Giving the Marshal and Hexblade a little love

[Hunterx]

As the title stats this is to give two classes that I think are a little under rated as they sit right now a little love. Yes these are dips and not full on runs.

Basic layout of the build
Marshal 2 Hexblade 7 Dervish 10 X1
Race Human
Gender Female

Marshal
Minor Aura motivate dex
Major Aura motivate attack +1

Hexblade
Hexblade greater curse - 4 to attacks checks and saves 2/day
Arcane resistance Cha to saves vs spells
Mettle
Summon familier alternative class feature
Bonus feat combat casting

Dervish
Dervish dance
Dance of death
Thousand cuts
Elaborate party
Plus 5 to damage with scimitars
Scimitars are light weapons
Speed plus 15'
Initiative +2
AC bonus

The last level is open right now.

Feats
Improved initiative
Two weapon fighting
Improved two weapon fighting
Greater two weapon fighting
Improved critical scimitars
Dodge
Mobility
Combat expertise

Thanks for any in put.

[KillianHawkeye]

Gender Female

I have to question why it was necessary to specify this. :smallconfused:

[Malimar]

Gender FemaleI have to question why it was necessary to specify this. :smallconfused:
Obviously so everybody knows not to suggest Eunuch Warlock.

[animewatcha]

With the one level being open, why not use it for uncanny trickster ( feat adaption for more feats). 2 of the 3 levels will advance class feature allowing to to free up 1-2 levels of dervish, marshal, and/or hexblade for something else.

[Korahir]

Summon families alternative class feature


Sorry not a helpful post, but that ACF is the most amazing thing ever ;) please don't fix that typo.

[Malimar]

What exactly are you trying to do with these three classes? This build seems kind of unfocused.

Also, conventional wisdom is to never pay with feats when you can pay with gold, so you should consider buying Keen scimitars instead of taking Improved Critical.



Summon families alternative class featureSorry not a helpful post, but that ACF is the most amazing thing ever ;) please don't fix that typo.
Does it work across planes? Could the Batman Wizard use it to bring back his parents?

[Invader]

I've found that Mearls suggested fixes for the Hexblade seem to balance it pretty well.

[Hunterx]

Fixes for the Hexblade?

Well what trying to do,with this build is make something that is not your typical slasher, or charger and nuclear distraction and trying to give the marshal and the Hexblade both a little more love then they get normally. The gender thing was just part of the build layout is all, could be male for all I care just the way I seen the char. Paying for keen is a good idea and freeing up a feat. The trickster effect I though is not in effect till their second level but I will look but I also do not want to lose any more BAB then what I did.

Next question and this seems a little off but I'm not 100% if scimitars are light weapons then that means that weapon finesse will work with them and you use Dex to add to the attack roll in this case would motivate Dextarity add the Cha bonus to the attack, as well as the Dex normally?

[animewatcha]

No. Otherwise, marshal would be dipped for motivate Strength.

[Hunterx]

No. Otherwise, marshal would be dipped for motivate Strength.

Good point

[Invader]

Fixes for the Hexblade?

Well what trying to do,with this build is make something that is not your typical slasher, or charger and nuclear distraction and trying to give the marshal and the Hexblade both a little more love then they get normally. The gender thing was just part of the build layout is all, could be male for all I care just the way I seen the char. Paying for keen is a good idea and freeing up a feat. The trickster effect I though is not in effect till their second level but I will look but I also do not want to lose any more BAB then what I did.

Next question and this seems a little off but I'm not 100% if scimitars are light weapons then that means that weapon finesse will work with them and you use Dex to add to the attack roll in this case would motivate Dextarity add the Cha bonus to the attack, as well as the Dex normally?

The creator of the class suggested these unofficial fixes for the Hexblade

Good Fortitude save
Curse ability usable 1 + the hexblade's Cha modifier per day
Curse ability usable as a swift action
Curse ability does not count as used if the target makes his saving throw
Ability to cast in light or medium armor and while carrying a light shield or buckler
At 6th level, the hexblade can cast one hexblade spell per day as a swift action, as long as its original casting time is a standard action or faster. He gains an additional

[KillianHawkeye]

The creator of the class suggested these unofficial fixes for the Hexblade

Good Fortitude save
Curse ability usable 1 + the hexblade's Cha modifier per day
Curse ability usable as a swift action
Curse ability does not count as used if the target makes his saving throw
Ability to cast in light or medium armor and while carrying a light shield or buckler
At 6th level, the hexblade can cast one hexblade spell per day as a swift action, as long as its original casting time is a standard action or faster. He gains an additional

That seems like a weird "fix", since the official, printed version's Curse is a free action. :smallconfused:

[Tiri]

That seems like a weird "fix", since the official, printed version's Curse is a free action. :smallconfused:

Well, it's possible he just didn't think of swift actions when designing the class. They had only been around for about two months when CW was released, and probably less when he wrote the class. He probably thought: Since the Curse is 1/round anyway, I'll just use that mechanic for 1/round free actions I forgot about last time.

[KillianHawkeye]

My point was that it doesn't do anything except stop the Hexblade from taking other swift actions on the same round as their Curse. It doesn't fix anything!

Like, if they'd forgotten to give the Curse a specific activation action, then by the rules it would default to being a Standard Action, then that change would be a fix. As is, it's an unnecessary nerf. A pretty small one, but a nerf nonetheless.

[Mr Adventurer]

The creator of the class suggested these unofficial fixes for the Hexblade

Good Fortitude save
Curse ability usable 1 + the hexblade's Cha modifier per day
Curse ability usable as a swift action
Curse ability does not count as used if the target makes his saving throw
Ability to cast in light or medium armor and while carrying a light shield or buckler
At 6th level, the hexblade can cast one hexblade spell per day as a swift action, as long as its original casting time is a standard action or faster. He gains an additional

I could get behind this, except to add:

2 additional skill points
Can cast in heavy armour too
No limit on number of Curse uses, or, Curse usable (Cha mod) times per encounter
Spell slots as a Duskblade
Caster level = greater of class level or BAB
5th level class spell list as Duskblade plus a few others
Probably just make it a Duskblade ACF

[The Viscount]

He changed curse to swift because he had altered the curse so that it isn't used up if the enemy made their save. If he had left it as a free action, the Hexblade would be able to keep using free actions to curse a single target until they finally fail.

I feel like this might bee too much hexblade just for the 1/day curse. Since you're going the dervish route, perhaps some skirmish onto the build?

[daremetoidareyo]

Take skill focus diplomacy as your 1st level feat. Then, as a marshal, you can get any other feat in place of skill focus diplomacy. Then retrain skill focus diplomacy into something good.

[Invader]

He changed curse to swift because he had altered the curse so that it isn't used up if the enemy made their save. If he had left it as a free action, the Hexblade would be able to keep using free actions to curse a single target until they finally fail.



This^ additional characters for length

[Grim Reader]

The creator of the class suggested these unofficial fixes for the Hexblade

Good Fortitude save
Curse ability usable 1 + the hexblade's Cha modifier per day
Curse ability usable as a swift action
Curse ability does not count as used if the target makes his saving throw
Ability to cast in light or medium armor and while carrying a light shield or buckler
At 6th level, the hexblade can cast one hexblade spell per day as a swift action, as long as its original casting time is a standard action or faster. He gains an additional

I've found giving the Hexblade Hexes, and making the curse a class-specific Hex worked well, and resulted in a thematic and unique character class.

[AnonymousPepper]

Does it work across planes? Could the Batman Wizard use it to bring back his parents?

Oh man that's not right.

[Tiri]

He changed curse to swift because he had altered the curse so that it isn't used up if the enemy made their save. If he had left it as a free action, the Hexblade would be able to keep using free actions to curse a single target until they finally fail.

Except that there was already a 1/round limit before the fix.

[The Viscount]

Then I'm left with nothing, especially since he didn't remove the clause that someone who saves successfully can't be affected. Maybe he was just updating to swift to get in on the new lingo.