Tabaxi glamor bard/hexblade

[Hiro Quester]

I’m probably going to play some combination of bard and hexblade in our next campaign. I have been trying to optimize a frontline sword-wielding caster type.

But the party I play in isn’t always particularly optimized, and I keep feeling drawn towards glamor bard (away from the more optimal swords or valor bard), mostly for roleplaying reasons.

Granting my party a free move action with temporary HP is pretty awesome.
Charming others with my storytelling, and issuing bonus action commands each round for a minute, without using a spell-slot, seems to have awesome uses both in combat and at parties.
And the 14th level ability to force a cha save on anyone who tries to attack me, and they are at disadvantage vs. my spells even if they succeed, seems very useful (perhaps more so than hexblade’s 50% miss armor of hexes).

And I was just reading about Tabaxi as a race. Playing a curious and athletic cat seems a nice complement to glamour bard. Being just overwhelmingly charming and majestic seems totally a cat’s play style. (More optimized would be variant human, or half elf.)

But the only way to get extra attack would be hexblade 5 for thirsting blade invocation (which means I would not get that until 11th level, and limits high-level spells later in my career).

This seems fun to play. At least in theory. But perhaps limited in abilities, if I don’t get extra attack from warlock’s thirsting blade, or valor or swords bard.

Is glamour bard as fun to role play and to play as it seems? I’d there a way to make it better?

Bard1/hexblade 1/Bard +5/X seems a good way to start. 14 dex, 15 con, 16 cha at the start. Once CHA is maxed, I’d take warcaster, resilient (con) and probably mage-slayer.

But how much hexblade to include? One more gets two invocations (agonizing blast and repelling blast seems advantageous). Are there other classes (paladin 2? Sorcerer?) or feats worth including?

Is it possible to play this as a frontline sword-wielding caster? Are there ways to improve it?

Eldrich blast, ice field, booming blade, and blade ward cantrips seem required. Hex and hellish rebuke as 1st level warlock spells (or is shield better?)

Is Shadow of Moil as a magical secret worth it? (Sacrificing things like counterspell or wall of force.)

Any advice from those who have played characters similar to this would be welcome, please and thank you.

[Grod_The_Giant]

Without Extra Attack, you're going to be relying on your blade cantrips, War Caster, and the smite spells from Hexblade. You'll never be a shining paragon of swordsmanship, but you'll at least have some passable whacks. I'd actually advise against taking Eldritch Blast, though, and especially not Agonizing Blast--they'd outclass your melee abilities so much that any turn you spend with a sword will feel like a total waste.

[LordShade]

EB, Booming blade, and even Blade Ward wouldn't be required if you're planning to use the Attack action most rounds.

Even as a sword user with Thirsting Blade, you won't be a top-tier damage dealer without using things like PAM or TWF, Eldritch Smite, and Lifedrinker. Your damage tops out at 2d8+10, basically.

Frontline sword-caster really is a swords or valor bard, but it sounds like you really want to play a Glamour bard. I think in your case I'd go with Hexblade 5/Glamour 15, in some combination, and maybe go with TWF with both Hexblade weapon and pact weapon as two separate swords. Double-bladed scimitar from Eberron is also an option.

I think the build will work, and it'll be an excellent utility player with a lot to do in social situations. I don't think the damage will be great, unless you maybe take some good buffing concentration spells with your Magical Secrets. I wouldn't bother with all the EB invocations if you're going to use a sword.

Alternatively, go Hexblade 1/Glamour 19, and just lean on Booming Blade+Mobile for your melee damage.

[Hiro Quester]

I think I can go bard1/ hexblade6/ bard (glamor)+2/hexblade +11 will get most of the goodness I’m after.

Playing as mostly hexblade, with just enough glamor bard, seems to have the roleplaying feel of glamour, tale-spinning, and dashing heroism of bard, plus the front-line damage-dealing dashing swordsman and angsty (went down to the crossroads) hauntedness of blade pact hexblade.

I might go variant human, rather than Tabaxi, for taking war caster at the get-go. That leaves room for feats like Resilient (con) and mage-slayer.

Hexblade 6 gets the basic damage-enhancing invocations (thirstingblade, eldrich smite for damage), and eldrich blast (with agonizing blast) for ranged attacks.

Also decent defenses like armor of agathys, shield, blink, and armor of hexes.

glamor bard’s 3rd level ability to grant temp HPs and a free move for everyone in the parts seems good to have relatively early. Plus the enthralling/charming performance for out of combat. And a few low-level spell slots for things like shield.

Returning to hexblade, taking it to 17, gets much of the needed melee damage abilities, including lifedrinker, relentless hex, decent warlock smite spells, shadow of moil for generating advantage, a 6th (scatter?) and 7th level spell (forcecage, or crown of stars, perhaps), 8th (dominate monster) and 9th (foresight). Plus mage slayer feat.

One more feat from bard4 might be nice, I guess. But getting to 9th level warlock spell might be worth forgoing that. This is debatable, since an earlier ASI/feat would last longer. (In our campaigns, we often get to 20th level only for the final boss-fight).

[Grod_The_Giant]

I think I can go bard1/ hexblade6/ bard (glamor)+2/hexblade +11 will get most of the goodness I’m after.
If you don't mind giving up an invocation, Eldritch Mind is at least a partial replacement for War Caster. That would let you stick with Taxabi as a race, and you can retrain it whenever you do decide pick up the feat. Is there any particular reason you want to take the 6th Hexblade level before going back to Bard?

[Hiro Quester]

If you don't mind giving up an invocation, Eldritch Mind is at least a partial replacement for War Caster. That would let you stick with Taxabi as a race, and you can retrain it whenever you do decide pick up the feat. Is there any particular reason you want to take the 6th Hexblade level before going back to Bard?

Eldrich mind is a good idea for an early invocation. I had not considered that it does the basic work of war caster for early levels. Though being able to perform somatic components of a spell while using sword and shield seems useful.

You are right that hexblade 5 gets to most of the good basic stuff. The 6th level specter ability is kind of Meh. That can come later. Thanks!

[Witty Username]

I have done swords bard/hexblade, it works out pretty well, I would say with that hex blade 1, 3, or 5 work best.
If you are set on glamour bard and aren't worried about being under optimized you might not need hex blade at all, but I expect the same break points for hex blade apply.
What weapon were you planning on using?

[Hiro Quester]

Without swords bard or valor bard, I don’t think the character would as effective or survivable. So With glamour bard for flavor and party buffing, it needs mostly hexblade for invocations, and hexblade casting for buffing, supporting other party members, BFC, and damage, and just a little bard for face skills, and just enough casting for utility and low-level spell slots like for shield and hex.

[Witty Username]

Without swords bard or valor bard, I don’t think the character would as effective or survivable. So With glamour bard for flavor and party buffing, it needs mostly hexblade for invocations, and hexblade casting for buffing, supporting other party members, BFC, and damage, and just a little bard for face skills, and just enough casting for utility and low-level spell slots like for shield and hex.


In that case
I would take bard 5, hexblade 1, and the rest in bard. Maybe take 2 more levels in hexblade once you hit bard 17.
Alternatively bard 5 then hexblade 3 could also work well if you want to cast 2nd level spells more often enough to warrant slowing your spell progression.
For reference the reason for that switch point is the ASI and 3rd level spells. That will be either when you can use a shield without disrupting your spell casting or get your better cha to attack and damage, depending if you take warcaster.
The exact level is negotiable a bit.

Use a rapier. Maybe switch to longsword if you don't use a shield.

[Chugger]

If you're mainly a bard, you have access to _wonderful_ control spells, buffs and debuffs.

I don't see why your primary focus is on doing disappointing damage with a sword - when you could be doing truly amazing things with spells.

Hypnotic Pattern is devastating - or can be. It doesn't work on some monsters - no constructs, pretty sure it doesn't work on undead - other stuff that's immune to charm are immune to HP. So also take Fear. Or just take Fear - they're both pretty good in many situations.

Polymorph is wonderful. You can turn a monster into a snail - I usually use a free action to pick it up right away and pocket it, so its allies can't attack it to make it revert back to its normal form. Or, if one of your friends is about to go down, polymorph him into a Giant Ape or a T-Rex - these things have about 150 hit points and can keep fighting. What heal spell - at any level - can "heal" that much health?! (yes it's not a real heal, but it's in many ways like one - or a temp hit point patch + attack ability thrown in).

Bards get other wonderful spells ... why are you so fixated on using a sword? Do a one-dip in hexblade for better AC and maybe rapier use and booming blade or gfb as a cantrip if you must (taking EB and ago blast and hex is so much better, tho).

I've played tough campaigns with players who insist on being a gimped caster who melees ... and it frankly P*sses me off, because I feel like they're making me and some other players in the group work harder to make up for the fact that instead of controlling or debuffing so we can divide and conquer, they're wasting a slot and time on, oh, shadow blade - and doing one stupid attack with it and very little damage. And then I have to waste a turn when they go down to feed them a potion, to keep them from dying - cuz they have too poor ac and hp to be on the front line in most fights, esp as monsters get meaner.

Don't create a useless gimp - and disappoint your friends - and yourself. Instead, be effective. You can roleplay quite well and have tons of fun while being effective - unless your DM is lackluster and hits you with cream pies instead of challenging fights (and that's ok if that's what people want). In that case, be as gimped as your heart desires. Otherwise, I'd give this whole thing some serious thought.