Am I doing something wrong or does a Hexblade with a Pact of the Blade Heavy Crossbow outpace EB until level 11?
Assuming that you take Thirsting Blade and Improved Pact Weapons as invocations, you get two attacks with a heavy crossbows, which (if we assume you have a +4 Cha) each have a +7 to hit and deal 1d10+5 at level 5. At level 5, you would still only have one EB beam, but even at level 6 with Agonizing Blast, you would have two beams with only a +6 to hit and deal 1d10+4 each. Once you hit level 11, you get three EB beams, which makes this moot, but it seems like Blastlock is not the only option for ranged damage output?
Blastlock: Only requires one EI, doesn't require an action to summon, outpaces at 11+, 20 ft. longer normal range Crosslock: Higher chance to hit mod, higher damage mod, Thirsting Blade and Improved Pact Weapon benefit more than just the H. Crossbow (unlike Agonizing Blast), has long range option.
Heavy crossbows have the “loading” property. Unless you have some other workaround in mind, you’ll have to take Crossbow Expert on your crosslock to shoot more than once per round. This is mostly no big deal but if you want to be any race other than VHuman, you’ll always be a feat or ASI behind which I think deserves consideration.
Also to add you have 2 invocations toward this, EB would have 1 at agonizing where its basically equaling this. So it would have 1 spare to either boost EB even further with control effects or increase your versatility with something like devils sigh etc.
And if you add in the feat via variant human etc so at level 1, with crossbow expert so you can ignore the reload well that would allow you to fire that eldritch blast at point blank so its doing pretty good compared vs pact blade in melee as well, or more likely if a EB user a different feat that helps here, or rounds you out.
That being said if you go long bow instead with sharpshooter it can take you pretty far. Not quite PAM, but a feat(or multiclass) for fighting initiate archery weapon style, sharpshooter, pact of the blade, the right invocations. You can go pretty far. 1d8+21 twice at level 12 aint bad, archery style +advantage from devils sight/darkness or shadow of moril is pretty solid, no 3rd attack like PAM but the +2 from archery along with advantage improves to hit rate with your 2 attacks.
You can also eldritch smite with your longbow as well, you can''t spike EB like that.
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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.
Am I doing something wrong or does a Hexblade with a Pact of the Blade Heavy Crossbow outpace EB until level 11?
Assuming that you take Thirsting Blade and Improved Pact Weapons as invocations, you get two attacks with a heavy crossbows, which (if we assume you have a +4 Cha) each have a +7 to hit and deal 1d10+5 at level 5. At level 5, you would still only have one EB beam, but even at level 6 with Agonizing Blast, you would have two beams with only a +6 to hit and deal 1d10+4 each. Once you hit level 11, you get three EB beams, which makes this moot, but it seems like Blastlock is not the only option for ranged damage output?
Blastlock: Only requires one EI, doesn't require an action to summon, outpaces at 11+, 20 ft. longer normal range
Crosslock: Higher chance to hit mod, higher damage mod, Thirsting Blade and Improved Pact Weapon benefit more than just the H. Crossbow (unlike Agonizing Blast), has long range option.
Heavy crossbows have the “loading” property. Unless you have some other workaround in mind, you’ll have to take Crossbow Expert on your crosslock to shoot more than once per round. This is mostly no big deal but if you want to be any race other than VHuman, you’ll always be a feat or ASI behind which I think deserves consideration.
Also to add you have 2 invocations toward this, EB would have 1 at agonizing where its basically equaling this. So it would have 1 spare to either boost EB even further with control effects or increase your versatility with something like devils sigh etc.
And if you add in the feat via variant human etc so at level 1, with crossbow expert so you can ignore the reload well that would allow you to fire that eldritch blast at point blank so its doing pretty good compared vs pact blade in melee as well, or more likely if a EB user a different feat that helps here, or rounds you out.
That being said if you go long bow instead with sharpshooter it can take you pretty far. Not quite PAM, but a feat(or multiclass) for fighting initiate archery weapon style, sharpshooter, pact of the blade, the right invocations. You can go pretty far. 1d8+21 twice at level 12 aint bad, archery style +advantage from devils sight/darkness or shadow of moril is pretty solid, no 3rd attack like PAM but the +2 from archery along with advantage improves to hit rate with your 2 attacks.
You can also eldritch smite with your longbow as well, you can''t spike EB like that.
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
Also note. If instead of crossbow expert at level 1, you chose gunner you could have your point blank range for Eldritch Blast and +1 to Dex.