Build advice: another hexblade build

[whiplashomega]

Hey all,

In my friends upcoming campaign I am planning on playing a hexblade/something multiclass (more than a 1 level dip in hexblade) The backstory is already decided (yada yada, died, made a deal with the angel of death for a second chance at life, now has weird magical ax that he is tasked to protect). Here is what I know:


Campaign is starting at level 1 (which will be a level of hexblade) then quickly leveling to 3 after the first session.
The campaign is likely to continue into the mid-teens for levels, but may go further
this character will be the party's face character, no one else will have decent charisma
It is a 30 pt point buy, max of 16 in one stat (cost of 15->16 is 3 points)
Eldritch Smite will be usable with any spell slot, warlock or otherwise, per the DM.
Warlock invocation requirements are based strictly on warlock level however.
Background for the character is urchin, his backstory is already written.
Starting skills are deception, persuasion, slight of hand, and stealth (DM is letting me swap intimidation for persuasion on the warlock skill list)
I would like this character to fit into a melee DPS/striker role in combat (the rest of the party is a knowledge cleric/rogue, GWM eldritch knight, and a moon druid)
I am purposefully avoiding Eldritch Blast (I know it is the mechanically ideal ranged damage cantrip, but having seen way too many warlocks spamming eldritch blast in the past, I find it super boring, I'll )
I want to play nice with others, 3/4 of the party will be in melee, and everyone is a caster so Darkness/Devil's Sight is just a bad combo.
I would really like to avoid having points where I am lagging behind the rest of the party in usefulness. I'm not looking to outshine people, but if I'm not pulling my weight for a couple levels in a small party that really hurts.


Questions:

My stat array right now at level 1 is STR ? DEX 14 CON 14 INT ? WIS 8 CHA 18. With a 9 and a 13 to go STR and INT whichever way I prefer. Putting it in STR opens up the possibility of taking a couple paladin levels later, putting it in INT lets me take the ritual caster (wizard) feat, which I feel like would provide some much needed support for a party lacking a wizard or any sort of arcane caster besides myself.
What do I multi class into, and when? I've considered Sword Bard, Whispers Bard, Lore Bard, Paladin, Arcane Trickster, and Divine Soul Sorcerer, and each brings something different and interesting to the table. How would you handle it?


EDIT: His race is set as Scourge Aasimar.

[Blood of Gaea]

I generally don't multiclass Hexblades, but they would gain the most from 2 Fighter for Action Surge or 3+ Sorcerer for Quicken. The biggest weakness of a martial Hexblade is that they are a gish with no real way to bend the action economy in their favor.

[whiplashomega]

What about doing something like hexblade 5 / rogue 1 / divine soul sorcerer x?
Invocations would be thirsting blade, improved pact weapon and eldritch smite.
Meta magic would probably be quicken and subtle?
My other plan is hexblade 5 / sword or whispers bard x?

[Nagog]

For multiclassing Pally, you don't need much Str because Hexblade makes the build SAD, using Cha for both spellcasting and attack/damage. And with multiclassing into it, you don't get Heavy Armor proficiency so you don't need a minimum Str for that, and with your +2 in Dex you'll get the most out of Half-Plate.

However, as much as I love Paladins, the Pally/Hexblade is a very common combo, so if you're looking for a good synergy multiclass that a lot of people have comments and support on and is a good, strong focus on gish combat, that's the route to go, but if you're looking to expand your role into other areas and play something that isn't done a lot, I'd look into multiclassing into Bard. Bard has a really nice jack-of-all-trades kit, and combining it with the SAD-ness of a Hexblade makes a character that's viable in 90% of all encounters (social, combat, or skill) with only your CHA stat, and in many of these areas you're the best at what you do. If you're a BladeLock, you can smite with Bard spell slots, you can use your Bard Expertise to ramp up sleight of hand and other rogue skills (or pick up invisibility and the like), you can cast damaging spells as a Warlock or a Bard, and your high Cha and Jack of All Trades from Bard makes you great at social encounters and skill challenges.