Half- Elf Bard (College of Glamour) - Hexblade dipping

[FlamingDazz]

Hi everyone, first time posting around here, I've created an account only to get some advice into how to do this. I've recently went to Level 3 with my Bard, at the moment i want to do a dip into hexblade however my question is... when would it be the best time to do so? We're playing a campaign up to Level 5, and then we will do another one with the same characters. When would be the most optimal time to do this?

Our party is composed of:

Half-Orc Druid
Dragonborn Fighter
Dragonborn Barbarian
Moon Elf Monk
Forest Gnome Wizard
And Half-Elf Bard

Thanks a lot guys!

[nickl_2000]

So it highly depends on your needs as a character to answer that question. However...

Optimal timing, imo, is to go Bard 5 for level 3 spells and Font of Inspiration, then 1 Hexblade.


If you find you are getting pretty beaten up and you need extra armor and blasting power you can go earlier though.

[FlamingDazz]

So it highly depends on your needs as a character to answer that question. However...

Optimal timing, imo, is to go Bard 5 for level 3 spells and Font of Inspiration, then 1 Hexblade.


If you find you are getting pretty beaten up and you need extra armor and blasting power you can go earlier though.

Cheers for that. Do you think it would be worth doing 2 levels on warlock so i can have agonizing blast? My damage output is not that great, although i don't knof if it's worth sacrificing two levels of bard for it.

[nickl_2000]

Cheers for that. Do you think it would be worth doing 2 levels on warlock so i can have agonizing blast? My damage output is not that great, although i don't knof if it's worth sacrificing two levels of bard for it.

To answer your question with a question back. Do you find that your party needs more damage in battle or are the Fighter, Barb, Monk, and Wizard putting out enough damage that it really isn't needed?

Bards are not know for damage output, it really is not what they are meant to do. So, I certainly understand the desire to dip into warlock to get that sweet EB damage. However, there are things bards can do to completely and utterly destroy an encounter on their own.
Sleep, Silence, Suggestion!, Fear, Hypnotic Pattern!, Confusion, Polymorph, Animate Objects, Mass Suggestion and those are just a few. A good timed version of this spell can turn a really, really hard encounter into a trivial one in a way that EB will never do.

Look at the spells on the bard list and look to see what is the most exciting. Then decide if it will be more fun to have EB as a primary damage deal and more armor or if it will be better to have those spells sooner (and magical secrets sooner from Bard level 10). That really should make the decision for you more than anything else. Also note that a dip in Warlock is not the only way to get EB. You could also pick up EB from the feats spell sniper or Magic Initiate. Sure you can't get agonizing blast, but it ups your damage output overall and still allows your spell and bard progression to keep going


Also, from a roleplaying aspect, is your character someone who would make a contract with some sort of elder or not? My currently Paladin I'm playing certainly is not, on the other hand a previous character (also a Glamour Bard) was going to make a deal with a Fey creature at character level 6.

[FlamingDazz]

To answer your question with a question back. Do you find that your party needs more damage in battle or are they Fighter, Barb, Monk, and Wizard putting out enough damage that it really isn't needed?

Bards are not know for damage output, it really is not what they are meant to do. So, I certainly understand the desire to dip into warlock to get that sweet EB damage. However, there are things bards can do to completely and utterly destroy an encounter on their own.
Sleep, Silence, Suggestion!, Fear, Hypnotic Pattern!, Confusion, Polymorph, Animate Objects, Mass Suggestion and those are just a few. A good timed version of this spell can turn a really, really hard encounter into a trivial one in a way that EB will never do.

Look at the spells on the bard list and look to see what is the most exciting. Then decide if it will be more fun to have EB as a primary damage deal and more armor or if it will be better to have those spells sooner. That really make the decision for you more than anything else.


Also, from a roleplaying aspect, is your character someone who would make a contract with some sort of elder or not? My currently Paladin I'm playing certainly is not.

The idea is: the college of glamour is related to the feys, my idea is i get trained or educated by the prince of fools. After this, (we're talking about lvl 4-5, when i do the warlock dip) have him as the one i make a pact with for a warlock dip. Like disappearing temporarily, and come back as a college of glamour bard basically.

[nickl_2000]

The idea is: the college of glamour is related to the feys, my idea is i get trained or educated by the prince of fools. After this, (we're talking about lvl 4-5, when i do the warlock dip) have him as the one i make a pact with for a warlock dip. Like disappearing temporarily, and come back as a college of glamour bard basically.

That's cool, just mentioning it as something to consider. I find myself falling into an optimization trap thinking more about overall power and less about who the character is and what they would do, so I like to remind others of the same thing.


Also note that I did edit the above comment. One piece that is important to consider


Also note that a dip in Warlock is not the only way to get EB. You could also pick up EB from the feats spell sniper or Magic Initiate. Sure you can't get agonizing blast, but it ups your damage output overall and still allows your spell and bard progression to keep going

[FlamingDazz]

That's cool, just mentioning it as something to consider. I find myself falling into an optimization trap thinking more about overall power and less about who the character is and what they would do, so I like to remind others of the same thing.


Also note that I did edit the above comment. One piece that is important to consider

Does this means that the attack will still escalate dependant on level? As per the description:

The spell creates more than one beam when you reach higher levels: two beams at 5th level, three beams at 11th level, and four beams at 17th level. You can direct the beams at the same target or at different ones. Make a separate attack roll for each beam.

If that's the case then it's quite a good thing to have. The other reason i'm thinking about warlock is due to being able to use medium armor and also attacking using cha instead of dex.

[nickl_2000]

Does this means that the attack will still escalate dependant on level? As per the description:

The spell creates more than one beam when you reach higher levels: two beams at 5th level, three beams at 11th level, and four beams at 17th level. You can direct the beams at the same target or at different ones. Make a separate attack roll for each beam.

If that's the case then it's quite a good thing to have. The other reason i'm thinking about warlock is due to being able to use medium armor and also attacking using cha instead of dex.

Yes the amount of beams created by EB are based completely on character level and have nothing to do with Warlock level. It makes no difference how you got the cantrip. A level 17 Bard who took EB with the Spell Sniper feat also gets 4 beams.

[FlamingDazz]

Yes the amount of beams created by EB are based completely on character level and have nothing to do with Warlock level. It makes no difference how you got the cantrip. A level 17 Bard who took EB with the Spell Sniper feat also gets 4 beams.

Taking this into consideration, will the extra perks of a warlock dip be worth it? Or i would be better staying as a bard and using magic initiate?

[nickl_2000]

Taking this into consideration, will the extra perks of a warlock dip be worth it? Or i would be better staying as a bard and using magic initiate?

There are positives and negatives for both and there isn't a real solid answer. If it were me, I would likely dip 2 into Warlock for higher AC, EB, Agonizing Blast, Mask of Many Faces, a few short rest spells, and another utility Cantrip. However, I tend to love being a utility character over raw power.

[FlamingDazz]

There are positives and negatives for both and there isn't a real solid answer. If it were me, I would likely dip 2 into Warlock for higher AC, EB, Agonizing Blast, Mask of Many Faces, a few short rest spells, and another utility Cantrip. However, I tend to love being a utility character over raw power.

Mask of Many Faces definitely would suit my bard. I think i'll do a two level dips. Thanks a lot for your help :)