Accursed Specter Underrated?

[kbob]

So I see a lot of people suggest that the accursed specter ability from the Hexblade is “ok” or “meh”. I don’t see it. For me personally, I get a lot of mileage out of it. He does help fight which that he is meh or ok. However, I usually use him for other things.
He’s my scout as he can fly and go through walls. He can’t talk but he can write things down. Even though he has the Incorporeal trait, he does not have the ephemeral trait, meaning he can interact with physical objects. He is a great “meat?” Shield against things that do necrotic damage as he is immune. He can retrieve things for me with his fly ability. He has stolen countless things from peoples homes and businesses at night. Gives me the help action on attacks and sometimes intimidate (when the DM is so inclined). He’s easy to get, just land a killing blow on a humanoid (person). Bandits, goblins, orcs, slaves (my character not exactly the textbook “hero”).
I haven’t done this cuz i don’t want to derail a campaign but I thought about how funny it would be to let him lose at night to kill all the commoners in a village and have them all turn into specters too. Then I “save the day” by killing them all.
Anyways, I use him for a lot (some I haven’t even posted) and don’t see why people don’t see this as potentially broken as I do. I mean you have an undead pet that can fly and go through walls. What are your thoughts? Does anyone else abuse their pet and seek to keep one around at all times?

[Lupine]

The reason most people see the Accursed specter as bad is because Hexblade is a very, very combat centric subclass, therefore drawing mostly combat centric players. This is supported by the class's vague and contradicting fluff. The problem is that when you get accursed specter (6th level), it's an "easy" encounter, if you use adjusted xp budgets, or a trivial one if you don't. That makes it feel very... weak. Notice, for example, that Travis Willingham has used the accursed specter on critical role once, and it had mostly no use. Further, the specter tends to come near the end of the combat, which is when it's least useful
Lastly, you can only get one cr1 creature from the ability every long rest. It has 22+3 hp (when you get it), which is enough that a 5th level barbarian with magical greatswordcould probably take it out in 1 turn (40% chance of 25 or higher damage on 4d6+5 ). And you're expected to fight cr6 creatures -- creatures which are supposed to be able to take on four level 6 players. All that to say, it gets a little outclassed outside of combat.

So that's the combat side of it.
Yes, specter can be useful outside of the combat, on in unconventional non-combat ways, but those things tend to be ways that people tend not to want to play the class in that way. It's the same problem as Beastmaster. People expect that beastmaster should give you a badass battle buddy, when it's more useful to have the companion using the help action.

Also, on the note of unconventional things specters can interact with objects, but they can't move through walls with them. The object is still permanent. Intimidation with the specter, as you've mentioned, is up to DM fiat. Letting him loose wouldn't work, because the specter doesn't raise other specters, and you can only have one specter at a time

Personally, I would fix it by either:
(1)making the maximum number of specters equal to your proficency modifier, and allowing you to gain them from any kill you make (This would set the hexblade difficulty vs the specters as medium at level 6, or easy at with a party of 4, keeping around medium or hard for the warlock alone for the rest of the campaign). This would also suit the flavor of the ability a bit better
(2)Changing the creature of a specter to a shadow, with new shadows also being under your control. because a shadow drains strength directly, it stays relevant at most levels (no really, I've heard stories of a few shadows tpk-ing high level parties). Shadows have even less health than a specter, enough that a barbarian can almost always kill one in one turn, if he or she has a magic weapon, meaning that you probably won't keep a shadow for long, making when you use it crucial. Also, shadows work better for stealthing, due to their dim light benefits. While they lose the benefits of being able to retrieve stuff while flying, if that's important to you, I think there is a invocation which allows levitaiton. They also lose the benefits of potentially being able to write, but that comes down to DM ruling as to whether or not that's ok anyway, and if they say yes to the shadow being able to write. You could also just add a line into the ability letting the shadow speak. (Actually, that could be really cool, if you could basically use it like speak with dead)

[MrStabby]

Its a solid ability.

I think it doesnt get the attention it deserves due to the class its on. Possibly pushing a stereotype, but I think the people to whom the hexblade appeals like Moar Damage (or at least a combat focus - not saying things like the shield spell are not good). Utility and support is less at the forefront of their minds; not that they wont use it when it comes up but it isnt a motivation.

If the spectre were to be the level 6 ability on a bard subclass, then I think it would get a lot more positive reviews as it would align more with the interests of the kind of person that gets drawn towards playing a bard.

I also think if it were an ability on say the ancestral barbarian it would get attention as well as it greatly broadens capabilities.

On the hexblade it sits at being the worst of both worlds. On a class that appeals to those that want to focus on combat with a more broadly useful ability... but also on a class that can also pick up a lot of out of combat options anyway so the marginal increase in flexability is modest.

[MaxWilson]

He’s my scout as he can fly and go through walls. He can’t talk but he can write things down.

...

I haven’t done this cuz i don’t want to derail a campaign but I thought about how funny it would be to let him lose at night to kill all the commoners in a village and have them all turn into specters too. Then I “save the day” by killing them all.

I agree, specters make excellent scouts.

AFB but I don't believe specters can create more specters. You might be thinking of wraiths, which can create specters.

[Pyrophilios]

Specters can still move their lips - so if you get the observant feat, you can read their lips. Otherwise telepathy also works.
Once that is done, you can command the specter to tell you information about their past live. Post mortem interrogation the easy way.

[kbob]

The reason most people see the Accursed specter as bad is because Hexblade is a very, very combat centric subclass, therefore drawing mostly combat centric players.

I get that. However, I personally think that focusing merely on combat as a Hexblade (H) (with specter or not) severely nerfs the full potential of the H. I mean it’s designed as a frontline but it is arguably the best straight gish because it’s a full caster. It’s still a warlock, though H changes the role/thematics of the primary class more than any other subclass IMO (but that’s another convo). Yes, warlock is the weakest full caster class due to limited spell slots but he is still a full caster. The Hexblade can serve as Most roles in the party depending upon how you build him. I play him as such. He is primarily a front liner but he is support at times and does just fine with utility. Using the specter as utility seems to work. He helps to augment what the H is trying to accomplish. I still use him in combat at times. He can take out some of the smaller mooks (sp?) and his resistances and immunities come in handy. But all the other ways to abuse him are really where the value come in. And for that, I would take him over an animal companion any day. He springs traps, scouts, retrieves (though I realize he can’t go take items through walls), delivers healing potions/items to other party members (had several downed party members wake up with a specter hovering them), move through NPCs/enemies with concealed equipment to see what they have, and the list goes on. I find him very abusable and potentially broken.

I was wrong about raising people he kills as specters. The con save/lowered max HP just kills the target not raise them as specters like wraiths. This has not come up as the DC to save is pretty easy and only commoners would be reliable ways to fail.

[Jerrykhor]

I don't think it is underrated at all. I played a Hexblade for a full campaign, and at best it was a decent nightwatch to guard you while you sleep, at worst it dies before it can do anything. Any form of AOE kills it easily. Its a weak combatant in general, helping you deal a bit of damage, but for some reason i always roll low on its attack rolls.

Most people including me would rather replace this with some other ability though. We don't want to deal with minionmancy when we roll Hexblade, it doesn't fit the fluff, and its just bothersome in general for little reward. Also, depending on your campaign, some might find Humanoids to be not common enemies. If you need a scout, you shouldn't have to find a random expendable humanoid just to use your ability. Easier to just Find Familiar or send your Rogue.

The cute thing i notice is that you can raise the Specter for free, no Action or Reaction required.

[kbob]

I don't think it is underrated at all. I played a Hexblade for a full campaign, and at best it was a decent nightwatch to guard you while you sleep, at worst it dies before it can do anything. Any form of AOE kills it easily. Its a weak combatant in general, helping you deal a bit of damage, but for some reason i always roll low on its attack rolls.

Most people including me would rather replace this with some other ability though. We don't want to deal with minionmancy when we roll Hexblade, it doesn't fit the fluff, and its just bothersome in general for little reward. Also, depending on your campaign, some might find Humanoids to be not common enemies. If you need a scout, you shouldn't have to find a random expendable humanoid just to use your ability. Easier to just Find Familiar or send your Rogue.

The cute thing i notice is that you can raise the Specter for free, no Action or Reaction required.

I understand the theme issue. It personally works for me but I do see it as an issue for others. However, the theme is not my focal point. If conceded that the theme is mismatched, it still doesn’t mean it’s not underrated. It still can have a lot a value or not much at all. As far as AoE or dying easy, I would reiterate that combat is not where the real value is.
Scouting can be done with a rogue or familiar but they don’t go through walls. What’s beyond that door waiting to ambush us? Send the specter 1/4 through the wall to peak and come back. What’s in the locked chest? Oh it’s a poison trap? Well he’s immune and was expendable even if he wasn’t. Door barred from other side meaning party has to find another way? Nope. Door that has perfect seal all around that stops arcane eye (no 1” gap). Not a problem.
As far as not coming across many humanoids? Most campaigns I’ve been in have plenty of them. Some do not though. However, finding a work around is usually not too hard especially if you’re playing an evil character.
I’ve gotten a lot of use out of them as I usually try to keep them out of dangerous combat. They are too valuable in other ways for me.

[MrStabby]

I don't think it is underrated at all. I played a Hexblade for a full campaign, and at best it was a decent nightwatch to guard you while you sleep, at worst it dies before it can do anything. Any form of AOE kills it easily. Its a weak combatant in general, helping you deal a bit of damage, but for some reason i always roll low on its attack rolls.

Most people including me would rather replace this with some other ability though. We don't want to deal with minionmancy when we roll Hexblade, it doesn't fit the fluff, and its just bothersome in general for little reward. Also, depending on your campaign, some might find Humanoids to be not common enemies. If you need a scout, you shouldn't have to find a random expendable humanoid just to use your ability. Easier to just Find Familiar or send your Rogue.

The cute thing i notice is that you can raise the Specter for free, no Action or Reaction required.

I think this is a bit harsh - it really isn't that vulnerable to AOE because of its resistances. At level 6 when you get it, it will have 25HP (including temp HP). Something like a fireball would therefore need to roll 50+ on the damage to take this down, assumining it fails the save. That is monumentally unlikely.

As you go up levels it is true it doesn't scale well - by the time you are hitting cone of cold at level 9 those 25HP will only leave it with a 98% chance of survival. Now if it walks into a seventh level AOE like delayed blast fireball (and assuming it is still at hexblade 6 so no more THP) then its chances of surviving (again assuming a failed save) are down to a measily 93.5% (by my approximation). Sure there are AOE spells like maelstrom and the like that will bypass its resistances... but then there are some like horrid wilting to which it is immune.

I mean, I am not saying it is particularly sturdy, and to be fair, there are some scary AOE effects out there, like it has a pretty tiny chance of surviving a failed save against an ancient red dragon's breath - but I wouldn't hold that against it; not many summoned creatures can withstand 26d6 damage at all; least of all those that don't cost resources.

[Jerrykhor]

I understand the theme issue. It personally works for me but I do see it as an issue for others. However, the theme is not my focal point. If conceded that the theme is mismatched, it still doesn’t mean it’s not underrated. It still can have a lot a value or not much at all. As far as AoE or dying easy, I would reiterate that combat is not where the real value is.
Scouting can be done with a rogue or familiar but they don’t go through walls. What’s beyond that door waiting to ambush us? Send the specter 1/4 through the wall to peak and come back. What’s in the locked chest? Oh it’s a poison trap? Well he’s immune and was expendable even if he wasn’t. Door barred from other side meaning party has to find another way? Nope. Door that has perfect seal all around that stops arcane eye (no 1” gap). Not a problem.
As far as not coming across many humanoids? Most campaigns I’ve been in have plenty of them. Some do not though. However, finding a work around is usually not too hard especially if you’re playing an evil character.
I’ve gotten a lot of use out of them as I usually try to keep them out of dangerous combat. They are too valuable in other ways for me.

Technically its not a good scout either. Unless you can see through its eyes, how do you know where to move it? Its really not a replacement for proper scouting tools. It can check whats behind a door or wall, that's about it. If you have to find a goblin or whatever to kill first, then the whole place is probably alerted already.

In my experience, by the time the Specter is summoned, combat is nearly over, and we are going home.

[prototype00]

I think it’s a question of the pillars, for exploration Spectres are pretty neat, especially if you have some forethought and bring a letter-board (they can’t speak).

Killed a member of an evil organization? Get the Spectre to spill *everything* about the layout, traps and treasure to be found in there as well as any weaknesses you can exploit. Scouting has already been mentioned of course.

In combat, depending on level, one trick I like to make use of is to command the Spectre to give me advantage on my attacks. If I Crit (good chance as a Hexblade) activate Eldritch smite for 12d6 damage.

In other words, treat it as a very versatile familiar, it’s always useful if you do that.

[kbob]

Technically its not a good scout either. Unless you can see through its eyes, how do you know where to move it? Its really not a replacement for proper scouting tools. It can check whats behind a door or wall, that's about it. If you have to find a goblin or whatever to kill first, then the whole place is probably alerted already.

In my experience, by the time the Specter is summoned, combat is nearly over, and we are going home.

You say that like, going through walls is not a huge advantage. That’s pretty big. Imagine a char class or race that had that ability always on. In dungeon crawls, the place typically gets alerted at some point anyway. If they alter something before I can send a specter to find out (haven’t killed anything yet) then I wouldn’t know anyway. The specter would find out what has been changed though, if anything. Knowing what lies in wait is a huge bonus. Knowing how to approach a problem ahead of time is better than any buff you can get. Knowledge truly is power.
I won’t argue with your experience cuz your experience is your own. However, this is not the same experience that I have. And even if it were the case, there is usually more than one encounter (humanoids found all throughout). So I still have an entire dungeon to crawl before I can “go home”. I still have a lot of mileage to get out of him. And if I need to keep him safe in the meantime, he hops in my bag of holding. Not like he has to breath or anything.

[kbob]

I think it’s a question of the pillars, for exploration Spectres are pretty neat, especially if you have some forethought and bring a letter-board (they can’t speak).

Killed a member of an evil organization? Get the Spectre to spill *everything* about the layout, traps and treasure to be found in there as well as any weaknesses you can exploit. Scouting has already been mentioned of course.

In combat, depending on level, one trick I like to command the Spectre to give me advantage on my attacks. If I Crit (good chance as a Hexblade) activate Eldritch smite for 12d6 damage.

In other words, treat it as a very versatile familiar, it’s always useful if you do that.

I completely agree! It’s a familiar with a lot more abilities. The only down fall is you have to get another one after each long rest. next encounter thought and you have a good chance of being solid again. If you’re evil it’s even easier. Just have a hireling (or slave) as a back up. “You’re hired to merely map keep our dungeon. I will keep you safe!” (Mutters to self “unless I can’t find a replacement for my specter”).
And I love the idea about getting info out of a gang member! It’s like speak with dead except with pen and ink... and they have to obey you.

[Jerrykhor]

You say that like, going through walls is not a huge advantage. That’s pretty big. Imagine a char class or race that had that ability always on. In dungeon crawls, the place typically gets alerted at some point anyway. If they alter something before I can send a specter to find out (haven’t killed anything yet) then I wouldn’t know anyway. The specter would find out what has been changed though, if anything. Knowing what lies in wait is a huge bonus. Knowing how to approach a problem ahead of time is better than any buff you can get. Knowledge truly is power.
I won’t argue with your experience cuz your experience is your own. However, this is not the same experience that I have. And even if it were the case, there is usually more than one encounter (humanoids found all throughout). So I still have an entire dungeon to crawl before I can “go home”. I still have a lot of mileage to get out of him. And if I need to keep him safe in the meantime, he hops in my bag of holding. Not like he has to breath or anything.

My point is: Its not underrated because its not reliable. If i can't have it when i need it, then its not good. Dungeon not populated with humanoids? No level 6 feature. If it has, you still need to land the killing blow. Easier said than done, you have to take into account turn orders, missing attacks, party member kill steal etc.

Humanoid enemies get rarer the higher level you go. Its just an overall terrible feature when it hinges on a specific creature type, IMO. Sure, its easier if you play an evil character, just bring along an orphan to sacrifice before every adventure, but that's not the way i roll.

[kbob]

My point is: Its not underrated because its not reliable. If i can't have it when i need it, then its not good. Dungeon not populated with humanoids? No level 6 feature. If it has, you still need to land the killing blow. Easier said than done, you have to take into account turn orders, missing attacks, party member kill steal etc.

Humanoid enemies get rarer the higher level you go. Its just an overall terrible feature when it hinges on a specific creature type, IMO. Sure, its easier if you play an evil character, just bring along an orphan to sacrifice before every adventure, but that's not the way i roll.

I won’t argue further against your point. I get it but I just don’t agree in lieu of my experience. But I do appreciate your input on my post.

[LudicSavant]

Personally I’m not quite sure what naysayers are expecting from the ability. A companion as strong as a PC? Accursed Specter is a single class feature on an already-strong chassis giving you an entire creature on top of a PC, without competing for resources or anything. It doesn’t need to do all that much to be good, IMHO.

So if it's bad, I have to wonder "compared to what"? Like what's the opportunity cost here? Deciding to play Hexblade 6 instead of Fiend 6? Because I don't think many would argue that Hexblade 6 is a bad package deal.

[Jerrykhor]

Personally I’m not quite sure what naysayers are expecting from the ability. A companion as strong as a PC? It’s a single class feature on an already-strong chassis giving you an entire creature on top of a PC, without competing for resources or anything. It doesn’t need to do all that much to be good.

I have already said my case clearly enough. {Scrubbed} Because by your argument, Beastmaster ranger would be the strongest subclass in the game.

[LudicSavant]

I have already said my case clearly enough. {Scrub the post, scrub the quote} Because by your argument, Beastmaster ranger would be the strongest subclass in the game.

Okay so first of all, I wasn't even replying to you in particular.

Second of all, a Beastmaster Ranger would certainly not be "the strongest subclass in the game by my argument," because a Beastmaster Ranger without its beast is not nearly so capable a package as a Hexblade without its specter.

[Jerrykhor]

No, a Beastmaster Ranger would certainly not be "the strongest subclass in the game by my argument," because a Beastmaster Ranger without its beast is not nearly so capable a package as a Hexblade without its specter.

{Scrubbed}

[ProsecutorGodot]

Personally I’m not quite sure what naysayers are expecting from the ability. A companion as strong as a PC? It’s a single class feature on an already-strong chassis giving you an entire creature on top of a PC. It doesn’t need to do all that much to be good, much like a familiar doesn’t.

Which at the time wasn't even all that impressive (you're not wrong drawing the familiar comparison, this is pretty close to a glorified familiar) and its even less so now that there are a number of subclasses who get proficiency scaling pets that can be used more frequently with better stats. It's a pretty bad pet because in most cases you can summon it there's a risk of it dying shortly after or doing very little (as a combat pet) as the combat is already over now being the aforementioned glorified familiar, one with the downside that it can't be hidden in a pocket dimension and that would likely draw negative attention in public spaces. Of course it also has several benefits (it's a pretty good scout, and if the DM is willing, source of information from the slain target) that may or may not make up for that.

I agree though, it's probably good that Hexblade has a "dead" level, it just kind of feels backwards because it being pretty average is only more incentive to dip rather than commit to a full Warlock character. I tend to think of it as a ribbon ability, any practical use you get from it is a pleasant surprise.

My issues with the ability are mostly narrative. Personal opinions ahead - Firstly I feel like its out of place in the subclass, sudden minionmancy and spirit binding flies in from left field. Secondly, It obeys your orders, but this says nothing about what actions it might take if you don't actually order it or whether it can follow orders in bad faith ways in line with its hateful and destructive tendencies. The most player favorable answer is that it does nothing, following you passively waiting for further commands and when given a command it follows it exactly as intended... but that doesn't feel at all like what a Specter would do, because this is an actual Specter and not just a creature that is functionally identical to one. It's yours to order around, but only when you order it.

[LudicSavant]

{Scrubbed}

No, I am not getting off topic, because the merits of Accursed Specter are intrinsically tied up with the merits of being a level 6+ Hexblade.

If something is a bad choice (from a mechanical optimization perspective), then the thing that makes it a bad choice is because its benefits don't measure up to the opportunity cost. And I'm not really seeing that from the Hexblade 6 ability.

To put it another way, if I don't pay a lot for something, then it only needs to have a little value to get my money's worth. It doesn't need to pull a ton of weight to be pulling its share of the weight, as it were.

[Jerrykhor]

No, I am not getting off topic, because the merits of Accursed Specter are intrinsically tied up with the merits of being a level 6+ Hexblade.

If something is a bad choice (from a mechanical optimization perspective), then the thing that makes it a bad choice is because its benefits don't measure up to the opportunity cost. And I'm not really seeing that from the Hexblade 6 ability.

To put it another way, if I don't pay a lot for something, then it only needs to have a little value to get my money's worth. It doesn't need to pull a ton of weight to be pulling its share of the weight, as it were.

The opportunity cost is having the 6 levels in warlock when you could have multiclassed. This is why i also disagree that its ok to have a weak level 6 feature just because the subclass is frontloaded: This is exactly why 'warlock dips' exist. Its easy to not feel bad about taking 2 levels in warlock because the rest the class has to offer is not good. Some Sorcadins have 6 levels in paladin just for the Aura of Protection.

Also, the reason why Accursed Specter sucks is Pact of the Chain. You want a proper scouting pet? There it is. Most of them can fly, be invisible, is tiny, have hands, can shapeshift, and are cuter than a Specter. All the things your Specter can do, it can do too, except phase through walls. But most of them can Shapeshift to be as small as a spider or centipede to squeeze through 1 inch gaps.

[LudicSavant]

The opportunity cost is having the 6 levels in warlock when you could have multiclassed.

Yes, that is indeed the opportunity cost. And, as I just said, I don't feel like it's a bad thing to go 6+ in Hexblade.

[MrStabby]

The opportunity cost is having the 6 levels in warlock when you could have multiclassed. This is why i also disagree that its ok to have a weak level 6 feature just because the subclass is frontloaded: This is exactly why 'warlock dips' exist. Its easy to not feel bad about taking 2 levels in warlock because the rest the class has to offer is not good. Some Sorcadins have 6 levels in paladin just for the Aura of Protection.

Also, the reason why Accursed Specter sucks is Pact of the Chain. You want a proper scouting pet? There it is. Most of them can fly, be invisible, is tiny, have hands, can shapeshift, and are cuter than a Specter. All the things your Specter can do, it can do too, except phase through walls. But most of them can Shapeshift to be as small as a spider or centipede to squeeze through 1 inch gaps.

I think that Hexblade continues to offer a lot over most of the early levels. Level 1 is obvious, level 2 gives invocations, level 3 gives a pact and can let the hexblade weapon be any weapon type (and 2nd level spells), level 4 is an ASI, level 5 can be a source of extra attack (and 3rd level spells)... level 6 is where the quality of what you get for a weapon focussed character falls off - it doesn't mean it is bad, but it does mean that your 6th level is a tempting place to multiclass for many.

A hexblade pact of the chain character is prefectly viable... but it doesn't really lean that much on what makes the hexblade special so I think they are likely to be less attractive. The spectre lets you get both a scouting summoned monster AND thebenefits of pact of the blade on the same character.

[JackPhoenix]

Specters can still move their lips - so if you get the observant feat, you can read their lips.

That's quite a trick, considering they don't have lips, if the illustration if the illustration in the MM is anything to go by.


Otherwise telepathy also works. Once that is done, you can command the specter to tell you information about their past live. Post mortem interrogation the easy way.

Good luck with that too, assuming you'll get 2-way telepathy in the first place, because "Specters no longer possess connections to who or what they were".

[Hael]

The Specter was quite useful, and yes its chronically underrated. First of it does sneaky amounts of damage. 8 dpr + a reaction (so potentially 16 dpr) is quite good in tier 2 and even tier 3. Its incorporeal which means you can send it through the floor and it will be untargetable for awhile while you accept 5 damage a round. That means with the temphp it can survive about 5 rounds of combat, even if you're up against dragons and stuff like that. You could also imagine having it end its turn inside enemies (the DM would need to decide how much damage that meant to the opponent as it does not specify). You could combo it with something like a Twilight cleric, and basically make it invulnerable. Its absolutely fantastic to harrass backline casters and weak ranged enemies b/c of its speed, and of course it will be flat out immune to a lot of creatures (necrotic and poison Iirc).
Its best use is for triggering traps, or interacting with potentially dangerous objects.

The problem is that it doesn't really feel 'martial', so its more a question of form than function.


level 6 is where the quality of what you get for a weapon focussed character falls off - it doesn't mean it is bad, but it does mean that your 6th level is a tempting place to multiclass for many.
.

I mean sort of. People will take lvls of fighter, gloomstalker and paladin to improve the martial feel of the character (as the only obvious upgrades to the Hexblades martial side are armor of hexes, ASIs, and a few lategame invocations like lifedrinker and maybe upgraded pact weapon), but again that's more form than function.

Hexblades are casters, and their spells start outscaling anything dips in those martial classes can provide. For instance, lvl 7 provides Shadows of Moil, one of the best spells in the game for a Gish, and a huge martial dpr boost. Alternatively, and even more optimally you can start spitting out 1 hr, always on summons that are going to make an absolute mockery of the sort of sustained DPR that dipping into those other classes can provide. For instance you can start spitting out feys that not only provide advantage to you, but also are doing quasi martial like damage by themselves. At later levels, beholderkins. From a pure X and O perspective, its really hard to beat that sort of effective utility.

So I mean high level Hexblades suffer from the high level bladesinger problem, just to a lesser extent. Namely that while swinging and hitting things is still perfectly viable, at some point, just being a full caster means that sometimes its better not to be.

[Unoriginal]

Notice, for example, that Travis Willingham has used the accursed specter on critical role once, and it had mostly no use.

Accursed Specter requires you to kill an humanoid. The reason why Travis Willingham only used it once and it had mostly no use is because he killed the enemy near the end of the fight, and since then he basically never killed any humanoid.

It's not an indicator of how useful that ability can be, in any circumstances.

Though it IS notably more powerful in campaigns where there's plenty of humanoid mooks to fight.

[Keravath]

My point is: Its not underrated because its not reliable. If i can't have it when i need it, then its not good. Dungeon not populated with humanoids? No level 6 feature. If it has, you still need to land the killing blow. Easier said than done, you have to take into account turn orders, missing attacks, party member kill steal etc.

Humanoid enemies get rarer the higher level you go. Its just an overall terrible feature when it hinges on a specific creature type, IMO. Sure, its easier if you play an evil character, just bring along an orphan to sacrifice before every adventure, but that's not the way i roll.

I'd have to agree from my own experiences. I have a level 9 hexblade/1 sorcerer and have had the feature for 4 levels now.

- the party has to fight humanoids
- the warlock to get the killing blow
- once it dies the warlock needs a long rest before it can use it again

Fulfilling these conditions can be tough in a larger party especially when I won't usually call out "Hey! Leave that one for me so I can make a spectre".

Using it as a scout is almost useless due to communications issues. The spectre obeys your verbal commands but nothing it there says it is either loyal to the warlock or does anything that to help unless specifically ordered.

In addition, it is neither invulnerable, nor invisible - its only special scouting ability is the ability to pass through solid surfaces. However, the creatures a 6th level party typically encounters would likely have little problem dealing with a lone spectre caught scouting on its own.

In addition, "Specters no longer possess connections to who or what they were"

Its a DM call, but that spectre may not have any recollections of the humanoid they were before being transformed. On the other hand the spectre does know the languages it knew in life so there could be some residue making it a DM call.

Finally, a spectre can't be used effectively outside during the day due to sunlight sensitivity and if the warlock has a spectre following it around through town that is likely to be a problem.

---

Anyway, in actual play, I have found the feature to be extremely situational and much more of a novelty than something very useful.

[Thunderous Mojo]

Accursed Specter prevents the slain humanoid whom had their soul ripped out and transformed into the specter, from being returned to life.

As the Accursed Specter lasts until the END of your next Long Rest, this potentially meaning that an 8 Hour window exists where the King is irrevocably dead, for a limited time. People, really can't imagine a creative use for an ability like this on a PC?

I can envision Drow Houses using tactics like this quite frequently. It is hard to keep a Matron Mother permanently dead, but Accursed Specter can give you a window of time to keep a humanoid "under control".

The ability itself is broadly worded, and provides little guidance on the range of the power. If a Hexblade poisons the wine of King Jeremiah, whom in all their regal majesty, boards a ship and sails leagues away, only to drink and be slain by the poison many hours later....can the Warlock still raise the specter?

Technically, nothing prohibits the above scenario from occurring.

A CR1 Specter compares favorably to the Ghostly summons of a Summon Undead spell cast with a 3rd level spell slot. The Ghostly Summons from the Summon Undead spell likely will have a better to hit, damage, and saving throw DC scores compared to a Monster Manual Specter.

The Monster Manual specter has better resistances and a more powerful version of Incorporeal Movement compared to the Ghostly undead spirit of the Summon Undead spell. A specter just takes damage when the specter ends it's turn inside a solid object...the Ghostly Summons is expelled from the object, and takes damage.

An Accursed Specter can take advantage of efficient party resources, such as the Temporary Hit Points granted by a Protector Canon or the Inspiring Leader feat. Regular access to THP and walls means the specter can use these both to skirmish.

I'm surprised at how being granted the ability to summon an extra set of actions, for up to a minimum of eight hours, is somehow considered 'worthless' by so many.

Warlock is a class that can be a summoner. XGE established that through Dance Macabre, Summon Lesser and Greater Demons, and Infernal Calling all being on the Warlock spell list. The Soul Cage spell is also a Warlock spell.

Accursed Specter seems thematically consistent for a Hexblade, given this.

What I find truly amusing/dismaying is that no one has raised an ethical objection to using the Accursed Specter ability.

Killing Hitler, ripping Hitler's soul from his dead body, and using Hitler's Ghost to kill other Nazis isn't a 'good' act.

Beyond the consent issues, something or someone being 'evil' doesn't mean one gets to inflict unspeakable torture upon the wrongdoer and claim your virtue is intact.

Even Plato, an Athenian nobleman, stated that Revenge and Retribution, while staples in the life of Athenian Nobility, often didn't contribute to The Good.

Apparently such Roleplaying concerns are beneath notice. 🃏

[kbob]

Accursed Specter prevents the slain humanoid whom had their soul ripped out and transformed into the specter, from being returned to life.

As the Accursed Specter lasts until the END of your next Long Rest, this potentially meaning that an 8 Hour window exists where the King is irrevocably dead, for a limited time. People, really can't imagine a creative use for an ability like this on a PC?

I can envision Drow Houses using tactics like this quite frequently. It is hard to keep a Matron Mother permanently dead, but Accursed Specter can give you a window of time to keep a humanoid "under control".

The ability itself is broadly worded, and provides little guidance on the range of the power. If a Hexblade poisons the wine of King Jeremiah, whom in all their regal majesty, boards a ship and sails leagues away, only to drink and be slain by the poison many hours later....can the Warlock still raise the specter?

Technically, nothing prohibits the above scenario from occurring.

A CR1 Specter compares favorably to the Ghostly summons of a Summon Undead spell cast with a 3rd level spell slot. The Ghostly Summons from the Summon Undead spell likely will have a better to hit, damage, and saving throw DC scores compared to a Monster Manual Specter.

The Monster Manual specter has better resistances and a more powerful version of Incorporeal Movement compared to the Ghostly undead spirit of the Summon Undead spell. A specter just takes damage when the specter ends it's turn inside a solid object...the Ghostly Summons is expelled from the object, and takes damage.

An Accursed Specter can take advantage of efficient party resources, such as the Temporary Hit Points granted by a Protector Canon or the Inspiring Leader feat. Regular access to THP and walls means the specter can use these both to skirmish.

I'm surprised at how being granted the ability to summon an extra set of actions, for up to a minimum of eight hours, is somehow considered 'worthless' by so many.

Warlock is a class that can be a summoner. XGE established that through Dance Macabre, Summon Lesser and Greater Demons, and Infernal Calling all being on the Warlock spell list. The Soul Cage spell is also a Warlock spell.

Accursed Specter seems thematically consistent for a Hexblade, given this.

What I find truly amusing/dismaying is that no one has raised an ethical objection to using the Accursed Specter ability.

Killing Hitler, ripping Hitler's soul from his dead body, and using Hitler's Ghost to kill other Nazis isn't a 'good' act.

Beyond the consent issues, something or someone being 'evil' doesn't mean one gets to inflict unspeakable torture upon the wrongdoer and claim your virtue is intact.

Even Plato, an Athenian nobleman, stated that Revenge and Retribution, while staples in the life of Athenian Nobility, often didn't contribute to The Good.

Apparently such Roleplaying concerns are beneath notice. 🃏

I wish we could like comments on here. ^

[Valmark]

So I see a lot of people suggest that the accursed specter ability from the Hexblade is “ok” or “meh”. I don’t see it. For me personally, I get a lot of mileage out of it. He does help fight which that he is meh or ok. However, I usually use him for other things.
He’s my scout as he can fly and go through walls. He can’t talk but he can write things down. Even though he has the Incorporeal trait, he does not have the ephemeral trait, meaning he can interact with physical objects. He is a great “meat?” Shield against things that do necrotic damage as he is immune. He can retrieve things for me with his fly ability. He has stolen countless things from peoples homes and businesses at night. Gives me the help action on attacks and sometimes intimidate (when the DM is so inclined). He’s easy to get, just land a killing blow on a humanoid (person). Bandits, goblins, orcs, slaves (my character not exactly the textbook “hero”).
I haven’t done this cuz i don’t want to derail a campaign but I thought about how funny it would be to let him lose at night to kill all the commoners in a village and have them all turn into specters too. Then I “save the day” by killing them all.
Anyways, I use him for a lot (some I haven’t even posted) and don’t see why people don’t see this as potentially broken as I do. I mean you have an undead pet that can fly and go through walls. What are your thoughts? Does anyone else abuse their pet and seek to keep one around at all times?

I don't think it's underrated at all- it's unreliable at best, detrimental at worst.

Summoning it in the first place requires you to land the finishing blow on an enemy AND that it's a humanoid- one of these limitations alone could make it so that you never use one in the whole campaign, depending on how lucky you are.

Then there's the issue that it has very limited uses- in combat it has low hp and AC with a good to-hit bonus (if you don't fight under the sun) but relatively weak damage while out of combat it's creepy to bring around (which could be an issue) and while it can pass through walls it has an awful Stealth modifier, meaning that it's likely to get discovered. And if it doesn't get discovered it still can't bring you anything or report anything without moving through normal passages or without investment on your part.

Best bet would be using it as a distraction to smuggle in the group or get the enemy by surprise.

If it didn't have such requirements to be summoned in the first place then it'd be a fairly good feature- but for the limitations it has it doesn't do nowhere enough in or out of combat.

Also you can't have multiple specters at the same time.

[kbob]

I don't think it's underrated at all- it's unreliable at best, detrimental at worst.

Summoning it in the first place requires you to land the finishing blow on an enemy AND that it's a humanoid- one of these limitations alone could make it so that you never use one in the whole campaign, depending on how lucky you are.

Then there's the issue that it has very limited uses- in combat it has low hp and AC with a good to-hit bonus (if you don't fight under the sun) but relatively weak damage while out of combat it's creepy to bring around (which could be an issue) and while it can pass through walls it has an awful Stealth modifier, meaning that it's likely to get discovered. And if it doesn't get discovered it still can't bring you anything or report anything without moving through normal passages or without investment on your part.

Best bet would be using it as a distraction to smuggle in the group or get the enemy by surprise.

If it didn't have such requirements to be summoned in the first place then it'd be a fairly good feature- but for the limitations it has it doesn't do nowhere enough in or out of combat.

Also you can't have multiple specters at the same time.

All of the above has been discussed already.
It’s not as hard as people make it out to be to get. It lasts long. It has more potential in combat than people give credit to it. Most importantly, it’s strongest uses are out of combat (this is where it does great!). But you can get a better explanation of these by going through the comments.

[Valmark]

All of the above has been discussed already.
It’s not as hard as people make it out to be to get. It lasts long. It has more potential in combat than people give credit to it. Most importantly, it’s strongest uses are out of combat (this is where it does great!). But you can get a better explanation of these by going through the comments.

I red them- and I disagree. It's easy to discover and can't take anything with it while still passing through walls and cannot even tell you what it saw without telepathy or a favorable DM ruling. It performs great in situations were stealth isn't a concern but sending a scout is- which are very niche.

Dunno, maybe it's a difference in experiences, but in most campaigns I've been in it'd have been useless as a scout where it'd have mattered. If not damaging by potentially alerting everybody.

In combat all it has going for it is a good to-hit bonus, unless you can leverage resistances/immunities.

Dunno about you, but fighting mostly humanoids I managed to use it 0 times because I couldn't deal the finishing blow. Then we moved to undeads and there was absolutely no chance to use it at all anymore. So yes, it goes from impossible to moderately difficult in terms of being able to summon it, depending on luck and how many characters there are that deal damage.

Lastly, keep in mind that there are social interactions where it can be negative by simply existing.

[kbob]

I red them- and I disagree. It's easy to discover and can't take anything with it while still passing through walls and cannot even tell you what it saw without telepathy or a favorable DM ruling. It performs great in situations were stealth isn't a concern but sending a scout is- which are very niche.

Dunno, maybe it's a difference in experiences, but in most campaigns I've been in it'd have been useless as a scout where it'd have mattered. If not damaging by potentially alerting everybody.

In combat all it has going for it is a good to-hit bonus, unless you can leverage resistances/immunities.

Dunno about you, but fighting mostly humanoids I managed to use it 0 times because I couldn't deal the finishing blow. Then we moved to undeads and there was absolutely no chance to use it at all anymore. So yes, it goes from impossible to moderately difficult in terms of being able to summon it, depending on luck and how many characters there are that deal damage.

Lastly, keep in mind that there are social interactions where it can be negative by simply existing.

I get a lot of use out it. It pretty much has let me trivialize several encounters. The fact it can go through walls is huge. It can in fact relay what it sees. They are in incorporeal but they do not have the emphemeral trait (cannot interact with physical objects). This means they just write down on a piece of parchment for you on what they saw.

I have gotten a lot of use out it. Getting one had been easy for me as humanoids can be found everywhere. Can’t get the killing blow? Get a teammate in battle to announce his final blow is non-lethal. Walk over and kill him. Of course I believe landing a killing blow the conventional way is a lot easier than others are suggesting. I mean maybe some campaigns only throw one villain at a time but we usually have many villains (especially mooks). Your a Hexblade. Killing ONE of them shouldn’t be a challenge. Maybe take a prisoner in an earlier fight and off him after your long rest before getting to your dungeon or wherever your going. If your evil (which is easy to conceive for a warlock) your task is even easier. Hirelings, slaves, anyone you can use your high charisma to follow you around, are all viable options.
I think it is limited by your imagination.

[Thunderous Mojo]

and while it can pass through walls it has an awful Stealth modifier, meaning that it's likely to get discovered.

A specter has a +2 to Stealth checks, only 1 less than an Owl's or Cat's +3 bonus to Stealth ability checks.

Yet, somehow, whenever this board brings up familiars, Owls flying around indoors, are apparently more quiet then an ant's whisper, and somehow can always hide.

(This statement is not directed at Valmark, just a general observation of the seemingly prevailing presumptions of the forum).

Clever play on a player's part can enhance the scouting ability of the specter. Instructing the specter to just peak it's ghostly head into the room, at a height level that likely is not going to be routinely looked at, is going to be sufficient to garner advantage, (or apply disadvantage to the occupant's Passive Perception) at many tables, in many circumstances.

To borrow from old MMO tactics, using an Accursed Specter to "pull" monsters to the group is a good usage for the specter. The specter only takes half damage from non magical B,P,S damage...and most other types of damage as well.

Unlike most familiars, a specter or poltergeist can survive being discovered. Seeing through your familiar's senses just results in seeing the deathblow, and the 'screen fading to black'. Heck...sometimes, the familiar won't even see the deathblow coming. 😉

👻>🦉

[ProsecutorGodot]

A specter has a +2 to Stealth checks, only 1 less than an Owl's or Cat's +3 bonus to Stealth ability checks.

Yet, somehow, whenever this board brings up familiars, Owls flying around indoors, are apparently more quiet then an ant's whisper, and somehow can always hide.

(This statement is not directed at Valmark, just a general observation of the seemingly prevailing presumptions of the forum).

Clever play on a player's part can enhance the scouting ability of the specter. Instructing the specter to just peak it's ghostly head into the room, at a height level that likely is not going to be routinely looked at, is going to be sufficient to garner advantage, (or apply disadvantage to the occupant's Passive Perception) at many tables, in many circumstances.

To borrow from old MMO tactics, using an Accursed Specter to "pull" monsters to the group is a good usage for the specter. The specter only takes half damage from non magical B,P,S damage...and most other types of damage as well.

Unlike most familiars, a specter or poltergeist can survive being discovered. Seeing through your familiar's senses just results in seeing the deathblow, and the 'screen fading to black'. Heck...sometimes, the familiar won't even see the deathblow coming. 😉

👻>🦉
Owls and Cats are also tiny, they are afforded much more opportunity to actually hide than a medium sized creature is regardless of it's stealth modifier.

For example, in an indoor setting support beams or even hung lights could be something for an owl to hide behind, a specter isn't going to be hiding behind those things, it's best chance at a stealthy approach is to hide inside something which damages it.

[Valmark]

I get a lot of use out it. It pretty much has let me trivialize several encounters. The fact it can go through walls is huge. It can in fact relay what it sees. They are in incorporeal but they do not have the emphemeral trait (cannot interact with physical objects). This means they just write down on a piece of parchment for you on what they saw.

I have gotten a lot of use out it. Getting one had been easy for me as humanoids can be found everywhere. Can’t get the killing blow? Get a teammate in battle to announce his final blow is non-lethal. Walk over and kill him. Of course I believe landing a killing blow the conventional way is a lot easier than others are suggesting. I mean maybe some campaigns only throw one villain at a time but we usually have many villains (especially mooks). Your a Hexblade. Killing ONE of them shouldn’t be a challenge. Maybe take a prisoner in an earlier fight and off him after your long rest before getting to your dungeon or wherever your going. If your evil (which is easy to conceive for a warlock) your task is even easier. Hirelings, slaves, anyone you can use your high charisma to follow you around, are all viable options.
I think it is limited by your imagination.
The issue with those ways to get it is that they're all pretty evil- which in my experience means that you aren't capable of using them most of the time. Although playing in groups with neutral-to-evil parties would make it likely easier, yes.

The writing thing was included in the DM-favorable ruling- specter supposedly don't possess the memories of what they were, so they might not remember how to write or read depending on the DM's interpretation.

A specter has a +2 to Stealth checks, only 1 less than an Owl's or Cat's +3 bonus to Stealth ability checks.

Yet, somehow, whenever this board brings up familiars, Owls flying around indoors, are apparently more quiet then an ant's whisper, and somehow can always hide.

(This statement is not directed at Valmark, just a general observation of the seemingly prevailing presumptions of the forum).

Clever play on a player's part can enhance the scouting ability of the specter. Instructing the specter to just peak it's ghostly head into the room, at a height level that likely is not going to be routinely looked at, is going to be sufficient to garner advantage, (or apply disadvantage to the occupant's Passive Perception) at many tables, in many circumstances.

To borrow from old MMO tactics, using an Accursed Specter to "pull" monsters to the group is a good usage for the specter. The specter only takes half damage from non magical B,P,S damage...and most other types of damage as well.

Unlike most familiars, a specter or poltergeist can survive being discovered. Seeing through your familiar's senses just results in seeing the deathblow, and the 'screen fading to black'. Heck...sometimes, the familiar won't even see the deathblow coming. 😉

👻>🦉

The thing about familiars is that a specter will tipically freak everybody out while an animal getting into a place isn't weird (most of the time).

In addition the familiars are much smaller, meaning they can hide better then a specter.

Using them to attract hostiles away from/to you is an actually good tactic yeah, it's one of the first things I thought reading it the first time- you can't get much more distracting then a sudden ghost (well probably a sudden dragon, but they aren't exactly easy to get).

[Thunderous Mojo]

Owls and Cats are also tiny, they are afforded much more opportunity to actually hide than a medium sized creature is regardless of it's stealth modifier.
A DM could rule that small creatures create small sized specters.

More importantly, a specter can stay inside an object, it just takes damage. A specter can wear a wall, a floor, a ceiling, like a great enveloping blanket, with only their eyes peeking out to inspect a room.

Ghostly eyes peeking from the crown molding on the the ceiling/wall of the room meets the criteria of Tiny size for D&D, in my judgment.


For example, in an indoor setting support beams or even hung lights could be something for an owl to hide behind, a specter isn't going to be hiding behind those things, it's best chance at a stealthy approach is to hide inside something which damages it.
A specter might be hiding in the beams, as you pointed out. The poltergeist variant of the specter is also, natively, invisible.



The thing about familiars is that a specter will tipically freak everybody out while an animal getting into a place isn't weird (most of the time).

Insects and Rats in restaurants can cause consternation amongst the patrons, and I have personally seen a pigeon flying around the interior of a store create absolute bedlam.🐹😀

I do certainly concede, that if I ever find a 'ghost in my soup' I will be very "freaked out".

More importantly, though, I would wager, that most of us that participate on this message board do not believe that magical servants that can spy on you for their masters, actually exist, (The CIA's use of insect audio-visual 'bugs' notwithstanding).

I don't think it would be that much of a stretch to assume, that even in a D&D world that had strictures similar to the Harry Potter universe,(namely, magic exists, but is actively concealed from most inhabitants of the world), that a guard in the secret Azkaban Prison for Magical Murderers is going to be under strict orders to kill all foreign animals found wandering the grounds.

Tell a group of paranoid D&D players that their Passive Perception noticed a spider on the wall, and a 20 minute discussion of wether it is a familiar, and whom is spying on the group can likely be the outcome. (At least that is true of my friends 😆).

[ProsecutorGodot]

A DM could rule that small creatures create small sized specters.

More importantly, a specter can stay inside an object, it just takes damage. A specter can wear a wall, a floor, a ceiling, like a great enveloping blanket, with only their eyes peeking out to inspect a room.

Ghostly eyes peeking from the crown molding on the the ceiling/wall of the room meets the criteria of Tiny size for D&D, in my judgment.

It's not going to be a set of eyes, it's going to be most of their face... Unless they've got some pretty far forward eye sockets, past their nose even.


A specter might be hiding in the beams, as you pointed out. The poltergeist variant of the specter is also, natively, invisible.
They're not able to shift their shape, unless that beam is exceptionally large (or the specter exceptionally small) you're very likely going to see something poking out.

And you're not getting a poltergeist, so their ability to get invisible isn't really relevant.


Insects and Rats in restaurants can cause consternation amongst the patrons, and I have personally seen a pigeon flying around the interior of a store create absolute bedlam.🐹😀

I do certainly concede, that if I ever find a 'ghost in my soup' I will be very "freaked out".
Assuming you see them, which as a retail worker I can tell you doesn't happen as often for a patron as it does for an employee.

My point isn't that a bird or rodent is an incredible upgrade over a specter in terms of modifier but that they don't have to risk taking damage from their rather limited hit points for a decent hiding spot.

[micahaphone]

A DM could rule that small creatures create small sized specters.


"hey warlock, why do you have a gaggle of children and gnomes in a locked cage on the wagon?"

"scouting"

[kbob]

"hey warlock, why do you have a gaggle of children and gnomes in a locked cage on the wagon?"

"scouting"

😂 hahaha. Basically.

[Segev]

I'll just add my two cents: the ability itself is nifty and useful, but it feels so schizophrenic on the Hexblade that it is unsatisfying. It would be a fine feature for a patron that actually had solid theming around minions and/or undead.

[kbob]

I'll just add my two cents: the ability itself is nifty and useful, but it feels so schizophrenic on the Hexblade that it is unsatisfying. It would be a fine feature for a patron that actually had solid theming around minions and/or undead.

Though I personally like it, this criticism I completely understand. For some it certainly does not gel well with the theme of the subclass.

[BerzerkerUnit]

Though I personally like it, this criticism I completely understand. For some it certainly does not gel well with the theme of the subclass.

I've never understood that criticism since "evil blade that enslaves the souls of those it kills" seems really on brand.

I've played 2 HBs both past level 6 and never had an issue bringing a specter into a fight. I didn't need to be evil, I took jobs as "Executioner," there's always some criminal a village needs to get rid of or someone with a terminal illness wanting their suffering to end. Declare their post death servitude as payment or penance and it was fine.

In the probably 15 odd encounters where I had the specter, it was never attacked bc Fly 50 and incorporeal means it can move out of melee with Total Cover by slipping into the earth.

Combat wise it's nearly guaranteed ~10 damage a round on top of your HB PAM/GWM nonsense.

Felt like a solid feature to me.

As for people saying you can't use it to scout bc you can't share senses, it's an intelligent creature compelled to follow your directions. If you send it into a bandit fortress and tell it to count guards and locate the treasury, it will just do that. It doesn't need a remote control.

[Segev]

I've never understood that criticism since "evil blade that enslaves the souls of those it kills" seems really on brand.

I've played 2 HBs both past level 6 and never had an issue bringing a specter into a fight. I didn't need to be evil, I took jobs as "Executioner," there's always some criminal a village needs to get rid of or someone with a terminal illness wanting their suffering to end. Declare their post death servitude as payment or penance and it was fine.

In the probably 15 odd encounters where I had the specter, it was never attacked bc Fly 50 and incorporeal means it can move out of melee with Total Cover by slipping into the earth.

Combat wise it's nearly guaranteed ~10 damage a round on top of your HB PAM/GWM nonsense.

Felt like a solid feature to me.

As for people saying you can't use it to scout bc you can't share senses, it's an intelligent creature compelled to follow your directions. If you send it into a bandit fortress and tell it to count guards and locate the treasury, it will just do that. It doesn't need a remote control.

It is a perfectly viable scout and even assassin.

I find it athematic because "evil blade that steals souls" is not what your Patron is. Nor does the subclass support that outside of this one feature. It feels tacked-on because nothing about the subclass leans into it, and the class doesn't really support it with any of its mechanics, either. Everything else about it is making you a gish. This makes you a minionmancer.

Power-wise, it is fine. It just feels like it should be on a different subclass. Possibly a subclass that doesn't even exist yet.

[kbob]

It is a perfectly viable scout and even assassin.

I find it athematic because "evil blade that steals souls" is not what your Patron is. Nor does the subclass support that outside of this one feature. It feels tacked-on because nothing about the subclass leans into it, and the class doesn't really support it with any of its mechanics, either. Everything else about it is making you a gish. This makes you a minionmancer.

Power-wise, it is fine. It just feels like it should be on a different subclass. Possibly a subclass that doesn't even exist yet.

I think it comes from its change from UA which came from the original HB in 3.5. I’m not sure why the designers changed it from UA (too powerful or too weak?) but it was your shadow in the form of a hound. No one could see it but you. You could have it jump into someone else’s shadow and kept them from gaining the benefits of 1/2 or 2/3 cover. It also kept them from being able to hide from you, though I don’t think it worked with invisibility (never says it can and no shadow for the dog to hide in). The target also had a feeling of dread.
The original HB, which was its own class, had a familiar. However, with a class variant, you could forgo the familiar and have a dark companion. It is “forged from the night” or something like that and looks like a panther (not a hound). It can’t be attacked/damaged/targeted by spells nor can it do any of those. It mentally obeys your commands perfectly. If it is adjacent to any target, they take -2 to AC and all saves (no save to prevent nor any action to take for this to happen). Couple this with the HB curse from 3.5 (target has -2 attacks, saves, ability checks, skill checks, and damage rolls) and it was a pretty decent nerf. This all worked thematically as the HB was just that, a spellcasting melee class (Gish) that hexed or cursed it targets. A HEX- Blade. It was all about defuffing enemies. You were a walking curse or a vessel of doom to others. People close to you would feel uneasy and plants would whither (another alternate class feature mostly for flavor but similar to the effects of the UA panther in 5e). The class had other features that played off of hex/curse as well, including a feature similar to Paladins aura of protection (you add Cha mod to your saves, not companion, from magical effects... idea being your aura provides a curse that makes spells fail when targeting you). The class was really fun except it’s class defining feature (HB curse) was limited to once per day. It eventually got additional uses and scaled but that too was limited to 2 extra times over the course of 20 levels if I remember (someone can fact check me on that though). So it was like a tier 4 class. Cool concept, poor execution. One of the designers put out an unofficial redesign for it admitting they over estimated its debuffs. Most tables that I knew of used this unofficial revamp.
All that to say, I believe the specter is somehow the remanence of the hound which was a “shadowy” (pun intended) reflection of the alternate class ability, dark companion. The hound/panther seem obviously more in line with hexing/cursing things with what HB had/has going on. The specter is not so obvious. WotC often explains in detail thoughts or at least alludes to connections in themes of abilities/spells in their flavor text. However, sometimes they drop the ball and you are left to make the connections yourself. I believe the specter does fit because you cursed the target even in its death. Instead of going straight to the afterlife, it is now a specter, enslaved to your will. I believe this is where the specter came from and it’s reasoning. I personally get it but understand if others don’t.

[Segev]

I think it comes from its change from UA which came from the original HB in 3.5. I’m not sure why the designers changed it from UA (too powerful or too weak?) but it was your shadow in the form of a hound. No one could see it but you. You could have it jump into someone else’s shadow and kept them from gaining the benefits of 1/2 or 2/3 cover. It also kept them from being able to hide from you, though I don’t think it worked with invisibility (never says it can and no shadow for the dog to hide in). The target also had a feeling of dread.
The original HB, which was its own class, had a familiar. However, with a class variant, you could forgo the familiar and have a dark companion. It is “forged from the night” or something like that and looks like a panther (not a hound). It can’t be attacked/damaged/targeted by spells nor can it do any of those. It mentally obeys your commands perfectly. If it is adjacent to any target, they take -2 to AC and all saves (no save to prevent nor any action to take for this to happen). Couple this with the HB curse from 3.5 (target has -2 attacks, saves, ability checks, skill checks, and damage rolls) and it was a pretty decent nerf. This all worked thematically as the HB was just that, a spellcasting melee class (Gish) that hexed or cursed it targets. A HEX- Blade. It was all about defuffing enemies. You were a walking curse or a vessel of doom to others. People close to you would feel uneasy and plants would whither (another alternate class feature mostly for flavor but similar to the effects of the UA panther in 5e). The class had other features that played off of hex/curse as well, including a feature similar to Paladins aura of protection (you add Cha mod to your saves, not companion, from magical effects... idea being your aura provides a curse that makes spells fail when targeting you). The class was really fun except it’s class defining feature (HB curse) was limited to once per day. It eventually got additional uses and scaled but that too was limited to 2 extra times over the course of 20 levels if I remember (someone can fact check me on that though). So it was like a tier 4 class. Cool concept, poor execution. One of the designers put out an unofficial redesign for it admitting they over estimated its debuffs. Most tables that I knew of used this unofficial revamp.
All that to say, I believe the specter is somehow the remanence of the hound which was a “shadowy” (pun intended) reflection of the alternate class ability, dark companion. The hound/panther seem obviously more in line with hexing/cursing things with what HB had/has going on. The specter is not so obvious. WotC often explains in detail thoughts or at least alludes to connections in themes of abilities/spells in their flavor text. However, sometimes they drop the ball and you are left to make the connections yourself. I believe the specter does fit because you cursed the target even in its death. Instead of going straight to the afterlife, it is now a specter, enslaved to your will. I believe this is where the specter came from and it’s reasoning. I personally get it but understand if others don’t.

I didn't really like the "hound in your shadow" for the Hexblade, either. And a Hexblade, as written, can get a very nice familiar if he goes Pact of the Chain. The fact that Hexblade is a stealth patch to Pact of the Blade and thus you're almost required to go with that Pact undermines this, of course. I have a number of issues with the Hexblade "Patron." Many of them come from it being ... poorly fluffed.