Monstrous Compendium Vol. 1: Spelljammer Creatures
Frozen Sick
D&D Beyond Basic Rules
Basic Rules (2014)
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That's how my group decided to run it as well - any armor proficiency feat grants shield proficiency if the character doesn't already have it.
That's a fair opinion to have.
As for feats and Shield training, it is accessible with the Lightly Armored feat that grants training with Light Armor and Shields. I don't think this makes any sense, and I don't think there would be anything wrong with Moderately Armored and Heavily Armored to also provide Shield training, just in case you don't have it through your other means.
Another piece of rant to add about those feats is how seldom they are picked because they provide no additional benefit, and a feat that provides less than a part of a multiclassing level is really really pressed to be viable. However providing something additional would also mean that classes that got the proficiency through class, would feel like inferior users of that armor, or would have incentive to use a feat to acquire something they already have in order to gain the other parts of the feat (like if you would imagine the Heavily Armored feat and Heavy Armor Master feats were combined).
All in all, proficiencies like these probably deserves to be handled differently than feats, but in the name of simplicity, we don't. And 5e's popularity is in large part due to its attempt to become more simple.
(Still, here's to hoping that an eventual 6e will change things up between multiclassing, proficiencies, and feats - alas that's likely many many years from now and I probably wont be playing by then due to shifted priorities.)
As I've pointed out (ranted about) elsewhere, the way 2024 armor Feats are worded is just dumb. Characters with Training in Light Armor but but Shields have to burn the Lightly Armored Feat just to get Shield training, and then would have to wait another 4 levels to take Moderately Armored to get training in Medium armor.
Given that most campaigns don't go much beyond 10th or 12th level - which means all non-fighter characters will have, at most, three feats to choose, this means burning 30% of that on a Feat that gives you training in armor you're already trained in.
It's dumb.
I had my hand at a redesign in the warlock thread if anyone wants to check that out
And you run, and you run
To catch up with the sun, but it’s sinking
And racing around
To come up behind you again
The sun is the same in a relative way
But you’re older
Shorter of Breath
And one day closer to death
currently in love with redesigning subclasses send me a message and I will try
They very much left the blade out of the Hexblade.
To be honest, they need to just stop convincing themselves that there is a way to design a class or subclass around a 1rst level concentration spell with poor scaling that is both effective and fun to play. There isn't. The next try won't be where it finally works. Stop doing it.
The Blade was moved into Pact of the Blade. I think in the update, their purpose was partially to create a 2024 class with the same name to lock out the 2014 version.
I don't know what they were doing with the defenses though. I am not really a fan of sub/classes that are expected to rely on temporary, instant or short duration, defense buffs.
How to add Tooltips.
My houserulings.
Thanks for reading this unnecessarily long rant :)
They won’t, because giving Hexblade medium armor, shield and whatever hexblade features makes them objectively better than other warlocks. This includes eldritch blast focused warlocks. I think the only fix is to make the “medium armor and shield” option an invocation or pact . That way all warlocks have access to it.
Will Hexblade be in the new Ravenloft book?
I don't necessarily agree that Hexblade is the most powerful Warlock, but I think your idea is pretty solid. Ironically, now that its features are pushed to level 3, Hexblade hasn't even been close to the strongest (or dipable) character I've played—my chain + tome Fiend and Genie Warlocks have consistently outperformed it. That's just my personal experience, though, and I'll admit I could be completely wrong.
Making armor and shield access available to all subclasses might push them into "too powerful" territory. One way to reduce the dip temptation could be gating it behind a higher cost—like making it an invocation available at level 5 that specifically requires Pact of the Blade. That way, you're investing both a Pact choice and an invocation slot, which raises the opportunity cost significantly. That said, it would still be highly tempting for any subclass (especially Fiend, thanks to Dark One's Blessing).
Still, the fact that any Warlock can already grab medium armor and shields with just a one-level Fighter dip (which easily scales to Fighter 2 for Action Surge) really undermines the reasoning behind this change in the first place—especially for blasters, who already get a second Eldritch Blast beam at level 5 anyway.
Even if I'm wrong about Hexblade's power level (which is likely, given that it's just based on my experience), my main point is about player choice and fantasy. The original Hexblade filled a unique niche, and replacing it with a version that doesn't fulfill that same role ends up removing a meaningful playstyle option. Players shouldn't lose a proven fantasy role just to solve a multiclass dip problem—one that isn't unique to Warlocks and could easily be addressed in other ways.
Honestly, the fact that so many players—like you, me, and others across this thread and various sites—are coming up with more nuanced, balanced solutions than the official design team speaks volumes about how disconnected these changes feel from the community's actual concerns.
No, it won't. The subclasses are listed on the page for the book on the general D&D site, and it includes the 7 others from the Horror Subclasses UA, but not Hexblade.
pronouns: he/she/they
The Hex-dependent Hexblade was their first UA attempt and it was not well liked. Have you seen the Arcane Subclasses UA material? In there the Hexblade keeps more of its roots, but still not entirely to my liking, it is still very much too limiting and depending on temporary and restrictive conditions to function.
The obvious problem here is adding more to the Invocation tax for the Hexblade to function in melee. We're already allocating: Pact of the Blade, Thirsting Blade, Devouring Blade, and most likely Fiendish Vigor.
Then I imagine you wont give both Medium Armor and Shield training in one singular invocation (at least if other Warlocks should be able to pick it up), so add 2 more to the tax list.
At level 5 you have 5 Invocations, and we already account; Pact of the Blade, Thirsting Blade, Fiendish Vigor, Medium Armor Invocation, Shield Invocation. There's room for nothing else...
When you hit level 12, you want Devouring Blade - that's what you've been building your Bladelock towards. Out of the 8 Invocations you have available at level 12, you're spending 6 of them on being better on the frontline. And you likely want to use the remaining on an assortment of: Eldritch Smite, Eldritch Mind, Devil's Sight, Lifedrinker, Agonizing Blast, Lessons of the First Ones: to acquire Origin feat Tough.
There is also the issue that granting Medium Armor training as an Invocation will always be an objectively stronger option than Armor of Shadows - meaning that invocation loses all (or most) of its meaning.
You could lock the Armor Invocations behind a prerequisite like Pact of the Blade - but then it likely just means that the other pacts will be used much less for spell caster Warlocks, because getting access to more AC and capping your need to invest in DEX is worth "wasting" one invocation for something you're unlikely to utilize.
A solution for the Hexblade could be to bake in invocations as part of the subclass benefits, at the cost of making the subclass significantly less "autonomous" to introduce its own unique benefits. You also run the risk that other subclasses turn out superior as a pure Bladelock because they get other benefits and have the option to select the same invocations.
All in all, shoving the defensive options over to an Invocation, is not conducive to make the Bladelock more interesting. Ultimately it will likely just make spell caster Warlocks stronger and possibly more homogenous. Lets remember that the foundation of the Warlock is that they don't have a lot of spell casting options: They have low amount of spell slots, and their spell list is fairly limited. Even their amount of cantrips are behind their Arcane brethren (Sorc 4-6, Wiz 3-5, with Warl 2-4). They use Invocations to expand their spell casting potential. Sadly all of them follow a rather narrow template of; "Always free to use" and "limited to mostly non-combat utility".
I don't think this is a good option, and will advocate for the Hexblade subclass to give the means and incentive to craft a Bladelock that can actually be a viable counter-offer to Eldritch Blasters.
Edit: Also remember that both Wizard and Bard have gish-subclasses, where the subclass grants them their tools to function as a frontline combatant. They are also helped immensely by their spell slots and access to the Shield spell and other options like Absorb Elements and Silvery Barbs.
Even in supplemental products like the new Grim Hollow book they introduced the 1st lvl spell Arcane Aegis (to Wiz, Sorc, Warl) that grants +2d10 Temp HP and retaliates against attackers for the amount of Temp HP lost. It scales +2d10 per spell level. It is significantly better than Armor of Agathys, that was previously Warlock exclusive.
Now supplemental products from non-WotC sources is a thing for themselves, but the more of such products people end up using, the stronger options are available to gishes with a wider repertoire of spells and spell slots.
Let the Bladelock get a setup that at least puts them up on level with the other gishes.
To me there's two major avenues for the Hexblade that I find exciting:
1. Make a regular gish-template with Armor that works well with the Warlock's current tools:
This is a revised suggestion to another's Hexblade build that was based on the 2nd UA Hexblade but with a hook-in for Pact of the Blade, posted in the Warlock class forum.
Level 3: Hex Warrior
You have made your pact with a mysterious entity that manifests itself in sentient magical weapons, carved from the stuff of shadows. You gain the following benefits:
Improved Armaments: You gain training with Medium Armor.
A Shadow's Edge: You gain the Eldritch Invocation: Pact of the Blade. In addition, you can conjure or bond with a ranged weapon through the Pact of the Blade invocation. If you already have the Pact of the Blade invocation, you may select a different Eldritch Invocation for which you qualify. You cannot replace the Pact of the Blade invocation through your Warlock features, for instance when you gain a Warlock level.
Hex Barrier: Whenever you take damage while you are Concentrating on a spell, and you lose Temporary Hit Points as a result of that damage, you gain a bonus to your Constitution saving throw to maintain Concentration. The bonus equals the greater between; the amount of Temporary Hit Points lost or 5.
Level 3: Hexblade's Curse
You can curse a target you can see within 60 ft. as a Bonus Action. You may also curse a creature that is the target of an attack with your Pact of the Blade bonded weapon as part of that action.
The Curse lasts 1 minute, and ends early if you choose to curse another target, if you choose to end it early (no action required), or if you die. If a creature cursed by your Hexblade's Curse is reduced to 0 Hit Points before the Curse ends, you can transfer the Curse to another target on a later turn (this doesn't count as a use). You transfer the Curse by the same means you would curse a target and it counts as cursing a target.
You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier. You regain all expended uses when you finish a Long Rest.
Hungering Hex: Whenever a creature cursed by your Hexblade's Curse is reduced to 0 Hit Points, you gain Temporary Hit Points equal to 1d8 plus your Warlock level. You may also regain an expended Hit Die.
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.
Warlock Level | Spells
3 | Shield, Wrathful Smite, Arcane Vigor, Shining Smite
5 | Conjure Barrage, Haste
7 | Greater Invisibility, Staggering Smite
9 | Destructive Wave, Steel Wind Strike
In addition, when you choosing a 7th level spell for your Mystic Arcanum, you can choose the spell Mordenkainen's Sword or another 7th level spell from the Warlock's spell list.
Level 6: Masterful Hex
You gain the following benefits:
Deft Casting: Whenever you cast a leveled spell with a cast time of an action or a cantrip with a cast time of an action and a range of self or touch, you may make a weapon attack with your Pact of the Blade bonded weapon as a Bonus Action.
In addition, if you can make multiple attacks as part of the Attack action, you may forgo two of those attacks to cast a spell with a cast time of an action.
Hindering Curse: When you hit the target cursed by your Hexblade's Curse with an attack roll, the target has disadvantage on the next saving throw it makes until the start of your next turn.
Relentless Curse: When you curse a target with your Hexblade's Curse, you may teleport to an unoccupied spot within 5 ft. of the cursed target.
Level 10: Borrow from Tomorrow
Whenever you would take damage, you may expend a Hit Die, roll it and add your Constitution modifier to the roll. Reduce the damage you would take by that amount, down to a minimum of 0. You may repeat as many times as you want.
Level 10: Accursed Critical
When you curse a target with your Hexblade's Curse, your attack rolls against the cursed target can score a Critical Hit on a roll of 18, 19, or 20 on the d20 until the end of your turn.
Level 14: Wrathful Hex
When you hit the target cursed by your Hexblade's Curse with an attack roll, you may cause your Curse to erupt in sinister energies, dealing 4d8 Necrotic, Radiant, or Psychic damage (your choice) to the target and any number of other creatures (that you choose) within 30 ft. of the cursed target. For each creature dealt damage this way, they must make a Wisdom saving throw against your Spell DC or be Frightened of you until the end of your next turn.
Once you use this feature you can't do so again until you have finished a Long Rest. You may expend a Pact Magic slot or a use of a Mystic Arcanum to regain the use of this feature (no action required).
2. Make a subclass that functions on a separate magical resource.
This was a build I made previously in this thread that might have passed people by - and I touched it up a bit. The use of a separate magic resource means you have less passive defenses, but it also adds that your Bladelock uses magic to assist them - adding options that otherwise felt very limited on a Bladelock. This removes some of the sting that you use a lot of your Invocations for passives like weapon attacks, and defenses - that otherwise are very streamlined on a caster Warlock, opening them up to using their invocations for additional magic. This build is inspired by the foundations of the Illrigger class (partner product).
Level 3 features:
Hex Magic
You have a number of Hex Magic charges equal to 3 + half your Warlock level (rounded down). These charges can be used to cast magical effects and you regain all spent charges when you finish a Short Rest or a Long Rest.
Whenever you use your Magical Cunning feature you also restore a number of spent Hex Magic charges equal to half of your maximum Hex Magic charges (rounded down).
Hex Magic options:
Hexblade's Curse (1 charge)
As a Bonus Action you may spend 1 charge of your Hex Magic to curse a target within 30 ft. of you with the Hexblade's Curse. Instead of spending a Bonus Action you may also curse the target of an attack or a spell - with a single target - that you make on your turn, as part of the same action.
The curse lasts 1 minute and provides the following benefits:
Your attack rolls against a target cursed by your Hexblade's Curse has increased critical hit range. Lower the minimum die result on the D20 required for you to make a critical hit by one.
(For example if you normally would make a critical hit on a roll of 20 on the D20 for an attack roll, you instead make a critical hit if you roll a 19 or a 20 on the D20.)
Once on each of your turns when you hit a target cursed by your Hexblade's Curse with a melee weapon attack or Unarmed Strike, you may deal bonus Necrotic damage equal to 1d6 + half your Warlock level (rounded down).
Hexblade's Shield (1 charge)
When you are hit by an attack roll, you may spend 1 charge of your Hex Magic as a Reaction to shield yourself.
Gain +3 to your AC until the beginning of your next turn, including against the triggering attack - potentially causing it to miss.
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Hexblade Spells
Lvl - Spells
3 - Shield, Wrathful Smite, Blur, Shining Smite
5 - Conjure Barrage, Haste
7 - Freedom of Movement, Staggering Smite
9 - Destructive Wave, Steel Wind Strike
Level 6 features:
Essence-stealing Curse
When a target cursed by your Hexblade's Curse is reduced to 0 Hit Points within 30 ft. of you, you may regain Hit Points equal to 1d6 + your Charisma modifier (no action required).
If you are Bloodied, regain twice that amount of Hit Points.
In addition, if you have less than 3 unspent charges of your Hex Magic, you regain 1 charge of it.
.
Relentless Assault
Whenever you cast a level 1+ spell with a cast time of an action or a cantrip with a cast time of an action and a range of self or touch, you may make a weapon attack as a Bonus Action.
In addition, if you can make multiple attacks as part of the Attack action, you may forgo two of those attacks to cast a spell with a cast time of an action.
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Additional Hex Magics
Your Hex Magic improves, adding the following options to your Hex Magic feature:
Hexblade's Twist of Fate (1 charge)
When you fail a saving throw or a creature cursed by your Hexblade's Curse that you can see within 60 ft. of you succeeds on a saving throw, if that saving throw was caused by a
spell or magical effect, you may spend 1 charge of your Hex Magic as a Reaction to reroll the saving throw. You or that creature must use the new roll.
Cursebound Specter (2 charges)
When a Humanoid creature cursed by your Hexblade's Curse dies within 60 ft. of you, you may spend 2 charges of your Hex Magic (no action required) to raise the creature's soul as a Specter. The Specter's statistics can be found in the Monster Manual (ask your Dungeon Master). The Specter acts on your turn and obeys your verbal commands. The Specter appears with a number of Temporary Hit Points equal to your Warlock level. It gains a bonus to its attack rolls equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of +0).
The Specter remains in your service until it dies or you finish a Long Rest, whereafter its soul departs for the afterlife.
You can only have one Specter in your service at a time. If you ever have more than one Specter in your service, choose one to keep and the rest will be sent to the afterlife.
Level 10 features:
Engulfed in Hexes
Your Hex Magic improves, adding the following options to your Hex Magic feature:
Hexplated (1 charge)
When a creature cursed by your Hexblade's Curse deals damage to you, you may spend 1 charge of your Hex Magic as a Reaction to reduce that damage by an amount equal to 1d10 + your Warlock level.
If you are Bloodied, you don't have to use a Reaction to activate this feature.
Inescapable Hex (1 charge)
As a Bonus Action or as part of the Attack Action before you make any attacks with that action, you may spend 1 charge of your Hex Magic to teleport to an unoccupied spot within 5 ft. of a creature cursed by your Hexblade's Curse that you can see.
Improved Hexblade's Shield
When you use the Hexblade's Shield you don't have to use a Reaction to activate that feature. Multiple activations of Hexblade's Shield don't stack and can provide a maximum of +3 to your AC.
Level 14 features:
Hexmaster
Your Hex Magic improves, adding the following option to your Hex Magic feature:
Explosive Hex (3 charges)
When you deal damage to a creature cursed by your Hexblade's Curse, you may spend 3 charges of your Hex Magic (no action required) to cause black flames to burst from the creature. That creature and all creatures of your choice within 30 ft. of the creature takes 2d8 Fire damage and 2d8 Necrotic damage and their Speed is lowered by 10 feet until the start of your next turn.
Channel Pact Magic
At the beginning of your turn, you may expend a Pact Magic spell slot or a use of a Mystic Arcanum to regain 3 spent charges of your Hex Magic.
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Afterwords
While the features may seem generous, especially compared to other Warlock subclasses, I think the end result is somewhat close to the power level of both Bladesingers and Valor Bards. I think I also put in enough hampering limits to not be a slam-dunk pick for an Eldritch Blaster/caster Warlock.
This Hexblade's AC for most of their career is either Studded Leather's 12 AC + 2-3 DEX for 14-15 static AC, with + 3 from Hexblade's Shield. Or Armor of Shadows for 13 AC + 2-3 DEX for 15-16 static AC, with + 3 from Hexblade's Shield. You can multiclass Fighter for Heavy/Medium Armor to get upwards of 17-19 static AC and +3 from Hexblade's Shield.
In comparison the Bladesinger sits at Mage Armor + Bladesong's 13 AC + 2-3 DEX + 3-5 INT for 18-21 static AC, with +5 from Shield on top. Valor Bard can sit at Medium Armor for 14-15 AC + 2 DEX + 2 Shield item for 18-19 static AC with +5 from Shield on top (from Magic Initiate Origin and either War Caster feat or draw/stow fiddling your weapon).
The level 6 feature that lets you BA attack when casting a spell is similar to the UA's but also enabling Sword-cantrips - like Booming Blade - to be similar to the other gishes, but avoiding Eldritch Blast (meaning ranged cantrips). This also makes it easier to weave in castings of Fiendish Vigor or to cast your Concentration-spells - which could be Blade Ward, Blur, Haste, Shadow of Moil.
At level 12 when you might acquire Devouring Blade, the second portion of the feature enables you to trade 2x attacks for a spell casting - getting a better version of the Bladesinger's and Valor Bard's lvl 14 subclass feature (at the cost of invocations). Where they can only take the Attack action, make a weapon attack and a cantrip replacement to trigger their Bonus Action attack for ultimately 2x regular attacks and 1x Sword-cantrip, the Hexblade can then cast any spell and still retain 2x regular attacks. However the Warlock have way less spell slots, so they wont be using their superior version all that often.
"Can't you use the 2x attack replacement to Eldritch Blast and then get weapon attacks on the side?" - Yes, at level 12 you can get 1x regular attack. You don't satisfy the trigger for the BA attack when casting EB, so first at level 12 do you get a weapon attack through Devouring Blade whilst casting EB.
The level 6 feature Twist of Fate that lets you reroll a failed saving throw is meant to cover their CON save to maintain Concentration and to cover their saving throws, as they don't have access to Absorb Elements that otherwise can reduce a lot of damage from saves. And to entice the use of HB's Curse it can also function to debilitate a curse target's saving throw.
"Why do the Hexblade get to have better saving throws than the other gishes?" - Well... Bladesinger and Valor Bards have higher peak AC, so Hexblade gets a little love here. And it is at the cost of their Reaction, meaning they have low AC for the round. Bladesinger and Valor Bards also do get to cast Conjure Minor Elementals for absolute ridiculous damage around start tier 3. Hexblade cannot compete here, but they may be slightly more rounded by having other defenses. Level 10 adds to those defenses but are effectively weak for their cost. Biggest benefit being action economy to HB's Shield to better mirror the static AC of the Bladesinger and Valor Bard. Level 14 adds a mediocre damage option similar to the UA (avg. 18 AoE damage) and a way to convert Warlock magic to Hex Magic. The Explosive Hex functions as a "mana sink" into the late levels and adds some fringe AoE clear. But good for crit-fishing.