IDK if this is the right subforum for this, but it looks about right.

I have this flavor and character background idea about the possibility of inheriting a Warlock's Hexblade pact, likely for a multi-classed character (and likely a Paladin -- thinking about ways to reconcile the potential contention between a Paladin's Oath and a Warlock's Hexblade Pact is what got me thinking about this). Something along the lines of, the character's parent(s) or some other ancestor(s) initially formed the Hexblade pact for (reasons tbd), and the pact has been carried down through the generations within the bloodline, perhaps even choosing to skip generations, or selectively pick and choose between siblings within the same generation based on the original patron's own preferences and will. Almost like a family curse if it were to be viewed in such a negative light. Maybe the hereditary nature was always part of the original bargain, or maybe the original patron decided to 'alter the deal' unbeknownst to the original pact-ee(?).

Where potentially applying this to a Paladin character is concerned, I figure it could also fit rather nicely in with giving the character more reason/motivation to become a Paladin and swear a Paladin's oath, thinking of it as a sort of penance, or a path to redemption to atone for the 'cursed' Hexblade heritage.

I know this is all very broadstrokes, but I figured I should probably get some opinions on the basic idea before devoting any more to fleshing it out further.

I understand nothing like this is discussed in the source material (at least not that I'm aware of), but I was wondering what folks here might think of something like this being used as character background and flavor to justify a character having access to some degree Hexblade abilities. If you were DMing, would you think something like this is permissible for one of your campaigns?

"Permissable?" I don't think anyone would object to you taking a Hexblade warlock onto a Palladin.  So it comes down to how much license your DM grants you in developing the character in this direction.  Personally, it sounds cool, and especially if you possess a Paladin oath that's at sort of cross purposes with what the Hexblade is usually associated with.  The Raven Queen isn't really a well developed entity in my game, so introducing Hexblade abilities through a TBD inherited patron sounds neat.  However, if your DM's game has a very specific place for where Hexblade abilities come from, you may be running up to a wall.  Like a lot of things in the "can my character do this" conceptual space, run it by your DM.  That's the thought that matters.  A bunch of folk on the internet are literally immaterial to the discussion.

But like I said, as a DM it sounds like a cool idea I'd want to play around with.

Not sure what level you're starting at with the campaign, but looking at that as a DM, the first question I'd have from a story perspective is -- is this a warlock who multiclasses into paladin (i.e. someone who doesn't like what they're patron asks them to do/wants from them and is trying to atone), or a paladin who multiclasses into warlock (i.e. someone feeling the weight of the shadow hanging over their family and trying to get away from it, but who then discovers blood runs thicker than oaths...)? Those would be very different character arcs.

I would see it not as much as "inheriting" but as the pact being forced on you. Let's say your parent or grandparent sealed the deal with forsaking his own bloodline. Now he is dead, his soul taken by the evil sword/entity and you are stuck with the deal you did not know about and that might possibly eat your soul too. Or not. Possibilities are endless.

You haven't mentioned what race your playing as but you could go a slightly differnt route with your Hexblade, the Patron doesn't have to be evil (although implied by the Hexblade listing), for instance, an elven character might have a Moonblade patron or a Dwarf may have an artifact similar to the Axe of the Dwarven Lords as a Patron. Maybe the Patron is goodly and lies in a long forgotten tomb and it reaches out to your character as the (insert story reason). So I'd have a chat with your DM about creating a weapon that is aligned with your Paladin side, you can have it has a personal quest but it may be one you never finish so the DM could include it in the camapign or not and you just have a interesting little character quirk to refer to when you have down time etc.

Thanks for the replies and input.

Quote from AntonSirius >>

Not sure what level you're starting at with the campaign, but looking at that as a DM, the first question I'd have from a story perspective is -- is this a warlock who multiclasses into paladin (i.e. someone who doesn't like what they're patron asks them to do/wants from them and is trying to atone), or a paladin who multiclasses into warlock (i.e. someone feeling the weight of the shadow hanging over their family and trying to get away from it, but who then discovers blood runs thicker than oaths...)? Those would be very different character arcs.

At the moment, the plan is to begin as am un-Oathed newbie Paladin with the (dormant) Hexblade Pact manifesting itself through some kind of trigger, which then leads to the choice and taking of the Oath in reaction to what the character will initially believe is a curse that puts his eternal soul in jeopardy--i.e. he perceives the existence of the pact as a sign that he is damned for the 'sins of the father (or whichever ancestor initiated the Pact)'. Right now, as I'm continuing to mull things over, further refine the idea, and flesh it out more, I'm conceptualizing a strictly emotional dynamic between character and Patron, as opposed to something like the Patron communicating verbally, telepathically, or through some other clear and direct means. I want there to be some mysteriousness and ambiguity that is clarified over time, through events and triggers, for extended character development and storytelling reasons.

The ideas is that the mechanical multiclassing into Warlock isn't intended to be an in-character conscious choice, it happens involuntarily, and it isn't something that he can undo or ignore as a result of the aforementioned emotional dynamic.

Quote from Rob76 >>

You haven't mentioned what race your playing as but you could go a slightly differnt route with your Hexblade, the Patron doesn't have to be evil (although implied by the Hexblade listing), for instance, an elven character might have a Moonblade patron or a Dwarf may have an artifact similar to the Axe of the Dwarven Lords as a Patron. Maybe the Patron is goodly and lies in a long forgotten tomb and it reaches out to your character as the (insert story reason). So I'd have a chat with your DM about creating a weapon that is aligned with your Paladin side, you can have it has a personal quest but it may be one you never finish so the DM could include it in the camapign or not and you just have a interesting little character quirk to refer to when you have down time etc.

I haven't yet settled on a race for this character--I keep going back and forth between a few, and so far nothing is exactly clicking just yet. I envision the character probably being Lawful Neutral, or very close to it, so fitting some races into that mold (on top of everything else going on with this character) might be a much taller order.

Quote from _MisterMayhem_>>

The ideas is that the mechanical multiclassing into Warlock isn't intended to be an in-character conscious choice, it happens involuntarily, and it isn't something that he can undo or ignore as a result of the aforementioned emotional dynamic.

Oh, that's interesting. I have a character for an Eberron campaign that was supposed to start right before the real world locked down that had a similar path, if very different background and a homebrew patron. I was torn between starting as a 1st level warlock, or 1st level something else and letting the DM tell me when the pact kicked in/patron woke up and I would multiclass into warlock. There's a ton of RP possibilities there. My big concern was how useful/annoying I would be to the party if I had warlock abilities I was refusing to use. ;)