I've been working off of this build (DawnForgedCast's Ultimate BladeLock) for my BladeLock hoping that Xanathar's will include most of what I need. But now it's out and I see that most of it is still in there but enough is not that I will seriously need to change my plan going forward. I still want this to be a viable Adventurers' League character so I'm here asking for advice.
With no Superiour or Ultimate Pact Weapon invocations anymore and with the main reason for picking The Fiend patron (The Kiss of Mephistopheles) gone, should I still use a Fighter base? Is the HexBlade patron worth considering (with its very limited curses)? How would you go about a BladeLock at the moment?
This is my idea so far. Still based on 2 levels of Fighter.
The point of the character is a self-serving, selfish ******* who'd rather kill any one of no further use to him. And I'm also going for the Devil's Sight/Darkness combo. I am currently level 3. That is, Fighter 2/Warlock (Fiend) 1.
Since hexblade pact of the blade allows you to extend the charisma to 2h weapons, you can use it alongside elven acc and so use GWM with triple advantage. With hexblade curse your crit chance is around 26~27%.
Yeah, sure, it kinda sucks compared to the UA, but that's because unlimited curses was OP. Also you're expected to have 2-3 short rests per day so you'll get 3-4 curses and at level 14 you can reapply the curse on nearby enemies, so in a big fight you'll always have a curse on something.
I find the change of the Feats rather disappointing. Perhaps unlimited uses of the Curse would have been too much. But the new version of the level 14 Feat still limits the use of the Curse to one Combat per rest. That is better than one opponent per rest but still only about half the time under normal circumstances (and if things go well). Compared to for example the Bladesinger, who gets to use Bladesong twice per short rest from the start, that is pretty bad.
Except for enthuiasts the new rules probably make the hexblade mainly a dip class for Paladins and Sorcerers.
I think this comparison is kind of unfair. As I see it, hexblades don't need hexblade curse to function in melee. Much like a vengeance paladin doesn't need vow of emnity. Even with the curse being limited once per rest, a straight hexblade seems a very viable option.
I am planning mine based on Elemental Weapon. Damage bonuses will power most of his DPR. Going sword and board, since the lack of darkness makes GWM more risky. I start variant human with Resilient (CON) for concentration, then grab Great Weapon Master later (for additional attack on crits and kills). Considering some other additional attack feat, like Sentinel or Mage Slayer.
At 14th level, average damage per swing should be 26.5 (4.5 longsword, 5 CHA, 5 Life Drinker, 7 Elemental Weapon (2+2.5+2.5), 5 prof. bonus). Would love feedback on how to improve it.
I wish we were able to swing twice with Shadow Blade.
I think this comparison is kind of unfair. As I see it, hexblades don't need hexblade curse to function in melee. Much like a vengeance paladin doesn't need vow of emnity. Even with the curse being limited once per rest, a straight hexblade seems a very viable option.
I disagree. Like with the Bladesinger, the Feat is in the name of the subclass. Also Level 1, 10 and 14 features of the Hexblade relate to the Curse. Vow of enmity for the Paladin ist Just one (nice) of many diverse Feats. Also as full fledged Wizard a Bladesinger has quite a few things he can do apart from Bladesong. It would have been much more fitting to allow the Hexblade more frequent use of the Curse while downgrading its effect slightly if deemed necessary.
What I say is that power wise there ist not so much to gain after 1 to 3 levels that it pays to Stick around (if power is what you want). You gain more by Multiclassing into Paladin or something like that.
Because I like the theme I still enjoy my Hexblade though. Level 11 now, Variant Human with Warcaster, Polearm Master and GWM feats. Synergy with Eldritch Smite is great with a Glaive and I am looking Forward to level 12 and the Sentinel Feat! I did not need to increase abilities as I was lucky to gain +4 Cha in a dark temple in Ravenloft...
I agree on that, it would be much nicer using the curse multiple times with a reduced effect.
In any case I'm curious about your ideas for MCing. How would you build it? You could go Oathbreaker 8/Hexblade 12 for aura of hate and lifedrinker, but it comes online too late.
But does it have to be a Bladelock? A Pact of the Tome can get access to some reasonable weapons like- Shillelagh a focus staff or Shadow Blade and gets extra non-Warlock Cantrips like Shocking Grasp and Guidance, and ritual casting of stuff like Find Familiar, Identify, Detect Magic, etc, all ready handy utilities... A familiar can even give you advantage on one attack/turn by using its Help action. Plus flavor. So now you're a Blade Pact + Chain Pact lite, just needing a 2nd attack. Shadow Blade is actually pretty awesome if you can get enough spell slots to power it for 6-8 combats/day and good Con saves. Its a lot of dice (2-5d8 as its base damage) which benefits greatly from crits, which Hexblade Curse increases the threat range for (but 2 rounds of bonus actions to come online). Its basically like having a minute long smite on every hit buff. It can mod from STR or DEX, not CHA though. Plus bigtime flavor. But the big benefit is matching damage with GWM or PAM builds and still using a shield while doing it, and the option doing something besides GWM/PAM with your bonus action with a feat, maybe. An EK/Sorc is another way to do Shadow Blade well, but I like the fast recharging higher level spell slots Warlock gives.
Anyway, you can still Hexblade as Pact of the Tome and get the combat benefits of Charisma to damage with any 1H weapon you ritualize at the start of the day (not a shadow blade though). You also get the weapon/armor proficiencies and Hexblade's Curse. What you're missing is access to Improved Pact Weapon, Thirsting Blade, Eldritch Smite, and Lifedrinker. I take issue with Eldritch Smite though... so much of your career just has 2 spells slots/rest and it only works once/turn and only off Warlock slots. PLD smite is miles better. But at this point you look to multi-classing:
Fighter (5) EK or BM can give you a fighting style, second attack, heavy armor, action surge, second wind, and either maneuvers or additional spells & slots and weapon bonds. Also gets Con save proficiency.
Paladin (5) can give you a fighting style, second attack, smites that are better than Eldritch Smite, and spell slots and some healing capability, plus some channel divinities. Its spells also work off CHA. Level 6 gives a tasty boost to all saves.
Swords Bard (6) can give you a fighting style, second attack, and a lot of spell slots and utility spells, skill boosts, plus flourishes for extra damage/ac/movement.
or you can stick with only Warlock or MC something with less levels or do different classes, and use a 1H pact weapon (Thirsting) and dual wield the Shadow Blade.
There's a lot of ways to spin it, but I try to only MC with 2 classes and avoid the 1-2 level dips that are often just cherry-picking front-loaded abilities. You don't even have to use the Darkness cheese or PAM cheese. Going elf or half elf can get you Elven Accuracy which can help fish for crits, combine with Shadow Blade in dark/dim conditions, Shield Master, Familiar Help action or any other ways to get advantage. Its slow to activate given your 1st bonus action conjures Shadow Blade, but the Hexblade's Curse on a boss type, will really crank up your crit rate with the rest of that kit.
Swords BRD 6+ and WLK 3+ will give a great shadow blade build, although you'll want Resilient Con and maybe Warcaster also. It lacks a Shield though without a feat or going Blade Pact.
EK 11+ WLK 3+ More than 2 attacks. Con saves. Shield spell and Absorb Elements possible for defensive reactions. I'd probably Shield Master to shove & get advantage a lot.
PLD 5-6+ WLK 3+ Add smites on top of Shadow Blade damage. Has decent Con save boost after PLD 6, so maybe just Resilient Con or Warcaster, not both.
What I'm currently doing is a Fallen Assimar, Vengeance Paladin, Fiend/TomeLock. I didn't think Hexblade mattered for this build because the party needs a tank and Fiend temp hp were more valuable to me than Curses. STR & CHA 16, and Con will be too after the first feat. He was experimented on by a Lich and basically has been partially inverted on the radiant/necrotic spectrum. He pacted with Dark Powers in order to escape and now owes a debt. There is some big bad Lich out there that owes him its unlife and someday he will collect. He's not evil per se, just traumatized, ruthless, and pissed off. He gets to use batman voice a lot. He can fall further though, potentially I feel like enough bad choices and an alignment shift to Evil would take him into NPC-dom as a Oathbreaker.
He'll Resilient Con + Shieldmaster, and I think I'll only be able to take him up to 5/5 before the adventure we're doing ends. I expect to have good enough armor/shield for AC in the low-mid 20's by the end of our adventure. Shadow Blade will be the go-to with 2x 2nd level (2d8 +STR + Dueling damage, x2) and 4-6x (3d8 + STR + Dueling, x2) 3rd level castings per day, more if I luck into a spell storing ring or pactkeeper rod. He can smite on top of those hits with 1st level slots if he needs to Nova. Shield Mastery helps to shore up low Dex get advantage a lot. He can fall back to Shillelagh (Infernal styled and uses CHA) if he's out of slots.
In hindsight, I'd rebuild this as a Half-Elf and use Elven Accuracy, pick Blade Pact/Hexblade, and go Swords BRD instead of PLD. I'd lose heavy armor and function as a Dex build instead. But that wasn't tanky/Dark Knight-ish which is what I'm going for right now.
With a 3rd MC class option, Sorc or War Wizard can add a lot to an EK/WLK.
Nice ideas and concepts and I agree. If you use Warlock to cast shadow blade you have an incentive to go Warlock for more than three levels too. Problem is you fall back with attack bonus once magic weapons drop.
What you write shows again that Hexblade's higher level feats are no incentive to stay though.
The more I read in Xanathar the more I feel how limited the Warlock's Options are as a Gish compared to other classes. Take Shadow Blade spell. I read it and thought: nice. Theme is great for a Warlock. Nice to have a constant Smite like damage. But I quickly realized that the Bladelock can only attack twice with his pact weapon. Also no Smites or lifedrinker.
So in the End, the spell is very nice for every other Gish except the Bladelock. Take a "Sorcadin": He happily smites away with shadow blade twice a Turn while using a shield. We have one in our game and He deals damage like mad even without Shadow Blade. Only Booming Blade or such could work. But that is both limiting and risky...
Yeah the PHB +1 is a PITA. I'm glad my group isn't doing that. The cantrips fade out as you get more attacks, except to BB with Warcaster AoO's or Warmagic as an EK at levels 7-10.
Con saves or Warcaster, Shadow Blade access, + a lot of 2nd-5th level spell slots - find a good combination for those things as the core.
Bonus if you can do this combination as well- increase crit threat range, get ways to get advantage, be a half-elf or elf for Elven Accuracy, and any of these too:
+smites
+fighting style
+metamagic
Warlock can be a good shadow blade and spell slot source. So can Sorc. For the rest you should probably be an EK to 11 for 3 attacks, or a PLD for 2 attacks + smites, or a Blade BRD for 2 attacks and a lot more spells. All of them have CHA casting and a fighting style.
But yeah... by itself Warlock doesn't make great use of Shadow Blade. It lacks a way to get 2 attacks with it and will lose concentration easily without feats. Its really a shame, because the flavor of a Shadow Blade is very Warlock-y, and if you mix in what Warlock is lacking, it has really good damage potential.
True. Shadow Blade is also nice for a Bladesinger until he ist able to cast Tensers Transformation. The latter would also have been a nice fit for a Bladelock. But one more only for other Gishes namely Bladesingers and Bards...
Aren't you bummed by the fact the hexblade curse is only useful once per rest?
i would prefer 2 per rest but you should be getting 2 to 3 short rests a session minimal so its only really an issue if your dm does not like short rests
I've been working off of this build (DawnForgedCast's Ultimate BladeLock) for my BladeLock hoping that Xanathar's will include most of what I need. But now it's out and I see that most of it is still in there but enough is not that I will seriously need to change my plan going forward. I still want this to be a viable Adventurers' League character so I'm here asking for advice.
With no Superiour or Ultimate Pact Weapon invocations anymore and with the main reason for picking The Fiend patron (The Kiss of Mephistopheles) gone, should I still use a Fighter base? Is the HexBlade patron worth considering (with its very limited curses)? How would you go about a BladeLock at the moment?
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This is my idea so far. Still based on 2 levels of Fighter.
The point of the character is a self-serving, selfish ******* who'd rather kill any one of no further use to him. And I'm also going for the Devil's Sight/Darkness combo. I am currently level 3. That is, Fighter 2/Warlock (Fiend) 1.
Warlock 1 - The Fiend, Cantrips: Eldritch Blast, Minor Illusion. Spells: Hex, Unseen Servant.
Warlock 2 - Invocations: Devil's Sight, Grasp of Hadar. Spells: Armor of Agathys.
Warlock 3 - Pact of the Blade. Invocations: (-1)*Grasp of Hadar, Eldritch Smite. Spells: (-1)*Hex, Misty Step. Darkness.
Warlock 4 - +2 STR. Cantrips: Prestidigitation. Spells: Spider Climb.
Warlock 5 - Invocations: Thirsting Blade. (-1)*Spider Climb, Fly, Counterspell.
Warlock 6 - Spells: (-1)*Unseen Servant, Dispel Magic, Major Image.
Warlock 7 - Invocations: Cloak of Flies. Spells: Banishment.
Warlock 8 - +2 CHA. Spells: (-1)*Misty Step, Hold Person, Dimension Door.
Warlock 9 - Invocations: Tomb of Levistus. Spells: Scrying.
Warlock 10 - Cantrips: Mage Hand.
Warlock 11 - Mystic Arcanum 6: Soul Cage. Spells: (-1)*Hold Person, Danse Macabre, Hold Monster.
Warlock 12 - +2 STR. Invocations: Lifedrinker.
Warlock 13 - Mystic Arcanum 7: Forcecage/Plane Shift/Crown of Stars. Spells: Synaptic Static.
Warlock 14 - Nothing to choose.
Warlock 15 - Invocations: Witch Sight. Mystic Arcanum 8: Demiplane. Spells: Hallow.
Warlock 16 - +2 CHA.
Warlock 17 - Mystic Arcanum 9: Foresight. Spells: Enervation.
Warlock 18 - Invocations: Master of Myriad Forms.
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I'm working on a straight hexblade with pact of the blade and so far this is what I got:
Race: Half-elf
STR 10
DEX 14
CON 15
INT 10
WIS 10
CHA 17
Lvl 4 - GWM
Lvl 8 - Elven Acc (+1 CHA)
Lvl 12 - PAM
Lvl 16 - +2 CHA
Lvl 19 - RES(con)
Invocations in no particular order:
Lifedrinker
Thirsting Blade
Devil’s Sight
Agonizing Blast
Eldritch Smite
Improved Pact Weapon
Relentless Hex
Cloak of Flies
Since hexblade pact of the blade allows you to extend the charisma to 2h weapons, you can use it alongside elven acc and so use GWM with triple advantage. With hexblade curse your crit chance is around 26~27%.
At lvl 20 your DPR with hex + hexblade curse:
2d10 + 1d4 + 3d6 + 18 (proficiency * 3) + 30 ((lifedrinker + cha-mod) * 3) + 3 (improved pact weapon) = 75
Aren't you bummed by the fact the hexblade curse is only useful once per rest?
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Yeah, sure, it kinda sucks compared to the UA, but that's because unlimited curses was OP. Also you're expected to have 2-3 short rests per day so you'll get 3-4 curses and at level 14 you can reapply the curse on nearby enemies, so in a big fight you'll always have a curse on something.
I find the change of the Feats rather disappointing. Perhaps unlimited uses of the Curse would have been too much. But the new version of the level 14 Feat still limits the use of the Curse to one Combat per rest. That is better than one opponent per rest but still only about half the time under normal circumstances (and if things go well). Compared to for example the Bladesinger, who gets to use Bladesong twice per short rest from the start, that is pretty bad.
Except for enthuiasts the new rules probably make the hexblade mainly a dip class for Paladins and Sorcerers.
I think this comparison is kind of unfair. As I see it, hexblades don't need hexblade curse to function in melee. Much like a vengeance paladin doesn't need vow of emnity. Even with the curse being limited once per rest, a straight hexblade seems a very viable option.
How would you build one?
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I am planning mine based on Elemental Weapon. Damage bonuses will power most of his DPR. Going sword and board, since the lack of darkness makes GWM more risky. I start variant human with Resilient (CON) for concentration, then grab Great Weapon Master later (for additional attack on crits and kills). Considering some other additional attack feat, like Sentinel or Mage Slayer.
At 14th level, average damage per swing should be 26.5 (4.5 longsword, 5 CHA, 5 Life Drinker, 7 Elemental Weapon (2+2.5+2.5), 5 prof. bonus). Would love feedback on how to improve it.
I wish we were able to swing twice with Shadow Blade.
I agree on that, it would be much nicer using the curse multiple times with a reduced effect.
In any case I'm curious about your ideas for MCing. How would you build it? You could go Oathbreaker 8/Hexblade 12 for aura of hate and lifedrinker, but it comes online too late.
My hexbladelock(with room for social interaction), which I am at level 3 for is
P.s. Make your first level rogue for the added skill proficiencies.
Rogue 1/Warlock 2: Sneak attack 1d6, Expertise in Stealth+Deception, Hexblade, Grasp of Hadaar and Agonizing Blast, Cantrip: Eldritch Blast, Minor illusion, Spells: Charm person, Hex, Witch bolt.
Rogue 2: Cunning Action
Warlock 3, Blade Pact, Grasp of Hadaar gets switched for Improved Pact boon, + Hold person
Rogue 3: Inquisitive, Sneak attack 2d6
Rogue 4: Feat: Mobile
Warlock 4, +1 Wis, +1 Cha, +Frostbite, + Cause Fear
Warlock 5, + Vampiric touch, + Thirsting Blade
Warlock 6, Hexblade Feature, + Fly
Warlock 7, + Banishment, + Maddening Hex,
Warlock 8, + Crown of Madness, Magic Initiate: Druid; Infestation, Primal Savagery, Ice Knife
Warlock 9, + Hold Monster, + Relentless Hex
Warlock 10, Hexblade Feature, + Friends
Warlock 11, + Mass Suggestion, + Misty Step
Warlock 12, + 2 Cha, + Lifedrinker
Warlock 13, + Plane Shift, + Ray of Enfeeblement
Warlock 14, Hexblade Feature,
Warlock 15, + Dominate Monster, + Shroud of Shadow
Warlock 16, + 2 Cha,
.DO you guys think that it will work at high levels? This is based off the idea of a bladelock who doesn't need any strength or dexterity
But does it have to be a Bladelock? A Pact of the Tome can get access to some reasonable weapons like- Shillelagh a focus staff or Shadow Blade and gets extra non-Warlock Cantrips like Shocking Grasp and Guidance, and ritual casting of stuff like Find Familiar, Identify, Detect Magic, etc, all ready handy utilities... A familiar can even give you advantage on one attack/turn by using its Help action. Plus flavor. So now you're a Blade Pact + Chain Pact lite, just needing a 2nd attack. Shadow Blade is actually pretty awesome if you can get enough spell slots to power it for 6-8 combats/day and good Con saves. Its a lot of dice (2-5d8 as its base damage) which benefits greatly from crits, which Hexblade Curse increases the threat range for (but 2 rounds of bonus actions to come online). Its basically like having a minute long smite on every hit buff. It can mod from STR or DEX, not CHA though. Plus bigtime flavor. But the big benefit is matching damage with GWM or PAM builds and still using a shield while doing it, and the option doing something besides GWM/PAM with your bonus action with a feat, maybe. An EK/Sorc is another way to do Shadow Blade well, but I like the fast recharging higher level spell slots Warlock gives.
Anyway, you can still Hexblade as Pact of the Tome and get the combat benefits of Charisma to damage with any 1H weapon you ritualize at the start of the day (not a shadow blade though). You also get the weapon/armor proficiencies and Hexblade's Curse. What you're missing is access to Improved Pact Weapon, Thirsting Blade, Eldritch Smite, and Lifedrinker. I take issue with Eldritch Smite though... so much of your career just has 2 spells slots/rest and it only works once/turn and only off Warlock slots. PLD smite is miles better. But at this point you look to multi-classing:
Fighter (5) EK or BM can give you a fighting style, second attack, heavy armor, action surge, second wind, and either maneuvers or additional spells & slots and weapon bonds. Also gets Con save proficiency.
Paladin (5) can give you a fighting style, second attack, smites that are better than Eldritch Smite, and spell slots and some healing capability, plus some channel divinities. Its spells also work off CHA. Level 6 gives a tasty boost to all saves.
Swords Bard (6) can give you a fighting style, second attack, and a lot of spell slots and utility spells, skill boosts, plus flourishes for extra damage/ac/movement.
or you can stick with only Warlock or MC something with less levels or do different classes, and use a 1H pact weapon (Thirsting) and dual wield the Shadow Blade.
There's a lot of ways to spin it, but I try to only MC with 2 classes and avoid the 1-2 level dips that are often just cherry-picking front-loaded abilities. You don't even have to use the Darkness cheese or PAM cheese. Going elf or half elf can get you Elven Accuracy which can help fish for crits, combine with Shadow Blade in dark/dim conditions, Shield Master, Familiar Help action or any other ways to get advantage. Its slow to activate given your 1st bonus action conjures Shadow Blade, but the Hexblade's Curse on a boss type, will really crank up your crit rate with the rest of that kit.
Swords BRD 6+ and WLK 3+ will give a great shadow blade build, although you'll want Resilient Con and maybe Warcaster also. It lacks a Shield though without a feat or going Blade Pact.
EK 11+ WLK 3+ More than 2 attacks. Con saves. Shield spell and Absorb Elements possible for defensive reactions. I'd probably Shield Master to shove & get advantage a lot.
PLD 5-6+ WLK 3+ Add smites on top of Shadow Blade damage. Has decent Con save boost after PLD 6, so maybe just Resilient Con or Warcaster, not both.
What I'm currently doing is a Fallen Assimar, Vengeance Paladin, Fiend/TomeLock. I didn't think Hexblade mattered for this build because the party needs a tank and Fiend temp hp were more valuable to me than Curses. STR & CHA 16, and Con will be too after the first feat. He was experimented on by a Lich and basically has been partially inverted on the radiant/necrotic spectrum. He pacted with Dark Powers in order to escape and now owes a debt. There is some big bad Lich out there that owes him its unlife and someday he will collect. He's not evil per se, just traumatized, ruthless, and pissed off. He gets to use batman voice a lot. He can fall further though, potentially I feel like enough bad choices and an alignment shift to Evil would take him into NPC-dom as a Oathbreaker.
He'll Resilient Con + Shieldmaster, and I think I'll only be able to take him up to 5/5 before the adventure we're doing ends. I expect to have good enough armor/shield for AC in the low-mid 20's by the end of our adventure. Shadow Blade will be the go-to with 2x 2nd level (2d8 +STR + Dueling damage, x2) and 4-6x (3d8 + STR + Dueling, x2) 3rd level castings per day, more if I luck into a spell storing ring or pactkeeper rod. He can smite on top of those hits with 1st level slots if he needs to Nova. Shield Mastery helps to shore up low Dex get advantage a lot. He can fall back to Shillelagh (Infernal styled and uses CHA) if he's out of slots.
In hindsight, I'd rebuild this as a Half-Elf and use Elven Accuracy, pick Blade Pact/Hexblade, and go Swords BRD instead of PLD. I'd lose heavy armor and function as a Dex build instead. But that wasn't tanky/Dark Knight-ish which is what I'm going for right now.
With a 3rd MC class option, Sorc or War Wizard can add a lot to an EK/WLK.
Nice ideas and concepts and I agree. If you use Warlock to cast shadow blade you have an incentive to go Warlock for more than three levels too. Problem is you fall back with attack bonus once magic weapons drop.
What you write shows again that Hexblade's higher level feats are no incentive to stay though.
The more I read in Xanathar the more I feel how limited the Warlock's Options are as a Gish compared to other classes. Take Shadow Blade spell. I read it and thought: nice. Theme is great for a Warlock. Nice to have a constant Smite like damage. But I quickly realized that the Bladelock can only attack twice with his pact weapon. Also no Smites or lifedrinker.
So in the End, the spell is very nice for every other Gish except the Bladelock. Take a "Sorcadin": He happily smites away with shadow blade twice a Turn while using a shield. We have one in our game and He deals damage like mad even without Shadow Blade. Only Booming Blade or such could work. But that is both limiting and risky...
Now I get it. I was thinking about taking Shadow Blade but I see it doesn't gel at all with the rest of the Bladelock.
The Palarer (I would take Paladin first for the proficiencies) is a great idea. :)
But it's too bad the blade cantrips are not in XGE.
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Yeah the PHB +1 is a PITA. I'm glad my group isn't doing that. The cantrips fade out as you get more attacks, except to BB with Warcaster AoO's or Warmagic as an EK at levels 7-10.
Con saves or Warcaster, Shadow Blade access, + a lot of 2nd-5th level spell slots - find a good combination for those things as the core.
Bonus if you can do this combination as well- increase crit threat range, get ways to get advantage, be a half-elf or elf for Elven Accuracy, and any of these too:
+smites
+fighting style
+metamagic
Warlock can be a good shadow blade and spell slot source. So can Sorc. For the rest you should probably be an EK to 11 for 3 attacks, or a PLD for 2 attacks + smites, or a Blade BRD for 2 attacks and a lot more spells. All of them have CHA casting and a fighting style.
But yeah... by itself Warlock doesn't make great use of Shadow Blade. It lacks a way to get 2 attacks with it and will lose concentration easily without feats. Its really a shame, because the flavor of a Shadow Blade is very Warlock-y, and if you mix in what Warlock is lacking, it has really good damage potential.
True. Shadow Blade is also nice for a Bladesinger until he ist able to cast Tensers Transformation. The latter would also have been a nice fit for a Bladelock. But one more only for other Gishes namely Bladesingers and Bards...
So, even if you maximise this, you get one curse per encounter. While Hex is useful for multiple targets from level 1.
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