First Time Hexblade Warlock

[Pneum0]

I am setting up a 9th level Bladelock for a game and wanted to make sure I've got my stats right. These numbers are adjusted from my raw rolls to get them up to L9.

STR 18
DEX 11
CON 16
INT 9
WIS 10
CHA 18

Varis is a half-elf with proficiency in Athletics,Deception, Intimidation and Persuasion.

Thoughts? Advice?

[MagneticKitty]

I am setting up a 9th level Bladelock for a game and wanted to make sure I've got my stats right. These numbers are adjusted from my raw rolls to get them up to L9.

STR 18
DEX 11
CON 16
INT 9
WIS 10
CHA 18

Varis is a half-elf with proficiency in Athletics,Deception, Intimidation and Persuasion.

Thoughts? Advice?

If you're hexblade you can attack with charisma. I'd pump a valued save like dex (ac) or wis before touching str.

[nickl_2000]

^^ This

My take
STR 9
DEX 14
CON 18
INT 10
WIS 11
CHA 20

Took the same numbers but changed them around slightly and re-arranged the ASI. Alternately.

STR 9
DEX 14
CON 18
INT 10
WIS 11
CHA 18
+ a feat would be great too.

[Rebonack]

Somewhat tangential, but how is the Patron of your pact being fluffed?

I've seen a lot of variety with how tables approach the Hexblade patron.

[Spiritchaser]

Any chance we could see the unadjusted rolls?

Fitting in feats is very desirable for a hexblade

Are you looking to optimize melee damage? (PAM/GWM) or ranger/survival with just a bit of melee?

[MagneticKitty]

Somewhat tangential, but how is the Patron of your pact being fluffed?

I've seen a lot of variety with how tables approach the Hexblade patron.

I'm not the op. But I'll answer. I want to make one where it's the broken off hilt of a legendary awakened sword. And when you summon your blade it uses it as the hilt. Maybe campaign long sidequest of yours for finding the shards of it, with your end game magic item being wielding said restored blade. So it makes this deal with you to help restore it.

[WalterO’dim]

Somewhat tangential, but how is the Patron of your pact being fluffed?

I've seen a lot of variety with how tables approach the Hexblade patron.

Yes I’m also interested in your patron backstory. The hexblade patron has been a little hard for me to get my head around. I just ignored the shadowy blade part and went with the Grandmother Hag...an ancient curse bringer.

[Petrocorus]

If you're going Hexblade, why do you need to pump up your Strength that much?

Between your class, your race and your background, you should have 6 proficiencies.

Have you took any feats? Are they allowed in your game? What roles IC and OoC do you intend to fill?

[MephitBlue]

I agree with the stat adjustments that have already been said and will suggest a couple of feats you may want to think about:

* Warcaster - Really helps maintain concentration for Hex and allows you to use Booming Blade as an attack of opportunity
* Shield master - Add your proficiency modifier to shield AC, +4 on top of +2 gives you some really nice AC

[beargryllz]

All hexblades should dump STR in favor of CON or DEX. There are reasons to pick up STR but none of them are worth sacrificing DEX or CON

If you want athletics + grapple/trip, you have the wrong mindset from the get go and you will be hopelessly outclassed by a fighter or fighter/rog or barbarian doing a similar thing in combat. If you want heavy armor, just start as a fighter and get action surge as well.

[Agénor]

* Shield master - Add your proficiency modifier to shield AC, +4 on top of +2 gives you some really nice AC

This isn't what I read for the Shield Master feat. Has it been modified? For if it hasn't, I am not sure it works well for a Hexblade Warlock.

[Pneum0]

Any chance we could see the unadjusted rolls?

Fitting in feats is very desirable for a hexblade

Are you looking to optimize melee damage? (PAM/GWM) or ranger/survival with just a bit of melee?

9, 10, 11, 14, 15, 16
So I guess as a hexblade, I can dump STR and should load up on CHA and CON, right?

My hexblade pact weapon is a legion sestar - which weapon is a copy of the weapon my patron used in his life. As this hybrid weapon transforms from a longsword to a glaive, I'm not sure which way to go with regards to GWM/PAM. What would you suggest?

[Pneum0]

Somewhat tangential, but how is the Patron of your pact being fluffed?

I've seen a lot of variety with how tables approach the Hexblade patron.

Working with my DM, the basic outline is my patron is the soul of a noble elven warrior that was absorbed into his legion sestar upon his death. The great weapon is considered lost, although rumors abound of its reappearing when the need is great.

[Mortis_Elrod]

9, 10, 11, 14, 15, 16
So I guess as a hexblade, I can dump STR and should load up on CHA and CON, right?

My hexblade pact weapon is a legion sestar - which weapon is a copy of the weapon my patron used in his life. As this hybrid weapon transforms from a longsword to a glaive, I'm not sure which way to go with regards to GWM/PAM. What would you suggest?

take both and switch you weapon when you want to use one.

great thing about pact weapons is that you can transform it to anything else. If you're not needing to bump stats then grabbing these feats will do wonders.

[Grod_The_Giant]

* Shield master - Add your proficiency modifier to shield AC, +4 on top of +2 gives you some really nice AC

This isn't what I read for the Shield Master feat. Has it been modified? For if it hasn't, I am not sure it works well for a Hexblade Warlock.
Are you thinking of Defensive Duelist? Shield Master helps your Dex saves and lets you Shove as a bonus action-- it doesn't touch your AC.

As for the OP... agreed that you don't need to invest in Strength that much. Maybe a starting 14 if you want to take Heavily Armored (which is by no means a bad move; Splint Mail is fairly cheap and provides equal or superior AC to any medium armor; otherwise, give yourself 14 Dex and stick with medium armor), but otherwise invest mostly in Charisma and Constitution. Resilient Con and--especially--War Caster are good options for a melee caster type like a Hexblade.

[Spiritchaser]

9, 10, 11, 14, 15, 16
So I guess as a hexblade, I can dump STR and should load up on CHA and CON, right?

My hexblade pact weapon is a legion sestar - which weapon is a copy of the weapon my patron used in his life. As this hybrid weapon transforms from a longsword to a glaive, I'm not sure which way to go with regards to GWM/PAM. What would you suggest?

Both options are very strong at range. Both options should prioritize Cha > con, with Dex at 14, but not necessarily any more

Ultimately hexblade allows you the flexibility of both. You don’t have to pick, but you can choose to optimize for one or the other.

If you want to be a hair tougher, do decent damage in melee, focus on the shield and longsword.

If you still want to be pretty tough and hit like an anvil dropped from a great height, focus on the glaive.

You will by default be good with both, but to optimize on glaive, you’ll want to ignore ASIs for now and take 2 feats.

Elven accuracy and GWM. Take PAM at 12 (there’s some debate on the order of these, I’ll like the order stated, but I appreciate that a case can be made for PAM earlier.)

Cast darkness/shadow of Moil on your weapon/yourself

If necessary curse a big bad.

You have 3 rolls per attack against most opponents, you won’t miss much. You can use your +10 damage -5 to hit at will.

When you crit or land a death blow, GWM will allow you to make an additional attack as a bonus action. With so many rolls, a curse that extends critical range and lots of damage for killing blows, you’ll get this quite frequently.

Once you have 3 attacks every round with PAM you effectively become a blender.

[MephitBlue]

This isn't what I read for the Shield Master feat. Has it been modified? For if it hasn't, I am not sure it works well for a Hexblade Warlock.

Hmmm... Your right, I just reread it and while it gives some benefit with DEX saving throws, it isn't enough to be worth it.

[Pneum0]

You have 3 rolls per attack against most opponents, you won’t miss much. You can use your +10 damage -5 to hit at will.

When you crit or land a death blow, GWM will allow you to make an additional attack as a bonus action. With so many rolls, a curse that extends critical range and lots of damage for killing blows, you’ll get this quite frequently.

Once you have 3 attacks every round with PAM you effectively become a blender.

3 rolls per attack how? I'm taking Thirsting Blade invocation for 2x attacks with pact weapon. Where's the third?

[Spiritchaser]

3 rolls per attack how? I'm taking Thirsting Blade invocation for 2x attacks with pact weapon. Where's the third?

Just to clarify, you’ll get three chances to roll a d20 with each attack. You will often get three attacks, but until level 12, when you can fit in the PAM feat, not always.

The reason you’ll have those three rolls per attack is elven accuracy combined with Shadow of Moil.

Shadow of Moil will cause most foes to have disadvantage to hit you, but it will also grant you advantage to hit them.

Elven accuracy will allow you one extra dice roll in circumstances where you are attacking with Dex, Cha, Wis or Int, and where you already have advantage.

Provided you take pact of the blade as a hexblade, you will be able to attack with a heavy two handed glaive using charisma.

So, with both Shadow of Moil and elven accuracy you get those three rolls per attack.

As for number of attacks, you will normally have just the two before PAM at 12, but...

Normal is relative.

The GWM feat permits you to use your bonus action for a third attack any time you score a critical hit, or fell an opponent.

This will actually happen quite a lot, and it gives you a part of what PAM gives you (an offensive use for your bonus action) only earlier, albeit less reliably.

[Speely]

Too add on to the advice above, when you have Elven Accuracy + Shadows of Moil + PAM going, you are looking at 9 attack rolls across 3 attacks on your turn alone, which drastically increases a chance of scoring a critical hit. This kind of Hexblade can save a spell slot or two for Eldritch Smite for really insane nova damage on a crit, resulting in very silly carnage. Given the limited spell slots that locks get, this kind of build really maximizes spending one or two on Eldritch Smite. It's a massive crit-confirm, and worth holding back a spell slot for what you think will be the toughest enemy per short rest.

[Spiritchaser]

One last thing that should be mentioned:

Your CON save.

With a decent constitution, disadvantage to hit you and maybe a little help from the party in terms of a bless spell here and there, you may well find that you are fine without taking resilient constitution until later.

Or you may not.

You may need it earlier.