Errata! Can't multi-class into Fighter without a 13 Dex (or Str)! One of two options: swap Dex and Con (ow my hp and Con saves/concentration checks!) or take a feat to pick up Archery fighting style after all. I love glass canons so... you know what I'll be doing ;)
Just in timeColby! Can't wait to see this combo! Seriously though, as someone with harsh relationship with my parents you saying I belong, as small as it seems, actually means a lot. Much love
Ahhh the next Bladesinger build! My brother in Bladesinging, this is truely an end of the year gift. Thanks for your hard work, and I can't wait to see all of your next builds in 2023!
For a oneshot later this week I made a 2 Warlock / 6 Wizard (rolled for stats) character called The Shadesinger. Took everything shadow-related (Shadow Blade, Armor of Shadows, Darkness) and reflavored everything that wasn't (Tasha's Hideous Laughter turning into the shadow of the target holding them to the ground). Sadly no Eldritch Blast shenanigans purely cause I like to build a non-Eldritch Blast Warlock whenever I can. Perfect timing for the video, definitely fun to see a different way of building it!
i really though that we would have a whip build today :( , 10 ft of spirit shroud, a weapon with the reach property so we wound't have disaventage when using eldritch blast and you only need one hand to attack with it so we wound't lose the bladesong effects (and you need to agree tha a bladesinger with a whip is SO STYLISH)
This is exactly my kind of build. I love flavouring spirit shroud as like a super sayain style evolution. Power starts to radiate from me in waves and i hit like a truck. So i will always vouch for that spell. And something that takes full advantage of this lovely spell is something I'll always get behind. That being said, I'm sure i speak for everyone when I saw we need a bladesinger 3.0 lol
Was thinking exactly that as he mentioned Fighter dip. I really think this might work better with 14 dex 10 con instead of the 10 dex 14 con. Armor class helps a lot in mitigating damage.
Yeah I was going to go back and check what the stats were. 15 int 15 charisma and 14con and 10 dex, meaning wisdom and str are 8. The fighter dip doesn't work here unless you swap the 14 con to 14 Dex and 10 con
I love bladesinger levels 2 and 6, 14 kinda too but comes online a bit late for my taste. My next Gish character idea was bladesinger 6 + swords bard 14, I just like the idea of expending almost no resources while comboing features. It would probably be weak, but the synergies make my brain happy. Also, fun fact I realised while reading swords bard: dhampir can use their teeth as a spellcasting focus when they are a swords bard
Had a mostly bladesinger multiclass in a level 20 one shot which was fun. Bladesinger 18, Hexblade 2. Half Elf with elven accuracy, use your 9th level to cast foresight on yourself. Use the Sword of Zariel as your main weapon to set CHA to 20, use Illusionist bracers to cast booming blade as part of singers' extra attack and as your bonus action. Eldritch Blast if something is too far away. Take misty step as your spell mastery at level 18 Wizard and you can bamf and fly all around the battlefield locking your enemies into position and dealing massive damage.
27:06 this just keeps gettnig better. first a d&D fan, then an optimizer, then a Sanderson fan, AND NOW HAMILTON. thank you for all you do Colby, you have provided me with so much entertainment its crazy. thank you thank you thank you!
I think it's so cool how you put out so much content for us, not just the builds! You make spreadsheets, tier rankings, cheat sheets, written step by step stuff... You're amazing, and you belong in my list of favorite D&D content creators! ❤️ Also, Blood Hunter and Bladesinger can lead to crazy and synergistic combos, especially with the Mutant subclass and Profane Soul. With Profane Soul and Eldritch Adept, you could make an int/wis based eldritch blast build! That's awesome!
I love this combo. When I built one I started fighter, so I could wear heavy armor and dumped int to 13, and didn't even bother using bladesong. At level 9 it was a fighter 1, hexblade 2, bladesinger 6. After that you could go one of two directions: Fighter 2, Hexblade 12, Bladesinger 6 gives action surge and lifedrinker, along with eldritch smite for big burst damage on crits. Concentration used on Shadow of Moil for the most part. Fighter 1, Hexblade 2, Bladesinger 17 gives access to the Foresight spell for permanent advantage on attacks and saves and disadvantage for enemy attacks. Concentration used on Spirit Shroud.
I mean animating a bunch of alchemist fires really makes that animate objects spell something lovely. Go ahead and break all those alchemist fires that are jumping you. BOOM! Well that must’ve hurts
Aw those final thoughts felt so genuine. I hope you have a really wonderful holiday connecting with the people in your life who matter most, and thank you for your kind, warm, and gentle demeanor while giving all of us better ways to destroy monsters.
Happy Holidays, always happy to see another build in my sub box! By the way, in the first sentence of the description there's a typo in Warlock (Warlcok) Early happy new year, everyone
I just thought of a neat build challenge: Witch Bolt is often seen as a suboptimal spell to take due to it being so easy to escape the bolt by simply walking out of range. Find a way (through grappling, booming blade, etc.) to make it impossible or very ill advised to leave the area, making Witch Bolt more effective. Could require a lot of quickened spell, or if it's possible to grapple someone as a bonus action, that could work too. I just want to see Witch Bolt become useful.
Witch bolt is bad because it eats your concentration and action every turn for a singular damage die, and if you use your action to do anything else it ends. Its only real use is if you really need to stretch a spell slot, which is rare and normally if you need that level of sustainability you'd just play a martial. If you really wanted to make it better, you'd probably want to twin it and then just stand 35+ feet away from the targets as much as possible.
For anyone wanting to play a ranged Bladesinger; if your DM allows Blood Hunter, a 3 lvl dip in Profane Soul gives you access to EB that uses INT and just grab the Eldritch Adept feat and choose INT for spellcasting ability (see the errata). Take Archery Fighting Style and use a Hand Crossbow.
Half elf Battle Smith (3) Bladesinger (17) Perma flanking with pet gives tripple advantage. Spirit shroud applies to pets attacks as they use your spell attack. Could rely on mind sharpener and never bladesing, stick to medium armor(+1) and shield. (20ac with 14 dex)
I did a build similar to this, but went with Eldritch Adept as my first level feat to begin the game with Agonizing Blast, then six levels of Wizard, and then multiclassed out into *sorcerer* so I could do Eldritch Blast, then step in and attack, and then quicken something like a booming blade or any other damaging spell. It was squishy but it hit like an absolute beast.
My favorite thing about this build has to be the image it creates. The way I envision it, each eldritch blast is a new crossbow bolt that manifests itself in the slot and fires; if you manage to get your hands on a pistol, you’ve suddenly turned your silly little flintlock into an arcane minigun.
This is exactly what I’m going for on my next campaign :D Why even use a bow when you can enchant the arrows themselves? I’m imagining a character who pulls out a bolt, fills it with magic, and sends it flying toward enemies. All of the bolts and blasts are flavored that way (despite having different rolls and damage types). Why not?
I love when you sing to us at the end of the video! Oh, and you tell us you love us, which really shows to me that you appreciate us (especially us subs 😊)
Just came up with an alt character (level 10) for a current campaign. 6 bladesinger/4 hexblade with crossbow expert and sharpshooter. Decided to just skip bladesong all together and focus on medium armor and all wizard spells are buff or utility based. Fits in with the backstory of a regular blade singer that got stuck in the shadow fell and over time he went mad (chaotic neutral) and forgot how to use the bladesong ability. Grab agonizing blast and repelling blast. Surrounded in melee, push three away, then attack two more times. ☺️
you are by far the EASIEST person to listen to. I am binge watching your videos while doing other things, your voice is oddly relaxing and very zen to listen to.
I absolutely love my blade singer fighter build. One of my favorite combinations is to do mind sliver as part of my attack action and then action surge and cast a saving throw spell that I want to land.
In the right setting with the right DM, I could see this build where you reflavour the hand crossbow to be some kind of arcane pistol and reflavoring eldritch blast as magical shots. Now you are an eldritch gunslinger that unleashes a ton of magic-fueled shots every turn!
I really didn't think this was going to work -- but it really did! Thinking of the play style, it makes me think of the Demon Hunter, especially with the intro you gave to the character.
This has gotta be the next build I make! It's exactly the gish I've been looking for and while it might be better as a rolled stats character than a point-buy, it's still a very cool build
this is the show where each season we take a deep dive into one sometimes two specific blade singer builds :) love your work also the not blade and not singer builds :)
I called it! Though I didn't realize that you didn't need Improved Pact weapon for a Hand Crossbow! I had to look it up to make sure, but yeah you only need Improved Pact Weapon for Short Bow, Long Bow, Light Crossbow and Heavy Crossbow
A wonderful video to end the year off strong. Much love and see you next year. For thematic reasons, Warlock three would allow you to ( pack of the blade ) allow you to summon your weapon on a whim. Who does not love the idea of your weapon just teleporting or being summoned into your hand? Anyway, loved the video.
I did something like this once. Came to a lot of the same conclusions, but in my case this was a thought experiment about just maxing out damage in the best case scenario so I kinda forfeited my ability to use bladesong. Apologies in advance for how minimalist these notes are: --------- Eldritch Archer Warlock Hexblade Blade 9 Sorcerer Wild Magic or Divine Soul 2 Wizard Bladesinging 6 Fighter Arcane Archer 3 Half Elf (Custom Lineage) Darkvision +2 CHA Feat STR 8 DEX 14 CON 10 INT 14 *WIS 10 *CHA 17 Proficiencies Investigation Nature Feats x4 Elven Accuracy / +1 CHA Metamagic Adept +2 CHA Sharpshooter Invocations: Agonizing Blast Improved Pact Weapon Eldritch Smite Eldritch Spear Eldritch Mind Metamagic: Quicken Spell Distant Spell Arcane Shots: Seeking Arrow Shadow Arrow At Lv 20 Hexblade specter has ring of spell storing with haste spell First weapon attacks twice and uses Shadow Arrow on the first that hits, to blind the enemy, making all other attacks at advantage 12 EB rays with +5 from agonizing blast 3 attacks (with haste) + 5 + 10 from sharpshooter All 15 attacks benefit from no concentration Lv 5 bestow curse for +1d8 All 15 attacks use hex for +1d6 All 15 attacks use hexblades curse for +6 All attacks have 19-20 crit chance from hexblades curse and 3 rolls for advantage with elven accuracy -> 6/20 chance to crit = 1.3x multiplier average One round damage without hold monster = 488.45 One round damage with hold monster = 648 + 36d6 from purple worm poison on arrows for additional 126 average If a party member concentrates of fire arrows, + 3d6 / 6d6 = 10.5 / 21 If you have oath bow +9d6 / 18d6 = 31.5 / 63 If using 3 arrows of slaying: 30d6 / 60d6 = 105 / 210 + specter attack = 3d6 / 6d6 = 10.5 / 21 + 3 enchantment bonus from = 3 Average of 1232 in a turn given hold monster and all other factors Alternatively can spread 243.45 among up to 15 separate targets, approximately 16.23 damage each Progression Order 4WL 2SC 6BS 3AA 5WL
For characters who need a bit of setup to really get going, the Ready action is your best friend. With my barbarian, I typically take the Ready action before entering a room to use Rage if there’s something nasty in there.
Been toying with customizing this build and one thing to note is the hex spell still gives an extra 1d6 per attack (vs, spirit shrouds 1d8), however, it can be cast from range vs being within ten feet of an enemy AND gives disadvantage on a ability check you pick. This could combo really well with following up the next round with something like fireball that requires a dex save….
Yaaaasssss!!!! With all the hex blades and blade singers you've made I've been waiting for this video!!!! Don't sell yourself short you are a delight to watch and even more so to listen to; note: I listen to your videos while I'm driving I promise I'm not watching just listening.
This is such a cool build! I love the idea of mixing two subclasses that everyone always argues between for "who's the best" in order to say "por que no los dos?" Week 3 of asking for a build that focuses on an uncommon damage type like acid, psychic, etc. (in the same vein as the frost mage or the pyromancer).
The build is really powerful, but the fact that you have to stand within 10 feet of the enemy to use Spirit Shroud is troubling considering how flimsy the character is. Would be epic to see them attacking faster than even a fighter (on non-action surge rounds) while the monk cries in his green tea. XD
How did you find the Aasimar Hexadin?!?! This is the exact build I want to play. I thought of going fallen Aasimar with 7th level conquest Oath. My only issue is race choices… eleven accuracy is very tempting as well as V human… What are your thoughts??
I joined an incredibly generous 12th level campaign that let me start with a headband of intellect, a +1 grimoire and a STAFF OF POWER. Adapted this build to melee. The goal is to grasp of Hadar them into range, reaction attack from PAM, regular attack and BA butt attack, all while concentrating on Wall of Force or something. I also rolled 2 15s and a 16 on stats so with the headband I've got 18 cha, 19(13) int, 16 con and 16 dex along with ELVEN ACCURACY. This is my dream character.
This is one of those builds that can really sings if you can guarantee a magic item like the headband of intellect. Then you would only need the 13 in int and you could save those points for Dex or Con.
Song of Defense is actually often worth the Spell Slot to protect our Concentration from massive single hits you can't avoid. Bring the damage down to 21 HP or less, and you only need to make the DC 10 Concentration Check.
I actually thought of this exactly same build back them when you released the bladesinger 2.0. You also could go with artificer for intelligence base attacks other than hexblade, but the power spike would be deleayed even more, which is really painful and of course going artificer also means that you woudn't be able to use eldritch blast or need to multiclasse even further.
The nice thing about hexblade multiclasses is, that even if you delay your multi attack feature, you can still do baseline damage until you finally realize your build. Also I am interested how this would work with the new playtest eldritch knight.
A couple of things I didn't understand: The Archery style only works with attacks using ranged weapons, so it can't be used for Eldritch Blast. The Sharpshooter feat specifies ranged weapons, so it can't be used with Eldritch Blast. You grab those and it sounds like you are expecting them to work on Eldritch Blast. On the other hand, Crossbow Expert would allow you to make Eldritch Blast attacks from melee range, since it doesn't specify weapon attacks.
Hi Colby I stumbled upon you and your channel from your collab with Mr. DnD shorts an when you explained what your channel was about in the collab, I knew this would be my home. I clicked this on as your first video. I'm 10 mins in and I wanted to wait until the end to comment, But I can't hold it in any longer, I'm doing this, however, I opted to also splash paladin. I'll be using a longsword as it is versatile, not a 2 handed weapon. I'm also throwing 3 levels of paladin in this. Meaning I can use divine smite, Which I'll be stacking with eldritch smite after 5 warlock, super juicing the one mellee strike. Additionally, the bonus action on oath of vengeance paladin to give advantage for one full minute, in addition to having the elven accuracy feat from being a legacy eladrin, in addition to seeking spell and empowered spell.. It may not be as optimized for one specific thing, and when I So, now I'm following up with that mellee attack in close range, well, Crossbow expert can be collected to make that ranged attack without imposing disadvantage. a 3 level dip in sorcerer allows me all the metamagic options my hearts desires, using quickened spell for a follow up eldritch blast. It takes a long time to get off the ground, a big thing to consider. Much later than 7. Would love to discuss the build with you either in private or for a future video. Looking forward to watching the rest of (and all of) your videos and learning more about DnD
There's a silly idea I've been mulling over for some utility. I think it works with an Eldritch Knight and PotB Warlock. Both options have a feature that allows the user to recall a chosen weapon to hand. That opens up a cute utility option. Build a set of thieves tools into the hilt or haft of your weapon. If you ever find yourself deprived of your gear and locked in a prison cell... recall your weapon to hand, extract the tools, hand them to the party Rogue, and you're 1 skill check away from freedom. I suppose you could also pull a similar trick with a Warforged hidden toolset, Conjuration Wizard, or Artifacer Power Armor integrated tools. I expect your DM will include an anti-magic field in all future dungeon cells after you pull this particular rabbit out of your hat.
I love interesting multiclass builds, but that 18th level Wizard class feature is always tempting, whether I think I'll ever reach it or not. That being said, whenever I think of what to multiclass a Bladesinger with, Warlock is almost always at the top of the list. Ooh, will we be doing the classic Crossbow Expert + Sharpshooter combo? Which with the proper invocations becomes like a miniature Eldritch Blast of its own. 🤔
Its funny, I basically had the same idea for this eldritch blast hand crossbow combo. was playing a bladesinger wizard thrii-kreen and was picturing rapid fire 4 gun wielding gunslinger type wizard (one being their magic gun arcane focus) and then realized how eldritch blast could give them even more shots per turn. thought it was alitle silly as it was very MAD but with the right rolls could be great. and thri-kreen have natural armor so don't have to worry with dex as much I especially think my character idea would fit a spelljammer game with a space pirate quadruple wielding guns (yes I'm making a fallen from destiny)
I love the idea of this character having a cursed arm like in Princess Mononoke that just oozes with this off putting power because some otherworldly being lives inside of it and your character makes a pact with the being to bring it under control or have some other reason for utilizing its power etc. They’ve always been pretty handy with a crossbow so after making their deal with the entity they focus the energy in their arm into the thing they know best and the end of their arm turns into an eldritch crossbow! So now they shoot crossbows in one hand while the other hand morphs into an eldritch blasting crossbow form! Then of course they don’t want to rely on this cursed entity and look elsewhere for power through wizardy things etc etc..!
I played a hexbow as soon as Xanathars was released. Getting to level 12, I had 3 attacks, +Cha X2 on attacks, and Eldritch smite as desired. Totally fun! Adding some sorcerer for infinite quickened eb would have been an interesting path if we had played longer.
Thanks Colby I always look forward to your videos! I just had a blast playing the abjuration tank last night and it was one of my favorite characters ever!
I feel like with almost every video you make, I learn something new about the game that I never would've thought of. In this case, I didn't know that you didn't have to use a melee weapon to have bladesong up (I mean, it's called "BLADEsong" so you would think that melee is a must." In any case, great way to end off 2022 and another great video as always, gracing us with your bladesinger builds. Hope you and your family have a Happy New Year!
My favorite rogue subclass is the Inquisitive. I love the investigator type and also it's the only one that can get extra sneak attack dice against a target...at level 17 and as part of their Inquisitive sneak attack feature
Hey, Colby! Looking forward to the build. I have a hilarious one shot build that uses those subclasses I bet y'all'd enjoy: Horizon Walker 11/Bladesinger 6/Hexblade 2 It's super MAD and underpowered compared to a full caster of course, BUT the mobility is off the (pact of the?) chain since it squeezes teleports out of each Eldritch Blast beam 🙂
Alternative build Idea: Instead of using the hand xbow for attacks use Magic Stone. That frees up not only rhe choice of warlock patron but also 2 feats as you no longer need Xbow Xpert or Sharpshooter. You could also use Haste for concentration instead of Spirit Shroud. I think the extra blasts would net you more damage. Lastly, after 8 levels in Bladesinger & 4 in Warlock, you could go for Sorcerer levels. that would net you metamagic for quicken spell for more & better bursts of damage.
I know nothing really beats the Hexblade flavor, but 3 levels in Battle Smith Artificer would allow us to use Int for attacks (only with magical weapons, but we've got infusions for that). PS: Also Repeating Shot infusion is available to us then. Which is always neat.
God, I love these build videos. Currently trying to create a Rogue mixed with Form of Dread to create just the edgiest rogue I can. I’d love to see someone with a hell of a lot more knowledge try and make a build out of this mess!
Errata! Can't multi-class into Fighter without a 13 Dex (or Str)! One of two options: swap Dex and Con (ow my hp and Con saves/concentration checks!) or take a feat to pick up Archery fighting style after all. I love glass canons so... you know what I'll be doing ;)
Third option: Roll good! :D
p.s. my name is Cody ! so if anyone calls you that again, they were probably just looking for me
only Cody can catch these during production, you two should talk more
How DARE you make a mistake! And on the last vid of the year!
For lvl 14 you could dip one lvl rogue for sneak atk for 2 extra d6 even at range
Oh no, my character died! I guess I'll just have to make another one at my current level... without all those pesky low-level viability concerns.
Ah, yes. The HexBlade BladeSinger. Also known as the "Hex Singer". Or the Blade Blade", if you will.
The hexbladinger
Without a blade
Singhexer
The Bae Blade
I actually laughed out loud at this
Just in timeColby! Can't wait to see this combo! Seriously though, as someone with harsh relationship with my parents you saying I belong, as small as it seems, actually means a lot. Much love
Colby is very sweet 😌🥺
Colby is the dad we all needed growing up ❤️
Happy New Year!!!
The HexBladeSinger: d4 #123
Level 1:(see above) [warlock 1 & patron]
Level 2:(see above) [wizard 1]
Level 3:(@23:20) [wizard 2 & sub-class]
Level 4:(@25:12) [wizard 3]
Level 5:(@25:56) [wizard 4 & ASI]
Level 6:(@27:18) [wizard 5]
Level 7:(see above) [wizard 6]
Level 8:(@31:52) [warlock 2 & eldritch invocations]
Level 9:(@34:09) [fighter 1 & fighting-style]
Level 10:(see above) [wizard 7]
Level 11:(@38:18) [wizard 8 & ASI]
Level 12:(@39:03) [wizard 9]
Level 13:(@42:47) [wizard 10]
Level 14:(see above) [wizard 11]
Level 15:(@45:25) [wizard 12 & ASI]
Level 16:(@45:48) [wizard 13]
Level 17:(@46:26) [wizard 14]
Ahhh the next Bladesinger build! My brother in Bladesinging, this is truely an end of the year gift. Thanks for your hard work, and I can't wait to see all of your next builds in 2023!
Not going to lie, when I get my anxiety attacks, this dude's videos calm me the fuck down. Thanks for the content!
I listen to you as you are, at normal speed. Your delivery is soothing!
For a oneshot later this week I made a 2 Warlock / 6 Wizard (rolled for stats) character called The Shadesinger. Took everything shadow-related (Shadow Blade, Armor of Shadows, Darkness) and reflavored everything that wasn't (Tasha's Hideous Laughter turning into the shadow of the target holding them to the ground). Sadly no Eldritch Blast shenanigans purely cause I like to build a non-Eldritch Blast Warlock whenever I can. Perfect timing for the video, definitely fun to see a different way of building it!
i really though that we would have a whip build today :( , 10 ft of spirit shroud, a weapon with the reach property so we wound't have disaventage when using eldritch blast and you only need one hand to attack with it so we wound't lose the bladesong effects (and you need to agree tha a bladesinger with a whip is SO STYLISH)
I have always like that image and have actually dust started a blade singer with a whip because I love the image of a ribbon dancer dealing damage.
This is exactly my kind of build. I love flavouring spirit shroud as like a super sayain style evolution. Power starts to radiate from me in waves and i hit like a truck. So i will always vouch for that spell.
And something that takes full advantage of this lovely spell is something I'll always get behind.
That being said, I'm sure i speak for everyone when I saw we need a bladesinger 3.0 lol
This may have to be my very first bladesinger build. This is one of those interesting multiclasses that you just can't NOT have fun with. I. AM. HOME.
For the word Gish, I lovingly refer to them as Martial Master Blaster Casters. It just bounces off the tongue
Doesn't that 1 level Fighter dip require a 13 STR or DEX? I love the concept.
Was thinking exactly that as he mentioned Fighter dip. I really think this might work better with 14 dex 10 con instead of the 10 dex 14 con. Armor class helps a lot in mitigating damage.
Tried to do this build online & it wouldn’t let me due to the pre-reqs of DEX/STR :/
Yeah I was going to go back and check what the stats were. 15 int 15 charisma and 14con and 10 dex, meaning wisdom and str are 8. The fighter dip doesn't work here unless you swap the 14 con to 14 Dex and 10 con
@@rupertbutcher612 Yup. I have a rolled DNDBeyond version of this built, and I fluked out and rolled good enough stats to do the fighter dip.
Just pinned an errata comment on this :)
You have no idea how long I've back and forthed over this in my myriad theory craft sessions. This is awesome.
Love the bloopers clip at the end of each video. They are so great.
Thank you for the video as always.
I love bladesinger levels 2 and 6, 14 kinda too but comes online a bit late for my taste. My next Gish character idea was bladesinger 6 + swords bard 14, I just like the idea of expending almost no resources while comboing features. It would probably be weak, but the synergies make my brain happy.
Also, fun fact I realised while reading swords bard: dhampir can use their teeth as a spellcasting focus when they are a swords bard
Had a mostly bladesinger multiclass in a level 20 one shot which was fun. Bladesinger 18, Hexblade 2. Half Elf with elven accuracy, use your 9th level to cast foresight on yourself. Use the Sword of Zariel as your main weapon to set CHA to 20, use Illusionist bracers to cast booming blade as part of singers' extra attack and as your bonus action. Eldritch Blast if something is too far away. Take misty step as your spell mastery at level 18 Wizard and you can bamf and fly all around the battlefield locking your enemies into position and dealing massive damage.
27:06 this just keeps gettnig better. first a d&D fan, then an optimizer, then a Sanderson fan, AND NOW HAMILTON. thank you for all you do Colby, you have provided me with so much entertainment its crazy. thank you thank you thank you!
🥰
Finaly, a hexblade build! I've been waiting since 2022!
I think it's so cool how you put out so much content for us, not just the builds! You make spreadsheets, tier rankings, cheat sheets, written step by step stuff... You're amazing, and you belong in my list of favorite D&D content creators! ❤️
Also, Blood Hunter and Bladesinger can lead to crazy and synergistic combos, especially with the Mutant subclass and Profane Soul. With Profane Soul and Eldritch Adept, you could make an int/wis based eldritch blast build! That's awesome!
Love it! So much fun to bring these two together. I think the possibility was roiling around in my subconscious and you gave it a voice- thank you!
I love this combo. When I built one I started fighter, so I could wear heavy armor and dumped int to 13, and didn't even bother using bladesong. At level 9 it was a fighter 1, hexblade 2, bladesinger 6. After that you could go one of two directions:
Fighter 2, Hexblade 12, Bladesinger 6 gives action surge and lifedrinker, along with eldritch smite for big burst damage on crits. Concentration used on Shadow of Moil for the most part.
Fighter 1, Hexblade 2, Bladesinger 17 gives access to the Foresight spell for permanent advantage on attacks and saves and disadvantage for enemy attacks. Concentration used on Spirit Shroud.
I mean animating a bunch of alchemist fires really makes that animate objects spell something lovely. Go ahead and break all those alchemist fires that are jumping you. BOOM! Well that must’ve hurts
Aw those final thoughts felt so genuine. I hope you have a really wonderful holiday connecting with the people in your life who matter most, and thank you for your kind, warm, and gentle demeanor while giving all of us better ways to destroy monsters.
Happy Holidays, always happy to see another build in my sub box!
By the way, in the first sentence of the description there's a typo in Warlock (Warlcok)
Early happy new year, everyone
Might be on purpose, I do that sometimes
I like that as a name for a Warlock. Im Warlcok the Warlock and dont you mix them up!
I just thought of a neat build challenge: Witch Bolt is often seen as a suboptimal spell to take due to it being so easy to escape the bolt by simply walking out of range. Find a way (through grappling, booming blade, etc.) to make it impossible or very ill advised to leave the area, making Witch Bolt more effective. Could require a lot of quickened spell, or if it's possible to grapple someone as a bonus action, that could work too. I just want to see Witch Bolt become useful.
Witch bolt is bad because it eats your concentration and action every turn for a singular damage die, and if you use your action to do anything else it ends. Its only real use is if you really need to stretch a spell slot, which is rare and normally if you need that level of sustainability you'd just play a martial.
If you really wanted to make it better, you'd probably want to twin it and then just stand 35+ feet away from the targets as much as possible.
Colby, you have made me happy. Brilliant build.
For anyone wanting to play a ranged Bladesinger; if your DM allows Blood Hunter, a 3 lvl dip in Profane Soul gives you access to EB that uses INT and just grab the Eldritch Adept feat and choose INT for spellcasting ability (see the errata). Take Archery Fighting Style and use a Hand Crossbow.
Half elf Battle Smith (3) Bladesinger (17)
Perma flanking with pet gives tripple advantage. Spirit shroud applies to pets attacks as they use your spell attack.
Could rely on mind sharpener and never bladesing, stick to medium armor(+1) and shield. (20ac with 14 dex)
I did a build similar to this, but went with Eldritch Adept as my first level feat to begin the game with Agonizing Blast, then six levels of Wizard, and then multiclassed out into *sorcerer* so I could do Eldritch Blast, then step in and attack, and then quicken something like a booming blade or any other damaging spell. It was squishy but it hit like an absolute beast.
that dyscrib subscription was top tier, can't wait to watch the rest of the build!
Scaling is one of the more frustrating things about 5e. Its awesome to see a build actually scale!
My favorite thing about this build has to be the image it creates. The way I envision it, each eldritch blast is a new crossbow bolt that manifests itself in the slot and fires; if you manage to get your hands on a pistol, you’ve suddenly turned your silly little flintlock into an arcane minigun.
This is exactly what I’m going for on my next campaign :D Why even use a bow when you can enchant the arrows themselves? I’m imagining a character who pulls out a bolt, fills it with magic, and sends it flying toward enemies. All of the bolts and blasts are flavored that way (despite having different rolls and damage types). Why not?
I love when you sing to us at the end of the video! Oh, and you tell us you love us, which really shows to me that you appreciate us (especially us subs 😊)
I really love this build, saving the best for last. I can see everyone in my group playing this one -- hopefully, just not at the same time!
Just came up with an alt character (level 10) for a current campaign. 6 bladesinger/4 hexblade with crossbow expert and sharpshooter. Decided to just skip bladesong all together and focus on medium armor and all wizard spells are buff or utility based. Fits in with the backstory of a regular blade singer that got stuck in the shadow fell and over time he went mad (chaotic neutral) and forgot how to use the bladesong ability. Grab agonizing blast and repelling blast. Surrounded in melee, push three away, then attack two more times. ☺️
you are by far the EASIEST person to listen to. I am binge watching your videos while doing other things, your voice is oddly relaxing and very zen to listen to.
I absolutely love my blade singer fighter build. One of my favorite combinations is to do mind sliver as part of my attack action and then action surge and cast a saving throw spell that I want to land.
Got myself a crazy array of 18, 16, 15, 15, 13, 12 for a long-term campaign. I'm *so* using this build, wish me luck!!
Don't get me wrong, I'm happy for you but that's exactly the reason why I'm only doing point-buy😂
In the right setting with the right DM, I could see this build where you reflavour the hand crossbow to be some kind of arcane pistol and reflavoring eldritch blast as magical shots. Now you are an eldritch gunslinger that unleashes a ton of magic-fueled shots every turn!
Just got out of a funeral and this was a much needed relaxing distraction thanks for the content
It's nice to know you've multiclassed Bladesinger and Hexblade Warlcok
I really didn't think this was going to work -- but it really did! Thinking of the play style, it makes me think of the Demon Hunter, especially with the intro you gave to the character.
This has gotta be the next build I make! It's exactly the gish I've been looking for and while it might be better as a rolled stats character than a point-buy, it's still a very cool build
this is the show where each season we take a deep dive into one sometimes two specific blade singer builds :) love your work also the not blade and not singer builds :)
TGIT! Thanks Colby! Super excited about this build!
I called it! Though I didn't realize that you didn't need Improved Pact weapon for a Hand Crossbow! I had to look it up to make sure, but yeah you only need Improved Pact Weapon for Short Bow, Long Bow, Light Crossbow and Heavy Crossbow
A wonderful video to end the year off strong. Much love and see you next year.
For thematic reasons, Warlock three would allow you to ( pack of the blade ) allow you to summon your weapon on a whim. Who does not love the idea of your weapon just teleporting or being summoned into your hand? Anyway, loved the video.
I did something like this once. Came to a lot of the same conclusions, but in my case this was a thought experiment about just maxing out damage in the best case scenario so I kinda forfeited my ability to use bladesong. Apologies in advance for how minimalist these notes are:
---------
Eldritch Archer
Warlock Hexblade Blade 9
Sorcerer Wild Magic or Divine Soul 2
Wizard Bladesinging 6
Fighter Arcane Archer 3
Half Elf (Custom Lineage)
Darkvision
+2 CHA
Feat
STR 8
DEX 14
CON 10
INT 14
*WIS 10
*CHA 17
Proficiencies
Investigation
Nature
Feats x4
Elven Accuracy / +1 CHA
Metamagic Adept
+2 CHA
Sharpshooter
Invocations:
Agonizing Blast
Improved Pact Weapon
Eldritch Smite
Eldritch Spear
Eldritch Mind
Metamagic:
Quicken Spell
Distant Spell
Arcane Shots:
Seeking Arrow
Shadow Arrow
At Lv 20
Hexblade specter has ring of spell storing with haste spell
First weapon attacks twice and uses Shadow Arrow on the first that hits,
to blind the enemy, making all other attacks at advantage
12 EB rays with +5 from agonizing blast
3 attacks (with haste) + 5 + 10 from sharpshooter
All 15 attacks benefit from no concentration Lv 5 bestow curse for +1d8
All 15 attacks use hex for +1d6
All 15 attacks use hexblades curse for +6
All attacks have 19-20 crit chance from hexblades curse and 3 rolls for advantage with elven accuracy -> 6/20 chance to crit = 1.3x multiplier average
One round damage without hold monster = 488.45
One round damage with hold monster = 648
+ 36d6 from purple worm poison on arrows for additional 126 average
If a party member concentrates of fire arrows, + 3d6 / 6d6 = 10.5 / 21
If you have oath bow
+9d6 / 18d6 = 31.5 / 63
If using 3 arrows of slaying:
30d6 / 60d6 = 105 / 210
+ specter attack = 3d6 / 6d6 = 10.5 / 21
+ 3 enchantment bonus from = 3
Average of 1232 in a turn given hold monster and all other factors
Alternatively can spread 243.45 among up to 15 separate targets, approximately 16.23 damage each
Progression Order
4WL
2SC
6BS
3AA
5WL
I'll take a Hexblade Singer, hold the blade.
For characters who need a bit of setup to really get going, the Ready action is your best friend. With my barbarian, I typically take the Ready action before entering a room to use Rage if there’s something nasty in there.
Been toying with customizing this build and one thing to note is the hex spell still gives an extra 1d6 per attack (vs, spirit shrouds 1d8), however, it can be cast from range vs being within ten feet of an enemy AND gives disadvantage on a ability check you pick. This could combo really well with following up the next round with something like fireball that requires a dex save….
Was very interested by the sneak peak short yesterday, cool to see how it turned out!
Yaaaasssss!!!! With all the hex blades and blade singers you've made I've been waiting for this video!!!!
Don't sell yourself short you are a delight to watch and even more so to listen to; note: I listen to your videos while I'm driving I promise I'm not watching just listening.
This is such a cool build! I love the idea of mixing two subclasses that everyone always argues between for "who's the best" in order to say "por que no los dos?"
Week 3 of asking for a build that focuses on an uncommon damage type like acid, psychic, etc. (in the same vein as the frost mage or the pyromancer).
Happy New Year, thanks for this year end present!
After watching this, I can't help but wonder what an Eldritch Knight and Hexblade Multiclass from you would look like.
Messy... Also I want to try it.
Also spell progression is greatly reduced.
The build is really powerful, but the fact that you have to stand within 10 feet of the enemy to use Spirit Shroud is troubling considering how flimsy the character is. Would be epic to see them attacking faster than even a fighter (on non-action surge rounds) while the monk cries in his green tea. XD
Love your builds and how you come up with solutions to ideas I've just vaguely had and pondered about ❤️
My brother and I played two half brothers: a Tiefling Cleric/Fighter and an Aasimar Hexblade/Paladin. It was so much fun!!
How did you find the Aasimar Hexadin?!?! This is the exact build I want to play. I thought of going fallen Aasimar with 7th level conquest Oath. My only issue is race choices… eleven accuracy is very tempting as well as V human… What are your thoughts??
Crazy fails to adequately summarize this one. Great build, super fun. And your enthusiasm is contagious!
Stealing the bones from this for a gun-slinging eldritch blast shooting cowboy build! Thanks Colby!
I joined an incredibly generous 12th level campaign that let me start with a headband of intellect, a +1 grimoire and a STAFF OF POWER. Adapted this build to melee. The goal is to grasp of Hadar them into range, reaction attack from PAM, regular attack and BA butt attack, all while concentrating on Wall of Force or something. I also rolled 2 15s and a 16 on stats so with the headband I've got 18 cha, 19(13) int, 16 con and 16 dex along with ELVEN ACCURACY. This is my dream character.
This is one of those builds that can really sings if you can guarantee a magic item like the headband of intellect. Then you would only need the 13 in int and you could save those points for Dex or Con.
Amazing. Very cool concept and eloquently read. DSCRYB is absolutely amazing.
Fantastic Scott Pilgrim reference, Cody!
Song of Defense is actually often worth the Spell Slot to protect our Concentration from massive single hits you can't avoid. Bring the damage down to 21 HP or less, and you only need to make the DC 10 Concentration Check.
Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year to you and yours, Colby - Master of the Spreadsheet and Cruncher of Numbers.
I actually thought of this exactly same build back them when you released the bladesinger 2.0. You also could go with artificer for intelligence base attacks other than hexblade, but the power spike would be deleayed even more, which is really painful and of course going artificer also means that you woudn't be able to use eldritch blast or need to multiclasse even further.
You read my mind! I was thinking on this just yesterday!! can't wait to see how it works
The nice thing about hexblade multiclasses is, that even if you delay your multi attack feature, you can still do baseline damage until you finally realize your build. Also I am interested how this would work with the new playtest eldritch knight.
Ooo I've thought about this one but never actually sat down and brewed it. Very interesting!
Cody makes some of my favorite guides on the internet today
A couple of things I didn't understand:
The Archery style only works with attacks using ranged weapons, so it can't be used for Eldritch Blast.
The Sharpshooter feat specifies ranged weapons, so it can't be used with Eldritch Blast.
You grab those and it sounds like you are expecting them to work on Eldritch Blast.
On the other hand, Crossbow Expert would allow you to make Eldritch Blast attacks from melee range, since it doesn't specify weapon attacks.
Hi Colby
I stumbled upon you and your channel from your collab with Mr. DnD shorts an when you explained what your channel was about in the collab, I knew this would be my home. I clicked this on as your first video.
I'm 10 mins in and I wanted to wait until the end to comment, But I can't hold it in any longer,
I'm doing this, however, I opted to also splash paladin. I'll be using a longsword as it is versatile, not a 2 handed weapon. I'm also throwing 3 levels of paladin in this. Meaning I can use divine smite, Which I'll be stacking with eldritch smite after 5 warlock, super juicing the one mellee strike. Additionally, the bonus action on oath of vengeance paladin to give advantage for one full minute, in addition to having the elven accuracy feat from being a legacy eladrin, in addition to seeking spell and empowered spell.. It may not be as optimized for one specific thing, and when I
So, now I'm following up with that mellee attack in close range, well, Crossbow expert can be collected to make that ranged attack without imposing disadvantage.
a 3 level dip in sorcerer allows me all the metamagic options my hearts desires, using quickened spell for a follow up eldritch blast.
It takes a long time to get off the ground, a big thing to consider. Much later than 7.
Would love to discuss the build with you either in private or for a future video.
Looking forward to watching the rest of (and all of) your videos and learning more about DnD
The Bianca reference was fantastic, so thanks. I've been diving into DA lore lately and the theories within. It's been fun. (Absolution was so good)
There's a silly idea I've been mulling over for some utility. I think it works with an Eldritch Knight and PotB Warlock. Both options have a feature that allows the user to recall a chosen weapon to hand. That opens up a cute utility option. Build a set of thieves tools into the hilt or haft of your weapon. If you ever find yourself deprived of your gear and locked in a prison cell... recall your weapon to hand, extract the tools, hand them to the party Rogue, and you're 1 skill check away from freedom.
I suppose you could also pull a similar trick with a Warforged hidden toolset, Conjuration Wizard, or Artifacer Power Armor integrated tools.
I expect your DM will include an anti-magic field in all future dungeon cells after you pull this particular rabbit out of your hat.
I love interesting multiclass builds, but that 18th level Wizard class feature is always tempting, whether I think I'll ever reach it or not. That being said, whenever I think of what to multiclass a Bladesinger with, Warlock is almost always at the top of the list.
Ooh, will we be doing the classic Crossbow Expert + Sharpshooter combo? Which with the proper invocations becomes like a miniature Eldritch Blast of its own. 🤔
If you can get your hands on a ring of spell sorting, you could even cast spirit shroud on an ally or your familiar allowing you to jump back to range
Its funny, I basically had the same idea for this eldritch blast hand crossbow combo.
was playing a bladesinger wizard thrii-kreen and was picturing rapid fire 4 gun wielding gunslinger type wizard (one being their magic gun arcane focus) and then realized how eldritch blast could give them even more shots per turn.
thought it was alitle silly as it was very MAD but with the right rolls could be great.
and thri-kreen have natural armor so don't have to worry with dex as much
I especially think my character idea would fit a spelljammer game with a space pirate quadruple wielding guns (yes I'm making a fallen from destiny)
As soon as I saw that short a few days ago, I'd hoped something like this would follow.
Glad I was right.
Because of all the listed bows in improved pact weapon, I never realized I could use a hand crossbow with the hexblade
I love the idea of this character having a cursed arm like in Princess Mononoke that just oozes with this off putting power because some otherworldly being lives inside of it and your character makes a pact with the being to bring it under control or have some other reason for utilizing its power etc. They’ve always been pretty handy with a crossbow so after making their deal with the entity they focus the energy in their arm into the thing they know best and the end of their arm turns into an eldritch crossbow! So now they shoot crossbows in one hand while the other hand morphs into an eldritch blasting crossbow form!
Then of course they don’t want to rely on this cursed entity and look elsewhere for power through wizardy things etc etc..!
I played a hexbow as soon as Xanathars was released. Getting to level 12, I had 3 attacks, +Cha X2 on attacks, and Eldritch smite as desired. Totally fun! Adding some sorcerer for infinite quickened eb would have been an interesting path if we had played longer.
Hey man, I'm in a hard patch with one of the members of my long time dnd group right now. Thanks for dropping my anxiety level to the floor.
Thanks Colby I always look forward to your videos! I just had a blast playing the abjuration tank last night and it was one of my favorite characters ever!
Hope you have fun in Vegas, local here so I probably won’t be down on the strip.
I love warlocks and gishes :) This build sounds fun! Also, your videos feel like ASMR+D&D, such a calming voice.
I feel like with almost every video you make, I learn something new about the game that I never would've thought of. In this case, I didn't know that you didn't have to use a melee weapon to have bladesong up (I mean, it's called "BLADEsong" so you would think that melee is a must."
In any case, great way to end off 2022 and another great video as always, gracing us with your bladesinger builds. Hope you and your family have a Happy New Year!
My favorite rogue subclass is the Inquisitive.
I love the investigator type and also it's the only one that can get extra sneak attack dice against a target...at level 17 and as part of their Inquisitive sneak attack feature
Hey, Colby! Looking forward to the build.
I have a hilarious one shot build that uses those subclasses I bet y'all'd enjoy:
Horizon Walker 11/Bladesinger 6/Hexblade 2
It's super MAD and underpowered compared to a full caster of course, BUT the mobility is off the (pact of the?) chain since it squeezes teleports out of each Eldritch Blast beam 🙂
Hope the holidays have been great so far and that the new year greets you with all you could possibly hope for! All the best to you and your family!
HAPPY NEW YEAR, SIR! Enjoy your time with your family!
Alternative build Idea: Instead of using the hand xbow for attacks use Magic Stone. That frees up not only rhe choice of warlock patron but also 2 feats as you no longer need Xbow Xpert or Sharpshooter. You could also use Haste for concentration instead of Spirit Shroud. I think the extra blasts would net you more damage. Lastly, after 8 levels in Bladesinger & 4 in Warlock, you could go for Sorcerer levels. that would net you metamagic for quicken spell for more & better bursts of damage.
Thanks Colby, I love you too, this is such a great character that is literally my next to play
Level 3 Fighter Echo Knight with Warcaster Feat would be amazing with this.
I know nothing really beats the Hexblade flavor, but 3 levels in Battle Smith Artificer would allow us to use Int for attacks (only with magical weapons, but we've got infusions for that).
PS: Also Repeating Shot infusion is available to us then. Which is always neat.
I played this build when they updated Bladesinger with their special Extra Attack, it is a freaking blast!
"Gaping bandit leader"? Under no circumstances do you want your NPCs or PCs to be described as "Gaping"
God, I love these build videos. Currently trying to create a Rogue mixed with Form of Dread to create just the edgiest rogue I can. I’d love to see someone with a hell of a lot more knowledge try and make a build out of this mess!