Help me choose between these builds

[Aaedimus]

I have a concept and a few similar builds that might fit the personality. My other character died (Sacrificed himself to a Daelkyr God in the realm of madness to save the party by closing a portal between realms), and we have 3 sessions left in this campaign. The next campaign will be with different characters in the same world. I figure using the new character for the end of this campaign to introduce my next campaign character (and maybe create an awesome NPC villain to hunt my next character). Roleplay wise, it's a safe mature group so dangerous character concepts like evil characters in a good group tend to work out fine. All material has been OK'd by the DM. It's gonna be a complete 180 (my last character was a anti-war hippie Satyr Bard)

Eberron Campaign
Character name: Güter Draconsül, Sun of Mourning
Race: Dragonborn (Black/Ravine)

Character Concept: sent from Argonnessen to hunt my next (very suboptimal) character (tiefling draconic sorcerer/warlock/druid) because of the draconic prophesy. Sympathetic with the green claw and wants to bring back the Mark of Death- connected some how with Erandis Vol, worships the Daughter of Khyber. Believes all other races are lesser (of similar value to animals), and that the only species with any value are Dragons and Dragonborn. He demands all lesser races to defer to him in respect, is violent, narcissistic and entitled.

We are at level 8, and will finish at level 11. No one but myself and the DM know he will end up becoming an NPC antagonist in the next campaign, so I want the group to say "oh crap" when they realize he's hunting them.

To give you an idea of his personality, I'm introducing him to the group by intimidating a crowd of civilians. If I choose Order Cleric, charm them all with Channel Divinity (drop what they're holding) cast 5th level Command (as bonus action):
"Grovel before your superior worms!"
Cast again:
"Prostrate yourselves, worthless fleas!"
Many people who weren't charmed might follow suit out of fear and mob mentality

Demand that they tell Güter if they've they've seen a Tiefling Abbheration. Angry when they have no answer

Use Draconic fear to make the crowd flee

If not Order Ceric, will introduce him similarly but less effectively... with Rune Cleric he will grow to Large size when demanding and intimidating.

DM gave him an Oathbow to start.

So my ideas for his build->

Possible builds:
Lvl X - Order Cleric
- Very flavorful, really maximizes the effectiveness of the forceful personality

11 Pact of Blade Hexblade (bow)
- get all the Invocations and spell levels

2 Fighter / 9 Pact of Blade Hexblade (bow)
- get Plate and action surge and fighting style

3 Rune Fighter / 8 Pact of Blade Hexblade (bow)
- the runes are extremely flavorful. 2 feats, high spellslots and invocations

7 Rune Fighter / 4 Pact of Blade Hexblade (bow)
- 3 Feats, less Invocations (no longer need extra attack invocation)

Fighter style:
Archery

Feats I want to give him (in order)
- Telekinetic
- Dragon Fear
- Shadowtouched (flavored to Dragon)
- Sharpshooter

Possible Invocations (In Order)
- Improved Pack Weapon
- Grasping Eldritch Blast
- Extra Attack
- Eldritch Smite
- Become Darkness

Open to suggestions for different builds that fit the concept too!

They all have benefits, but I can't tell where on the spectrum I should go to create a great NPC villain that will scare the crap out of the players when we see him in he next campaign. On the other hand, I could drop combat utility and make him pure flavor with the Order Cleric... but as an NPC he'd be less intimidating.

[Aaedimus]

No one has any opinions huh

[Aett_Thorn]

Well you did post at close to 2 am on the east coast, so most people were probably asleep.

If this were me, I’d go either the straight Order Cleric, or fighter 2/Hexblade X. Order Cleric is seemingly more thematic, but won’t make great use of the Oathbow. So I’d lean towards the fighter/hexblade for effectiveness.


Another combo you could look at is a Conquest Paladin 3/Hexblade X. Gives you the same feel in a different chassis from the Cleric.

[RogueJK]

Understand that no character is going to be able to take 4 feats before Level 11 while also raising a primary stat. Especially a multiclass character. You'll need to pare down the number of Feats you want to take.

If you're dead-set on taking 4 feats before Level 11, that's only going to be doable with a single-classed Fighter or Rogue with their bonus feats, plus going with a Variant Human or Custom Lineage with a bonus 1st level feat. (And even them you won't have any spare ASIs to raise your stats, so you'll be left with your starting stats.) That means no Dragonborn or Dragon Fear.


The Oathbow is the main component that kinda throws the whole thing off, because it requires you to take a minimum of 3 levels of Hexblade if you're wanting to be able to utilize CHA with it, and it also basically forces you into needing a class that gets Extra Attack, plus you'll really want to spend a feat on Sharpshooter too.

In addition, it's fairly anti-synergistic with many of the fear, charm, and compulsion effects that you're wanting to utilize, which will have noticeably shorter ranges than your longbow. "I'm shooting at your from afar with my bow, but I'm about to scare you or force you to do something... if you'll give me like 4 rounds to close the distance first."


I agree than a single-classed Order Cleric sounds like a great fit for the concept, but can't really make much use of the Oathbow.

A single-classed Conquest Paladin also sounds like a good fit for the concept, with some of the fear and compulsion effects plus a bit more martial ability than a Cleric. But this would require a nontraditional DEX-focused build to utilize the Oathbow, since you can't really afford to spare the 3 levels of Hexblade to bring CHA-based bow attacks online. And focusing on a Bow would be very counterproductive, since it would totally remove some of Conquest's melee-only fear options, like Wrathful Smite, as well as put a serious cramp on some others like their Conquering Presence and Aura of Conquest due to their range.

A Hexblade with a few levels of Fighter would probably be your best best for making Maximum use of the Oathbow with a side of a little casting, but that eliminates most of the fear/command/compulsion side of things, and you already have a solid option for a CHA-based ranged attack baked right into the Warlock class anyway.


However, if you can just skip trying to shoehorn the Oathbow into it, it'll open up quite a few good possibilities to achieve the character vision you're after.


So setting Oathbow aside, I'd go with either an Order Cleric or a Hexblade 1 or 2/Conquest Paladin X, depending on whether you want a bit more casting (Cleric) or a bit more melee fighting and Smiting (Hexadin). My preference would be the Conquest Hexadin, going Paladin 1 -> Paladin 1/Hexblade 1 -> Conquest 9/Hexblade 1 to get the 3rd level Fear spell plus your Paladin aura online as quickly as possible, before considering if you want to take one more level of Hexblade for Invocations.

Using Point Buy, this would look something like:
STR 14+1
DEX 8
CON 14
INT 8
WIS 12 (Hexadin) or 15+2 (Cleric)
CHA 15+2 (Hexadin) or 12 (Cleric)

Wear Heavy Armor. If a Cleric, use a shield but just rely on casting. If a Conquest Hexadin, use a longsword/battleaxe/warhammer and shield with either Dueling or Defense fighting style.

Skip the Dragon Fear feat, which is flavorful but not actually very useful, since they get a new saving throw every single time they take damage so it doesn't tend to last long in combat. Besides, a Conquest Hexadin in particular has a number of better ways to inflict fear, such as your Channel Divinity Conquering Presence or the spells Wrathful Smite (Paladin 1), Cause Fear (Warlock 1), and Fear (Conquest 3).

Instead, I'd take the Fey Touched feat (Dragontouched?) at 4th Level for +1 to WIS (Cleric) or CHA (Hexadin) with Misty Step and a fitting 1st level spell like Dissonant Whispers, then spend your 8th Level ASI on maxing your CHA (Hexadin) or WIS (Cleric).

Or, if going Order Cleric specifically, if you want an additional Fear effect since that class is kinda lacking in those, you could do the Shadow Touched feat instead of Fey Touched and pick up Invisibility and Cause Fear.

[bendking]

If you want to maximize your Oathbow and be a proper damage dealer, I would recommend you go for Hexblade 5/Rune Knight 3. Just get the Fear spell for the flavor.
If it's more important for you to be a support character and charmer, take Order Cleric X.

Those are two really different builds, it just depends on what kind of character you'd like to play.

[TheMango55]

Why take an Eldritch blast invocation as a bow user?

[da newt]

Trying to build for the Oathbow really does complicate the whole thing. I'd look to swap that out, then building to your theme becomes MUCH simpler.

Trade it for a Mace of Terror and have fun scaring to poo out of everyone.

Also, the BM Menacing Strike maneuver might be nice too.

[Bobthewizard]

To build around the oath bow and the concept of fear, you could consider 5 Gloomstalker/X Order cleric. Favored enemy humanoid. UA Revised Ranger is best, but PHB or variant works fine.

If the DM will let you use Tasha's race rules put the +2's in Dex and Wis. Take sharpshooter and +2 Dex as your ASI.