Cleric hexblade build for throwing?

[Dankus Memakus]

So I know this is a weird mix but I was wondering if a cleric hexblade could take advantage of the Hexblades smites and the clerics divine strike to make a decent throwing build. I know throwers are a bit trash so I’m always debating a dedicated throwing build. Is it possible to be fairly effective?

Edit: or possibly cleric Eldritch Knight? Something that could allow for either extra damage or a way to re summon your weapon

[CheddarChampion]

If you multiclass with warlock, you can only smite a small number of times per short rest.
If you summon back your pact weapon with warlock, it will take your action.
Eldritch Knights could attack twice with a single thrown weapon on the first turn but only once per turn afterwards.

If it fits what you're going for and if your DM lets it work, try a Paladin-Sorcerer with shadow blade - go for a 2/18 split:
Spell slots galore for smiting
Upcast shadow blade for more damage per turn - expect a consistent 3d8+mod at medium levels

[Dankus Memakus]

If you multiclass with warlock, you can only smite a small number of times per short rest.
If you summon back your pact weapon with warlock, it will take your action.
Eldritch Knights could attack twice with a single thrown weapon on the first turn but only once per turn afterwards.

If it fits what you're going for and if your DM lets it work, try a Paladin-Sorcerer with shadow blade - go for a 2/18 split:
Spell slots galore for smiting
Upcast shadow blade for more damage per turn - expect a consistent 3d8+mod at medium levels

The issue is that you cannot smite with divine smite with a thrown weapon as per Crawford but branding smite can be used along with Eldritch smite

[Talionis]

Branding Smite is on the Hexblade spellist at level 3, second level spell. That Smite works on thrown weapons.

It’s resource intensive to Smite on all attacks, but nice to be able to Smite on Crits. At least you can upcast Branding Smite and cast it with Cleric slots.

[Vogie]

Thrower builds are hard in general

Dwarven Thrower is the sole RAW weapon with the returning property.
Anyone with Shadow Blade can resummon their summoned weapon as a bonus action
Eldritch Knights can resummon one of their bonded weapons as a bonus action
Kensai Monks can increase the damage of any Ranged Attacks (as opposed to attacks with a ranged weapon) by 1d4 for their Kensai Weapons.
Inquisitive Rogues can use their Wisdom(Insight) check to forgo needing advantage on a target
The otherwise-underwhelming Dual Wielding feat allows you to draw multiple weapons a turn.
While the Divine Strike is useful, Hunter Ranger comes online much faster (level 3 instead of 8)
Bladesinger Wizards are the only sole class who can use Shadow Blade with an Extra Attack Action, at 6
EKs and Arcane Tricksters can also use Shadow Blade, but only at level 7. It's a bit easier on an Arcane Trickster, as Shadow Blade is an Illusion Spell.


Warlocks are, sadly, not the best of the classes for Pact of the Blade warlocks CAN resummon their weapons, but as an action. In addition, their access to the Extra Attack Feature (and smite feature) is tied to the Pact of the Blade Weapon, which severely limits throwing builds outside of finding a magic returning weapon

You can attack with your pact weapon twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn

If you wanted to make a decent thrower build, the best combination would be the

At least 6 levels of Kensai Monk, with any amount of Rogue (or a 3 level dip in Ranger), using regular daggers or darts (choose both for kensai weapons)
Samurai Fighter 5 and Rogue
Bladesinger Wizard, using a combination of daggers and Shadow Blades
EK with a Rogue dip, or 3-level Ranger Dip
With the Dual Wielder feat

Any race with +Dex is useful. If not using Shadow Blade or Weapon Bond, one race specifically you can consider is the Lizardfolk class from Volo's, which can craft darts, javelins, and daggers from the corpses of a slain beasts and other monsters over a short rest.

[MThurston]

Fighting Style Ranged would be what you want.

[Vogie]

Fighting Style Ranged would be what you want.

Not Necessarily...


Archery
You gain a +2 bonus to attack rolls you make with ranged weapons

Most thrown weapons are melee weapons making a ranged attack. Archery Fighting Style will certainly work if you were using Darts, but not if you were throwing anything else.

Since throw weapons are also usually light, Two Weapon Fighting Style would allow you to add the ability modifier to the damage of the "offhand" attack, allowing you to "Dagger Dagger Dagger" as early as level 5, with all weapon-drawing shenanigans considered. With the DW feat, it helps with the drawing issues, and you can upgrade to "Javelin Javelin Javelin".

[jaappleton]

Not Necessarily...



Most thrown weapons are melee weapons making a ranged attack. Archery Fighting Style will certainly work if you were using Darts, but not if you were throwing anything else.

Since throw weapons are also usually light, Two Weapon Fighting Style would allow you to add the ability modifier to the damage of the "offhand" attack, allowing you to "Dagger Dagger Dagger" as early as level 5, with all weapon-drawing shenanigans considered. With the DW feat, it helps with the drawing issues, and you can upgrade to "Javelin Javelin Javelin".

Absolutely correct.

Its precisely why making a thrown weapon user is pretty borked in 5E. Now, nearly all DMs I know will allow Archery to work with thrown weapons. Those who don't are asses, IMO, but rules as written... doesn't work.

I was at PAX East and only had a Sunday ticket. Jeremy Crawford was gone by then. I'd hoped to politely yell at him ask him about this specifically, as well as why GWM is pretty screwed regarding Small races, and if there's been talk of any errata regarding those two.

[MThurston]

Not Necessarily...



Most thrown weapons are melee weapons making a ranged attack. Archery Fighting Style will certainly work if you were using Darts, but not if you were throwing anything else.

Since throw weapons are also usually light, Two Weapon Fighting Style would allow you to add the ability modifier to the damage of the "offhand" attack, allowing you to "Dagger Dagger Dagger" as early as level 5, with all weapon-drawing shenanigans considered. With the DW feat, it helps with the drawing issues, and you can upgrade to "Javelin Javelin Javelin".
I'd argue that anything with a thrown value is a ranged weapon.

[8wGremlin]

A couple of things that might be of interest.

1) There is a Boomerang weapon in one of the books, it's official content, and you can see it here in dndbeyond.
https://www.dndbeyond.com/equipment/boomerang but it's a Ranged weapon, not thrown.

Any character who is proficient in the javelin is proficient in the boomerang. it only does 1d4 damage but returns on a miss.

2) The artificer2019 version (UA so may be no good to you) has an infusion called "returning"
which will make the Thrown weapon, a +1 weapon and return to your hand after you attack with it.

You could take a Javelin, infuse it with this, and then cast the 'elemental weapon' to have lightning javelins that return to your hand. This makes a 1d6 (pierce) + 1d6 (lightning) + 1 damage javelin. avgDamage = 8 + stat

or you could just re-fluff eldritch blast.