Millface
2018-08-22, 03:18 PM
After way too much consideration a hefty learning curve I've landed on the character I'd like to play for an upcoming go at Curse of Strahd. I only get to play half the time for my group (two dms who switch off after campaigns) so I've really been biting my nails on this one, but here it is...
The concept
The Holy Sword of Torm: A Scourge Aasimar (not as optimized as V Human or Half-Elf, but thematically too fitting to put it down) who's been told from a young age that it was his destiny to serve as the living embodiment of Torm's weapon (this is where Hexblade comes in). The character will be optimized as a slow burn support Tank who holds onto his "cooldowns" (Radiant Consumption, Hexblade's Curse, Vow of Enmity, and one warlock slot + one of his highest level paladin slots) for unleashing on a particularly tough or evil encounter.
He'll be Sword and Board because I do want to be tanky, and AC 19 at level 1 sounds great.
I'm not entirely decided on my leveling scheme, but here's what I'm thinking.
1: Paladin 1 For heavy armor proficiency
2: Hexblade 1 for CHA for attack and damage and Hexblade's Curse
3-7: Paladin 2-6 for extra attack and aura of protection, I'll be going Oath of Vengeance for Vow of Enmity
At this point the build starts to really match the concept. The character isn't necessarily going to love his calling, but his lawful nature instills in him a sense of duty. He hides his heritage and power for the most part, but when his beliefs align with his calling he lets lose. By 6, he can do this fairly well. Once per short rest he can pick out one target and gain +Prof to damage, +level to damage once per turn, 19-20 crits, and Advantage on attacks against it, and 1/2*level damage to anyone foolish enough to interrupt the showdown. This character's biggest job is singling out the toughest enemy in the encounter and matching blades without hesitation.
8-11: Hexblade 2-5 This nets me 3 invocations: Improved Pact Weapon, Agonizing Blast, and Eldritch Smite, as well as another warlock slot and upping the slots to 3rd level. No, you don't get to eldritch smite very often, but you do get to stack Eldritch and Divine smites on a single crit, which is what this will be used for. Once I transform, I fish for a crit (shouldn't take long) and unload 16d8+7(cha/dueling)+4(prof)+11(Radiant Consuption)+6(RC Aura) in that round. I hold onto my level 1 slots for Hex/Bless/Cures or whatever else the party might need going forward.
For the rest, I can't decide on whether I should take Hexblade to 11 for another warlock slot and upping them to 5th level, or the rest paladin or something in between. I've also considered taking the rest of my levels in Sword Bard, dropping the shield, and going to TWF now that I can get +CHA to two weapons. What do you guys think?
Side note I know that every adventuring day won't have one single BA enemy for me to toe to toe with, but I've looked at the math and my damage with just Hex+attacks mixed with my heals + tankiness are going to add enough value, I think, to the party that it works out. Additionally, Curse and Vow are both on short rest cooldowns, so if I use one per encounter I can spread out my effectiveness quite well on days when I'm reasonably certain we won't be seeing the BBEG I'm after. It isn't all or nothing all the time, just set up to be able to do that in grand fashion when the time comes.
The concept
The Holy Sword of Torm: A Scourge Aasimar (not as optimized as V Human or Half-Elf, but thematically too fitting to put it down) who's been told from a young age that it was his destiny to serve as the living embodiment of Torm's weapon (this is where Hexblade comes in). The character will be optimized as a slow burn support Tank who holds onto his "cooldowns" (Radiant Consumption, Hexblade's Curse, Vow of Enmity, and one warlock slot + one of his highest level paladin slots) for unleashing on a particularly tough or evil encounter.
He'll be Sword and Board because I do want to be tanky, and AC 19 at level 1 sounds great.
I'm not entirely decided on my leveling scheme, but here's what I'm thinking.
1: Paladin 1 For heavy armor proficiency
2: Hexblade 1 for CHA for attack and damage and Hexblade's Curse
3-7: Paladin 2-6 for extra attack and aura of protection, I'll be going Oath of Vengeance for Vow of Enmity
At this point the build starts to really match the concept. The character isn't necessarily going to love his calling, but his lawful nature instills in him a sense of duty. He hides his heritage and power for the most part, but when his beliefs align with his calling he lets lose. By 6, he can do this fairly well. Once per short rest he can pick out one target and gain +Prof to damage, +level to damage once per turn, 19-20 crits, and Advantage on attacks against it, and 1/2*level damage to anyone foolish enough to interrupt the showdown. This character's biggest job is singling out the toughest enemy in the encounter and matching blades without hesitation.
8-11: Hexblade 2-5 This nets me 3 invocations: Improved Pact Weapon, Agonizing Blast, and Eldritch Smite, as well as another warlock slot and upping the slots to 3rd level. No, you don't get to eldritch smite very often, but you do get to stack Eldritch and Divine smites on a single crit, which is what this will be used for. Once I transform, I fish for a crit (shouldn't take long) and unload 16d8+7(cha/dueling)+4(prof)+11(Radiant Consuption)+6(RC Aura) in that round. I hold onto my level 1 slots for Hex/Bless/Cures or whatever else the party might need going forward.
For the rest, I can't decide on whether I should take Hexblade to 11 for another warlock slot and upping them to 5th level, or the rest paladin or something in between. I've also considered taking the rest of my levels in Sword Bard, dropping the shield, and going to TWF now that I can get +CHA to two weapons. What do you guys think?
Side note I know that every adventuring day won't have one single BA enemy for me to toe to toe with, but I've looked at the math and my damage with just Hex+attacks mixed with my heals + tankiness are going to add enough value, I think, to the party that it works out. Additionally, Curse and Vow are both on short rest cooldowns, so if I use one per encounter I can spread out my effectiveness quite well on days when I'm reasonably certain we won't be seeing the BBEG I'm after. It isn't all or nothing all the time, just set up to be able to do that in grand fashion when the time comes.