I think, between Eldritch Blast and Green Flame Blade, you're pretty well covered in attack cantrips. Mind Sliver's a pretty good cantrip, but odds are you'll rarely cast it. So then you probably want a good utility cantrip... I'll go ahead and recommend Mage Hand. Prestidigitation offers a lot of things you can do if you get creative with it, but it's rarely a major problem solver. If you're locked in a cage, Prestidigitation isn't going to do anything to help you get out, but Mage Hand can grab the key from across the room, or you can use it to tie a rope or a dozen other things. I think it's worth grabbing Prestidigitation at some point, but Mage Hand is just a little more reliable, especially early on.
I could get misty step as warlock level 4, which gives me less reason to take mind sliver.
Also paladin starting equipment includes chain mail which caps dex mod at zero, so I can drop dexterity to 10 bump.str to 14 as a half elf, and then raise int and wisdom to 12.
What do you think of Acolyte vs faction agent as backgrounds... what mechanics/gear/fluff might make sword coast worth it given that I already have Tasha's (beyond content only, unless it provides digital access to a pdf or something)
Ah yes, by focusing on STR instead of DEX you can just focus on Heavy Armor... it would probably be worth it to boost STR by 1 point eventually so that you can wear full Plate Mail.
Faction Agent is a good background fit... it gives your character an easy plot hook to get involved in the adventure, and gives you some innate relationship with other NPCs just by virtue of your factions. As for what languages to choose... I'd say your best bet is to actually talk to your DM about what kind of creatures you're likely to encounter in their game. If, for example, they're planning an adventure that takes place largely in the Underdark, you might want to learn Undercommon. But if they're not planning to include that setting, you'd almost never use that language.
I'm getting the impression in that a paladin/hexblade-warlock multiclass the hexblade warlock is just a good way to buff a paladin, aside from the obvious class features (e.g. +cha to attack and damage) 4 levels of warlock will put you way ahead of the paladin curve (which i think are half the rate of pure spell casters, so 4 hexblade levels are like 8 paladin levels whic puts you 4 levels ahead in this regard) in terms of number and level of spell slots, which means a lot more and more powerful divine smite. Given that most paladin spells (especially those boosting divine smite) require concentration, I don't think green flame blade (which also requires concentration) is a good fit for this build so im going to swap it out for prestidigitation.
Also I think the improved pact weapon Eldritch invocation will let you use a two handed weapon... so hello BIIIGGGG sword.
Green Flame Blade actually isn't concentration... I don't remember if it was when it was first printed in SCAG, but I know that the spell has been errata'd a bit since it was first published.
But yes, Hexblade Paladins are most often Paladin for most of their levels with only a few-level dip into Warlock to get the Hex Warrior feature and a few invocations. You actually don't specifically need Improved Pact Weapon to get a two-handed weapon as your Hexblade Weapon... you just need Pact of the Blade, which can be used to conjure any melee weapon and instantly become proficient with that specific weapon. Improved Pact Weapon is still helpful... it lets you use your weapon as a spellcasting focus and makes it deal more damage, but the thing it actually unlocks is the ability to have ranged weapons as your Pact Weapon.
It's a little tough to balance Warlock spell slots when using them for smites, since Warlocks get the least amount of spell slots compared to all other spellcasters... but as a balance, they regain their spell slots on a short rest. So if you manage a lot of Short Rests in your game you can use them a lot more and get a lot more smites in than a normal Paladin, but if you don't get a lot of short rests it's kind of a wash.
I think, between Eldritch Blast and Green Flame Blade, you're pretty well covered in attack cantrips. Mind Sliver's a pretty good cantrip, but odds are you'll rarely cast it. So then you probably want a good utility cantrip... I'll go ahead and recommend Mage Hand. Prestidigitation offers a lot of things you can do if you get creative with it, but it's rarely a major problem solver. If you're locked in a cage, Prestidigitation isn't going to do anything to help you get out, but Mage Hand can grab the key from across the room, or you can use it to tie a rope or a dozen other things. I think it's worth grabbing Prestidigitation at some point, but Mage Hand is just a little more reliable, especially early on.
Watch Crits for Breakfast, an adults-only RP-Heavy Roll20 Livestream at twitch.tv/afterdisbooty
And now you too can play with the amazing art and assets we use in Roll20 for our campaign at Hazel's Emporium
I could get misty step as warlock level 4, which gives me less reason to take mind sliver.
Also paladin starting equipment includes chain mail which caps dex mod at zero, so I can drop dexterity to 10 bump.str to 14 as a half elf, and then raise int and wisdom to 12.
What do you think of Acolyte vs faction agent as backgrounds... what mechanics/gear/fluff might make sword coast worth it given that I already have Tasha's (beyond content only, unless it provides digital access to a pdf or something)
So here's a 1st draft of where the character will be at level 8 Equipment is starting
https://www.dndbeyond.com/sheet-pdfs/EliasWindrider_80073974.pdf
I was wondering what I should choose for the other 2 languages and any other feedback you might have.
I found this online about faction agent http://dnd5e.*******.com/background:faction-agent
Seems pretty similar to acolyte, and the order of the gauntlet sounds like a perfect fit for the character concept.
Ah yes, by focusing on STR instead of DEX you can just focus on Heavy Armor... it would probably be worth it to boost STR by 1 point eventually so that you can wear full Plate Mail.
Faction Agent is a good background fit... it gives your character an easy plot hook to get involved in the adventure, and gives you some innate relationship with other NPCs just by virtue of your factions. As for what languages to choose... I'd say your best bet is to actually talk to your DM about what kind of creatures you're likely to encounter in their game. If, for example, they're planning an adventure that takes place largely in the Underdark, you might want to learn Undercommon. But if they're not planning to include that setting, you'd almost never use that language.
Watch Crits for Breakfast, an adults-only RP-Heavy Roll20 Livestream at twitch.tv/afterdisbooty
And now you too can play with the amazing art and assets we use in Roll20 for our campaign at Hazel's Emporium
I'm getting the impression in that a paladin/hexblade-warlock multiclass the hexblade warlock is just a good way to buff a paladin, aside from the obvious class features (e.g. +cha to attack and damage) 4 levels of warlock will put you way ahead of the paladin curve (which i think are half the rate of pure spell casters, so 4 hexblade levels are like 8 paladin levels whic puts you 4 levels ahead in this regard) in terms of number and level of spell slots, which means a lot more and more powerful divine smite. Given that most paladin spells (especially those boosting divine smite) require concentration, I don't think green flame blade (which also requires concentration) is a good fit for this build so im going to swap it out for prestidigitation.
Also I think the improved pact weapon Eldritch invocation will let you use a two handed weapon... so hello BIIIGGGG sword.
Green Flame Blade actually isn't concentration... I don't remember if it was when it was first printed in SCAG, but I know that the spell has been errata'd a bit since it was first published.
But yes, Hexblade Paladins are most often Paladin for most of their levels with only a few-level dip into Warlock to get the Hex Warrior feature and a few invocations. You actually don't specifically need Improved Pact Weapon to get a two-handed weapon as your Hexblade Weapon... you just need Pact of the Blade, which can be used to conjure any melee weapon and instantly become proficient with that specific weapon. Improved Pact Weapon is still helpful... it lets you use your weapon as a spellcasting focus and makes it deal more damage, but the thing it actually unlocks is the ability to have ranged weapons as your Pact Weapon.
It's a little tough to balance Warlock spell slots when using them for smites, since Warlocks get the least amount of spell slots compared to all other spellcasters... but as a balance, they regain their spell slots on a short rest. So if you manage a lot of Short Rests in your game you can use them a lot more and get a lot more smites in than a normal Paladin, but if you don't get a lot of short rests it's kind of a wash.
Watch Crits for Breakfast, an adults-only RP-Heavy Roll20 Livestream at twitch.tv/afterdisbooty
And now you too can play with the amazing art and assets we use in Roll20 for our campaign at Hazel's Emporium
Thanks! I dropped prestidigitation and added green flame blade back in... I'll be sure to use a wotc star wars jedi mini with a green lightsaber.
I bought a "Darth Vader's apprentice redeemed" mini on ebay for this character