Help me choose my next character. We’ll be starting low level and working our way up to around 14. It’s possible it could go further too afterwards. I’m torn between A. 10SwordsBard/4Hexblade or B. 10Hexblade/4Swashbuckler.
A. Jack of all Trades and Expertises, Flourishes, Dueling FS, Extra Attack and Magical Secrets (Holy Weapon and Spirit Guardians) // Pact of the Blade, Agonizing Blast/Eldritch Spear, XBow Expert
B. Hexblade w/ Hex spell, Improved Pact Weapon, Thirsting Blade (extra attack), Armor of Shadows (mage armor at will), Eldritch Smite and Agonizing Blast, War Caster, Specter and Armor of Hexes.
Choice A. also utilizes Metamagic Adept feat with quickened and careful meta options.
Never played either of these 2 classes. Never Warlock and only Lore Bard before. Intentions are up close martial. With some utility spells. Both are Custom Lineage with +2 in CHA and Eldritch Adept feat to get Devils Sight Invo, and both use the Darkness spell.
Of the two I'd go 10Swordsbard/4Hexblade. Swashbuckler/Hexblade is amazingly fun but you want it close to 50:50 in levels, 4 swashbuckler really doesn't add much to your 10 hexblade.
99% of the time, you don't need the extra range from Eldritch Lance, so you're better off using that invocation for something else.
How many Warlock levels you want depends on how much you value various features. For instance, the second level gives you Invocations (I'd take Agonizing Blast and Armor of Shadows), for the third you get a Pact Boon (I'd take Blade so at the 5th Warlock level you can get Eldritch Smite), for the fourth level you get an Ability Score Increase, and for fifth, you get the Eldritch Smite, which allows you to turn those spell slots into damage on your attacks.
I'd take one level of Hexblade Warlock first, then five levels of Swords Bard to get your extra attack, adding your Bardic Inspiration to damage, and other Bardic features. Then I'd take another four levels of Warlock as described above, then finish out the rest of the levels with Bard.
At L1, your Warlock uses Charisma for melee weapon attacks and your Eldritch Blasts.
At L5, your ASI increases your Charisma to 18 (assuming Standard array or point buy)
At L6, your Bardlock can attack twice as an Action.
At L7, your Bardlock can take the Agonizing Blast infusion as well as Armor of Shadows (so you can ditch your armor if you have decent Dexterity).
At L8, you take the Blade Pact.
At L9, your ASI increases your Charisma to 20.
At L10, you can now Eldritch Smite, on top of using your Bardic Inspirations to add to your damage.
I had been leaning towards the Bardlock originally too. Glad to see others thinking the same. I really liked the idea too of being able to cast bard and warlock spells with the same focus too.
Help me choose my next character. We’ll be starting low level and working our way up to around 14. It’s possible it could go further too afterwards. I’m torn between A. 10SwordsBard/4Hexblade or B. 10Hexblade/4Swashbuckler.
A. Jack of all Trades and Expertises, Flourishes, Dueling FS, Extra Attack and Magical Secrets (Holy Weapon and Spirit Guardians) // Pact of the Blade, Agonizing Blast/Eldritch Spear, XBow Expert
B. Hexblade w/ Hex spell, Improved Pact Weapon, Thirsting Blade (extra attack), Armor of Shadows (mage armor at will), Eldritch Smite and Agonizing Blast, War Caster, Specter and Armor of Hexes.
Choice A. also utilizes Metamagic Adept feat with quickened and careful meta options.
Never played either of these 2 classes. Never Warlock and only Lore Bard before. Intentions are up close martial. With some utility spells. Both are Custom Lineage with +2 in CHA and Eldritch Adept feat to get Devils Sight Invo, and both use the Darkness spell.
Of the two I'd go 10Swordsbard/4Hexblade. Swashbuckler/Hexblade is amazingly fun but you want it close to 50:50 in levels, 4 swashbuckler really doesn't add much to your 10 hexblade.
99% of the time, you don't need the extra range from Eldritch Lance, so you're better off using that invocation for something else.
How many Warlock levels you want depends on how much you value various features. For instance, the second level gives you Invocations (I'd take Agonizing Blast and Armor of Shadows), for the third you get a Pact Boon (I'd take Blade so at the 5th Warlock level you can get Eldritch Smite), for the fourth level you get an Ability Score Increase, and for fifth, you get the Eldritch Smite, which allows you to turn those spell slots into damage on your attacks.
I'd take one level of Hexblade Warlock first, then five levels of Swords Bard to get your extra attack, adding your Bardic Inspiration to damage, and other Bardic features. Then I'd take another four levels of Warlock as described above, then finish out the rest of the levels with Bard.
At L1, your Warlock uses Charisma for melee weapon attacks and your Eldritch Blasts.
At L5, your ASI increases your Charisma to 18 (assuming Standard array or point buy)
At L6, your Bardlock can attack twice as an Action.
At L7, your Bardlock can take the Agonizing Blast infusion as well as Armor of Shadows (so you can ditch your armor if you have decent Dexterity).
At L8, you take the Blade Pact.
At L9, your ASI increases your Charisma to 20.
At L10, you can now Eldritch Smite, on top of using your Bardic Inspirations to add to your damage.
I had been leaning towards the Bardlock originally too. Glad to see others thinking the same. I really liked the idea too of being able to cast bard and warlock spells with the same focus too.