First post in any forum on DnD beyond so I hope this is the correct place for this.
Backround:
I am relatively new to DnD, I only have one completed campaign under my belt as a Cleric.
I am currently in a campaign that is one foot in 2014 and one in 2024, and I am currently playing a Hexblade using the older 2014 rules. I was excited when I saw that Hexblade was getting an update in 2024 but was dissapointed that the UA version seems to have lost any incentive to be an unclose and personal melee-focused warlock like the 2014 version had. I also did not like that they gave the Hexblade essentially martial-esque Manuvers and required the subclass to concentrate on Hex or otherwise gain no benefit from the subclass overall.
I started thinking about creating my own version since my DM is pretty open to 3rd party and Homebrew stuff and wanted to get some opinions on it before I showed it to him because I don't trust myself to make an abomination that is overtuned. Essentially, I wanted to create a version of the subclass that heavily leaned into the new Pact of the Blade Invocation, and focused on being in melee, and getting hits with its Bonded Weapons. I kept some elements of both the 2014 and 2024 UA version, but alot of it I straight up changed for better or worse.
Please let me know what you think, and constructive criticism and suggestions are welcome!
WARLOCK: HEXBLADE PATRON
Prerequisite: Pact of the Blade Eldritch Invocation
Many entities across the multiverse embody aspects of what mortal races call martial prowess. Sentient Weapons often seek to influence adventurers who find them to fulfill their ends. At the same time, celestials, fey, and even fiends can all desire followers who do most of their work with the point of a blade instead of relying solely on magic. You have made a pact with such an entity, and your Patron empowers you with the ability to channel its will into a weapon to wield against your foes, empowering your attacks and bolstering your defenses.
LEVEL3: HEXBLADESPELLS
The magic of your patron ensures you alwayshave certain spells ready; when you reach a Warlocklevel specified in the Hexblade Spells table, you thereafter always have the listed spells prepared.
Your patron grants you a measure of their immutable form and protection, as well as preternatural mastery of weapons. A Sentient Weapon may manifest echos of itself to deflect blows that target you, an Outsider on the other hand may grant you a portion of their otherworldly prowess allowing you to dodge attacks that would have crippled another warrior. You are also able to expand your abilities granted by the Pact of the Blade, bonding to multiple weapons and being able to manipulate them in ways other Warlocks cannot.
If you are not wielding a shield or wearing armor and are bonded to a weapon using the Pact of the Blade Eldritch Invocation, your base Armor Class equals 10 plus your Dexterity and Charisma Modifiers.
Additionally, you gain a Fighting Style Feat from the following List:
Great Weapon Fighting, Two-Weapon Fighting, Dueling, Blind Fighting, Thrown Weapon Fighting, or Interception
Whenever you gain a level in Warlock, you may replace the Fighting Style Feat you chose with another from the list.
Finally, you gain these additions to your Pact Weapon Eldritch Invocation:
When you conjure a Pact Weapon or Bond with a weapon using this feature, you can conjure or bond to one additional weapon for a total of two. You can also ignore the Heavy property of any weapon you Bond to.
Additionally, you can dismiss any weapon to which you are bonded, shunting it into a pocket dimension. You can summon one or both bonded weapons from this pocket dimension to an unoccupied hand as a bonus action.
If you start or end your turn without a Bonded weapon in your hand (for example, by throwing them as an attack), you may summon any number of your Bonded weapons to your unoccupied hands as a bonus action.
LEVEL6: INEVITABLE BLADE
Your patron’s might allows you to Curse a particular foe. This makes them particularly susceptible to your Bonded weapons, your blades finding the chinks in an enemies defenses as if it was fated, and their deaths feeds your own vitality.
As a bonus action or as part of the Attack action you can Curse a target within 30 feet. The Curse lasts for 1 minute. The curse ends early if the target dies, you die, or you are incapacitated. Until the curse ends, you gain the following benefits:
When you attack the Cursed Target with a Bonded Weapon your attacks are a Critical Hit on a 19 or higher.
You deal extra damage to the target when you strike it with a Bonded Weapon. This extra damage is either Necrotic, Radiant, or Psychic (your choice) and is equal to your Charisma modifier.
You always know the Cursed target's location as long as it remains on the same plane of existence as you.
Whenever a Cursed Target dies, you can either transfer the Curse to another target within range, or you can regain Hit Points equal to 1d8 plus your Charisma modifier. If you are at full Hit Points, you gain Temporary Hit Points instead.
You can use this feature a number of times equal to half your Proficency Bonus (minimum of once). You regain all uses when you finish a Short or Long Rest.
LEVEL10: STIRRING BLADE
Your connection to your Patron grants you preternatural abilities. You can predict the attacks and tactics of those whom you curse, and react to them with lightning speed.
During Combat, you may, as a reaction, perform any of the following if you can see the target of your Curse and it takes an Attack action, Magic action, or uses its movement speed during a round of combat. You must choose which reaction (if any) to take after the triggering action has been completed, but before any damage has been rolled:
1. Make a melee or ranged attack with a Bonded weapon against the Cursed Target
2. Move up to half your Speed (this movement triggers opportunity attacks as normal)
3. Cast the Shield spell.
You may use this Feature up to your Proficiency bonus times per day and regain all expended uses on a long rest.
LEVEL14: AWAKENED BLADE
Your patron’s accursed might flowseven more strongly through you, enabling you to fight any number of foes with the same precision you exercise in a single duel.
You gain the following benefits:
You gain the Weapon Mastery of any weapon you Bond to using your Pact of the Blade Eldritch invocation.
When you use your Inevitable Blade feature, you may now Curse a number of targets equal to half your Procifiency Bonus.
When you bring a Cursed target to 0 HP, any other Cursed targets within 30 feet of the slain target takes Necrotic, Radiant, or Psychic damage (your choice) equal to your Charisma modifier.
First post in any forum on DnD beyond so I hope this is the correct place for this.
Backround:
I am relatively new to DnD, I only have one completed campaign under my belt as a Cleric.
I am currently in a campaign that is one foot in 2014 and one in 2024, and I am currently playing a Hexblade using the older 2014 rules. I was excited when I saw that Hexblade was getting an update in 2024 but was dissapointed that the UA version seems to have lost any incentive to be an unclose and personal melee-focused warlock like the 2014 version had. I also did not like that they gave the Hexblade essentially martial-esque Manuvers and required the subclass to concentrate on Hex or otherwise gain no benefit from the subclass overall.
I started thinking about creating my own version since my DM is pretty open to 3rd party and Homebrew stuff and wanted to get some opinions on it before I showed it to him because I don't trust myself to make an abomination that is overtuned. Essentially, I wanted to create a version of the subclass that heavily leaned into the new Pact of the Blade Invocation, and focused on being in melee, and getting hits with its Bonded Weapons. I kept some elements of both the 2014 and 2024 UA version, but alot of it I straight up changed for better or worse.
Please let me know what you think, and constructive criticism and suggestions are welcome!
WARLOCK: HEXBLADE PATRON
Prerequisite: Pact of the Blade Eldritch Invocation
Many entities across the multiverse embody aspects of what mortal races call martial prowess. Sentient Weapons often seek to influence adventurers who find them to fulfill their ends. At the same time, celestials, fey, and even fiends can all desire followers who do most of their work with the point of a blade instead of relying solely on magic. You have made a pact with such an entity, and your Patron empowers you with the ability to channel its will into a weapon to wield against your foes, empowering your attacks and bolstering your defenses.
LEVEL 3: HEXBLADE SPELLS
The magic of your patron ensures you always have certain spells ready; when you reach a Warlock level specified in the Hexblade Spells table, you thereafter always have the listed spells prepared.
HEXBLADE SPELLS
Warlock Level
Spells
3
Arcane Vigor, Hex, Magic Weapon, Shield, Wrathful Smite
5
Conjure Barrage, Dispel Magic
7
Freedom of Movement, Staggering Smite
9
Animate Objects, Steel Wind Strike
LEVEL 3: HEX WARRIOR
Your patron grants you a measure of their immutable form and protection, as well as preternatural mastery of weapons. A Sentient Weapon may manifest echos of itself to deflect blows that target you, an Outsider on the other hand may grant you a portion of their otherworldly prowess allowing you to dodge attacks that would have crippled another warrior. You are also able to expand your abilities granted by the Pact of the Blade, bonding to multiple weapons and being able to manipulate them in ways other Warlocks cannot.
If you are not wielding a shield or wearing armor and are bonded to a weapon using the Pact of the Blade Eldritch Invocation, your base Armor Class equals 10 plus your Dexterity and Charisma Modifiers.
Additionally, you gain a Fighting Style Feat from the following List:
Great Weapon Fighting, Two-Weapon Fighting, Dueling, Blind Fighting, Thrown Weapon Fighting, or Interception
Whenever you gain a level in Warlock, you may replace the Fighting Style Feat you chose with another from the list.
Finally, you gain these additions to your Pact Weapon Eldritch Invocation:
When you conjure a Pact Weapon or Bond with a weapon using this feature, you can conjure or bond to one additional weapon for a total of two. You can also ignore the Heavy property of any weapon you Bond to.
Additionally, you can dismiss any weapon to which you are bonded, shunting it into a pocket dimension. You can summon one or both bonded weapons from this pocket dimension to an unoccupied hand as a bonus action.
If you start or end your turn without a Bonded weapon in your hand (for example, by throwing them as an attack), you may summon any number of your Bonded weapons to your unoccupied hands as a bonus action.
LEVEL 6: INEVITABLE BLADE
Your patron’s might allows you to Curse a particular foe. This makes them particularly susceptible to your Bonded weapons, your blades finding the chinks in an enemies defenses as if it was fated, and their deaths feeds your own vitality.
As a bonus action or as part of the Attack action you can Curse a target within 30 feet. The Curse lasts for 1 minute. The curse ends early if the target dies, you die, or you are incapacitated. Until the curse ends, you gain the following benefits:
When you attack the Cursed Target with a Bonded Weapon your attacks are a Critical Hit on a 19 or higher.
You deal extra damage to the target when you strike it with a Bonded Weapon. This extra damage is either Necrotic, Radiant, or Psychic (your choice) and is equal to your Charisma modifier.
You always know the Cursed target's location as long as it remains on the same plane of existence as you.
Whenever a Cursed Target dies, you can either transfer the Curse to another target within range, or you can regain Hit Points equal to 1d8 plus your Charisma modifier. If you are at full Hit Points, you gain Temporary Hit Points instead.
You can use this feature a number of times equal to half your Proficency Bonus (minimum of once). You regain all uses when you finish a Short or Long Rest.
LEVEL 10: STIRRING BLADE
Your connection to your Patron grants you preternatural abilities. You can predict the attacks and tactics of those whom you curse, and react to them with lightning speed.
During Combat, you may, as a reaction, perform any of the following if you can see the target of your Curse and it takes an Attack action, Magic action, or uses its movement speed during a round of combat. You must choose which reaction (if any) to take after the triggering action has been completed, but before any damage has been rolled:
1. Make a melee or ranged attack with a Bonded weapon against the Cursed Target
2. Move up to half your Speed (this movement triggers opportunity attacks as normal)
3. Cast the Shield spell.
You may use this Feature up to your Proficiency bonus times per day and regain all expended uses on a long rest.
LEVEL 14: AWAKENED BLADE
Your patron’s accursed might flows even more strongly through you, enabling you to fight any number of foes with the same precision you exercise in a single duel.
You gain the following benefits:
You gain the Weapon Mastery of any weapon you Bond to using your Pact of the Blade Eldritch invocation.
When you use your Inevitable Blade feature, you may now Curse a number of targets equal to half your Procifiency Bonus.
When you bring a Cursed target to 0 HP, any other Cursed targets within 30 feet of the slain target takes Necrotic, Radiant, or Psychic damage (your choice) equal to your Charisma modifier.