexadin builds. What other subclass combos are done well?
https://www.dndbeyond.com/forums/class-forums/paladin/1764-paladin-hexblade-warlock-multiclass and https://rpg.stackexchange.com/q/58631/33204 are good, but remember, they pre-date XGE, and so they don't consider the Hexblade patron or the newer invocations.
https://www.reddit.com/r/dndnext/comments/7u42xw/hexblade_pure_class_vs_multiclass/ and https://www.reddit.com/r/3d6/comments/7oz9wu/5e_hexblade_warlockpaladin_multiclass_best/ are from after XGE, and are probably more relevant.
Gold! Thank you so much!
Keep in mind that if you're comfortable with your character's ability scores and modifiers, swapping an ASI for a feat can significantly improve a character's effectiveness/fun level. Assuming your gamemaster allows feats and depending on which feat is selected, of course. Never look at an ASI as "just an ASI". Sometimes a +1 to an attribute modifier may not be as useful as a feat.
Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming "Wow! What a Ride!"
- Hunter S. Thompson
When life is bleak, all hope is lost, a wall is at your back, you always have one option left...attack! Attack! ATTACK!
- Me
You should really do some digging into the Undead Warlock/Oath of Conquest Paladin multiclass... it's an awesome fear machine.
Ohh! A Nazgul from the Lord of the Rings!
Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming "Wow! What a Ride!"
- Hunter S. Thompson
When life is bleak, all hope is lost, a wall is at your back, you always have one option left...attack! Attack! ATTACK!
- Me
I realize this post is over a year old, but I was going to be doing this exact build. What do you think is the best division of classes? Would you throw in 2 levels of fighter for Action Surge?
No, I wouldn't add two levels of fighter. Everytime you multiclass, you delay things: Spells, class features, subclass features, feats, stat upgrades etc. You have to decide, is do I gain more than I lose when I MC. When most games fizzle out around level 12 or 13, the price of admission for 3 classes is, imo too high.
Most of the old hexadin builds were using 1 level of warlock, and the rest paladin IIRC.
Any time an unfathomably powerful entity sweeps in and offers godlike rewards in return for just a few teensy favors, it’s a scam. Unless it’s me. I’d never lie to you, reader dearest.
Tasha
With the 2024 rules, I think a Fey Patron Warlock combined with an Oath of the Ancients Paladin would be pretty thematic.
There is actually a better combo based on the Archfey Warlock. It is called the 'Portal Paladin'. The general idea is to go full CHA and CON, dumping strength meaning it is easier to max out stats. You essentially become a teleporting, massive damaging tank, with insane AC and imposing disadvantage on enemy attacks to the party.
Start with a level in Paladin, for heavy armor, martial weapons, WIS and CHA proficiency and Divine Smite. Get a Greatsword and it's Mastery.
Next take a level in Warlock, Eldritch Blast and Booming Blade work great for cantrips, and Hex is a great first level spell. Grab the Pact of the Blade, the key here is to bond with the Greatsword, allowing you to attack with CHA instead of STR. Then another Warlock level, take Agonizing Blast for the damage and Lessons of the First Ones - Savage Attacker (this lets you take a 1 or 2 on a damage dice as a 3, this gives a minimum 6 damage on a hit and, assuming 20 CHA, 5 damage on a miss with Graze). Choose your preferred spells it doesn't make a huge difference at this stage. 3rd Warlock level is key, Archfey patron for some of the best subclass spells in the game: Sleep, Misty Step, Blink, Dominate Person, all round great spells. Its best feature is 'Steps of The Fey' allowing you to cats Misty Step a number of times equal to your CHA modifier. In addition each time you do this you gain an effect: 1d10 temp hitpoints or taunt all enemies within 5 ft of you, on a failed WIS save they have disadvantage attacking anyone other than you until your next turn. Now you can jump into combat with good AC from Ring/Chain Mail or Half Plate, good hitpoints from a d10 health die, and great weapon attacks from 4th level.
Now take 2 more levels in Paladin for Oath of Devotion and Divine Smite. With Sacred Weapon (Channel Divinity Feature) you can 10 minutes you can add your charisma modifier to attack rolls now with CHA 20 your attack rolls have +13 to hit (+5 from CHA attack - Pact Weapon, +3 from PB and now +5 from Sacred Weapon). AND you can change the damage type to radiant, not always useful but handy to bypass damage resistances.
From here it's fully customizable. BUT that being said, here's how I'd continue. 2 more levels in warlock to get the Thirsting Blade invocation and 3rd level spells. Remember Blink. The now when you Misty Step and taunt you can pop out of existence giving an enemy disadvantage on all attack rolls against allies. Think an Adult Red Dragon, you taunt and it fails because the wizard has some insane feature like Silvery Barbs or Portent (both of which you'd have at this level), now you blink out of existence and the dragon struggles to hit the fighter with a Greataxe or the Sorcerer casting fireball, because it attacks at disadvantage (maybe not a dragon cause of its breath weapon but you get the idea). You now get a feat I'd either go ASI, Magic Initiate Cleric or Polearm Master. Guidance is great and Toll the Dead is useful but you'll mostly be using Eldritch Blast.
Either keep going into just Warlock and Paladin for maximum spells or if you want to go damage go the Sentinel/Polearm Master route through Warlock then take a 3 level dip into Champion Fighter for improved crit, hit for good damage (take Eldritch Smite) crit then either Paladin Smite and Eldritch Smite or just one if your DM rules Eldritch Smite as a spell. This will stop you from accessing 9th level spells, so multiclass with caution. Let me know if I'm forgetting anything.
Paladin/Warlock is one of my favourite combos in the game and this allows for good utility and damage with a hint of battlefield control in the mix. Enjoy!
I came up with a build for Paladin 1 (smite, favor, armor, mastery), Warlock 2 (true strike, agonizing blast[debatable whether it works], pact of the blade), Valor Bard 6 (extra attack), Celestial Warlock 6 (radiant soul, eldritch smite), Devotion Paladin 3 (sacred weapon), Champion Fighter 4 (improved critical, action surge, epic boon[yes, that is how it works]), Paladin 4 (epic boon)