You can use any weapon you summon with your Pact of the Blade feature as a spellcasting focus for your warlock spells.
In addition, the weapon gains a +1 bonus to its attack and damage rolls, unless it is a magic weapon that already has a bonus to those rolls.
Finally, the weapon you conjure can be a shortbow, longbow, light crossbow, or heavy crossbow.
Is there a reason why hand crossbow is excluded from the list of ranged weapons at the end of this invocation? Is there some sort of exploit I'm missing that would mean adding hand crossbow would be broken or unbalanced?
No idea. Maybe they thought that combining it with crossbow expert would be too useful?
That is precisely what my player wants to do. Looking for an extra 3d8 damage on his Assassin alpha strike (along with Thirsting Blade and Eldritch Smite). I'm wondering if it is broken. But we are talking 5 levels of warlock to make it happen!
No idea. Maybe they thought that combining it with crossbow expert would be too useful?
That is precisely what my player wants to do. Looking for an extra 3d8 damage on his Assassin alpha strike (along with Thirsting Blade and Eldritch Smite). I'm wondering if it is broken. But we are talking 5 levels of warlock to make it happen!
Of course, he will blow both of his smites on the thirsting blade and the bonus action attack will amount to just base damage.
You can use any weapon you summon with your Pact of the Blade feature as a spellcasting focus for your warlock spells.
In addition, the weapon gains a +1 bonus to its attack and damage rolls, unless it is a magic weapon that already has a bonus to those rolls.
Finally, the weapon you conjure can be a shortbow, longbow, light crossbow, or heavy crossbow.
Is there a reason why hand crossbow is excluded from the list of ranged weapons at the end of this invocation? Is there some sort of exploit I'm missing that would mean adding hand crossbow would be broken or unbalanced?
Thanks in advance Blakey
You can use a hand crossbow in this manor, it's just a little strangely setup. Pact of the Blade can't conjure a hand crossbow, but you can make any magical weapon your Pact weapon even without that invocation:
You can transform one magic weapon into your pact weapon by performing a special ritual while you hold the weapon. You perform the ritual over the course of 1 hour, which can be done during a short rest.
So, if he has a magic hand crossbow, he can use it as a pact/hexblade weapon (even without the improved pact weapon invocation). Just can't conjure one from thin air.
So from this, adding the ability to summon a hexblade hand crossbow is not 'broken' inherently?
Though a sentient and evil hand crossbow is somehow thematically less attractive to me than a sword...
I think it's mostly DM discretion, there's no rule preventing it - It can be strong for sure, and the general theme of Hexblade (without improved pact blade) is melee oriented combat, but I personally don't think it'll utterly break anything. I think the magical requirement is at least partially to help the DM restrict what weapons the Hexblade has access to, if they want to (by not giving them a magical hand crossbow).
If you're concerned about theme/possibilities/"fun" with the crossbow vs sword, you could always spice the "sentient and evil" side up a bit for fun, have the bolts also be tied to the sentient/evil side and deliver a small, harmless (RP-focused, mechanically minor) curse to anyone that gets shot by them... and the crossbow's only desire is to spread it's curse to as many victims as possible. Maybe throw in the occasional "misfire" where it shoots itself off at someone without the trigger being pulled (though that might go a little too far). :p
What I'm confused about is how you get the improved weapon pact. The prerequisite on it is that you have to have pact weapon in order to have it but does mean its a second boon or do you have to switch your boon form the weapon pact the improved one
What I'm confused about is how you get the improved weapon pact. The prerequisite on it is that you have to have pact weapon in order to have it but does mean its a second boon or do you have to switch your boon form the weapon pact the improved one
Improved pact weapon is not a pact boon, it is an eldritch invocation. You still have the pact of blade when you take this.
Hi All,
I have a query about this invocation:-
Is there a reason why hand crossbow is excluded from the list of ranged weapons at the end of this invocation? Is there some sort of exploit I'm missing that would mean adding hand crossbow would be broken or unbalanced?
Thanks in advance
Blakey
My Homebrew World: The World of Rodinia
Novels Published: Reynard's Fate, Kita's Honour and Callindrill
No idea. Maybe they thought that combining it with crossbow expert would be too useful?
That is precisely what my player wants to do. Looking for an extra 3d8 damage on his Assassin alpha strike (along with Thirsting Blade and Eldritch Smite). I'm wondering if it is broken. But we are talking 5 levels of warlock to make it happen!
My Homebrew World: The World of Rodinia
Novels Published: Reynard's Fate, Kita's Honour and Callindrill
Of course, he will blow both of his smites on the thirsting blade and the bonus action attack will amount to just base damage.
You can use a hand crossbow in this manor, it's just a little strangely setup. Pact of the Blade can't conjure a hand crossbow, but you can make any magical weapon your Pact weapon even without that invocation:
So, if he has a magic hand crossbow, he can use it as a pact/hexblade weapon (even without the improved pact weapon invocation). Just can't conjure one from thin air.
So from this, adding the ability to summon a hexblade hand crossbow is not 'broken' inherently?
Though a sentient and evil hand crossbow is somehow thematically less attractive to me than a sword...
My Homebrew World: The World of Rodinia
Novels Published: Reynard's Fate, Kita's Honour and Callindrill
I think it's mostly DM discretion, there's no rule preventing it - It can be strong for sure, and the general theme of Hexblade (without improved pact blade) is melee oriented combat, but I personally don't think it'll utterly break anything. I think the magical requirement is at least partially to help the DM restrict what weapons the Hexblade has access to, if they want to (by not giving them a magical hand crossbow).
If you're concerned about theme/possibilities/"fun" with the crossbow vs sword, you could always spice the "sentient and evil" side up a bit for fun, have the bolts also be tied to the sentient/evil side and deliver a small, harmless (RP-focused, mechanically minor) curse to anyone that gets shot by them... and the crossbow's only desire is to spread it's curse to as many victims as possible. Maybe throw in the occasional "misfire" where it shoots itself off at someone without the trigger being pulled (though that might go a little too far). :p
Thanks Beowulfe - I think I'm going to go with this idea and see how it runs...
My Homebrew World: The World of Rodinia
Novels Published: Reynard's Fate, Kita's Honour and Callindrill
What I'm confused about is how you get the improved weapon pact. The prerequisite on it is that you have to have pact weapon in order to have it but does mean its a second boon or do you have to switch your boon form the weapon pact the improved one
Improved pact weapon is not a pact boon, it is an eldritch invocation. You still have the pact of blade when you take this.
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