Weapon Mastery(1 choice) Medium Armor Shields Less Hex Dependency
Am I correct?
No, they absolutely should NOT give hexblades medium armor and shields. it was a bad patch when they released it that way the first time, and it's just as bad of an idea now. You should not be funneled into hexblade if you want better armor.
Any time an unfathomably powerful entity sweeps in and offers godlike rewards in return for just a few teensy favors, it’s a scam. Unless it’s me. I’d never lie to you, reader dearest.
9th level Invocation, Armor of Shadows is pre-req. Boosts AC from Mage Armor to 14 + DEX (imo shouldn't match peak Medium since it has an uncapped DEX boost), and you get shield prof.
I think that folks want better armor for those blade locks, particularly at lower levels. I get it, I want better armor too. Waiting til 9th level probably isn't what they have in mind. That said, I am very much opposed to just tacking it on to hexblade. I'm not opposed to your suggestion, just saying I doubt that's what people want.
That said, looking over the hollow ranger, they have the ancient armor feature which grants an AC bonus equal to their wisdom modifier, min of +1 while concentrating on Hunter's Mark. Given the similarities between Hex and Hunter's Mark, that feels like a good template for the Hexblade which seems to want to focus on the Hex spell. Give Hexblades 2 free casts of Hex like Ranger gets baseline, and let them get an AC bonus equal to their cha modifier while concentrating on Hex. It feels like a more thematic solution to the Hexblade problem than to the Ranger's problem. Rangers don't really need an AC boost, while warlocks do.
Hex is part of the name of the subclass. Focusing on hex makes sense. They need to make hex worth my time though.
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Any time an unfathomably powerful entity sweeps in and offers godlike rewards in return for just a few teensy favors, it’s a scam. Unless it’s me. I’d never lie to you, reader dearest.
You do realize that 3 levels of Warlock & Taking Hexblade for Medium Armor is essentially inferior to a single level dip in Paladin or Fighter, 2024-wise, right?
The 2014 Hexblade dip isn't possible in 2024 design, which is what we're talking about here.
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DM, player & homebrewer(Current homebrew project is an unofficial conversion of SBURB/SGRUB from Homestuck into DND 5e)
Once made Maxwell's Silver Hammer come down upon Strahd's head to make sure he was dead.
Always study & sharpen philosophical razors. They save a lot of trouble.
You do realize that 3 levels of Warlock & Taking Hexblade for Medium Armor is essentially inferior to a single level dip in Paladin or Fighter, 2024-wise, right?
The 2014 Hexblade dip isn't possible in 2024 design, which is what we're talking about here.
For Paladin you'd need to dump 3 points into what's essentially a dead stat for Warlocks. Fighter is more viable, but even if the rules don't outright state it anymore there's usually the expectation the DM can nix a multiclass dip, particularly if you're just dipping for perks like this.
And, at the end of the day, a dedicated caster who's also getting to use their casting stat for weapon attacks doesn't need to have near equivalent staying power to Fighters or Paladins as well. Taking a notable dip in AC is the tradeoff for those Pact slots.
I think that folks want better armor for those blade locks, particularly at lower levels. I get it, I want better armor too. Waiting til 9th level probably isn't what they have in mind. That said, I am very much opposed to just tacking it on to hexblade. I'm not opposed to your suggestion, just saying I doubt that's what people want.
That said, looking over the hollow ranger, they have the ancient armor feature which grants an AC bonus equal to their wisdom modifier, min of +1 while concentrating on Hunter's Mark. Given the similarities between Hex and Hunter's Mark, that feels like a good template for the Hexblade which seems to want to focus on the Hex spell. Give Hexblades 2 free casts of Hex like Ranger gets baseline, and let them get an AC bonus equal to their cha modifier while concentrating on Hex. It feels like a more thematic solution to the Hexblade problem than to the Ranger's problem. Rangers don't really need an AC boost, while warlocks do.
Hex is part of the name of the subclass. Focusing on hex makes sense. They need to make hex worth my time though.
Armor of Shadows is already 15 AC all day at level 1. That sounds pretty respectable for tier 1. The point of the second invocation is just to pump you up a bit mid-game- as I said above, dedicated casters who also get to attack with their casting stat (and up to three weapon attacks per action with a couple other bells and whistles) need to make a performance trade-off somewhere. Staying a step behind dedicated frontliners for most levels is that trade off, particularly because if you're going dedicated melee you can spare a spell slot as a panic button if melee isn't working out in a given combat.
You do realize that 3 levels of Warlock & Taking Hexblade for Medium Armor is essentially inferior to a single level dip in Paladin or Fighter, 2024-wise, right?
The 2014 Hexblade dip isn't possible in 2024 design, which is what we're talking about here.
For Paladin you'd need to dump 3 points into what's essentially a dead stat for Warlocks. Fighter is more viable, but even if the rules don't outright state it anymore there's usually the expectation the DM can nix a multiclass dip, particularly if you're just dipping for perks like this.
And, at the end of the day, a dedicated caster who's also getting to use their casting stat for weapon attacks doesn't need to have near equivalent staying power to Fighters or Paladins as well. Taking a notable dip in AC is the tradeoff for those Pact slots.
and they can get competitive AC, they just have to actually invest in something.
a feat, Dex stats, multiclass dip. many possible ways, They just dont get it easy.
like, they really should compete with martials in dpr, defense, recovery, and have access to 6 7 8 9 spells while being single attribute dependent. Not really a great idea imo.
You do realize that 3 levels of Warlock & Taking Hexblade for Medium Armor is essentially inferior to a single level dip in Paladin or Fighter, 2024-wise, right?
The 2014 Hexblade dip isn't possible in 2024 design, which is what we're talking about here.
You do realize that my opposition stems from not wanting to feel forced into hexblade for armor, right?
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Any time an unfathomably powerful entity sweeps in and offers godlike rewards in return for just a few teensy favors, it’s a scam. Unless it’s me. I’d never lie to you, reader dearest.
I think that folks want better armor for those blade locks, particularly at lower levels. I get it, I want better armor too. Waiting til 9th level probably isn't what they have in mind. That said, I am very much opposed to just tacking it on to hexblade. I'm not opposed to your suggestion, just saying I doubt that's what people want.
That said, looking over the hollow ranger, they have the ancient armor feature which grants an AC bonus equal to their wisdom modifier, min of +1 while concentrating on Hunter's Mark. Given the similarities between Hex and Hunter's Mark, that feels like a good template for the Hexblade which seems to want to focus on the Hex spell. Give Hexblades 2 free casts of Hex like Ranger gets baseline, and let them get an AC bonus equal to their cha modifier while concentrating on Hex. It feels like a more thematic solution to the Hexblade problem than to the Ranger's problem. Rangers don't really need an AC boost, while warlocks do.
Hex is part of the name of the subclass. Focusing on hex makes sense. They need to make hex worth my time though.
Armor of Shadows is already 15 AC all day at level 1. That sounds pretty respectable for tier 1. The point of the second invocation is just to pump you up a bit mid-game- as I said above, dedicated casters who also get to attack with their casting stat (and up to three weapon attacks per action with a couple other bells and whistles) need to make a performance trade-off somewhere. Staying a step behind dedicated frontliners for most levels is that trade off, particularly because if you're going dedicated melee you can spare a spell slot as a panic button if melee isn't working out in a given combat.
AoS is a 1 AC bonus over the light armor I already get. Feels like a trap.
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Any time an unfathomably powerful entity sweeps in and offers godlike rewards in return for just a few teensy favors, it’s a scam. Unless it’s me. I’d never lie to you, reader dearest.
Attempting to make this brief... but I know from the onset it's gonna be impossible.
Overall feedback to UA Hexblade: It's bad as a martial character. The overdependence on Hex and subsequently the inability to Concentrate on anything else if you want your subclass to do anything for you... is not really a good look.
I think the direction they took was in theory interesting. Making the Warlock less of a tank and better at sustaining themselves is a different take on a frontliner that can remain on the frontline... However the bits and pieces don't seem to fit together all that well. Additionally locking your Concentration for Hex is... a very limiting thing to do, when your few spell slots before could go toward increasing your combat performance through Blur, Haste, or Shadow of Moil. I'm really not a fan of the Hex-dependency.
The lack of Medium Armor Training: Certainly makes lvl 1 multiclassing for Fighter/Paladin a LOT more enticing. I find that problematic for the subclass that is designed to put Warlocks on the frontline.
To combat this inherent lack of better AC than a base Warlock, the UA Hexblade have gained more ways to regain life or self-heal. The inherent problem comes when the entire subclass hinges on a Concentration spell, so taking more damage in general (even though you can better sustain it) is at odds with your subclass benefits... Additionally if you pair increased self-heal with multi-classing to fix Armor Training, you get a substantially more durable frontliner. And in opposition to Ace of Rogues, I don't believe multiclassing is expected to be neutered by DMs, nor that multiclassing in 2024 is outright discouraged by anything other than game mechanics (aka the benefits you can get from class features).
As for Invocations to "fix" your UA Hexblade. There's already a list of invocations you are basically forced to take to make the Hexblade fantasy of a gish/spell-warrior function: Pact of the Blade, Thirsting Blade, Devouring Blade, and Lifedrinker all functions to make your Attack action better - this is what your gish wants. And there's basically no way you're not picking up Agonizing Blast because it provides a solid ranged option through Eldritch Blast but can also work wonders with Sword Burst for AoE. At level 5 you have 5 Invocations, 3 of which are going towards Pact of the Blade, Thirsting Blade and Agonizing Blast. Leaving you two actual options for the class with the most customization. The 2024 Warlock get a lot of Invocations early on, but the additions lowers significantly past lvl 5. You're likely self-locked to pick up Lifedrinker and Devouring Blade for the two additional Invocations you get at level 9 and 12 respectively, leaving you 1 extra you get at level 7. Meaning your level 12 UA Hexblade is already borderline locked in for 5 of your total 8 Invocations. Leaving 3 optional choices.
Lets not forget that Warlock gets their invocation to help with their incredibly limited spell casting feature for a fullcaster class. We're spending 4 of the total 10 to be better at hitting with a weapon. I'd say that's already quite an investment into the frontliner role.
To furthermore require the Hexblade to spend their invocations for Armor of Shadows (for Mage Armor/Studded Leather +1), Fiendish Vigor (False Life at max roll/12 TempHP), Eldritch Mind (ADV on Concentration Checks) is a lot more pigeonholing than I feel comfortable saying the subclass is successfully satisfying a fantasy archetype.
Also Valor Bards... They are very close to the Hexblade getup. D8 hit die, caster-class who gets access to Extra Attack, and while the Bard only have EA x2, they do get the Cantrip replacement (which at lvl 14 can result in EA x3 by using your BA). Warlocks cannot ever get the cantrip replacement due to their very restrictive design imposed by Eldritch Blast. Valor Bards do also get Medium Armor Training and Shield Proficiency at level 3. Valor Bards don't get their weapon stat changed, so they are somewhat in an awkward position where their Medium Armor Training makes them want to invest in DEX, but they also get capped on their AC gains in order to secure a good weapon stat, and that results in a worse spell casting stat. Not super detrimental if the Valor Bard is not focused on being a control caster but rather let their spellcasting heighten their Martial prowess. Magic Initiate grants them access to Shield before level 10. And 1 multiclass level in Warlock for PotB fixes these issues.
The Bladesinger gets +INT to AC with their Bladesong - so these other gish subclasses gets ways to increase their AC.
I find Armor Training a very... equalizing benefit to grant the Hexblade. It lowers the benefit of multiclassing, secures the Warlock a better chance to keep concentrating on spells by lowering the amount of concentration checks (when the check is the higher between 10 or half damage, there's a moderate risk that you drop concentration when your CON is likely only +2), lowers the Warlock's dependency on spending Invocations to try to fix their AC/survivability.
Also the comparison to other Martials like Barbarian and Rogue. Barbarian have Rage with damage resistance to the typical damage types, also Unarmored Defense so their CON is added to their AC alongside DEX (ignoring that they do have Med. Armor + Shields). They also have ADV on DEX saving throws so AoEs are more likely to go half damage. Rogues inherently uses DEX as their weapon stat, so they are already maxing their DEX modifier, unlike a Warlock. Rogues also get Uncanny Dodge where you can trade your Reaction for halving damage from an incoming attack roll. Cunning Strike include Poison to occasionally grant the immediate enemy DisADV on attacks. Evasion means AoEs (the saving throw where you already max the stat and have proficiency in) mostly misses you entirely. In comparison the Hexblade have: Armor of Shadows (Studded Leather +1), Fiendish Vigor, Armor of Agathys and Shield. If Warlocks were not so insanely limited on spell slots, I could see reason to believe that Warlocks had fair defenses to go on the frontline. As it stands... they are quite inferior past tier 1.
I see two roads to go for here:
- Keep the Hex dependency but make the Warlock tougher (better concentration check, Armor Training, defensive spell-casting*, or remove concentration from Hex or a combination of those) and preferably change the free Hex casts to more flexible spell casting*.
- Remove the Hex dependency, and open up your Concentration choice and make the subclass more than just Hex-galore. You could even make some of the UA Hexblade benefits work without the need for Hex - like whenever you cast a spell and target only a single enemy you can inflict the Hexblade's Curse and gain the Hexblade Maneuvers and the Life Drain-feature but it could just as well have worked for casting Eldritch Blast.
Again personally I don't find the Hex dependency appealing at all - similar to Ranger's Hunter's Mark, it's not interesting and it's very limiting. However the Ranger's situation is not consuming an entire subclass, the benefits are mostly high level and packed where most other classes don't see that many class features, nor is it poised on a primarily melee combatant where concentration checks happen more frequently - yes I know the UA Hexblade could technically avoid weapons, but that's not the point of the subclass. I would prefer to explore more into the drain-tank aspect (self-healing, damage reduction) of this Hexblade variant.
* As for changing the free Hex casts: The UA Hexblade have CHA times free Hex casts per day that lasts an hour. If your concentration breaks a handful of times, your subclass is effectively disabled, which is a major feel bad. If your concentration don't break, you've got plenty throughout the day. When you reach level 14 and damage can't break your concentration on Hex, the amount of uses feels somewhat superfluous.
Instead of being limited to only casting Hex, this feature could grant the Hexblade a resource to cast spells or do magical effects, resetting on a Long Rest or perhaps even fully or partially on a Short Rest. Instead of linking the uses to a stat (which is often frontloaded but scales poorly over levels) perhaps link it to Warlock level (multi-class deterrent) in tiers. You could use this resource to cast spells like Hex or perhaps even Shield, or to fuel the other Hexblade features like the Maneuvers, the life drain, etc. Rebalance as needed.
I think that folks want better armor for those blade locks, particularly at lower levels. I get it, I want better armor too. Waiting til 9th level probably isn't what they have in mind. That said, I am very much opposed to just tacking it on to hexblade. I'm not opposed to your suggestion, just saying I doubt that's what people want.
That said, looking over the hollow ranger, they have the ancient armor feature which grants an AC bonus equal to their wisdom modifier, min of +1 while concentrating on Hunter's Mark. Given the similarities between Hex and Hunter's Mark, that feels like a good template for the Hexblade which seems to want to focus on the Hex spell. Give Hexblades 2 free casts of Hex like Ranger gets baseline, and let them get an AC bonus equal to their cha modifier while concentrating on Hex. It feels like a more thematic solution to the Hexblade problem than to the Ranger's problem. Rangers don't really need an AC boost, while warlocks do.
Hex is part of the name of the subclass. Focusing on hex makes sense. They need to make hex worth my time though.
Armor of Shadows is already 15 AC all day at level 1. That sounds pretty respectable for tier 1. The point of the second invocation is just to pump you up a bit mid-game- as I said above, dedicated casters who also get to attack with their casting stat (and up to three weapon attacks per action with a couple other bells and whistles) need to make a performance trade-off somewhere. Staying a step behind dedicated frontliners for most levels is that trade off, particularly because if you're going dedicated melee you can spare a spell slot as a panic button if melee isn't working out in a given combat.
AoS is a 1 AC bonus over the light armor I already get. Feels like a trap.
No, it’s 2 AC over your starting armor if you take the pre-built kit and Studded Leather is most of half of your starting gold if you go that route. By the numbers it’s a decent investment, and imo if you want AC in the dedicated frontliner range from a class feature rather than feat that should involve increasing the existing investment.
Besides, just being Pact of the Blade is arguably a trap pick that eats most if not all your Invocations to stay effective. It’s not an optimal pick for Warlocks, imo.
It’s wild how people are losing their minds over the medium armor and shield proficiency—as if that wasn’t already part of the Hexblade’s kit, lol.
Right now, a 1-level dip into Fighter is far more valuable than a 3-level investment into Hexblade. Don’t forget: you now need to be level 3 just to access the subclass.
Honestly, some of you have no idea what you’re talking about.
It’s wild how people are losing their minds over the medium armor and shield proficiency—as if that wasn’t already part of the Hexblade’s kit, lol.
Exactly. Apparently, some folks hated that the 2014 hexblade was able to wear medium armor and use shields.
Under the 2014 rules, Hexblade was the only viable Gish option and was only published because Pact of the Blade was so bad.
Under the 2024 rules, that is no longer the case, you can pick any subclass and can choose to focus on melee, spellcasting, or both. Making a 2024 Hexblade subclass that is the "Best Gish Option" is a terrible idea. Warlock is a great class because it is so customizable and any "best" option ruins that.
I don't think giving hexblade armor proficiency would automatically make it the best blade warlock. Archfey has great mobility thanks to all the teleporting, while Great Old One can get advantage on attack rolls. And they can both get the armor proficiency with a single level dip. That being said, I do think it would be thematically better for the subclass whose patron is a sentient weapon to get a boost to attacks rather than defense.
You can choose to focus on melee with any warlock subclass but you either can't get medium armor and shields or you can't get shields - not without burning a feat, which means no shield until at least 8th level or more likely 12th.
While I do not like the UA hexblade at all, my bigger beef is that any character trained in light armor but not shields has to take the Lightly Armored feat to get shield training, despite already being trained in light armor.
ETA: Please stop telling me Hexblades aren't frontline melee characters. I ran mine that way just fine for 7 levels (campaign fizzled).
You can choose to focus on melee with any warlock subclass but you either can't get medium armor and shields or you can't get shields - not without burning a feat, which means no shield until at least 8th level or more likely 12th.
While I do not like the UA hexblade at all, my bigger beef is that any character trained in light armor but not shields has to take the Lightly Armored feat to get shield training, despite already being trained in light armor.
ETA: Please stop telling me Hexblades aren't frontline melee characters. I ran mine that way just fine for 7 levels (campaign fizzled).
Again, the solution there- assuming it wasn’t a deliberate design choice to make shields a bit less accessible- is to add an invocation option so all Warlocks have the option just as all Warlocks can gish. And the 2014 Hexblade was a dedicated gish specifically because Pact of the Blade was so awful it needed that kind of support to make it viable. They built much better support for it into the new Invocations, so it doesn’t need an entire subclass dedicated to it as a crutch anymore.
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So basically you want an Eldritch Knight for a Warlock?
No, they absolutely should NOT give hexblades medium armor and shields. it was a bad patch when they released it that way the first time, and it's just as bad of an idea now. You should not be funneled into hexblade if you want better armor.
Any time an unfathomably powerful entity sweeps in and offers godlike rewards in return for just a few teensy favors, it’s a scam. Unless it’s me. I’d never lie to you, reader dearest.
Tasha
How's this for boosting Warlock AC:
9th level Invocation, Armor of Shadows is pre-req. Boosts AC from Mage Armor to 14 + DEX (imo shouldn't match peak Medium since it has an uncapped DEX boost), and you get shield prof.
I think that folks want better armor for those blade locks, particularly at lower levels. I get it, I want better armor too. Waiting til 9th level probably isn't what they have in mind. That said, I am very much opposed to just tacking it on to hexblade. I'm not opposed to your suggestion, just saying I doubt that's what people want.
That said, looking over the hollow ranger, they have the ancient armor feature which grants an AC bonus equal to their wisdom modifier, min of +1 while concentrating on Hunter's Mark. Given the similarities between Hex and Hunter's Mark, that feels like a good template for the Hexblade which seems to want to focus on the Hex spell. Give Hexblades 2 free casts of Hex like Ranger gets baseline, and let them get an AC bonus equal to their cha modifier while concentrating on Hex. It feels like a more thematic solution to the Hexblade problem than to the Ranger's problem. Rangers don't really need an AC boost, while warlocks do.
Hex is part of the name of the subclass. Focusing on hex makes sense. They need to make hex worth my time though.
Any time an unfathomably powerful entity sweeps in and offers godlike rewards in return for just a few teensy favors, it’s a scam. Unless it’s me. I’d never lie to you, reader dearest.
Tasha
You do realize that 3 levels of Warlock & Taking Hexblade for Medium Armor is essentially inferior to a single level dip in Paladin or Fighter, 2024-wise, right?
The 2014 Hexblade dip isn't possible in 2024 design, which is what we're talking about here.
DM, player & homebrewer(Current homebrew project is an unofficial conversion of SBURB/SGRUB from Homestuck into DND 5e)
Once made Maxwell's Silver Hammer come down upon Strahd's head to make sure he was dead.
Always study & sharpen philosophical razors. They save a lot of trouble.
For Paladin you'd need to dump 3 points into what's essentially a dead stat for Warlocks. Fighter is more viable, but even if the rules don't outright state it anymore there's usually the expectation the DM can nix a multiclass dip, particularly if you're just dipping for perks like this.
And, at the end of the day, a dedicated caster who's also getting to use their casting stat for weapon attacks doesn't need to have near equivalent staying power to Fighters or Paladins as well. Taking a notable dip in AC is the tradeoff for those Pact slots.
Armor of Shadows is already 15 AC all day at level 1. That sounds pretty respectable for tier 1. The point of the second invocation is just to pump you up a bit mid-game- as I said above, dedicated casters who also get to attack with their casting stat (and up to three weapon attacks per action with a couple other bells and whistles) need to make a performance trade-off somewhere. Staying a step behind dedicated frontliners for most levels is that trade off, particularly because if you're going dedicated melee you can spare a spell slot as a panic button if melee isn't working out in a given combat.
Give me medium armor, shield and martial weapon proficiency and remove the consentration from Hex. That would be perfect for me.
and they can get competitive AC, they just have to actually invest in something.
a feat, Dex stats, multiclass dip. many possible ways, They just dont get it easy.
like, they really should compete with martials in dpr, defense, recovery, and have access to 6 7 8 9 spells while being single attribute dependent. Not really a great idea imo.
You do realize that my opposition stems from not wanting to feel forced into hexblade for armor, right?
Any time an unfathomably powerful entity sweeps in and offers godlike rewards in return for just a few teensy favors, it’s a scam. Unless it’s me. I’d never lie to you, reader dearest.
Tasha
AoS is a 1 AC bonus over the light armor I already get. Feels like a trap.
Any time an unfathomably powerful entity sweeps in and offers godlike rewards in return for just a few teensy favors, it’s a scam. Unless it’s me. I’d never lie to you, reader dearest.
Tasha
Attempting to make this brief... but I know from the onset it's gonna be impossible.
Overall feedback to UA Hexblade: It's bad as a martial character. The overdependence on Hex and subsequently the inability to Concentrate on anything else if you want your subclass to do anything for you... is not really a good look.
I think the direction they took was in theory interesting. Making the Warlock less of a tank and better at sustaining themselves is a different take on a frontliner that can remain on the frontline... However the bits and pieces don't seem to fit together all that well. Additionally locking your Concentration for Hex is... a very limiting thing to do, when your few spell slots before could go toward increasing your combat performance through Blur, Haste, or Shadow of Moil. I'm really not a fan of the Hex-dependency.
The lack of Medium Armor Training: Certainly makes lvl 1 multiclassing for Fighter/Paladin a LOT more enticing. I find that problematic for the subclass that is designed to put Warlocks on the frontline.
To combat this inherent lack of better AC than a base Warlock, the UA Hexblade have gained more ways to regain life or self-heal. The inherent problem comes when the entire subclass hinges on a Concentration spell, so taking more damage in general (even though you can better sustain it) is at odds with your subclass benefits...
Additionally if you pair increased self-heal with multi-classing to fix Armor Training, you get a substantially more durable frontliner. And in opposition to Ace of Rogues, I don't believe multiclassing is expected to be neutered by DMs, nor that multiclassing in 2024 is outright discouraged by anything other than game mechanics (aka the benefits you can get from class features).
As for Invocations to "fix" your UA Hexblade. There's already a list of invocations you are basically forced to take to make the Hexblade fantasy of a gish/spell-warrior function: Pact of the Blade, Thirsting Blade, Devouring Blade, and Lifedrinker all functions to make your Attack action better - this is what your gish wants. And there's basically no way you're not picking up Agonizing Blast because it provides a solid ranged option through Eldritch Blast but can also work wonders with Sword Burst for AoE.
At level 5 you have 5 Invocations, 3 of which are going towards Pact of the Blade, Thirsting Blade and Agonizing Blast. Leaving you two actual options for the class with the most customization. The 2024 Warlock get a lot of Invocations early on, but the additions lowers significantly past lvl 5. You're likely self-locked to pick up Lifedrinker and Devouring Blade for the two additional Invocations you get at level 9 and 12 respectively, leaving you 1 extra you get at level 7.
Meaning your level 12 UA Hexblade is already borderline locked in for 5 of your total 8 Invocations. Leaving 3 optional choices.
Lets not forget that Warlock gets their invocation to help with their incredibly limited spell casting feature for a fullcaster class. We're spending 4 of the total 10 to be better at hitting with a weapon. I'd say that's already quite an investment into the frontliner role.
To furthermore require the Hexblade to spend their invocations for Armor of Shadows (for Mage Armor/Studded Leather +1), Fiendish Vigor (False Life at max roll/12 TempHP), Eldritch Mind (ADV on Concentration Checks) is a lot more pigeonholing than I feel comfortable saying the subclass is successfully satisfying a fantasy archetype.
Also Valor Bards... They are very close to the Hexblade getup. D8 hit die, caster-class who gets access to Extra Attack, and while the Bard only have EA x2, they do get the Cantrip replacement (which at lvl 14 can result in EA x3 by using your BA). Warlocks cannot ever get the cantrip replacement due to their very restrictive design imposed by Eldritch Blast. Valor Bards do also get Medium Armor Training and Shield Proficiency at level 3. Valor Bards don't get their weapon stat changed, so they are somewhat in an awkward position where their Medium Armor Training makes them want to invest in DEX, but they also get capped on their AC gains in order to secure a good weapon stat, and that results in a worse spell casting stat. Not super detrimental if the Valor Bard is not focused on being a control caster but rather let their spellcasting heighten their Martial prowess. Magic Initiate grants them access to Shield before level 10. And 1 multiclass level in Warlock for PotB fixes these issues.
The Bladesinger gets +INT to AC with their Bladesong - so these other gish subclasses gets ways to increase their AC.
I find Armor Training a very... equalizing benefit to grant the Hexblade. It lowers the benefit of multiclassing, secures the Warlock a better chance to keep concentrating on spells by lowering the amount of concentration checks (when the check is the higher between 10 or half damage, there's a moderate risk that you drop concentration when your CON is likely only +2), lowers the Warlock's dependency on spending Invocations to try to fix their AC/survivability.
Also the comparison to other Martials like Barbarian and Rogue. Barbarian have Rage with damage resistance to the typical damage types, also Unarmored Defense so their CON is added to their AC alongside DEX (ignoring that they do have Med. Armor + Shields). They also have ADV on DEX saving throws so AoEs are more likely to go half damage. Rogues inherently uses DEX as their weapon stat, so they are already maxing their DEX modifier, unlike a Warlock. Rogues also get Uncanny Dodge where you can trade your Reaction for halving damage from an incoming attack roll. Cunning Strike include Poison to occasionally grant the immediate enemy DisADV on attacks. Evasion means AoEs (the saving throw where you already max the stat and have proficiency in) mostly misses you entirely.
In comparison the Hexblade have: Armor of Shadows (Studded Leather +1), Fiendish Vigor, Armor of Agathys and Shield. If Warlocks were not so insanely limited on spell slots, I could see reason to believe that Warlocks had fair defenses to go on the frontline. As it stands... they are quite inferior past tier 1.
I see two roads to go for here:
- Keep the Hex dependency but make the Warlock tougher (better concentration check, Armor Training, defensive spell-casting*, or remove concentration from Hex or a combination of those) and preferably change the free Hex casts to more flexible spell casting*.
- Remove the Hex dependency, and open up your Concentration choice and make the subclass more than just Hex-galore. You could even make some of the UA Hexblade benefits work without the need for Hex - like whenever you cast a spell and target only a single enemy you can inflict the Hexblade's Curse and gain the Hexblade Maneuvers and the Life Drain-feature but it could just as well have worked for casting Eldritch Blast.
Again personally I don't find the Hex dependency appealing at all - similar to Ranger's Hunter's Mark, it's not interesting and it's very limiting. However the Ranger's situation is not consuming an entire subclass, the benefits are mostly high level and packed where most other classes don't see that many class features, nor is it poised on a primarily melee combatant where concentration checks happen more frequently - yes I know the UA Hexblade could technically avoid weapons, but that's not the point of the subclass. I would prefer to explore more into the drain-tank aspect (self-healing, damage reduction) of this Hexblade variant.
* As for changing the free Hex casts: The UA Hexblade have CHA times free Hex casts per day that lasts an hour. If your concentration breaks a handful of times, your subclass is effectively disabled, which is a major feel bad. If your concentration don't break, you've got plenty throughout the day. When you reach level 14 and damage can't break your concentration on Hex, the amount of uses feels somewhat superfluous.
Instead of being limited to only casting Hex, this feature could grant the Hexblade a resource to cast spells or do magical effects, resetting on a Long Rest or perhaps even fully or partially on a Short Rest. Instead of linking the uses to a stat (which is often frontloaded but scales poorly over levels) perhaps link it to Warlock level (multi-class deterrent) in tiers.
You could use this resource to cast spells like Hex or perhaps even Shield, or to fuel the other Hexblade features like the Maneuvers, the life drain, etc. Rebalance as needed.
No, it’s 2 AC over your starting armor if you take the pre-built kit and Studded Leather is most of half of your starting gold if you go that route. By the numbers it’s a decent investment, and imo if you want AC in the dedicated frontliner range from a class feature rather than feat that should involve increasing the existing investment.
Besides, just being Pact of the Blade is arguably a trap pick that eats most if not all your Invocations to stay effective. It’s not an optimal pick for Warlocks, imo.
All sounds good to me.
It’s wild how people are losing their minds over the medium armor and shield proficiency—as if that wasn’t already part of the Hexblade’s kit, lol.
Right now, a 1-level dip into Fighter is far more valuable than a 3-level investment into Hexblade. Don’t forget: you now need to be level 3 just to access the subclass.
Honestly, some of you have no idea what you’re talking about.
Exactly. Apparently, some folks hated that the 2014 hexblade was able to wear medium armor and use shields.
Under the 2014 rules, Hexblade was the only viable Gish option and was only published because Pact of the Blade was so bad.
Under the 2024 rules, that is no longer the case, you can pick any subclass and can choose to focus on melee, spellcasting, or both. Making a 2024 Hexblade subclass that is the "Best Gish Option" is a terrible idea. Warlock is a great class because it is so customizable and any "best" option ruins that.
She/Her Player and Dungeon Master
I don't think giving hexblade armor proficiency would automatically make it the best blade warlock. Archfey has great mobility thanks to all the teleporting, while Great Old One can get advantage on attack rolls. And they can both get the armor proficiency with a single level dip. That being said, I do think it would be thematically better for the subclass whose patron is a sentient weapon to get a boost to attacks rather than defense.
You can choose to focus on melee with any warlock subclass but you either can't get medium armor and shields or you can't get shields - not without burning a feat, which means no shield until at least 8th level or more likely 12th.
While I do not like the UA hexblade at all, my bigger beef is that any character trained in light armor but not shields has to take the Lightly Armored feat to get shield training, despite already being trained in light armor.
ETA: Please stop telling me Hexblades aren't frontline melee characters. I ran mine that way just fine for 7 levels (campaign fizzled).
Again, the solution there- assuming it wasn’t a deliberate design choice to make shields a bit less accessible- is to add an invocation option so all Warlocks have the option just as all Warlocks can gish. And the 2014 Hexblade was a dedicated gish specifically because Pact of the Blade was so awful it needed that kind of support to make it viable. They built much better support for it into the new Invocations, so it doesn’t need an entire subclass dedicated to it as a crutch anymore.