Hexblade Bard Archer

[Snowbluff]

Yo, do you like being whispered at by EVERYTHING?! You ever feel like your personal weapon isn't creepy enough, and your need ancillary spookiness attached?
Well I have a build I am working for AL.

V.Human Fighter2/Warlock5/Bard13

8 14 16 8 10 16
ASI: Resil Wis, +2 Cha, +2 Cha
Human Feat: Sharpshooter

Skills
Perception, 5 others who cares

Bard
Whispers College
Spells of Note: Hypnotic Patter, Blindness/Deafness, Bestow Curse, Forcecage
Magical Secrets: Swift Quiver

Warlock
Blade Pact Hexblade
Invocations of Note: Improved Blade Pact, Eldritch Smite, Hungering Blade
Spells of Note: Shield, Elemental Weapon

Fighter
Archery Fighting Style

Items to looks out for: Bardic Instruments (for Hypnotic Pattern), Bracers of Archery, Magic medium armor


Ultimately, the objective is to grab Swift Quiver (using hex or elemental weapon to buff in the mean time, I guess) and shoot 4 times per round and dropping some smites on crit. This is basically a more castery version of my Hexblade Rogue idea, so youre free to drop spells on people with your extra spells. I've been looking for an excuse for using these subclasses, so this is great. I'd say getting Fighter2/Warlock5/Bard5 is vital because you get all of your stuff on your short rest back. Also this build works for melee as well I guess.
There is some wiggle room however. If you're not keen on bard's 7th level spells, you can take a third level of fighter.
Battle Master can give superiority dice and champion will improve crit. I'm not sure which is mathematically better.
Alternatively you can go Eldritch Knight to pick up maybe a familiar or Absorb Elements to avoid getting dragon breathed.

[Kadesh]

Played from level 4, (assuming a rebuild) what would be the progression? I can't help but feel it has a lot of pieces that take too long to get to.

With your Cha that high though, have you considered Inspiring Leader at later levels, rather than trying to boost your spell DC's that you are otherwise using for Self buffs and Concentrations like Elemental weapon or Swift Quiver.

Seems fun, but there's a lot of time you are not achieving what you want from it until you are at tiers of play that are rarely seen (do you often see gameplay at levels 17+?).

[Snowbluff]

Played from level 4, (assuming a rebuild) what would be the progression? I can't help but feel it has a lot of pieces that take too long to get to.

With your Cha that high though, have you considered Inspiring Leader at later levels, rather than trying to boost your spell DC's that you are otherwise using for Self buffs and Concentrations like Elemental weapon or Swift Quiver.

Seems fun, but there's a lot of time you are not achieving what you want from it until you are at tiers of play that are rarely seen (do you often see gameplay at levels 17+?).

It’s a fair critism. This is what I targeted a level 12 version midway through the build. Getting archery style and hungering blade are a priority and form the core of the build. Bard scales the build further on. This is where a lot of my guys are at so t wouldn’t be uncommon.

Another option levied to me is using college of glamour. Rather than trying to reach long term to swift quiver and psychic blades damage, you do archery on your action and use the glamour mantle to spam bonus action Command to force enemies to lose actions.

I have been looking for more excuses to use inspiring leader. I do have a free ASI so it would be good use for it.

[Willie the Duck]

I've been looking for an excuse for using these subclasses, so this is great. I'd say getting Fighter2/Warlock5/Bard5 is vital because you get all of your stuff on your short rest back.


Another option levied to me is using college of glamour. Rather than trying to reach long term to swift quiver and psychic blades damage, you do archery on your action and use the glamour mantle to spam bonus action Command to force enemies to lose actions.

I have been looking for more excuses to use inspiring leader. I do have a free ASI so it would be good use for it.

I'm glad that you mention that you are trying to use these 3 together. Otherwise, I would suggest cutting our warlock altogether and just do fighter 5-6, bard 14-15. SAD is nice, but high level (whispers or glamour) bard but with archery style, multi-attack, and action surge (plus whatever your fighter archetype give) works just fine without the hoop jumping and delays.

[Snowbluff]

I'm glad that you mention that you are trying to use these 3 together. Otherwise, I would suggest cutting our warlock altogether and just do fighter 5-6, bard 14-15. SAD is nice, but high level (whispers or glamour) bard but with archery style, multi-attack, and action surge (plus whatever your fighter archetype give) works just fine without the hoop jumping and delays.

I like having the other stuff a whole lot, though. Eldritch Smite adds some nice burst, and having improve blade pact means I don't have to fish for magic bow. I don't consider ASI's particularly valuable for this build against that.

However, a hypothetical Fighter6/Glamour Bard may be in the works with this in mind.

[Menzath]

I am currently playing a similar build, only level 9 ATM, but here is a little about it and how it has actually played so far.
So I opted for college of swords on bard to get me the extra attack and dueling fighting style, for my Vhuman feat I took crossbow expert.
Still maxing cha, but next feat will be sharpshooter.
Besides for hex's, on average two or three bonus actions are used in combat, I felt like being able to use them for more was worthwhile.
The extra damage and rider effects from blade flourish have been super helpful in combat so far.
Also being able to use any melee weapon as a bard spell focus has also come in quite handy. I am more stealth focused for sure, but having some of my bard spells be bfc(battle field control) has helped the team to amazing effect.

[UrielAwakened]

I actually didn't know you could smite with ranged attacks.

[Drazhar]

Ultimately, the objective is to grab Swift Quiver

You need to choose really... which do you want more for the build? Eldritch Smite? or Swift Quiver. This build will never be online till 20, whereas you can reach your Swift quiver build w/ 15 levels and Eldritch Smite build in 7 levels.





I actually didn't know you could smite with ranged attacks.

It sure does
"Once per turn when you hit a creature with your pact weapon, you can expend a warlock spell slot to deal an extra 1d8 force damage to the target, plus another 1d8 per level of the spell slot, and you can knock the target prone if it is Huge or smaller."

[Snowbluff]

I am currently playing a similar build, only level 9 ATM, but here is a little about it and how it has actually played so far.
So I opted for college of swords on bard to get me the extra attack and dueling fighting style, for my Vhuman feat I took crossbow expert.
Still maxing cha, but next feat will be sharpshooter.
Besides for hex's, on average two or three bonus actions are used in combat, I felt like being able to use them for more was worthwhile.
The extra damage and rider effects from blade flourish have been super helpful in combat so far.
Also being able to use any melee weapon as a bard spell focus has also come in quite handy. I am more stealth focused for sure, but having some of my bard spells be bfc(battle field control) has helped the team to amazing effect.
I'd like to know in what way your build is similiar. I don't think I would have taken Hexblade if I was a sword bard. In fact, I took a small dip of paladin instead. :smalltongue:
Paladin2/Swordsbard5 is my current character. He worships Red Knight, goddess of 3e's Meta.

The thing is that Swords is defensively stronger, but Whispers is better for burst damage if you have extra attack or a blade cantrip already.



You need to choose really... which do you want more for the build? Eldritch Smite? or Swift Quiver. This build will never be online till 20, whereas you can reach your Swift quiver build w/ 15 levels and Eldritch Smite build in 7 levels.

Technically 5+2+10 is 17, so that's not 20. I have options for bonus action damage bonuses before then as well. Hex may not be as good as Swift Quiver, but they do add a bit of damage. If I get to 10 bard swift quiver will be super good, though.

EDIT: Thinking about it mathematically, Eldritch Smite is probably better than Swift Quiver. To wit:
Proposing level 12 builds. 2 Fighter/5Hexablade/5Bard versus 2Fighter/

Eldritch Smite provides 8d8 additional damage per SR
3d6 Psychic Blades x5/SR, 15d6
Has Hexblade's Cure for +4 damage on a single target, double crit range (good with lots of dice)
Has Shield

Versus
Swift Quiver gives 2 minutes of bonus action attacks, but competes with Hex
This build does not have extra attack.
However, the Psychic blades damage is higher. 25d6

Hypothetical Swords Bard10/Fighter2
You do get Swift Quiver and Extra Attack. This is the most attack!
However, you have no smites and your bonus damage dice are much more limited. 5d10/SR, but that's less to hit if you max Cha.
You also can get Defensive Flourish.

Swift quiver is better with more long rests, but the eldritch Smite build is better with more SR. Hm...

[Vogie]

EDIT: Thinking about it mathematically, Eldritch Smite is probably better than Swift Quiver. To wit:
Proposing level 12 builds. 2 Fighter/5Hexablade/5Bard versus 2Fighter/

Eldritch Smite provides 8d8 additional damage per SR
3d6 Psychic Blades x5/SR, 15d6
Has Hexblade's Cure for +4 damage on a single target, double crit range (good with lots of dice)
Has Shield

Versus
Swift Quiver gives 2 minutes of bonus action attacks, but competes with Hex
This build does not have extra attack.
However, the Psychic blades damage is higher. 25d6

Hypothetical Swords Bard10/Fighter2
You do get Swift Quiver and Extra Attack. This is the most attack!
However, you have no smites and your bonus damage dice are much more limited. 5d10/SR, but that's less to hit if you max Cha.
You also can get Defensive Flourish.

Swift quiver is better with more long rests, but the eldritch Smite build is better with more SR. Hm...

There's also a character concept going on... Perhaps they want to be firing a crapton of arrows (potentially at multiple targets) rather than just pummeling a single target. Also, while it's great to be able to knock a target prone using a ranged Eldritch Smite (especially if the target is flying), it can gets frustrating as prone targets generate disadvantage from all other ranged attacks.

[Snowbluff]

There's also a character concept going on... Perhaps they want to be firing a crapton of arrows (potentially at multiple targets) rather than just pummeling a single target. Also, while it's great to be able to knock a target prone using a ranged Eldritch Smite (especially if the target is flying), it can gets frustrating as prone targets generate disadvantage from all other ranged attacks.

I mean, Eldritch Smite say you can knock them over, rather than you do. I wonder if that means if you can decide to knock them over or not.