Help for Ancients Hexadin... with XBE?

[Fryy]

Hi, I am leveling a sword & board Ancients Paladin 8 with Defense fighting style and Hexblade 2 with Agonizing Blast. This is for AL so PHB+1 and no SCAG cantrips.
I am trying to decide where to go with this character after level 10.

I haven't played a 5e Paladin yet and I want to build a character around the ancients oath and with the level 7 'spell resistance' aura.

Now, I'm fairly decided on this class PAL 8/HEX 2 selection for these 10 levels. However, I am now also thinking to take the Crossbow Expert XBE feat.
Has anyone made a similar Hexadin built around XBE? If so, how was it?

Thematically, this would be a sort of good-aligned green knight / witch knight... supernaturally hard to kill and a bit mysterious (i.e. speak with animals, misty step, etc.). A rod of the pact keeper could be his sword-substitute / boomstick to keep the knight-like flavor of melee combat.
Any suggestions on where to take this character after the first 10 levels? more Paladin? Sorcerer? Bard?

[Galithar]

Hi, I am leveling a sword & board Ancients Paladin 8 with Defense fighting style and Hexblade 2 with Agonizing Blast. This is for AL so PHB+1 and no SCAG cantrips.
I am trying to decide where to go with this character after level 10.

I haven't played a 5e Paladin yet and I want to build a character around the ancients oath and with the level 7 'spell resistance' aura.

Now, I'm fairly decided on this class PAL 8/HEX 2 selection for these 10 levels. However, I am now also thinking to take the Crossbow Expert XBE feat.
Has anyone made a similar Hexadin built around XBE? If so, how was it?

Thematically, this would be a sort of good-aligned green knight / witch knight... supernaturally hard to kill and a bit mysterious (i.e. speak with animals, misty step, etc.). A rod of the pact keeper could be his sword-substitute / boomstick to keep the knight-like flavor of melee combat.
Any suggestions on where to take this character after the first 10 levels? more Paladin? Sorcerer? Bard?

Most people will disagree with me, but I say more Warlock. You get access to a lot of things with Invocations. Add Chainlock for an awesome familiar or Tomelock to start grabbing rituals. At-Will spells from Invocations are good, though I don't know how well some of them play out in AL. My favorites are At-Will disguise self and silent image. Putting more levels into Warlock will also upgrade those Warlock slots, that I'm assuming you use for smite fuel. Also getting to the level in Hex where you can move your Hexblade curse if the target dies is great, though that would be coming in at super high level for you, character level 16 I believe.

My second choice would be keep pumping the Paladin levels for things like Find Greater Steed and the range increase on your Auras.

With levels into Warlock and high investment in Paladin I wouldn't want to start going into Bard or Sorcerer. I don't think you would get enough out of those levels.

[Missing]

I'll second the idea of taking more warlock levels, get 3rd level slots so you can get an all day (8hr Concentration) hex spell. An extra 1d6 on nearly every hit is nothing to sneeze at.

If you do go this route remember that all the smite SPELLS are also concentration so if you want to use one it will break your hex not a major issue but one to be aware of. You might also want to pick up resilient Constitution AND/OR War Caster to improve your concentration rolls if you want to make use of hex.

[Yunru]

Why have a sword if you're using Eldritch Blast?

[Aquillion]

Why have a sword if you're using Eldritch Blast?
Smite doesn't apply to EB, only to melee attacks.

[Yunru]

Smite doesn't apply to EB, only to melee attacks.

Sounds more like a reason to not focus on EB IMO.

[Snowbluff]

I made a Fighter2/Hexblade5/Whispers Bard X built around crossbow expert. Basically Psychic Blades and Eldritch Smite act as burst damage smites while I hide and pew pew with Sharpshooter shots.

However, I wouldn't try it paladin. Paladins are heavily melee oriented with their spell lists and their abilities. Paladin's Divine Smite doesn't work with ranged weapons, and their aura's mean they want to be in the thick of it with their allies who are being targeted.

[Fryy]

I was thinking to save smites and spell slots for big fights (going nova) and use EB for the rest of the time (consistent)... to allow me to be conservative with the spell/smite reserves.

The idea for XBE/EB is to be able to position the Paladin (aura) on most rounds wherever its most needed while not worrying about whether that is in melee or not. I.e. sometimes the Paladin does more good positioned in the middle then the front. I think it maximizes the benefit of the aura pre level 18 30ft auras. I think this positioning works for theater of the mind style as well with reasonable DMs. The downside is spending the feat on XBE.

At level 11 without spending resources or magic items...
EB would be 3x attacks @ 1d10 + Cha
Longsword would be 2x attacks @ 1d8 + Cha
So, EB is more damage in non-smite rounds.

Anyway, thanks for the input so far. I'm still thinking about where to go with levels 11-20.

Side Note: I have already played a high level single classed warlock. So, I won't go that route here but I appreciated the warlock suggestions. Mask of many faces is awesome.

[Aquillion]

Sounds more like a reason to not focus on EB IMO.
There's some conflict and waste in going both Paladin and EB Hexblade, yes. But... it doesn't cost a huge amount to pick up EB competency if you're already taking several Warlock levels. Taking EB itself is a given since it's just one cantrip slot, and after that you're just spending one evocation on Agonizing Blast, really. There's only a few Invocations that directly help melee, and they're scattered in a way that ensures you're going to have some extras no matter how you build your character. And Smites cost spell slots, so you can't smite constantly.

Basically, picking up ranged competency is so cheap and easy for a Warlock that you might as well do it as a fallback strategy, either for when you don't want to spend smites or for when you're better off fighting at range.

[Fryy]

Thanks. So, XBE seems reasonable and not a wasted feat. However, 2 levels of warlock is my max for this build. Any interesting suggestions for levels 11-20?

[Aquillion]

Well, 3-4 levels of Assassin Rogue will get you a really brutal opening attack, since the guaranteed crit will multiply your smite damage. You'd also get expertises and some sneak attack damage, which certainly don't hurt. If you want to consider that, Gloom Stalker Ranger could add more to that (also in XGtE). And / or two levels of fighter for Action Surge. However you build it, the idea is that you could open fights with a brutal initial strike, then fall back and support people with your aura and ranged attacks.

Or, if you want to focus on support, you could go with Lore Bard for five levels. It's not strictly optimal, I think, but it would work just fine - you'd have more spell slots to fuel your smites, plus some decent spells to spend them on. And five d8 cutting words per short rest is nothing to sneeze at.

[Fryy]

Thanks for the help. Bard might work.