Player misunderstanding with a warlock pact

[Douche]

So I decided to take a unique approach to a warlock pact. One player has been a Rogue up to level 8. He met a devil who offered wonderful gifts and foolhardily took his offer.

So I told him, you can take the Fiend pact & sacrifice as many rogue levels as you want in exchange. Plus, you immediately gain a level (while everyone else stays at 8). So he could be Rogue 8/Warlock 1, or Rogue 3/Warlock 6 (which is what he actually chose) or any other combination of the two classes.

So we played for like 2 sessions before I realized that he took the Hexblade pact. Only, I told him quite clearly that he was meant to take the Fiend Patron. He seems to have selective hearing, but I'm not going to point fingers. It's possible that he didn't understand me, but I know for a fact that I said "He gives you the Fiend Patron" multiple times. When he first took it, I told him "Hey, you can use burning hands now!" etc.

The player really does not want a Fiend patron, and I don't want him to feel like I'm screwing him over - but at the same time, he did take a deal from the devil... this is the sort of thing you're supposed to regret - it's just that it came in a more mechanical form than he hoped for.

I've already told him that I have foreseen him trying to weasel his way out of it, and have plot prepared for this. I don't want the player to be upset at being forced into a class he didn't want though... Any advice? Seems like retconning that whole plot would be too cheap considering that he MADE A DEAL WITH THE DEVIL, and giving the Hexblade patron would also not really fit the vision considering it's a fiend that gave him the power.

I don't know what to do, please give some insight. Thanks!

[Greywander]

Do you have a problem with him getting the mechanical benefits of the hexblade pact? Maybe the devil is some kind of weapon master, and a hexblade pact might be somewhat appropriate. Maybe you could hybridize the two pacts, let the player choose one or two features from hexblade to replace fiend pact features.

Or, maybe you can offer the hexblade pact as a reward if he can successfully break free from the devil's pact.

You don't want it to seem like you're being unfair to the player, but then you also don't want to reward them for ignoring your rulings. Try to find a compromise that both you and the player will find fun to play out.

[Unoriginal]

He decided to make a pact with a devil, literally. You don't get in bed with the devil without getting screwed.

If the player really, really don't want it, retconning the whole thing would be for the best. But if he wants to keep the Warlock stuff, then be firm.

Or you could give him an homebrew Fiend Pact that makes him good with a sword. Would require a bit of work from you, but unique features are generally appreciated.

[Darkstar952]

Is there anything mechanically in Hexblade that you don't want the character having. If not then the simplest solution is to just refluff the hexblade so that the patron is a Fiend, change up the aesthetic of the abilities to match. Player gets the character abilities they want while the narrative threads you had planned due to the deal with the devil can remain intact.

[Segev]

Are the mechanics of the Fiend Pact required for your plot to work? If not, have the devil with whom he made the deal be granting him the Hexblade Patron's boons. Maybe it's a particularly martial Devil, or it owns a legendary evil sword that is granting the power, or ... well, there are any number of ways to fluff a Devil granting the boons of a Hexblade Patron.

Otherwise, retconning it is your best bet, if you don't want him to have the Hexblade Patron and he doesn't want the Fiend.

[iTreeby]

Are the mechanics of the Fiend Pact required for your plot to work? If not, have the devil with whom he made the deal be granting him the Hexblade Patron's boons. Maybe it's a particularly martial Devil, or it owns a legendary evil sword that is granting the power, or ... well, there are any number of ways to fluff a Devil granting the boons of a Hexblade Patron.

Otherwise, retconning it is your best bet, if you don't want him to have the Hexblade Patron and he doesn't want the Fiend.
Turns out the demon is possessed by an intelligent weapon the whole time!

[DarkKnightJin]

Turns out the demon is possessed by an intelligent weapon the whole time!

No, no, no.
Obviously, the Devil was a sentient weapon in disguise all along.

Then again, I *did* watch a bunch of Nostalgia Critic and those sarcastic skits today..
That might be coloring my judgement a bit.

[iTreeby]

No, no, no.
Obviously, the Devil was a sentient weapon in disguise all along.

Then again, I *did* watch a bunch of Nostalgia Critic and those sarcastic skits today..
That might be coloring my judgement a bit.

I actually like this better than my idea.

[Unoriginal]

So you're saying, it wasn't a devil, it was a sapient sword wearing a Phillie Phanatic suit?

[iTreeby]

A weapon that polymorphs into a devil sounds pretty badass as a patron.

[Seekergeek]

Depends. What does your player like about the hexblade over the fiend? I'm guessing the martial stuff which, really, isn't that flavourful on its own anyway. If that's the case, I'd just fiddle with the spell list and accursed spectre. Maybe have the level 6 ability swap out a spectre an even-CR devil (I'm away from my books right now, but I'm sure there must be one kicking around), and say his character temporarily trades the dead humanoid's soul for the service of one of his patron's minions?

[Waterdeep Merch]

Totally play it up, have the patron change up his powers every day based on what he feels like (switch patron benefits around). But it's not completely random- the devil wants the player to come crawling back to it, begging for the power he desires (hexblade! Please!).

And the devil will agree.

For a price.

[Corran]

Eh, if you want to be nice, let him keep hexblade and ignore the fluff. The weapon itself is a gift from the fiend, and a means for them to communicate. If you don't like ignoring fluff (even bad fluff), you would not be in the wrong to insist that he takes the fiend pact. Just give him the choice to select the split again (so if he does not want it, he can just take only one level in warlock, ie the one free level you gave him). Seriously though, a free level, allowing to rebuild and he is not happy?

[ATHATH]

Depends. What does your player like about the hexblade over the fiend? I'm guessing the martial stuff which, really, isn't that flavourful on its own anyway. If that's the case, I'd just fiddle with the spell list and accursed spectre. Maybe have the level 6 ability swap out a spectre an even-CR devil (I'm away from my books right now, but I'm sure there must be one kicking around), and say his character temporarily trades the dead humanoid's soul for the service of one of his patron's minions?
This (changing the spell list around and changing the creature summoned by the level 6 ability, but otherwise keeping the features the same as the Hexblade pact (refluffed to be a Fiend pact, of course)) seems like a good idea.

[NecessaryWeevil]

Seriously though, a free level, allowing to rebuild and he is not happy?

If (for example) you wanted to play a 6th level Eldritch Knight and I made you play a 7th level Battlemaster, would you be happy?

[Joe the Rat]

As much as I sell up the hexblade patron as being any sort of *weapon*, this might be a good time to step back a bit, and embrace what it offers: war, curses, and shadows. That is not far from the Fiend wheelhouse.

When Xany Xanathar came out, my fighter fighter fighter fighter mushrogue fiendlock player wanted to switch up the build - pretty much dumping fighter for rogue dipped hexblade. So I edited the patron. Cremnos the Leaping Flame revealed itself as a being of Flame and Shadow. You can make a similar adjustment - bring an element of darkness, smoke, shadow, night, misfortune, or the subtle manipulations that turn the world against your enemies.

On the plus side, I can switch from Balor / Pit Fiend art to the Jackson WETA Balrog. Say what you like about faithfulness, the design is badass.

[JakOfAllTirades]

There are quite a few archdevils with powerful weapons in Mord's Tome of Foes; I'd consider ruling that one of those is now his Patron, and he's got the powers of a Hexblade. Who says all Fiends give their warlocks identical powers? Considering both classes are legal for play, it shouldn't break the game. And he's still gotta deal with an archdevil.