How to play Swordbard? 1/2 Hexblade dip?

[Alexwellace]

I’m looking at creating a character-concept for an upcoming campaign, and I’ve got some concepts brewing together that seem really fun. College of the Sword Bard with an early 1 or 2 level dip into Hexblade Warlock. The Hexblade gives me CHA-based Rapier attacks, proficiency in Shields, 2 regenerating spell/slots (probably shield spell and hellish rebuke or Expeditious retreat).

Being variant human gives me 3 choices of feats that are exciting. Warcaster is an obvious one, but I am almost wanting to downplay the Magic aspect of the character when in combat. Other options include Mobile (which used alongside Expeditious retreat and Mobile flourish seems ridiculous) and perhaps most excitingly Martial Adept. Correct me if I’m wrong, but you can stack a combat maneuver on top of a Bardic flourish? Stacking Evasive footwork with defensive flourish alongside possible Shield spell reactions would make me deceptively tanky. And similarly the idea of throwing in a Trip attack, or Riposte, fits very well with the Sword Bards MO. This superiority die recharges on a short rest, just like the warlock spell slots, and at level 5 Bard even those are regained / short rest making it all slot together level 6/7.

If I take 2 levels in Warlock I’d probably pick some passive invocations, such as Devil Sight and Fiends resilience (for Temp HP at will). Fluffwise it’s a Bard who made a deal with a Devil to become a legendary Swordsman, like the stories he’s heard, so the devil gave him a ‘cursed’ sword.

My questions are:

Can I use a shield? I’m not planning to use a huge amount of magic once I’m dancing into combat, so I was thinking I could use a Hexblade Rapier and a shield, taking Dueling fighting style. I’m then deceptively tanky between 4 Evasive flourishes, 1 evasive footwork, several Shield Spells, Medium armour and shield. And what do you think of the build? Do you think Martial adept is worth it? What else would you do with the idea of becoming a swag-devil-may-care Zorro-esque Sword fighter?

[Exocist]

Can't really go wrong with 1-3 Levels of Hexblade (I would suggest Pact of the Chain to get a Parrot Imp on your shoulder. They're stylish, or so I hear.). I would suggest taking Agonising Blast for a ranged option though. Second Invocation can basically be whatever you want - Devil's Sight, Misty Visions, Mask of Many Faces and Repelling Blast are all good invocations. Fiendish Resilience won't mean much.

Martial Adept is probably going to be kind of lacklustre unless you have a rogue in the party. The save-DC based Maneuvres are going to be pretty much useless because you aren't pumping STR/DEX, Precision attack isn't great because it's only a d6, which pretty much leaves Riposte (you're not a rogue) and Commander's Strike (only good if you have a rogue) as the good options on the table.

I would suggest taking War Caster (to maintain concentration on good concentration spells), also lets you cast Shield while having a weapon and wielding a shield, for when you absolutely positively don't want to get hit. Lets you also AoO with Green-Flame/Booming Blade (which you should take with Warlock Cantrip slots).


1 evasive footwork

Evasive footwork is terrible, don't take it.

[nickl_2000]

So, I would take warcaster at level 1, It would mean that you never have to worry about your weapon and shield at all. Then for spells you choose spells that will support your combat or can easily be fluffed differently.

Some examples

Warlock:
Hex

Bard:
Dissonant Whispers
Healing Word
Faerie Fire
Longstrider
Tasha's Hideous Laughter

Heat Metal
Hold Person
Suggestion


With a lot of these spells your damage is still going to come from smacking things with your sword, but your spell casting will be making it easier to hit or doing more damage or controlling the field.

[Brother carc]

The way to do this build (if you’re looking to optimise) is to take the duelling fighting style, a quarter staff and the feat pole arm master.

1) Yes you lose out on the larger damage die of the rapier, but you get to attack as a bonus action and also as a reaction, both of which will benefit from the duelling +2 (and also hexblade’s curse)
2) you can use mobile flourish to force a melee fighter away from you and then get an attack of opportunity when they re-engage
3) pick up haste when you hit bard 10 and you can use the hasted attack action to trigger the pole arm master attack. This will let you cast spells and fight as well as a valor bard
4) quarterstaff is one-handed and this all combines well with warcaster too

[CTurbo]

Hexblade is a great dip for a Swords Bard. Your idea is sound, but I would never recommend the Martial Adept feat. I'd focus on maxing Cha as fast as possible, but Mobile, Alert, Lucky, and even Defensive Duelist would be good feat pickups.

1 level of Hexblade is all you really need. I know it's temping to take 2 or 3 levels but you'll be putting off your main class idea off a long time.

Paladin is a great dip for Swords Bards too.

[Specter]

Without War Caster, you won't be able to cast Shield or any other spell with somatic components while your hands are full. Plus, advantage on concentration checks and spells as opportunity attacks (Hold Person or Dissonant Whispers are fun).

[RSP]

Without War Caster, you won't be able to cast Shield or any other spell with somatic components while your hands are full. Plus, advantage on concentration checks and spells as opportunity attacks (Hold Person or Dissonant Whispers are fun).

You don’t need Warcaster for casting Shield:

“If you're proficient with a simple or martial melee weapon, you can use it as a spellcasting focus for your bard spells.”

However, Warcaster could still be worth it for the spell OA and the Advantage on Concentration checks.

[ciarannihill]

You don’t need Warcaster for casting Shield:

“If you're proficient with a simple or martial melee weapon, you can use it as a spellcasting focus for your bard spells.”

However, Warcaster could still be worth it for the spell OA and the Advantage on Concentration checks.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but a Focus replaces material components that wouldn't otherwise be consumed. Somatic components still need to be performed unless you have something like Warcaster that allows them with hands full.

[Specter]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but a Focus replaces material components that wouldn't otherwise be consumed. Somatic components still need to be performed unless you have something like Warcaster that allows them with hands full.

Correct. A Focus is so you don't need to have the material component in your hand, but somatics still require a hand.

[RSP]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but a Focus replaces material components that wouldn't otherwise be consumed. Somatic components still need to be performed unless you have something like Warcaster that allows them with hands full.

I believe an errata now allows the S component to be done even when there is no M component:

“Jeremy Crawford
@JeremyECrawford
You can have a spellcasting focus in the hand you use for a somatic component. See the PH errata:

Material (M) (p. 203). The final para- graph now reads as follows: “A spellcaster must have a hand free to access a spell’s material components—or to hold a spell- casting focus—but it can be the same hand that he or she uses to perform somatic components.””

The tweet by Crawford seems to indicate the RAI, to me, is that you can do S component while holding a focus, even if no M is needed; as his tweet mentions nothing of M components.

Certainly room to argue the opposite though.