Turning the Hexblade "Patron" into modular powers

[Segev]

I'll need to spend some time reading and pondering on your original post.

But, from what I can recall, you're wanting to take Hexblade out completely, add it into all the other Patrons as “Spell plus Invocations” options. Am I close?

Right. The idea behind this thread is to eliminate the Hexblade as a Patron.

Instead, acknowledging that the Hexblade Patron is designed to make level 1-2 Warlocks intending to go Pact of the Blade at level 3 able to gish from the get-go, the idea is to provide them a means of effective gishing for those levels without locking them into a specific patron.

Sadly, I don't have a consistent group Experienced enough (and/or willing) to do Playtesting: Where different versions of a Class can be tested and then compared. (See sig)

Heh. Nor do I; I do enjoy theorycraft, though.

The main questions that I think of with your option is,
(1) “How does the Hexblade options really fit into another Patron?”

I answer this with a question designed to make you analyze your assumptions: "How do Pact of the Blade and its various associated options fit onto any Patron other than Hexblade?"

Making the spell, cantrip, and Invocation replacement(s) for the Hexblade is not designed to "fit onto" another Patron any more than Pact of the Blade is meant to "fit onto" them. Or, put another way, it fits them as well as any other option a Warlock has that isn't a Patron fits those other Patrons.

(2) Shouldn't there be a difference between a normal Warlock and a Hexblade, even from the same Patron? And why would anyone want the other Pact options?

What's a "normal warlock?" Without the Hexblade Patron, what's a "Hexblade Warlock?"

The Warlock who takes shillelagh and eldritch curse as first level options has greatly increased his melee capabilities, but that doesn't make him incompatible with a Great Old One or a Fiend or an Archfey, nor even the Raven Queen or the Undead Patron. Probably fits best with the Fiend, but the Fiend fits best with aggressive builds in general.

So the difference between a Warlock who takes eldritch curse and one who takes a different spell is the same as it always has been: they have different spells and playstyles based on them.

(3) What (normal) Warlock abilities does the Hexblade replace?
Just Invocation choices?
No… you're wanting the difference to be there at 1st level.

In my formulation, there is no "Hexblade." There is an addition of one extant Cantrip (shillelagh) to the Warlock spell list, which he may choose if he wants, a new first level spell (eldritch curse) which gives options for improving your ability to fight a particular target, and a new Invocation (Eldritch Armaments) which gives proficiencies in armor and shields as early as 2nd level if you pick that as your first invocation.

So the costs are a different investment focus than if you're not aiming to be a meleeist or a gish.

Well, I was thinking that the flat 50% miss chance affecting even Natural 20s was a bit much.

Maybe, maybe not. The current Hexblade Patron that I'm looking to excise and replace the functionality of does give a 50% miss chance no matter what kind of roll caused the hit, natural 20 included.

Spending a Spell Slot on a 50% miss chance also seems harsh. It might be better to just allow a Reaction to impose Disadvantage, usable Cha modifier times per day.

I think you're misunderstanding. As I currently have it, if you have the upgrade invocation that includes this option, you can, as one of the options you get when casting eldritch curse choose a 50% miss chance on all attacks from your target. It costs a spell slot, but not per use. It does require knowing a particular spell (and casting it) and a particular invocation (and using one of its granted abilities over others the spell could give). But then it lasts for a while against the one target you cast it on.

The Adamant Defense Invocation was to allow the effects of a Critical Hit to be effectively negated, but the Warlock is still hit and takes damage. It also cost a Reaction and a Spell Slot.
Which puts a very hard (but renewable) limit.

It's a different approach, and more self-contained. Not necessarily a bad invocation, but awfully situational; crits aren't that common, and being hit at all is still very disappointing. Strikes me as a very low-level invocation.

Note: all Bladelocks are nearly as powerful as both Fighter with Extra Attack (Thirsting Blade Invocation) and Paladin with Smite (Eldritch Smite Invocation) at 5th level, without needing to Multiclass.

But play like casters for levels 1-2, which is the problem that Hexblade sought to rectify. And thus which anything replacing Hexblade needs to also address.

Confirming: I really kinda don't like it (especially combined with Martial Weapons) since it greatly overshadows all the other Patron options. Having access to shields and a single weapon is still prefered, since that is only a small increase in the Warlock's versatility; and the other Martials (Barbarian, Fighter, Paladin, and Ranger) still have an edge.

Combined with Medium Armor (plus shield) means that the Hexblade is on par with all but the most heavily armored Martials. (Plate+shield)

Makes Hexblade the “go to” class (especially for Gish), and I like to see all the Classes being chosen to be played.

That's fair. It's not cool to so badly overshadow other gish options that they become non-options in comparison.

This seems to be nearly rewriting the other Patrons.
Unless there is an obvious difference between the regular Pact (say, a Great Old One) and the Hexblade option and a real benefit for taking the "regular" Pact, everyone would always choose the Hexblade option: And get "cool" Patron abilities and powers.

Nah. I wasn't touching any other Patrons. I had thought you were proposing multiple NEW Patrons, and that's to what I was replying here.