Background for a Hexblade

[Ardantis]

My group is converting to 5e from 3.5! We are all overjoyed. The DM has scheduled 3-4 more sessions in 3.5 before we convert.

However, since his story is not finished, he has decided that we need to convert our 3.5 characters to 5e, however that works out.

This is not a problem for the Bard, Paladin, Barbarian, and Druid, but I'm playing a Hexblade, so it brings about some complications. I'm going from a primarily fighter-based build to a full caster (Fiendish Bladelock). We are 3rd level, so I'm turning a relatively tanky character with very little magic besides debuffing (Hexblade's Curse plus Dreadful Wrath) into a character with lots of magic (Eldritch blasts and Hex and invocations, oh my!) Then of course there's the fluff of turning an unlucky character with mental stability issues into a character with a full-on patron relationship with a devil or yugoloth or demon.

Here are my concerns:

From a mechanistic standpoint, what background skills and abilities most complement a melee Bladelock? I would like to value Persuasion and Intimidate (as Diplomacy and Intimidate were his go-to 3.5 skills), and I use a polearm if that matters.

From a fluff perspective, what background suits a human (maybe Vhuman, depends on DM) bladelock who is plagued by bad luck (which he can either use as a weapon against others or to engender sympathy), and who suffers from mental illness (bipolar disorder)?

What dark evil entity makes a suitable fiend for his patron relationship? Note that the patron relationship started after the curse of bad luck and the mental stability issues.

Thanks in advance!

EDIT: I did not consider a Fey patron straight out, and even though Great Old One seems to fit well with mental illness, the bad luck leans darker and fiend patron is best for bladelock I hear. Tome was out because it was too caster-y and wasn't like a Hexblade at all, and Chain was out because I hadn't received my familiar in 3.5 yet anyways.

[Easy_Lee]

Skills depend on your chosen melee stat. That said, dexterity is overall superior for a pure blade lock (unless you pick up the moderately armored feat), so I'll assume that you're choosing dexterity and wielding a rapier or similar.

Skills then become dexterity and charisma skills being your best bets. Stealth, acrobatics, deception, and persuasion would be my first choices.

It sounds like either hermit or criminal background would be a suitable choice for the character. Criminal will give you some of the skills that I think you should take, so that would be my choice.

Fiend patron, I don't have any particular preferences. It depends on your alignment, since that should probably be close to your patron. Devils are lawful, demons are chaotic.

Regarding what you heard, Fey is the best blade pact patron in my opinion. My preferred way to play a bladelock is to use the blade whenever possible and use spells anytime it's not. I like to get spells that solve problems which the blade doesn't. Fey has some of the best defensive abilities, and will help you in that way. Fiend primarily adds damage, and the spell selection is more about casting detrimental spells than supplementing your own damage options, so I think that fiend is actually the weakest for blade pact.

[Ardantis]

Criminal, check. I was pretty sure the stealth-granting backgrounds would get suggested, it's just so strong. Plus criminal brings in the possibility of a mental health institutionalization, which is pretty interesting, story-wise.

I suppose Dex-bladelock is less MAD, although with Vhuman I could pick up Medium Armor. My weapon in 3.5 was a halberd, and there is no dex equivalent. Jury is still out on that one, and race is human so no Mountain Dwarf.

As far as patron strength goes, I only know what I've read. Fey doesn't sit well with the character. Great Old One meshes with mental issues but not with bad luck, and seems to have less aggressive intent than Fiend.

The character leans chaotic, I feel, so his patron would be either a demon or a yugoloth. Any suggestions, especially one which might mesh with the rest of the character?

[Easy_Lee]

I'd use one of these guys.
http://forgottenrealms.wikia.com/wiki/Ultroloth

If you're going for a strength build, take moderately armored at level 1, and make sure your strength and CHA are 16+ and your dex is 14. Con comes next, and should be 14ish.

All of that can be difficult, which is why I'd consider doing fighter 1 / warlock x, starting fighter for the armor proficiency you need as well as strength and constitution proficiency. Then go warlock from there. That would let you get polearm mastery as your level 1 feat if you want it, and would also give you heavy armor. It's a popular choice.

[Toadkiller]

There is no real reason for the character to know who their patron is. So you don't have to sweat that too much. They might not even know if it is fiend, fey or whatever.

[Troacctid]

If you're going for a strength build, take medium armor master at level 1, and make sure your strength and CHA are 16+ and your dex is 14. Con comes next, and should be 14ish.

Shouldn't you have 16 Dex if you're taking Medium Armor Master?

[Easy_Lee]

Shouldn't you have 16 Dex if you're taking Medium Armor Master?

Whoops, I meant moderately armored. Correcting.

[Ardantis]

O.K. so I just talked to my DM and... updates.

Turns out that due to universe concerns, my patron is a dragon. An ancient, continent-governing dragon, but a dragon nonetheless. It's a refluff on Fiend Patron, since most of the spells are fire anyways. Not sure how that'll work with the granted powers, but whatever.

The character is sort of a crazy old man that the party (ongoing game) had already run into previously, and who is apparently now backed up by a powerful in-universe patron.

I'm pretty sure I'll go strength-based, Vhuman, moderately armored at level one. Eventually I'll get polearm mastery, thank heavens we're not rolling for stats.

Criminal is off the board, it just doesn't fit- Urchin or Hermit make the most story sense. Urchin has stealth, which is great, but Hermit is... weird. Opinions would be valuable.

[Easy_Lee]

Outlander may fit if you're going strength.

[burninatortrog]

Urchin or Hermit make the most story sense. Urchin has stealth, which is great, but Hermit is... weird. Opinions would be valuable.

The skill proficiencies granted by backgrounds are just suggestions, you're free to swap them out for other skills if you'd like to.

[SouthpawSoldier]

Remember that Backgrounds are expressly mutable. Proficiencies in 2ea Skills, Languages/Tools; 2 Traits; 1ea. Feature, Flaw, Bond, and Ideal. Any background or blend thereof can be matched to any class.

Misanthropic hermit. Spent his childhood as an only child from a wealthy merchant family who bankrupted themselves on his education. When they died, he chose to live on the edge of society, corresponding with other historians and philosophers by post.

Depending on the finer points of interests and behaviors, that background could be a blend of a half dozen different Backgrounds from the PHB. If his studies leaned more to the arts, Guild Artisan and Entertainer. Hermit and/or Sage, obviously. Maybe the Noble Background. Depending on age when he retreated, Outlander.

Note I didn't mention class. I use this for my Ranger build, but it could also be a Fighter, Druid, or Wizard without too much stretch. Getting it to fit Barbarian would be a little more tricky, but doable.

This is why I really love 5e. I learned D&D via 3.5. 5e has the options for flavor, without the hours of research to build a viable character. It's like a blend of 3.5 and FATE (Dresden Files). Add in the Proficiency Dice option from the DMG, and now there's some Cortex+ influence (Firefly RPG).


TL/DR;

You are explicitly allowed per PHB p.125 to mess with the Backgrounds however you want. Don't worry about picking the right option. Get what you want, and fluff will support.

[Chronos]

For what it's worth, if I were trying to transfer over a hexblade, I'd use oathbreaker paladin, rather than bladelock. That gives you the larger focus on martial skill and smaller on spells, like you were looking for.

[Ardantis]

Thanks for the responses!

Why Outlander for Str bladelock?

Custom background for stealth and survival. Ideas?

Oath breaker Paladin! ... Do they get Hex?

[Easy_Lee]

Why Outlander for Str bladelock?

Because they get athletics and survival, two things that it sounds like your character could use. Strength-based characters won't get much mileage out of dexterity skills like stealth, generally speaking. I also support the paladin idea; oathbreaker or vengeance sound like they would fit the score.

[Basch]

If you haven't settled on the class completely, and your DM is ok with approving some homebrew stuff, someone seems to have made a 5e hexblade homebrew here (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?415297-D-amp-D-5e-The-Hexblade-%28A-Base-Class-with-Three-Archetypes%29) I believe they're still tuning it, but it might work well for you. Happened upon it a few hours ago.

[Ardantis]

That homebrew was quality, I read the whole thing. Still, this is our first time with 5e and I don't think we're ready for that.

I would consider the paladin, but does he get Hex?

Outlander nets Athletics, certainly useful as far as melee goes. For feats I'll probably go Polearm Mastery and Resilient Con on top of Moderately Armored. I hope I have enough ASIs to still bump Str and Cha enough.

[DivisibleByZero]

I would consider the paladin, but does he get Hex?

Vengeance gets Hunter's Mark, which is basically the same thing, but instead of giving the target disadvantage on ability checks from one ability, it gives you advantage on Survival and Perception checks against the target.
(and the extra damage is untyped, while Hex is necrotic)
(and it's only V comp, while Hex is V/S/M)