Stone Sorcerer-Hexblade Warlock Race and Low Level Build Advice

[UntimelySeer]

Hey everyone, first time posting here but long time lurker etc. etc. - I was wondering if I could ask the collected knwoledge base here a couple of questions on a build I'm planning on running?

Premise:

Warlock = Hexblade, Pact of the Blade
Low-level campaign, starting level 1.
Want to do an arcane gish using Stone Sorcerer (probably lvl 1 choice for sweet CON prof.)
Will be filling in as the groups only dedicated front liner and tank
Using array or point buy for stats
I'm not interested in super maxing out DPS or something like that
Plan for character will revolve around buffs and hitting people with a weapon most of the time (BB cantrip probably)
Eventually would like to transition to a great sword if possible but that likely comes down to if/when I get Hexblade 3. If does drop my AC with no shield, but makes casting far easier!



Questions:
Half-Elf or V. Human for race?

Half Elf would give low light vision that'd pair great with Shadow Blade, would also allow Elven Accuracy later
V. Human would allow level 1 Warcaster start... but would that be necessary or too much early on? Opportunity BB, adv. (along with prof.) on concentration, plus sword and board for AC would be nice.



After Stone Sorcerer 1/Hexblade 1 (unless anyone thinks that is terrible) the question is do I go:

Hexblade 5 for multiattack, innovocations, short rest recharging 3rd level spells, ability to turn weapon into a ranged weapon (I dislike how OP eldritch blast can be), ability score increase
Hexblade 3 for innovocations, great weapon pact weapon, delays 3rd level spells
Stone Sorcerer 5 for 3rd level spells, meta magic for twinned haste :belkar:, ability score increase
Stone Sorcerer 6 for 3rd level spells, meta magic for twinned haste :belkar:, ability score increase, and the aegis.


The obviously more pressing one is the race issue since starting level 1 and given that if I dip a lot of Warlock I skip an ability score increase/feat I need to think about that earlier.

Going great sword early would make warcaster less necessary a bit because of the easier casting without the shield but it'd harm my AC a lot and I will be tanking. It also wouldn't come online until Warlock 3 when I can use Cha for it. So this is my main stumbling point for race because it ties into class choices and the debate about how much I need warcaster, whether running 3 levels with a bad sword hit modifier, or using sword and board making casting a touch more tricky (but not a lot).

Any thoughts from the hive mind? Thanks very much, this is a build I've been looking forwards to running!

[Easy_Lee]

Do you want to be more of a damage dealer or more of a tank?

For damage, take half-elf and get to Hexblade 5 as quickly as you can for Elven Accuracy. Darkness, Devil's Sight, Hexblade's curse, Elven Accuracy, and Eldritch Smite is absurd damage in tier 2. Go sorcerer from there for flexible casting (can create spell slots) and Metamagic.

For a more tanky character, I'd go variant human with warcaster and get to Sorcerer 4 sooner, then take Sentinel. That combination allows you to hit enemies with a blade cantrip on a reaction if they attack your allies or try to get away from you. This setup should guarantee that you're the primary one being attacked. It also gives you more sorcerer levels for selective use of Metamagic and spells, especially buffs and control. For this build, I'd put one level in Hexblade for the good things and go straight sorcerer from there.

[UntimelySeer]

I was going to avoid the cheese of Dark-OP Warlock, partly because cheese but also because it's a tad unfair to the other players.

Sentinel is a good call, I hadn't considered that. Very strongly niches my character when I do need those attribute points for CON HP+AC which is why I'm super cautious about taking feats later.

[Errata]

Variant Human with Warcaster. If it's a low level campaign, you're not going to get that many more feats. Your first and possibly only opportunity would be at level 5. Half-Elf doesn't get you much over human at level 1, all it gets you is the opportunity to maybe get a great feat later. But as great as that feat is, just using it as a simple +2 to cha would be a +1 to hit and +1 to damage all the time, without needing advantage. So you'd be giving up both Warcaster and a charisma ASI at level 5 for elven accuracy. What method were you planning to ensure that you'd have frequent advantage on attack rolls? If you literally had it all the time without any extra effort, that might be worth it.

[Callin]

I would get to Sorc 6 ASAP. So if you want a different Weapon to use go Sorc 6 first. If you want more Lock then stop at Lock 3 then Sorc 6.

With Sorc 6 you can quicken a Cantrip like Booming Blade for 2 Attacks in a round when you need it. Then you can teleport if your Aegis target gets attacked.

[UntimelySeer]

What method were you planning to ensure that you'd have frequent advantage on attack rolls? If you literally had it all the time without any extra effort, that might be worth it.

I wasn't intending to cheese the advantage from EA much, but having an ally help in combat or just blowing out candles with gust and then using the Shadowblade for advantage in dim/dark conditions would works. It also comes with a +1 Cha which is very nice to offset picking it up instead of the Cha.

There's also the UA Silver Tongue feat IIRC that allows you to swap an attack for a deception to get advantage which would be hilarious for the "there's something behind you" moment!

That said by that point we're talking two feats and EA bars V.Human so we're talking outside the scope of this campaign run - but there's a good chance we might have more later.


I would get to Sorc 6 ASAP. So if you want a different Weapon to use go Sorc 6 first. If you want more Lock then stop at Lock 3 then Sorc 6.

With Sorc 6 you can quicken a Cantrip like Booming Blade for 2 Attacks in a round when you need it. Then you can teleport if your Aegis target gets attacked.

Fair point, so build Sor1/War1/Sor6 (for 7 to come online)? Or skip warlock entirely and just have a lower to hit?

[Errata]

With Sorc 6 you can quicken a Cantrip like Booming Blade for 2 Attacks in a round when you need it.

A few times per day. With level 5 Warlock he can attack twice every round without burning through resources like that.

[bid]

A few times per day. With level 5 Warlock he can attack twice every round without burning through resources like that.
Sort of. Twin BB locks 2 targets in place.
But I agree quickened BB is a waste of SP. Web will do better.

[Lonely Tylenol]

My opinion: go Stone Sorc 1, to get that Con boost early. Then, go Hexblade 5, to become Con-Cha SAD early; get invocations (even without cheese, Eldritch + Agonizing Blast is a worthwhile pickup); Hex, bumped up to 8 hours; two attacks with either a +1 weapon or optional smite rider; and short rest rechargeable 3rd-level slots, all without too significant a delay. Then, go Sorc the rest of the way, to get metamagic. From 7th level, you will have, at least some of the time, an attack routine of two attacks + Booming Blade or Greenflame Blade (or Eldritch Blast, if necessary), which is a strong offensive routine, along with a nice set of defensive tools, and will still cap at 8th-level spells.

The most convincing reason to deviate from this pattern, for me, would be to get the 6th-level reaction feature of Stone Sorc early, but by then, you’re delaying Warlock features for so long, it’s almost not worth it to multiclass outside of the dip for Cha SAD/optional Eldritch Blast cheese.

[borg286]

Consider Vhuman Sorcerer 1/Warlock 1/Sorcerer 6/Warlock 3/Sorcerer X
Level 1 feat would be Warcaster for a strong Opportunity Attack with Booming Blade.

Starting sorcerer gives con save prof. combined with con for AC means you are 2-stat focused (cha and con).
Dipping Warlock gives you a short-rest recharging spell slot giving you quite a bit of endurance on spell slots.
At Sorcerer 3 use Twin on Dragon's breath for a reusable strong AoE with whatever damage type is least likely to be resisted. This breath action probably deals more damage than a dual sword attack and you get it at Character level 4. This gives a much larger damage per resource than other options you had otherwise.
At sorcerer 4 take Polearm Master and wield a lance in one hand and a quarterstaff in the other. Both work with Hex Warior w/o needing to be level 5.
At Sorcerer 5 twin Haste. Just find another creature to twin it on. By taking the attack action granted by Haste it qualifies you to use your bonus action with a hilt attack. On rounds where you've already used your bonus action for something useful then spend the extra attack on a lance attack (good chance to find someone 1 square away. If you don't have a good use for your bonus action then do a quarterstaff + hilt attack on an adjacent foe for focus fire. If you can convince your DM, see if you can use the mark rules in the DMG. This gives you advantage on the Booming Blade opportunity attack.

At level 6 you get your Aegis. Know that this is very versatile. Put your aegis on a squishy and keep your Reaction in reserve as bite behind your bark for attacking the squishy. Putting your aegis on a fellow front-liner greatly increases the chance that it'll trigger, giving you an almost sure-fire way to use your reaction on an extra attack. Booming Blade doesn't guarantee the rider damage will hit. When you do teleport when your aegis procs it signals your marks to rush the squishies. Casting twin booming blade on them is the best way to keep them put. Teleporting away is a fun catch-22 (move to a foe to attack and thus take damage, do nothing and don't take damage).

Having an extra 2nd and 3rd level spell slot per short rest doesn't do as much as just having your spell points pool maximum go up does. This is because being able to have your spell pool filled on each encounter really helps with being able to Twin Booming Blade every round really helps.

[CursedRhubarb]

Consider Vhuman Sorcerer 1/Warlock 1/Sorcerer 6/Warlock 3/Sorcerer X
Level 1 feat would be Warcaster for a strong Opportunity Attack with Booming Blade.

Starting sorcerer gives con save prof. combined with con for AC means you are 2-stat focused (cha and con).
Dipping Warlock gives you a short-rest recharging spell slot giving you quite a bit of endurance on spell slots.
At Sorcerer 3 use Twin on Dragon's breath for a reusable strong AoE with whatever damage type is least likely to be resisted. This breath action probably deals more damage than a dual sword attack and you get it at Character level 4. This gives a much larger damage per resource than other options you had otherwise.
At sorcerer 4 take Polearm Master and wield a lance in one hand and a quarterstaff in the other. Both work with Hex Warior w/o needing to be level 5.
At Sorcerer 5 twin Haste. Just find another creature to twin it on. By taking the attack action granted by Haste it qualifies you to use your bonus action with a hilt attack. On rounds where you've already used your bonus action for something useful then spend the extra attack on a lance attack (good chance to find someone 1 square away. If you don't have a good use for your bonus action then do a quarterstaff + hilt attack on an adjacent foe for focus fire. If you can convince your DM, see if you can use the mark rules in the DMG. This gives you advantage on the Booming Blade opportunity attack.

At level 6 you get your Aegis. Know that this is very versatile. Put your aegis on a squishy and keep your Reaction in reserve as bite behind your bark for attacking the squishy. Putting your aegis on a fellow front-liner greatly increases the chance that it'll trigger, giving you an almost sure-fire way to use your reaction on an extra attack. Booming Blade doesn't guarantee the rider damage will hit. When you do teleport when your aegis procs it signals your marks to rush the squishies. Casting twin booming blade on them is the best way to keep them put. Teleporting away is a fun catch-22 (move to a foe to attack and thus take damage, do nothing and don't take damage).

Having an extra 2nd and 3rd level spell slot per short rest doesn't do as much as just having your spell points pool maximum go up does. This is because being able to have your spell pool filled on each encounter really helps with being able to Twin Booming Blade every round really helps.

I'm not sure this works. Dragon's breath is an awesome spell, but can't be Twinned as it is an AoE and doesn't use a single target. Lances can also only be used one handed when mounted and two-handed on foot If I remember right and to neither they or quarterstaff are light so would need the feat to use both at once if mounted.

I'd also caution against going for the greatsword unless you intend to have a high strength since the Hexblade Cha for melee doesn't work on two-handed weapons. But you can use a versitile one like a Longsword with two hands and use Cha.

[UntimelySeer]

I'd also caution against going for the greatsword unless you intend to have a high strength since the Hexblade Cha for melee doesn't work on two-handed weapons. But you can use a versitile one like a Longsword with two hands and use Cha.

At level 3 in Warlock when you get PotB it does apply to heavy weapons as well, I'd likely end up using a shield early on to buff the AC (I'm terrified of going down as the tank as my Stone AC only lasts until I go unconcious). It was all kinds of tempting to drop Cha and focus on physical stats but then my AC when naked post-0hp gets lower and if I ever get any decent medium armor it's pretty terrible without the Dex bonus.

Edit: Actually I just realised there is no rest limit on Stone AC, so I can just resummon!

[xen]

I'm not sure this works. Dragon's breath is an awesome spell, but can't be Twinned as it is an AoE and doesn't use a single target. Lances can also only be used one handed when mounted and two-handed on foot If I remember right and to neither they or quarterstaff are light so would need the feat to use both at once if mounted.

I'd also caution against going for the greatsword unless you intend to have a high strength since the Hexblade Cha for melee doesn't work on two-handed weapons. But you can use a versitile one like a Longsword with two hands and use Cha.
Couple of things...

Target for dragon's breath is "one willing creature" and range is not self, so absolutely is a candidate for twin metamagic by RAW. Not sure about RAI but I'd allow it. It's not gamebreaking.

XGtE changed Hexblade from the UA so that Cha does work on 2 handed weapons starting level 3 when pact of blade comes online.

[samcifer]

Do you want to be more of a damage dealer or more of a tank?

For damage, take half-elf and get to Hexblade 5 as quickly as you can for Elven Accuracy. Darkness, Devil's Sight, Hexblade's curse, Elven Accuracy, and Eldritch Smite is absurd damage in tier 2. Go sorcerer from there for flexible casting (can create spell slots) and Metamagic.

For a more tanky character, I'd go variant human with warcaster and get to Sorcerer 4 sooner, then take Sentinel. That combination allows you to hit enemies with a blade cantrip on a reaction if they attack your allies or try to get away from you. This setup should guarantee that you're the primary one being attacked. It also gives you more sorcerer levels for selective use of Metamagic and spells, especially buffs and control. For this build, I'd put one level in Hexblade for the good things and go straight sorcerer from there.

I's recommend he start as a sorc, then a level of hexblade as getting to lv. 2 is super easy it seems, then back to sorc for the next several levels for the good stuff. Sorc first for the con save proficiency.