Starting at 14th level, you can spread your Hexblade’s Curse from a slain creature to another creature. When the creature cursed by your Hexblade’s Curse dies, you can apply the curse to a different creature you can see within 30 feet of you, provided you aren’t incapacitated. When you apply the curse in this way, you don’t regain hit points from the death of the previously cursed creature.
My question is: what happens, if the cursed creature dies and no other (enemy) creature is within 30 feet or at least no creature that you want to "apply" the curse to? Does the Hexblade have to apply the Curse to another creature in the same turn in which the previously cursed creature dies? Or can he wait a couple of turns, minutes or hours until he does? If he does not have to do it immediately he probably would have to opt not to regain hitpoints from the death of the previously cursed creature the moment that creature dies.
I understand that if the Curse expires before the cursed creature dies or if the Hexblade he is not entitled to apply the Curse to another creature (like when he is incapacitated).
EDIT: I forgot one question: Is it a free action to apply the Curse to another creature?
It doesn't work like the Hex spell. You "can" apply it when a creature dies to another creature within 30 feet of you. If there are none or you choose not to, the effect is wasted (though you can still regain HP instead).
If it required an action, bonus action, or reaction to do, it would say so. As written, if your hexed for is killed on another player's turn, you can move the hex for free.
If this is so - and I tend to understand the rules like this as well - the Hexblade is effectively crippled by the Xanathar rules. Until level 13 then the Curse is limited to one foe per short rest, starting level 14 to (only) one encounter per short rest. If correct in a way the Curse is now weaker than for a level 3 Hexblade under the first UA rules (using the Cursebringer Invocation). The latter could move the curse while able to gain hitpoints.
I understood the Curse as key feature of the Hexblade. If the aforementioned understanding of the rules is correct, in fact it is something you are very rarely able to use. The level 14 feature is quite disappointing if understood that way as it would not ever allow you to use the Curse in more than one encounter between short rests.
If compared with other features I see the Curse much closer to something like the Bladesong of the Blade Singer than to something like Channel Divinity for the Paladin. Like for the Blade Singer the Curse is kind of in the name. Whereas the Blade Singer may use Bladesong twice every short rest starting at level 2, the Hexblade can - in fact - use it once until level 20. He is only able to target more than one creature starting level 14, while Bladesong - by default - works against all foes. The advantage of Master of Hexes in that the duration probably starts again once the Curse is applied to another creature is rather small. In my experience only very few combats last longer than 10 turns. I wonder if this was/is intended.
When first reading Xanathar I missed that Armor of Hexes was also substantially weakened, now requiring a reaction. I wonder why as Rogue's level 5 Feat now clearly outshines that lvl. 10 Feat.
A general question arose though:
Armor of Hexes allows you to roll a d6, when a cursed enemy hits you with an attack. On a 4 or more, the Attack instead misses.
Smites Go Like this:
Divine Smite
Starting at 2nd level, when you hit a creature with a melee weapon attack, you can expend one spell slot to deal radiant damage to the target, in addition to the weapon’s damage.
So what triggers first? Does the Attacker declare a smite and then the Warlock declares he uses Armor of Hexes or is it the other way around?
I wonder why as Rogue's level 5 Feat now clearly outshines that lvl. 10 Feat.
That's just not the way in which 5th edition seeks to balance classes - there is no "this is gained at higher level and is inherently at least as, if not more, powerful than similar options gained at lower level" rule.
That's what allows for, whether you find it good or bad, some classes or sub-classes to receive very potent features at low levels and less thrilling features at higher levels, while others receive less thrilling features at low levels and their very potent ones at higher levels. Placement of features is more about the class feeling "feature complete" at the right time, while the feeling of "this isn't really better or worse than any other option to a significant enough degree to worry about" of the class is meant to come from viewing each class as a whole.
Another question regarding Master of Hexes arose: If using Master of Hexes, is the duration 1 minute per use of the Curse or per enemy? So if you "apply" the curse to another creature with Master of Hexes, does the 1 minute-clock reset or is it still ticking?
The curse can be moved, it does not indicate it is reset so its still on the clock from the original activation.
In regard to it being crippling to Hexblades as it is once per short rest, you do have a point but I wouldnt have called it crippling merely thought provoking. The warlock spells are all built around short resting to recharge. When you perform multiple short rests the warlock has more potential spell power than another caster, when you dont rest much they dont. Its a similar thought exercise for an assassin rogue subclass - to maximise the subclass advantage you have to have enemies that are surprised which means they can not be aware of any hostiles, not just you but your entire party. At the same time you want to be able to stab and either kill or be backed up very quickly. How often can you make this occur if your opponents are of the expected challenge for the party? If your allies are too far away to be seen and heard then they are too far away, perhaps even to see or hear you when you begin your attack.
My thought exercises for warlocks involve playing them in a short rest heavy party so everyone gains something and no one feels like they are just "taking a lock break."
Hexblades have incredible potential. Combine them with fighters who will appreciate the shortrest recharge, or monks or moon druids and you have a melee group who all enjoy shortrests much more than normal. If you have no one else who has a short rest recharge ability then its likely the only time you take one is when things have gone so wrong everyones hurt badly.
If the hexblade uses Armor of Hexes and rolls greater than a 4 then the attack does not hit. So divine smite isn't valid since it can only be used on a hit.
It seems pretty clear to me that Divine Smite only gets used on an actual hit. Using armor of hexes isn't a way to get the paladin to waste spell slots.
Master of Hexes in Xanathar's reads:
Master of Hexes
Starting at 14th level, you can spread your Hexblade’s Curse from a slain creature to another creature. When the creature cursed by your Hexblade’s Curse dies, you can apply the curse to a different creature you can see within 30 feet of you, provided you aren’t incapacitated. When you apply the curse in this way, you don’t regain hit points from the death of the previously cursed creature.
My question is: what happens, if the cursed creature dies and no other (enemy) creature is within 30 feet or at least no creature that you want to "apply" the curse to? Does the Hexblade have to apply the Curse to another creature in the same turn in which the previously cursed creature dies? Or can he wait a couple of turns, minutes or hours until he does? If he does not have to do it immediately he probably would have to opt not to regain hitpoints from the death of the previously cursed creature the moment that creature dies.
I understand that if the Curse expires before the cursed creature dies or if the Hexblade he is not entitled to apply the Curse to another creature (like when he is incapacitated).
EDIT: I forgot one question: Is it a free action to apply the Curse to another creature?
Are these assumptions correct?
It doesn't work like the Hex spell. You "can" apply it when a creature dies to another creature within 30 feet of you. If there are none or you choose not to, the effect is wasted (though you can still regain HP instead).
If it required an action, bonus action, or reaction to do, it would say so. As written, if your hexed for is killed on another player's turn, you can move the hex for free.
Even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in awhile.
If this is so - and I tend to understand the rules like this as well - the Hexblade is effectively crippled by the Xanathar rules. Until level 13 then the Curse is limited to one foe per short rest, starting level 14 to (only) one encounter per short rest. If correct in a way the Curse is now weaker than for a level 3 Hexblade under the first UA rules (using the Cursebringer Invocation). The latter could move the curse while able to gain hitpoints.
I understood the Curse as key feature of the Hexblade. If the aforementioned understanding of the rules is correct, in fact it is something you are very rarely able to use. The level 14 feature is quite disappointing if understood that way as it would not ever allow you to use the Curse in more than one encounter between short rests.
If compared with other features I see the Curse much closer to something like the Bladesong of the Blade Singer than to something like Channel Divinity for the Paladin. Like for the Blade Singer the Curse is kind of in the name. Whereas the Blade Singer may use Bladesong twice every short rest starting at level 2, the Hexblade can - in fact - use it once until level 20. He is only able to target more than one creature starting level 14, while Bladesong - by default - works against all foes. The advantage of Master of Hexes in that the duration probably starts again once the Curse is applied to another creature is rather small. In my experience only very few combats last longer than 10 turns. I wonder if this was/is intended.
When first reading Xanathar I missed that Armor of Hexes was also substantially weakened, now requiring a reaction. I wonder why as Rogue's level 5 Feat now clearly outshines that lvl. 10 Feat.
A general question arose though:
Armor of Hexes allows you to roll a d6, when a cursed enemy hits you with an attack. On a 4 or more, the Attack instead misses.
Smites Go Like this:
Divine Smite
Starting at 2nd level, when you hit a creature with a melee weapon attack, you can expend one spell slot to deal radiant damage to the target, in addition to the weapon’s damage.
So what triggers first? Does the Attacker declare a smite and then the Warlock declares he uses Armor of Hexes or is it the other way around?
That's what allows for, whether you find it good or bad, some classes or sub-classes to receive very potent features at low levels and less thrilling features at higher levels, while others receive less thrilling features at low levels and their very potent ones at higher levels. Placement of features is more about the class feeling "feature complete" at the right time, while the feeling of "this isn't really better or worse than any other option to a significant enough degree to worry about" of the class is meant to come from viewing each class as a whole.
Another question regarding Master of Hexes arose: If using Master of Hexes, is the duration 1 minute per use of the Curse or per enemy? So if you "apply" the curse to another creature with Master of Hexes, does the 1 minute-clock reset or is it still ticking?
Nobody? ;-)
I'd say that since you re-apply the same curse, the duration is not reset. I'm guessing it would otherwise be worded as "you place a new curse".
Subclass: Dwarven Defender - Dragonborn Paragon
Feats: Artificer Apprentice
Monsters: Sheep - Spellbreaker Warforged Titan
Magic Items: Whipier - Ring of Secret Storage - Collar of the Guardian
Monster template: Skeletal Creature
The curse can be moved, it does not indicate it is reset so its still on the clock from the original activation.
In regard to it being crippling to Hexblades as it is once per short rest, you do have a point but I wouldnt have called it crippling merely thought provoking. The warlock spells are all built around short resting to recharge. When you perform multiple short rests the warlock has more potential spell power than another caster, when you dont rest much they dont. Its a similar thought exercise for an assassin rogue subclass - to maximise the subclass advantage you have to have enemies that are surprised which means they can not be aware of any hostiles, not just you but your entire party. At the same time you want to be able to stab and either kill or be backed up very quickly. How often can you make this occur if your opponents are of the expected challenge for the party? If your allies are too far away to be seen and heard then they are too far away, perhaps even to see or hear you when you begin your attack.
My thought exercises for warlocks involve playing them in a short rest heavy party so everyone gains something and no one feels like they are just "taking a lock break."
Hexblades have incredible potential. Combine them with fighters who will appreciate the shortrest recharge, or monks or moon druids and you have a melee group who all enjoy shortrests much more than normal. If you have no one else who has a short rest recharge ability then its likely the only time you take one is when things have gone so wrong everyones hurt badly.
Divine Smite only triggers on a hit.
If the hexblade uses Armor of Hexes and rolls greater than a 4 then the attack does not hit. So divine smite isn't valid since it can only be used on a hit.
It seems pretty clear to me that Divine Smite only gets used on an actual hit. Using armor of hexes isn't a way to get the paladin to waste spell slots.
Armor of Hexes only triggers on a hit too...
Please do not resuscitate old/dead threads. Create new topics if one wishes to further discuss.
/Locking