Another reason to go with a strength hexadin is that the hex spell can potentially help you grapple on top of potentially dealing more damage, and the duration is really nice for conserving spell slots
The main benefit of dipping 1-2 levels of hexa-bladelock is to convert your build from MAD to SAD. Str-based paladin can pick a feat with hex included and don't lose progression.
Well, you need a 13 str to multiclass, so going 15 str for platemail is probably easier than str 13, dex 14, cha 17 and still trying to have a constitution. I'll also point out another good option... skip strength and just take the movement penalty. With a 13 str,, you can max cha and con, and dump dex, int, and wis. You then have a number of options -- just take the penalty (you don't require a lot of movement or going first and have eldritch blast if you can't get in melee for a round), go dwarf, get longstrider, or look at mounted combat if taking paladin to 5th.
I really like the Hexadin because of how absolutely free the character is at 7th or 8th level. Once you hit level 7 (or 8, if you wanted Invocations), the world is your oyster. Snag those 2 Paladin levels for ASI, Commit fully to Paladin or Warlock, pick up Sorcerer or some triple synergy, pick up Bard for offbrand synergy(?), go Fighter to hit stuff good, Rogue to do silly magic stealth tank garbage, have that Wisdom pumped to go Ranger to be a Gloomstalker ninja paladin, pump Intelligence to build your Hexa-Iron Man suit, or just grab something ridiculous for the campaign. The basic platform of Hexadin is so self sufficient, that you can do really neat stuff off of it, and it's loosely optimized enough to contribute to optimized parties, yet not overshadow unoptimized parties.
I made a Radiant Consumption Aasimar with some planned levels in Celestial Warlock 10/Divine Soul Sorcerer 8/Paladin 2. The build alongside war caster, polearm master, and sentinel let you double smite booming blade as both a regular attack an on opportunity attacks, and enemies caught in your area of influence take constant persistent damage from radiant consumption, cloud of flies, and spirit guardians, which gets buffed by the celestial warlock's level 6 feature. All 3 classes/subclasses also have a lot of innate healing so you can stay alive easily since you dont need your action to attack really due to how often you can use your reaction to do so. Lots of utility, survivability, and damage. Never underestimate quickened spell hold person into green flame blade double smite. Never underestimate quickened spell hold person into green flame blade double smite. With thirsting blade you would still get two attacks in per turn as well, and agonizing blast gives you consistent ranged dps, especially when you transmute an eldritch blast into radiant or fire to add double charisma damage to each hit you make.
I play a "Belmont-like" character using Hexblade / Oath of the Watchers that uses a chain whip as her primary weapon. It's awesome to play and was one of the best whip builds I could think of. The DM authorize me to change the damage type of my chain whip to bludgeoning and I am now able to use the crusher feet with great enjoyment.
One minor 'combo' that you recommended but didn't point out is that at low levels you can use command to make them approach, then polearm master to attack them when they get in reach, which is great when someone is too far away to actually hit on a turn, but you can move close enough that they can move up to you.
A good way around the warcaster is to use arcane focus quarterstaff. It won't be piercing but it is a arcane focus and you can cast through it and your divine focus can be a amulet and what not.You'll be doing the same amount of damage and still be able to use the bonus action attack.
I'm using subtle spell for my sorcadin. Subtle spell shield is all I've needed in combat Divine soul sorcerer will let me get Spirit Shroud. And I'll just cast that before drawing my weapon
Wait, can't you just have your Holy Symbol on your shield? That's like the go-to for shield wielding Clerics and Paladins that is the whole reason they tend to be more practical in weapon combat than other casters. Though, honestly, for the arcane focus, bludgeoning tends to be better than piercing most of the time anyway, so not really losing anything mechanically compared to spear as your polearm, just a matter of poking with a spear one-handed being more of an expected image logically.
That wouldn’t work with spells that have a somatic component but no material component. At least regarding the shield spell. The rules state that if a spell requires a material component AND a somatic component then the same hand used to hold the material component can be used for the somatic component. A somatic component by itself requires an empty hand to be performed. A lot of Paladin spells by pass this by only needing a vocal component, such as the smite spells.
If you don't care too much for hexblade (like I do), but you do like combining warlock and paladin. I like a combination of undead warlock (minimum of 1 but the levels 6 feature works nicely as well) and conquest paladin (minimum of 3, but getting the lvl 7 aura works nicely).
@@jordanw2741 I had another fun thought. 1lvl undead, 6 conquest and 13 phantom rogue. When you consider the UA backgrounds planar philosopher and gate warden (both allow for access the Baleful scion feat. Gate warden is more likely to work with concept though, you know interplanar crusader like thing. The thing with baleful scion is that you get PBxPD d6+PB of necrotic damage heal for amount of the dealt necrotic damage. The big question here becomes, what is the best way to pump that necrotic damage.) Now you have a paladin that can go through walls and what not. (I had a bit of a hard time deciding which 1 of the 2 I wanted to get to 6 paladin ''7 is great too, if you take the new dragonborn with the feat dragon fear'' or 6 undead warlock to turn all of your damage necrotic + an extra damage die and that is quite a bit of healing) I think in terms of race half-orc is a solid choice for a bit of extra crit damage. How would you built around that Baleful scion feat?
This is actually exactly what my next character is. Went Silver Dragonborn, plan on taking Dragon Fear Feat down the line. Really looking forward to this!
@@Midnightv warlock of course always leaves a lot of ways open. If asi's are not a problem I like shorting up my weaknesses with 3 lvls of gloomstalker. It gives some minorly effective ways for aoe as well as an extra attack and some other extra goodies.
My favorite Hexadin build is Oathbreaker Paladin to 7 for aura of hate, and then Hexblade Warlock all the way to 13 for all the juicy warlock invocations and higher level spellcasting. If you combine summon spells such as Summon Undead and eventually Summon Fiend with your aura of hate, they can put out quite a nice bit of damage and of course you eventually get access to Lifedrinker which essentially means all your attacks are adding three times your CHA to the damage rolls. A normal spear attack at 20th level would be doing 1d6+15 damage and maintain the bonus to hit wihtout any pump spells.
you wouldn't even need a friendly necromancer. Warlocks get Danse Macabre, which, from the aura of hate, gets upgraded to similar damage potential as animate objects (half as many attacks, each attack does twice as much damage, same attack bonus). At high levels, there's Infernal Calling - Black Abishai can create movable darkness blobs that both they, and the hexadin (via Devil's Sight) can see through just fine. With the hexadin and their summon making all attacks at advantage, the potential is very high.
Hexblade Oathbreaker is an incredibly kino combo; I play that in a few games. Though in one of them which rules Aura of Hate extends to enemies (which, to be fair, is RAW) I'm probably going to multiclass again into Divine Soul Sorcerer after getting Improved Divine Smite.
@@randomidealist5675 Right? & Danse Macabre minions are also adding your cha to their damage as a feature of the spell, so their hits will get to add your cha twice if they're within your aura.
Hilarious as I was literally looking at a fighter/warlock or a paladin/warlock for an upcoming campaign. (Warlock being the prime class though). Still might take ideas/concepts from this build!
If you want a fighter warlock (primarily warlock) I would recommend the forcelance/ ghost lance build. Basically it’s an echo knight/warcaster exploit, where your echo triggers an opportunity attack and then you cast eldritch blast with repelling and lance of lethargy to keep enemies away (there are multiple TH-camrs who have done guides) I prefer genie patron as opposed to undead since with genie you can get flight and spike growth (vs undead giving you easy frightened condition) but both work really well
One of my Higher level build preferences is to Hexblade 5 so you can also deliver an Eldritch Smite, get Improved pact weapon, and a Utility Invocation. You also can upsize your Polearm and then go with GWM for higher Melee damage. I generally Start Pally 1, then take 1 in warlock, go 7 more levels in Pally, then 4 more levels of Warlock, and Finish with Pally
I think the extra level in warlock provides so much more versatility and damage due to invocations and 2nd level spell slots that the extra ASI at level 20 isn't relevant enough
Playing an oathbreaker/hexblade tiefling and it's awesome! Double charisma stacking due to aura of hate and the hexblade and i've got a +10 base damage at 20 CHA, with duelist and the hexcurse i can reach +16 dmg before any dice is rolled. For defence, 20+ AC (25 with shield spell) and Darkness paired with devil's sight to give advantage to my attacks and disadvantage to enemies so i can go critfishing for some good smite. The perfect Black Knight....also raising undeads time to time just for the taste.
I don't handwave somatic components, but I let spellcasters add _more_ components to a spell than is required. This means if a character has no hands free but is wielding something they can use as a spellcasting focus, they can add an M component to the spell and replace it with the focus, so can perform the S component with the hand holding the focus. Adding extra components doesn't really do much outside that, but if someone wants to speak a verbal incantation when they cast Minor Illusion that won't make the spell any less effective, and if a character wants to stretch a spell beyond its normal limits for story purposes, increasing the casting time and adding a consumed costly material component helps the DM fiat feel justified.
This video came at a good time for me. I am planning on playing a Radiant Consumption Aasimar with some planned levels in Celestial Warlock 10/Divine Soul Sorcerer 8/Paladin 2. The build alongside war caster, polearm master, and sentinel let you double smite booming blade as both a regular attack an on opportunity attacks, and enemies caught in your area of influence take constant persistent damage from radiant consumption, cloud of flies, and spirit guardians, which gets buffed by the celestial warlock's level 6 feature. All 3 classes/subclasses also have a lot of innate healing so you can stay alive easily since you dont need your action to attack really due to how often you can use your reaction to do so. Lots of utility, survivability, and damage. Never underestimate quickened spell hold person into green flame blade double smite. With thirsting blade you would still get two attacks in per turn as well, and agonizing blast gives you consistent ranged dps, especially when you transmute an eldritch blast into radiant or fire to add double charisma damage to each hit you make.
Thanks for all your paladin videos in the past few months! You made quite a few mentions of multiclassing the paladin with bard throughout this video and - while we’ve gotten your take all the different permutations of warlock, sorcerer, and paladin - we haven’t been lucky enough to see how you would multiclass a bard/paladin. I know you have a lot of videos planned and probably don’t need more suggestions to add to your plate, but I would love to see what your brain could come up with pairing these two. Glamour’s Mantle of Inspiration could really serve a lot of the same purposes as misty step (and pairs *beautifully* with Find Steed), for instance.
Since you share a telepathic link, and Abjure Extraplanar only works on targets that can hear you, you could always just find a way to plug your pegasus' ears, since the deafened Ccondition really isn't that bad.
My ideal build was 6 levels Paladin, 14 levels warlock. High level magic plus most of the main benefits of paladin at level 20 with great power scaling. 1 level Paladin, 6 levels of Warlock. 5 levels of Paladin. The rest in Warlock. You become super powerful at level 2 and even more so at level 3. The spells and such you end up being able to cast keep you powerful and you don't have to share spell slots with Hex. Eldritch blast keeps your damage up no matter what but pushing things into smites makes you super dangerous at most ranges.
Either that, or oathbreaker 8 / hexblade 12 for the additional aura of hate damage (esp with a necromancer in the party) Oathbreaker is the most fitting subclass anyways, as you were tempted by power by your patron, renouncing your old gods for Eldritch power
My preferred Hexadin is Oath of Conquest so you can channel divinity to freeze all the baddies within 10 feet of you in place and just wail on them. I like going to 5/6 level hexblade so you can get Counterspell and improved smite and the hadar invocation to pull enemies closer.
I'm a little surprised at the suggestion at the start of the video of starting warlock and using medium armour? Saying that's "easier" on ability scores? You still need 13 STR to multiclass into Paladin. 13 STR to multiclass and 14 DEX for medium armour is 5 points for the STR, and 7 points for the DEX (12 total). By comparison 15 STR is 9 points of pointbuy. Only needing one stat is just a lot easier on the ability scores.
Well, you can go 15 Str, or 13 Str 14 Dex. Really, it's up to more personal preference and what else you want to do with the character. The Dex investment isn't bad to use some of those spells first, or snagging a better Dex save anyways.
Thanks for doing what you do. I remember creating a Dwarven Zen Archer Monk in Pathfinder based off one of your guides, many years ago! Keep up the awesome work!
I love the Aasimar on this build mostly because if you go with protector/Radiant Soul you get that extra mobility of flight at a lower level. I also love how good it gets just going up the levels but the point of getting to choose where the character goes at level 7 (in option 3) is particularly party composition friendly.
A comment in regards of 12:00 - green flame blade. I think RAW if you use the cantrip then you’re not using a melee attack, hence you should not be able to use the bonus action of polearm master. It’s the same principle of not being able to use as OA green flame blade since it’s a spell attack until you get warmaster!
Doesn't the Watcher Oath directly contradict a Warlock class dip? Doesn't it directly break the Loyalty oath: "Never accept gifts or favors from fiends or those who truck with them. Stay true to your order, your comrades, and your duty". Not all Hexblade patrons are fiends but they often aren't good or with good intent. You can always reflavor that stuff but i think it's worth taking into account as Oaths and following them has always been a core theme with the Paladin
The subclass description for the Hexblade says the weapons you swear your pact to originate from The Raven Queen, goddess of death. I'd agree that a multiclass dip for paladin probably should have more restrictions on subclass combinations than most to prevent contradictions, but I don't see an issue with any paladin subclass making a deal with the goddess of death, a Lawful Neutral deity.
Im playing a Hexadin and even though I’m still level 3 my plan is to use elven accuracy and hex blades curse with divine smite and eldritch smite to make things go boom. Practical? Not often. But is it fun to roll way to many dice? YES
Thank you for the basic hexadin layout! I’m running this tomorrow for our new campaign. Only difference is choosing Oath of Vengeance (rolled some great stats, so dex/initiative is not a problem). Can’t wait to play, first time paladin!
I love the build. The invocations for Warlock level 2 can skyrocket Eldritch Blast ranged damage and several invocations can be very fun. Level 3 and Pack of the Blade is fun thematically and both pact slots being level 2 is pretty good. Not at the cost of Pali levels early game. Fun build : Level 1 Pali, Level 2 Hexblade one, Level 3 Pali two (smite and style), Level 4 Sorc 1. Every level afterwards goes Sorc (natural progression) unless story wise there is a reason to take an Oath or your Hex patron temps you in game.
If you don't already have one I think a video on what spells paladins can share with their mounts is a topic worth discussing. I haven't found anyone who talks about it and the spells you share with your mount can drastically change your gameplay, in fact I've made a build centered around this where the mount alone can actually stay above baseline most of the game.
@@TreantmonksTemple 3 you say, man and here I thought I was gonna have to buy you dinner first for even 1 lol. If you're gonna do 1 for sharing spells, 1 for optimizing mount choices and discussing the possibility of making the mount a side kick and 1 about how order domain cleric also interacts with all this I would be the smuggest person on TH-cam lol
@@ryanscanlon2151 The first video goes over making a build focused on mounted combat. The second is a build video that focuses on the Find Steed spell, the third is a build video (which I'm still working on) focusing on find greater steed.
@@TreantmonksTemple if you're still working on it I have 2 suggestions for it. Oathbreaker Paladin for the arua of hate for a fiend type mount and 1 level order domain for extra mount attacks
I feel like the optimizer community really should just set up like 10-15 tables of people running against a few standard neutral bosses recording dpr per turn to get an average of the actual dpr for builds. Like the base classes first and then common multi-class builds next. It should be roughly a bell curve and it could probably be done in like a few hours on discord each time it was scheduled.
@@prixiusnecrolance8531 Here's the problem with that while calculating the odds on a d20 or when to use GWM is a simple probability question. Situational usage will change a builds dpr. For example how much can we compare builds that might have a massive difference in benefit from opportunity attacks, what about the reality of holding back on resources, or any number of factors we can't include in the calculations. Because of these almost every person i see calculates dpr differently. Whats reliable damage is in itself the the problem. By taking a large sample size you should get a normal curve of the outcomes without disagreeing on how to calculate dpr. If a build doesn't get a normal curve then that's interesting is it not? RN we are making assumptions and i feel we lack the property back data to make. Its "more effort" but its a baseline and its probably a better process.
@@punishedwhispers1218 Here's the problem with that while calculating the odds on a d20 or when to use GWM is a simple probability question. Situational usage will change a builds dpr. For example how much can we compare builds that might have a massive difference in benefit from opportunity attacks, what about the reality of holding back on resources, or any number of factors we can't include in the calculations. Because of these almost every person i see calculates dpr differently. Whats reliable damage is in itself the the problem. By taking a large sample size you should get a normal curve of the outcomes without disagreeing on how to calculate dpr. If a build doesn't get a normal curve then that's interesting is it not? RN we are making assumptions and i feel we lack the property back data to make. Its "more effort" but its a baseline and its probably a better process.
@@insertname5371 Human intentions will only make the data more skewered. A more experienced player will be better at positioning and resource management than a less experienced one. But I do see the merits in both methods now
Super stoked to see this. My favorite PC is a Conquest 18/Hexblade 2. Super tanky, control/support with a shield, defensive fighting style, repelling blast, War Caster, and Inspiring Leader who flies an (alpha) peryton. Loses some efficiency, but God what a fun character.
One more option for hexadin is to take the Fey Touched Feat. Can give an extra charisma point, plus it gives misty step, and one extra spell/cantrip. Combine that with polearm master and sentinel and you have a heavy damage dealer that can just jump around the battlefield out of arms length. All but impossible to hit with a melee attack, and hard to keep away from.
Armor of Agathys in the only spell you're unable to cast with spear and sheild in hand once you've taken War Caster. Like another commenter mentioned, I'd recommend using a staff (quarterstaff) over a spear until you reach level 13 and get War Caster. It's a focus and it has the same damage and uses, minus the thrown property (which I doubt will come into play much) and bludgeoning damage under piecing.
I think 3 levels of Warlock will be better damage. 3 warlock allows you to take the pact of the blade so can use the heavy polearms and thus take GWM. It's not even an extra feat since we can drop war caster for GWM and pickup Eldritch Mind as an invocation if we're worried about concentration. You can combine an elvish race for elven accuracy with the vengeance paladin's vow of emnity to compensate for the -5 to hit. If you have vow of emnity and hexblade's curse up at the same time against the same target, they are completely screwed. You also get 2nd level pact magic slots which makes it so you can use those for divine smite more liberally.
The problem with Green-Flame blade is not only an extra attack. But you can’t use your PAM bonus action attack after you cast a spell RAW. So this is another problem like casting eldritch blast with spear + shield.
FYI: When you do your 2nd level dip into warlock, if you buy a staff arcane focus at the next town (common/starting equipment 5gp) you can use that as your primary weapon instead of spear and that gets around the juggling required for casting, is treated like a quarterstaff in combat (which works with the pole arm mastery feat). Spell casting Components (p203 of PHB): Material components "A Character can use a component pouch or SPELLCASTING FOCUS (see Chapter 5) in place of the components for a specified spell ... A spellcaster must have a hand free to access these components but it CAN BE THE SAME HAND that he or she uses TO PERFORM SOMATIC components" Under warlock Spellcasting ability: (p107 of PHB) "You can use a spellcasting focus (found in chapter 5) for your warlock spells Ch5. Adventuring Gear. Under Arcane Focuses: Crystal, orb, rod, STAFF, wand. Staffs as quarterstaff in combat. Dungeon Masters Guide P140 "Unless a staff's description says otherwise, a staff can be used as a quarterstaff" Polearm master feat specifies "Attacking with a glaive, halberd or quarterstaff" QED: At level 2 if you buy an staff arcane focus, you can wield it as a quartstaff dealing 1D6 blunt damage, enabling your polearm master feat. you can make it your hex weapon, you can wield it and your shield and cast warlock spells without needing to use your free action to drop & pick up weapons. Thus enabling casing Shield on reaction. As well as using your Charisma modifier for the to hit and damage bonuses.
I am playing a Hexblad 5 Paladin 2 and then I will go the rest of the campaign picking up sorcerer levels. That way I can have lots of spells both for control or smites. That way you can do tons of damage and an excellent support caster.
I'm a 2/1 hexadin in my new campaign. The plan was full paladin but I had a roll that led to a magic weapon that is cursed (sword of veneagence). I'm sticking paladin the rest of the way, unless the DM decides my actions are my attuned to the sword and then it is a hexblade level instead. It isn't for everyone, but it has really upped the immersion for me. And the first time I fail the curse DC I imagine the party will get a surprise 😂
I've tried Hexadins out in a few one shots and really enjoyed them. It might not be optimal, but I do like to get up to Hex 3 for the invocations and extra spells, but also Blade Pact so I can use a greatsword or glaive with Charisma.
Not truly a hexadin but I'm partial to a 1 warlock/2 paladin/14 Swords bard, if we're building to L20 (not that many campaigns get that far) the other 3 levels are up to you but the versatility offered by the higher bard slots and the flourishes, I quite enjoy. Got to play this in a L20 dungeon crawl through the dead body of a god baby filled with high level monsters and had a blast.
Here is something I did in my current campaign, I'm actually a 5th level sorlock but it could work with hexadin, Bonus action: Wrathful Smite, Action: Booming Blade, (big) IF you hit and IF the enemy fails a wis save, but it's a dice game, you should be used to that. Summing up potential damage assuming you hit and the enemy failed the saving throw: 1d8 weapon damage (longsword) 1d8 thunder damage (booming blade) 1d6 psychic damage (wrathful smite) then on the enemy's turn it has to flee, activating the booming blade for extra 2d8 damage + you might want to spend your reaction for OA So it is up to 5d8 + 1d6 in one turn + one opponent being controlled with fear spending one first level spell and one cantrip, you might get better results with extra attack + smite or at least more reliable damage but I think this 2 spells have a great synergy and I think the effect is fun
A great way to get around the str requirement for plate is to try and pick up mithril plate. Granted, you don’t get the up to +3 bonus from normal magical plate, but on the flip side you also don’t suffer disadvantage on stealth rolls, which is great if you’re in a group that tries to optimize around surprise.
I played a hexadin a while back and it was some of the most fun i've ever had playing this game! For my race i picked half-elf and picked up elven accuracy at level 5. Combine that with the expaned crit range from hexblade's curse and the advantage i got from the vencence paladin meant that i crit more often than not! I know that crit fishing isn't really optimal but it's really fun!
It should be noted that while war caster does apply here, since the build wields a weapon, it would not work with, for instance, a wizard with two wands, since the wands would not be considered weapons or shields.
The Bursting strike: Bounus action :Eldritch smite + Divine smite + Green Flame Blade with quickened spell + branding smite. Action 1-2 Branding smite/ 1 action with green flame blade and Branding smite. Then rinse and repeat
One of my favorite characters I've played was an aasimar Hexblade who was convinced she was a Paladin cause of the talking sword she pulled out of her temples vault. Wonderfully naive but good hearted girl. Eventually did reroll to Hexadin though.
Awesome video as always bud. I'd love to see an effective Gentleman Thief build. One who steal via stealth or words, BN thinking about it a lot for my next play through.
I built a Hexadin around a Vorpal Great Sword. Back when any character could have Legendary Items, I managed to trade my way to a Vorpal Greatsword on a level 5 Hexadin. Paladin 2, Hexblade 17, then last level in Paladin. Went a half elf for Charisma, and Elven accuracy. Being able to use of an accuracy with a Vorpal Greatsword and easy ways warlocks get advantage led to slaughter.
If you take 3 levels of hexblad you can take Improved Pact Weapon, allowing you to use your pact weapon as a spell casting focus, removing the need for using a feat for warcaster
Ye. The more versatile weapons are also handy. Warlock 4 for the ASI isn't a bad way to take the character. A multiclass that is effectively 100% "done", and completely free to take wherever you like after at 12 is a pretty good bargain.
My take on full hands casting is that if one of those things is a potential focus (Shield with an emblem for cleric/paladin, Staff for arcane casters or druid) it works. yes, I know foci are supposed to replace material components and not be usable for spells that don't require them, but I don't care.
Love that we finally got the Hexadin Build from you. Under what circumstances would you consider going for Warlock 3 or 4 to pick up Pact Blade and go to town with a Glaive and Great Weapon Master? Or would you rather not postpone Paladin levels any longer? Anyways, great video!
Not that big of a deal, but isn't green flame blade almost useless with polearm master because green flame blade doesn't use the attack action and trigger polearm master. Not that there better options for combat, but a utility cantrip could be nice.
I had and idea for a hexadin. was a pureblood yuan ti (magic resist and cool backstory) that found a weapon that keeps pressing him to be a good person. A devotion/celestial combo. imagine your character learning how to be a good person from their weapon
i really like the level 5 and 6 paladin levels, and im a fan of getting them as soon as possible. because of that i like to start with 16 strength and charisma (vuman). then go polearm master and war caster because i do play at tables that care about free hands for spells lol. my favorite hexadin ive played went 7 levels oathbreaker paladin then 1 hexblade, then back to paladin. i didnt get my first charisma boost till paladin 8, which meant i wasnt pressured to take hexblade any sooner to boost my primary wrapon stat.
I started my character at hex 2, and was really tempted to go full paladin after, but Pact of the blade is too tempting and lets me ignore eldritch blast until level 11. The only multiclass I've been considering recently is bard for just 1 level at character level 4, which gives me 4 huge benefits: 2 1st level spell slots a day to justify using shield spell, 2 extra cantrips to support my out of combat utility (including booming blade), 4 extra spells known for support and utility, and 4 uses of bardic inspiration. I feel like that's a lot of bang for your buck for a single level dip on an otherwise pure hexblade build. Any multiclass is a tough pill to swallow though.
Another use of Lay on Hands, but especially at lower amounts of Paladin levels, is to heal people at 0hp by one point. Specifically, using this on a party member that is after you in initiative, but before any other enemies, is a way you can spend one of your actions to grant one to them. Obviously, things like Healing Word and other bonus action options are usually tactically better, but sometimes you just *really* need the Wizard or Cleric to cast a particular spell or something. My Paladins usually save 3-5 points of their Lay on Hands for this purpose, and reserve the rest as a high-value immediate heal.
Watchers is a good because of the 7th lvl aura (counterspell is always nice too) but if you have a nice DM that will get you access to Sentinel Shield or Weapon of Warning then you could go a different Oath. My DM is awesome for these, because they're uncommon items he gives me a choice of possibly finding a different rare item as I level up, or enhancing the current items I have (so Sentinel Shield could add a +1 to AC or Weapon of Warning could add +1 to attack and dmg on top of what they already do) and when reaching higher lvls he gives opportunity again to enhance them further to match say a very rare item equivalent.
You can get away with a 13 in STR if you use a Dwarf as your race. Their speed is not affected by wearing heavy armor. You would still need the 13 to multiclass out of Paladin still though.
Trying to plan out my Baldur's Gate 3 character and this is helpful! So far we know that the max level is 12 and the pact of the blade is getting the charisma attack bonus (no hexblade subclass) so was thinking an even 6/6 split but would need at least 3 warlock levels for pact of the blade. 8/4 might be better though just for the stat improvements
Their is a uncommon magic item call ruby of the war mage that make ur weopon counted as an arcana Focus witch mean if it's don't have a cost u can cast the spells and more importantly. Since the weapon is now an arcan focus u can us it to make The somatic component for your spells
@@elliotbryant3459 I copied and pasted from dndbyond Its under components. Look at last line. Oh i was wrong its a common magic item not uncommon. Material (M) Casting some spells requires particular objects, specified in parentheses in the component entry. A character can use a component pouch or a spellcasting focus (found in “Equipment”) in place of the components specified for a spell. But if a cost is indicated for a component, a character must have that specific component before he or she can cast the spell. If a spell states that a material component is consumed by the spell, the caster must provide this component for each casting of the spell. A spellcaster must have a hand free to access a spell's material components -- or to hold a spellcasting focus -- but it can be the same hand that he or she uses to perform somatic components ----------- Ruby of the War Mage Wondrous Item, common (requires attunement by a spellcaster) Etched with eldritch runes, this 1-inch-diameter ruby allows you to use a simple or martial weapon as a spellcasting focus for your spells. For this property to work, you must attach the ruby to the weapon by pressing the ruby against it for at least 10 minutes. Thereafter, the ruby can’t be removed unless you detach it as an action or the weapon is destroyed. Not even an antimagic field causes it to fall off. The ruby does fall off the weapon if your attunement to the ruby ends.
@@mattitalks6261 my bad, I thought I had previously read that neither war caster or Ruby of the war mage could facilitate the no M spell casting, but after reading the sage advice compendium, it does work [Edit: with War Caster]. With that being the case, the Improved Pact Weapon invocation could also get you this effect [Edit: if there are also M components] , just would require warlock 3
@@mattitalks6261 what does the Ruby do that warcaster doesn’t in this scenario? Anyway, this was from the sage advice compendium that got me to believe that not war caster or the focus weapon would work for these spells. “Another example: a cleric’s holy symbol is emblazoned on her shield. She likes to wade into melee combat with a mace in one hand and a shield in the other. She uses the holy symbol as her spellcasting focus, so she needs to have the shield in hand when she casts a cleric spell that has a material component. If the spell, such as aid, also has a somatic component, she can perform that component with the shield hand and keep holding the mace in the other. If the same cleric casts cure wounds, she needs to put the mace or the shield away, because that spell doesn’t have a material component but does have a somatic component. She’s going to need a free hand to make the spell’s gestures. If she had the War Caster feat, she could ignore this restriction.”
Instead of war caster, take tavern brawler and use a shield for both offense and defense. This leaves a hand free for casting or grappling. For optimal flavor, your shield should be a centergrip buckler with alternating red & white rings and blue in the center. Bonus points if an artificer is nice enough to give your shield the returning weapon infusion.
I've done the reverse, two levels of Paladin and then straight Warlock Hexblade. I probably would have returned to Pally if the campaign had lasted past level 9.
It's not the norm, but I prefer it as well. Using high level smites earlier is just fun, and in a pinch you can use your pact slots for a decent emergency heal.
What is your take on going Wood Half Elf for a hexadin? the 35 ft movement would afford us to go 13 strength and still end up at the dwarven 25ft of movement wearing plate, and also we would be able to pick up Elven Accuracy to fish more effectively for crit smites.
I had a question about the shield spell somatic components interaction you mentioned. I recall that a holy symbol could be on a shield and count as a casting focus? Wouldn't that allow the paladin to cast the spell while their hands were full? I thought this was a unique aspect of the Holy Symbol as a focus that applied to paladins and clerics who often have shields consuming one hand. Failing that couldn't they use a staff as a focus with polearm master. I am probably getting my rules mixed up but I thought either of those options allowed for the use of somatic components in this case. Cheers!
The problem in this case is that the shield spell comes from the Warlock class and would need an arcane focus, which the holy symbol on the shield would not substitute.
1.) Shield spell not a paladin spell, so you can't use your holy symbol to cast it. 2.) Shield spell does not require material component, so there's no need for a holy symbol anyway. 3.) This is very weird and lengthy, please bear with me. a.) If a spell has a somatic component, you need a free hand to do the somatic component. b.) If a spell has both material and somatic components, you can use the same hand that handles material components to do the somatic component as well. c.) However Shield spell is only verbal and somatic, you cannot use the rule I've outlined in 3b.) without the War Caster feat. How I run this for myself as a player (the rest of my tables aren't sticklers to spell components) is that as a reaction, I drop my weapon to free my hand and cast Shield. Some tables may not allow dropping an object as part of reaction.
@@rulethegamer Thank you that was the part I was missing, the material component. Otherwise, a staff in the primary hand would have been sufficient correct? I usually play melee characters so I get a little fuzzy on the intricacies of spell foci.
Not sure how option 2 is easier on the ability scores. You need 13 STR and 13 CHA to multiclass into or out of Paladin. So if you're dexterity based, you need 13 STR, 14 DEX, 14 CON, and 16+ CHA. Option 2 seems to make it more MAD than before.
why not go 3 hexblade and take pact of the blade, so you have access to reach heavy weapon as your pact weapon. Meaning you do have a free hand during combat to cast shield (without needing warcaster) since heavy require 2 hand when you WIELD them, so when you do the attack, during other turns you can hold it with only one hand.
The cost is the ASI (both times to get the first if you go back to Paladin and the loss of the level 19 ASI from Paladin if you go all the way) and the time it takes completing the basic 6 level on Paladin to get that sweet aura bonus. (Edit- also the extra attack would be an issue as staying in Warlock to get it or if you shift to Paladin you are getting that way later as well.) Not saying you can’t do it just - trade offs.
because if you are going to go full paladin than getting 18 paladin for the 30 foot aura is better than Pact of the blade. if you want to take more than 2 levels of Hexblade than your better off going 13-14 Hexblade and 6-7 Paladin
Starting with Hexblade leaves you needing 13/14 in STR/DEX, wasting so many Point Buy points. Starting as a Paladin lets you go 15/8 (13/8 if you are a Dwarf), considering that heavy armor proficiency comes in really handy - don't let these 2 extra points for initiative deceive you. ALWAYS start with Paladin 1/2 if you want to be a Hexadin.
I always consided war caster to be obligatory for hexadins, for the Shield spell (not otherwise castable with weapon & shield, & yeah the tables I play at are strict about somitics for Shield at least), opportunity attack booming or green flame blade, and advantage on concentration vs. Damage. My tables also generally don't allow custom lineage. Between that and needing to take warcaster asap, hexadins ime are extremely asi starved for most of their career, falling behind both pure paladins and pure hexblades in dpr due to postponing either or both of attack stats & weapon feats. Still very strong characters, but yeah, noticeable tradeoffs.
I feel like it wouldn’t be terrible to take Variant Human with 16 Str 16 Cha instead of 15/17, and starting Straight Paladin for 8 levels. PAM at 1, Warcaster at 4, meaning 8 is your first ASI, so the time you’ll get up to a +4 Cha bonus. Level 9 would be Hexblade. That gets the feats and good defensive and utility Paladin features ASAP, and a +4 mainstat bonus for attack rolls isn’t necessarily any later than a different class order with the same feat picks. I think if I were taking hexblade early, I’d probably want to start with a half-feat and Custom Lineage for 18 Cha from the start. If it was only a +3 Cha bonus, I just don’t know that there’s a high enough gain over a non-hexblade Paladin. That said, you do get Hex, and that’s solid damage at low levels, so a benefit to any early Lock level… hrm… ++edit++ Half-feat early instead of Warcaster also justifies early Hexblade, too…
What i've noticed with alot of optimal parties facing a DM who wants to challenge them, the aura of protection typically only benefits the paladin as an optimal party typically plays at range and scatters after the start of the fight. what happens is when they stick to the paladin is the DM is incentivized to use an aoe effect and even if they save they typically take half dmg. or worse if they fail the save and it's some sort of debuff or control effect. if the party members are not clumped together, then only 1 party member has to roll a save (preferably the paladin) and the others don't have to roll saves and take half-dmg. so imo, the value of aura of protection isn't as good in optimal parties. except of course if the paladin is L18. the watcher's aura however is indeed very good and imo why the watcher is a top 4 paladin subclass and is the best aura the paladin has. it's perfectly advantageous to start off clumped around the paladin for the initiative boost then disperse. in practice this aura feels like adding an extra turn or 2 at least to your party as it's not always the case that the whole party's initiative rolls are higher than all the enemies. going ahead of enemies means you can burst them down or control them before they do anything harmful to the party. personally, i'd rarely use heavy armor. i'd rather tradeoff that +1 ac for a +2 to initiative and dex saves (half-plate + 14 dex).
I find the aura works best protecting a party member with a bad save in a critical encounter. Staying next to your Fighter versus Mind Flayers, or near your Wizard versus a Dragon. Huddling up is awkward at the best of times, and can backfire at the worst, but turning a "This character is facing mortal danger from saves they are unlikely to make" into a "they are probably fine" is the real power.
I think this point about auras is very circumstantial and depends on play group and dm. I've found that there are plenty of maps that make spreading out tricky. You can either be in fireball range or be out of the combat, unable to get line of sight. This can be fine if you are going to like drop a crowd control and then dip, but not great for ranged sniper types who need to be able to hit into combat most of the time. Also it's often impractical to adventure while super spread out even if it is optimally advantageous, so a surprise opening aoe will still usually land. Being too spread out especially as squishy ranged characters can also result in getting surrounded and picked off by flanking reinforcements or just impractical if you start off surrounded.
@@aprinnyonbreak1290 this is why i said optimal party. you just mentioned 2 melee party members. in an optimal party with a paladin, the paladin is the only frontliner. so he goes 1st, goes in front and attracts all the attention while all the other 3 are either ranged strikers or controllers. those party members with weaker saves are far away while the paladin is the one up in the threat's face and thus the only one who's "supposed" to roll saves.
I think straight 6 Paladin is better; I don't think delaying extra attack/aura of Protection is worth the +1 to hit/damage (and even +2 after level 4) especially if you aren't going GWM. You may also have access to str increasing items at that point which would let you go straight Paladin instead.
I think warlock 2/paladin 18 might be slightly more optimal. Taking the extra warlock earliest after paladin 6. Paladin 19 gives you ASI and 1 extra first level spell slot. Warlock 2 gives you - 1 extra first level spell slot per short rest. Assuming dmg standard 2 short rests per long rest, this is 3 times better. - 2 invocations. This is roughly as good as one feat, but gives you interesting utility options like devils sight, beast speech (speaking with your mount!) and mask of many faces. Alternatively, you can take agonizing blast and you have a decent ranged option for when you need it. Sure, it's not as powerful as your usual stuff, but it gives you something to do when you can't reach your enemies.
Probability crit with hexblades curse is 10% BTW. I notice you used the additional damage from it but not the additional crit in your dpr calculation. Also that goes up to 19% with advantage
Interesting, in what regard? I can see it having more power offensively in shorter bursts. However, more Paladin gives you more slots in total with which you can smite, while also being really strong defensively.
@@forte_dx1813 The spell slots thing becomes less of an issue if you take 6 levels in Paladin. You end up with more slots than any warlock will ever get by level 2. 1 level pally to start. Then 5 levels in Warlock. This makes sure your power scaling is good. Then 5 more in Paladin. That gives you a significant boost in power as well and ends with a nice big old cake of extra attack. Then the rest in Warlock. You end up with a couple high level spells you can spend pact magic on whereas you can save your Paladin spells for normal combat. The goal is to boost the power of smites up to 11 while also having a crazy effective eldritch blast. You can combo Eldritch Smite and Divine Smite because neither are spells. Eldritch blast scales with your combined level so it always remains powerful. You can do a total of 5 smites within four attacks in one turn with melee or four eldritch blasts at full power. You get a LOT of Warlock invocations that boost your melee and ranged attacks. Thirsting blade gives you four attacks when combined with extra attack. Eldritch Smite gives you an additional non-spell smite. Improved Pact Weapon boosts the attack power of your magical weapon. Agonizing blast adds your charisma modifier to eldritch blast. Repelling blast could add fall damage and move the enemy if your dm allows it. Hex and Hexblade's curse make sure your bonus action gets used the first two turns. You get the heavy armor of a Paladin. Divine Smite - which you can upcast with Pact magic - extra attack gets you to four attacks with Thirsting blade. It's one of the craziest attackers ever. Totally broken beyond belief. There's more to it but it's too much to type. It's just a crazy combo.
Honestly, at lvl 20, I'd rather get Resilient Constitution rather than just bumping Con. I know it's gonna be an ugly score, but at those levels, +6 to con saves is probably gonna save your bacon more than +1 and 20 HP. Also, a good way around War Caster feat is Ruby of the War Mage. But, I understand why you can't make those assumptions during these builds. However, this item is cheap and should be fairly readily available.
Planning on a hexadin in our next campain in a few month. We run strict components, so War caster is a must (wich then again really nicely works with Melle cantriups at least) ANother quirk of the hexadin: VarHuman/CustomLineage Hexadin cant take War Caster at level 1 becasue they get spells at level 2...
13:50 According to Jeremy you can use the hand that is holding the shield with holy symbol as the hand for somatic components. Sadly can not link the source because youtube deletes my comment if i do so. But its easy to find on sage advice
Paladin 1, Undead Warlock 2, Watchers Paladin 7/8, Clockwork Sorcerer X: Great AC (Heavy Armour + Shield + SHIELD), Good ranged damage at will with utility (Agonising Repelling Blast), Watchers Aura for backline (Protection + Initiative), Good spells (compared to Paladin spells which are frankly quite poor with the best being the level 1 Bless imo).
I was going to go a Hexadin with more levels in Hexblade so I could stack Divine and Eldritch smites but decided to go full Hexblade with Polearm master for my DM's sanity since he might have had to rework some bosses just to account for me
Some of the things you said in this video really made me think. I love disease and harsh terrain as part of a story, but not in D&D. Why? It's because of the hard shut downs. If a group realizes I love to use poison they can counter that fairly, but if they learn I love to use disease . . . adding a paladin to the mix lets them ignore a big part of my adventure. That's not fun. The same goes for tangled vines, quicksand, and other harsh terrain. The moment a party realizes I'm building an adventure around those challenges a druid lets them just ignore all my work, and ruins all my fun. Of course I can use house rules to nerf those abilities, or I can ban those classes from my campaign but at that point I'm fighting the game, and frustrated players have a great argument that I'm cheating. The same goes for other terrain challenges. The moment teleport and fly are expected I'm not going to base my encounters around steep mountain passes along sheer cliffs, with huge walls you are supposed to climb. It's not fun to set up a challenge just to watch somebody completely bypass it with a standard ability. It's even less fun if everyone bypasses it either by all having such abilities, or by having that one guy act like a taxi, or toss down a rope. In that way the meta limits what stories we can tell.
I'd suggest that many players don't like to be penalised for imposed travel; the time taken is enough of a mood-dampener let alone picking up some nasty infection or losing hp just for moving. You also need to bear in mind that Critical Role has had a massive influence in this- you rarely see the party actually travel because their normal mode of transport involves teleportation circles or trees.
@@samuelbroad11 The reason its rare is because it completely negates the challenge so people just don't add that to the adventure very often. This makes it a ribbon ability, very situational. If you need it the skill is so good that you really don't even fully appreciate it. Maybe the GM mentions the muck or quicksand to make you feel good, but the mention is going to be brief and then he's likely to skip describing it. Meanwhile if the ability made the challenge easier, or required a roll every so often there might be a reason for the GM to include it as part of the story, and for the player to value it. Monsters often have poison so the ability to handle that challenge is valuable. If you get poisoned it's going to be awful until somebody casts a spell, or until you make your saving roll. That's dramatic. It's good story telling. But most monsters are resistant or immune to poison so players don't highly value being poisonous themselves. The story isn't going to include a lot of characters who are brewing and using poison, or who have spells and weapons with the poison damage type. In that way poison, disease, and difficult terrain suffer from the same problem: They simply aren't fun for the players.
@@johnchance7836 Hmmm, got me thinking about the old 4th ed DMG's, they included kinda magical terrain, arcane spots on the tactical map that could hinder or help with various stuff. Maybe the Druid can ignore this quicksand but not that quicksand which is cursed (by an evil druid with skeleton animals!). OR a disease which requires a quest to remove, bypassing the lay on hands. My 9th level paladin warforged is cursed with rusty armour, any armour he puts on rusts away, Baba Lysaga did it. Sure he has Remove Curse spell, but the curse is too strong. Queue plot hook and adventure. also remember any taxi chain and separation of the players makes for a perfect ambush. Are they surmounting the obstacle? Sure, but they're spread out, hanging onto ropes and being peppered by baddies.
Assimar, Scourge, 1 level paladin, 2 levels hexblade, 6(7) paladin Oathbreaker, 12(13) levels hexblade. Your sustained damage is ridiculous, You summon a demon, you ride a demonic or undead steed,or summon one find steed is a spirit. your hexblade spectre. all of that damage plus your char bonus, your damage is charx3 once you hit l2. Every short rest you can hexblade curse, every longrest your radiant consumption damage. So at level 12 you can self cast haste. So, so assuming you got a halberd and GWM, and 18 char. If you blow your cooldowns, 1d10+39+2d10+27(x2)+1d4+27 +SMITES+crit on 19 (assuming improved pact weapon ifyour DM is stingy)+your steed so say hoof attack is 2d8+3+4. without Cooldowns you still do 1d10+23 (x3) +1d4+23
"A lot of DMs handwave somatic components."
I see what you did there :)
Another reason to go with a strength hexadin is that the hex spell can potentially help you grapple on top of potentially dealing more damage, and the duration is really nice for conserving spell slots
The main benefit of dipping 1-2 levels of hexa-bladelock is to convert your build from MAD to SAD.
Str-based paladin can pick a feat with hex included and don't lose progression.
It works better if one of your other group members is a grappler, like a Barb or Astral Monk
Well, you need a 13 str to multiclass, so going 15 str for platemail is probably easier than str 13, dex 14, cha 17 and still trying to have a constitution.
I'll also point out another good option... skip strength and just take the movement penalty. With a 13 str,, you can max cha and con, and dump dex, int, and wis. You then have a number of options -- just take the penalty (you don't require a lot of movement or going first and have eldritch blast if you can't get in melee for a round), go dwarf, get longstrider, or look at mounted combat if taking paladin to 5th.
I really like the Hexadin because of how absolutely free the character is at 7th or 8th level.
Once you hit level 7 (or 8, if you wanted Invocations), the world is your oyster. Snag those 2 Paladin levels for ASI, Commit fully to Paladin or Warlock, pick up Sorcerer or some triple synergy, pick up Bard for offbrand synergy(?), go Fighter to hit stuff good, Rogue to do silly magic stealth tank garbage, have that Wisdom pumped to go Ranger to be a Gloomstalker ninja paladin, pump Intelligence to build your Hexa-Iron Man suit, or just grab something ridiculous for the campaign.
The basic platform of Hexadin is so self sufficient, that you can do really neat stuff off of it, and it's loosely optimized enough to contribute to optimized parties, yet not overshadow unoptimized parties.
I made a Radiant Consumption Aasimar with some planned levels in Celestial Warlock 10/Divine Soul Sorcerer 8/Paladin 2. The build alongside war caster, polearm master, and sentinel let you double smite booming blade as both a regular attack an on opportunity attacks, and enemies caught in your area of influence take constant persistent damage from radiant consumption, cloud of flies, and spirit guardians, which gets buffed by the celestial warlock's level 6 feature. All 3 classes/subclasses also have a lot of innate healing so you can stay alive easily since you dont need your action to attack really due to how often you can use your reaction to do so. Lots of utility, survivability, and damage. Never underestimate quickened spell hold person into green flame blade double smite. Never underestimate quickened spell hold person into green flame blade double smite. With thirsting blade you would still get two attacks in per turn as well, and agonizing blast gives you consistent ranged dps, especially when you transmute an eldritch blast into radiant or fire to add double charisma damage to each hit you make.
I play a "Belmont-like" character using Hexblade / Oath of the Watchers that uses a chain whip as her primary weapon.
It's awesome to play and was one of the best whip builds I could think of. The DM authorize me to change the damage type of my chain whip to bludgeoning and I am now able to use the crusher feet with great enjoyment.
That sounds sick! How many levels of hexblade?
@@christomanci Pali 1, 1 Hex, 3 pali and will probably go pali until 6 level. I'll see were to go after that.
One minor 'combo' that you recommended but didn't point out is that at low levels you can use command to make them approach, then polearm master to attack them when they get in reach, which is great when someone is too far away to actually hit on a turn, but you can move close enough that they can move up to you.
Scorpion: "Get over here!"
A good way around the warcaster is to use arcane focus quarterstaff. It won't be piercing but it is a arcane focus and you can cast through it and your divine focus can be a amulet and what not.You'll be doing the same amount of damage and still be able to use the bonus action attack.
I'm using subtle spell for my sorcadin. Subtle spell shield is all I've needed in combat
Divine soul sorcerer will let me get Spirit Shroud. And I'll just cast that before drawing my weapon
Wait, can't you just have your Holy Symbol on your shield? That's like the go-to for shield wielding Clerics and Paladins that is the whole reason they tend to be more practical in weapon combat than other casters. Though, honestly, for the arcane focus, bludgeoning tends to be better than piercing most of the time anyway, so not really losing anything mechanically compared to spear as your polearm, just a matter of poking with a spear one-handed being more of an expected image logically.
That wouldn’t work with spells that have a somatic component but no material component. At least regarding the shield spell.
The rules state that if a spell requires a material component AND a somatic component then the same hand used to hold the material component can be used for the somatic component.
A somatic component by itself requires an empty hand to be performed.
A lot of Paladin spells by pass this by only needing a vocal component, such as the smite spells.
@@Shalakor that only works for casting paladin spells. This build gets shield from warlock, which has different spell casting foci
@@binolombardi right, which is why I was using subtle spell, which removes the need for verbal and somatic components
If you don't care too much for hexblade (like I do), but you do like combining warlock and paladin. I like a combination of undead warlock (minimum of 1 but the levels 6 feature works nicely as well) and conquest paladin (minimum of 3, but getting the lvl 7 aura works nicely).
Ive been waiting patiently to try this combo out. Combine that with a reach weapon, and freeze a melee enemy in their tracks unable to do anything.
@@jordanw2741 I had another fun thought. 1lvl undead, 6 conquest and 13 phantom rogue. When you consider the UA backgrounds planar philosopher and gate warden (both allow for access the Baleful scion feat. Gate warden is more likely to work with concept though, you know interplanar crusader like thing. The thing with baleful scion is that you get PBxPD d6+PB of necrotic damage heal for amount of the dealt necrotic damage. The big question here becomes, what is the best way to pump that necrotic damage.) Now you have a paladin that can go through walls and what not. (I had a bit of a hard time deciding which 1 of the 2 I wanted to get to 6 paladin ''7 is great too, if you take the new dragonborn with the feat dragon fear'' or 6 undead warlock to turn all of your damage necrotic + an extra damage die and that is quite a bit of healing) I think in terms of race half-orc is a solid choice for a bit of extra crit damage.
How would you built around that Baleful scion feat?
This is actually exactly what my next character is. Went Silver Dragonborn, plan on taking Dragon Fear Feat down the line. Really looking forward to this!
What if I don't care much for paladin any suggestions?
@@Midnightv warlock of course always leaves a lot of ways open. If asi's are not a problem I like shorting up my weaknesses with 3 lvls of gloomstalker. It gives some minorly effective ways for aoe as well as an extra attack and some other extra goodies.
My favorite Hexadin build is Oathbreaker Paladin to 7 for aura of hate, and then Hexblade Warlock all the way to 13 for all the juicy warlock invocations and higher level spellcasting. If you combine summon spells such as Summon Undead and eventually Summon Fiend with your aura of hate, they can put out quite a nice bit of damage and of course you eventually get access to Lifedrinker which essentially means all your attacks are adding three times your CHA to the damage rolls. A normal spear attack at 20th level would be doing 1d6+15 damage and maintain the bonus to hit wihtout any pump spells.
Especially if another player plays a necromancer
you wouldn't even need a friendly necromancer. Warlocks get Danse Macabre, which, from the aura of hate, gets upgraded to similar damage potential as animate objects (half as many attacks, each attack does twice as much damage, same attack bonus). At high levels, there's Infernal Calling - Black Abishai can create movable darkness blobs that both they, and the hexadin (via Devil's Sight) can see through just fine. With the hexadin and their summon making all attacks at advantage, the potential is very high.
Hexblade Oathbreaker is an incredibly kino combo; I play that in a few games. Though in one of them which rules Aura of Hate extends to enemies (which, to be fair, is RAW) I'm probably going to multiclass again into Divine Soul Sorcerer after getting Improved Divine Smite.
@@randomidealist5675 Right? & Danse Macabre minions are also adding your cha to their damage as a feature of the spell, so their hits will get to add your cha twice if they're within your aura.
The Lich King build. Although, thematically, a longsword would be better.
Hilarious as I was literally looking at a fighter/warlock or a paladin/warlock for an upcoming campaign. (Warlock being the prime class though). Still might take ideas/concepts from this build!
If you want a fighter warlock (primarily warlock) I would recommend the forcelance/ ghost lance build. Basically it’s an echo knight/warcaster exploit, where your echo triggers an opportunity attack and then you cast eldritch blast with repelling and lance of lethargy to keep enemies away (there are multiple TH-camrs who have done guides) I prefer genie patron as opposed to undead since with genie you can get flight and spike growth (vs undead giving you easy frightened condition) but both work really well
One of my Higher level build preferences is to Hexblade 5 so you can also deliver an Eldritch Smite, get Improved pact weapon, and a Utility Invocation. You also can upsize your Polearm and then go with GWM for higher Melee damage. I generally Start Pally 1, then take 1 in warlock, go 7 more levels in Pally, then 4 more levels of Warlock, and Finish with Pally
I think the extra level in warlock provides so much more versatility and damage due to invocations and 2nd level spell slots that the extra ASI at level 20 isn't relevant enough
Remember lvl2 warlock gets you another pact slot (great) but not lvl2 slots, they come at warlock3
@@Medoway either way the best spread is still probably 6 paladin/14 warlock. It's just so much better
The number of times I’ve watched this preparing my PC for CoS
Playing an oathbreaker/hexblade tiefling and it's awesome!
Double charisma stacking due to aura of hate and the hexblade and i've got a +10 base damage at 20 CHA, with duelist and the hexcurse i can reach +16 dmg before any dice is rolled.
For defence, 20+ AC (25 with shield spell) and Darkness paired with devil's sight to give advantage to my attacks and disadvantage to enemies so i can go critfishing for some good smite.
The perfect Black Knight....also raising undeads time to time just for the taste.
I had no idea Polearm Master had been erratad to include spears. Neat.
I don't handwave somatic components, but I let spellcasters add _more_ components to a spell than is required. This means if a character has no hands free but is wielding something they can use as a spellcasting focus, they can add an M component to the spell and replace it with the focus, so can perform the S component with the hand holding the focus.
Adding extra components doesn't really do much outside that, but if someone wants to speak a verbal incantation when they cast Minor Illusion that won't make the spell any less effective, and if a character wants to stretch a spell beyond its normal limits for story purposes, increasing the casting time and adding a consumed costly material component helps the DM fiat feel justified.
I would like to be able to add an M component to my College of Spirits bard so I could actually use the spirit focus.
YEEEEES perfect timing! I've got a session zero for a game I'm going to hexadin for in 5 hours and I'm gonna be strapped. Ty for all the insights
I know, right. I've been franticly hitting refresh ever since I heard he was doing a hexadin video next. Session Zero tomorrow, can't wait!
This video came at a good time for me. I am planning on playing a Radiant Consumption Aasimar with some planned levels in Celestial Warlock 10/Divine Soul Sorcerer 8/Paladin 2. The build alongside war caster, polearm master, and sentinel let you double smite booming blade as both a regular attack an on opportunity attacks, and enemies caught in your area of influence take constant persistent damage from radiant consumption, cloud of flies, and spirit guardians, which gets buffed by the celestial warlock's level 6 feature. All 3 classes/subclasses also have a lot of innate healing so you can stay alive easily since you dont need your action to attack really due to how often you can use your reaction to do so. Lots of utility, survivability, and damage. Never underestimate quickened spell hold person into green flame blade double smite. With thirsting blade you would still get two attacks in per turn as well, and agonizing blast gives you consistent ranged dps, especially when you transmute an eldritch blast into radiant or fire to add double charisma damage to each hit you make.
Thanks for all your paladin videos in the past few months!
You made quite a few mentions of multiclassing the paladin with bard throughout this video and - while we’ve gotten your take all the different permutations of warlock, sorcerer, and paladin - we haven’t been lucky enough to see how you would multiclass a bard/paladin.
I know you have a lot of videos planned and probably don’t need more suggestions to add to your plate, but I would love to see what your brain could come up with pairing these two. Glamour’s Mantle of Inspiration could really serve a lot of the same purposes as misty step (and pairs *beautifully* with Find Steed), for instance.
Swords Bard X/Paladin 2/Hexblade Warlock 1, starting with Paladin 1. As easy as that.
Be cautious when using the Abjure the Extraplanar Channel Divinity while on the mount provided by either the Find Steed or Find Greater Steed spell.
Since you share a telepathic link, and Abjure Extraplanar only works on targets that can hear you, you could always just find a way to plug your pegasus' ears, since the deafened Ccondition really isn't that bad.
My ideal build was 6 levels Paladin, 14 levels warlock. High level magic plus most of the main benefits of paladin at level 20 with great power scaling. 1 level Paladin, 6 levels of Warlock. 5 levels of Paladin. The rest in Warlock. You become super powerful at level 2 and even more so at level 3. The spells and such you end up being able to cast keep you powerful and you don't have to share spell slots with Hex. Eldritch blast keeps your damage up no matter what but pushing things into smites makes you super dangerous at most ranges.
Either that, or oathbreaker 8 / hexblade 12 for the additional aura of hate damage (esp with a necromancer in the party)
Oathbreaker is the most fitting subclass anyways, as you were tempted by power by your patron, renouncing your old gods for Eldritch power
My preferred Hexadin is Oath of Conquest so you can channel divinity to freeze all the baddies within 10 feet of you in place and just wail on them. I like going to 5/6 level hexblade so you can get Counterspell and improved smite and the hadar invocation to pull enemies closer.
I'm a little surprised at the suggestion at the start of the video of starting warlock and using medium armour? Saying that's "easier" on ability scores?
You still need 13 STR to multiclass into Paladin. 13 STR to multiclass and 14 DEX for medium armour is 5 points for the STR, and 7 points for the DEX (12 total).
By comparison 15 STR is 9 points of pointbuy.
Only needing one stat is just a lot easier on the ability scores.
Well, you can go 15 Str, or 13 Str 14 Dex.
Really, it's up to more personal preference and what else you want to do with the character. The Dex investment isn't bad to use some of those spells first, or snagging a better Dex save anyways.
Only for the eldritch build, but for a melee build, he recommend starting paladin.
Thanks for doing what you do. I remember creating a Dwarven Zen Archer Monk in Pathfinder based off one of your guides, many years ago! Keep up the awesome work!
I love the Aasimar on this build mostly because if you go with protector/Radiant Soul you get that extra mobility of flight at a lower level. I also love how good it gets just going up the levels but the point of getting to choose where the character goes at level 7 (in option 3) is particularly party composition friendly.
A comment in regards of 12:00 - green flame blade. I think RAW if you use the cantrip then you’re not using a melee attack, hence you should not be able to use the bonus action of polearm master. It’s the same principle of not being able to use as OA green flame blade since it’s a spell attack until you get warmaster!
Doesn't the Watcher Oath directly contradict a Warlock class dip? Doesn't it directly break the Loyalty oath: "Never accept gifts or favors from fiends or those who truck with them. Stay true to your order, your comrades, and your duty". Not all Hexblade patrons are fiends but they often aren't good or with good intent. You can always reflavor that stuff but i think it's worth taking into account as Oaths and following them has always been a core theme with the Paladin
The subclass description for the Hexblade says the weapons you swear your pact to originate from The Raven Queen, goddess of death. I'd agree that a multiclass dip for paladin probably should have more restrictions on subclass combinations than most to prevent contradictions, but I don't see an issue with any paladin subclass making a deal with the goddess of death, a Lawful Neutral deity.
Im playing a Hexadin and even though I’m still level 3 my plan is to use elven accuracy and hex blades curse with divine smite and eldritch smite to make things go boom. Practical? Not often. But is it fun to roll way to many dice? YES
You are a gift to the community, keep up the good work!
Thank you for the basic hexadin layout! I’m running this tomorrow for our new campaign. Only difference is choosing Oath of Vengeance (rolled some great stats, so dex/initiative is not a problem). Can’t wait to play, first time paladin!
I love the build. The invocations for Warlock level 2 can skyrocket Eldritch Blast ranged damage and several invocations can be very fun. Level 3 and Pack of the Blade is fun thematically and both pact slots being level 2 is pretty good. Not at the cost of Pali levels early game.
Fun build : Level 1 Pali, Level 2 Hexblade one, Level 3 Pali two (smite and style), Level 4 Sorc 1.
Every level afterwards goes Sorc (natural progression) unless story wise there is a reason to take an Oath or your Hex patron temps you in game.
If you don't already have one I think a video on what spells paladins can share with their mounts is a topic worth discussing. I haven't found anyone who talks about it and the spells you share with your mount can drastically change your gameplay, in fact I've made a build centered around this where the mount alone can actually stay above baseline most of the game.
You're going to like my next 3 videos.
@@TreantmonksTemple 3 you say, man and here I thought I was gonna have to buy you dinner first for even 1 lol. If you're gonna do 1 for sharing spells, 1 for optimizing mount choices and discussing the possibility of making the mount a side kick and 1 about how order domain cleric also interacts with all this I would be the smuggest person on TH-cam lol
@@ryanscanlon2151 The first video goes over making a build focused on mounted combat. The second is a build video that focuses on the Find Steed spell, the third is a build video (which I'm still working on) focusing on find greater steed.
@@TreantmonksTemple if you're still working on it I have 2 suggestions for it. Oathbreaker Paladin for the arua of hate for a fiend type mount and 1 level order domain for extra mount attacks
I feel like the optimizer community really should just set up like 10-15 tables of people running against a few standard neutral bosses recording dpr per turn to get an average of the actual dpr for builds. Like the base classes first and then common multi-class builds next. It should be roughly a bell curve and it could probably be done in like a few hours on discord each time it was scheduled.
It's much more effort than actually calculating situation wise, and gives a less reliable result.
That's needless and dumb
@@prixiusnecrolance8531 Here's the problem with that while calculating the odds on a d20 or when to use GWM is a simple probability question. Situational usage will change a builds dpr. For example how much can we compare builds that might have a massive difference in benefit from opportunity attacks, what about the reality of holding back on resources, or any number of factors we can't include in the calculations. Because of these almost every person i see calculates dpr differently. Whats reliable damage is in itself the the problem. By taking a large sample size you should get a normal curve of the outcomes without disagreeing on how to calculate dpr. If a build doesn't get a normal curve then that's interesting is it not? RN we are making assumptions and i feel we lack the property back data to make. Its "more effort" but its a baseline and its probably a better process.
@@punishedwhispers1218 Here's the problem with that while calculating the odds on a d20 or when to use GWM is a simple probability question. Situational usage will change a builds dpr. For example how much can we compare builds that might have a massive difference in benefit from opportunity attacks, what about the reality of holding back on resources, or any number of factors we can't include in the calculations. Because of these almost every person i see calculates dpr differently. Whats reliable damage is in itself the the problem. By taking a large sample size you should get a normal curve of the outcomes without disagreeing on how to calculate dpr. If a build doesn't get a normal curve then that's interesting is it not? RN we are making assumptions and i feel we lack the property back data to make. Its "more effort" but its a baseline and its probably a better process.
@@insertname5371 Human intentions will only make the data more skewered. A more experienced player will be better at positioning and resource management than a less experienced one.
But I do see the merits in both methods now
"A lot of DMs hand-wave somatic components"
...ironic
Super stoked to see this. My favorite PC is a Conquest 18/Hexblade 2. Super tanky, control/support with a shield, defensive fighting style, repelling blast, War Caster, and Inspiring Leader who flies an (alpha) peryton. Loses some efficiency, but God what a fun character.
One more option for hexadin is to take the Fey Touched Feat. Can give an extra charisma point, plus it gives misty step, and one extra spell/cantrip. Combine that with polearm master and sentinel and you have a heavy damage dealer that can just jump around the battlefield out of arms length. All but impossible to hit with a melee attack, and hard to keep away from.
Armor of Agathys in the only spell you're unable to cast with spear and sheild in hand once you've taken War Caster. Like another commenter mentioned, I'd recommend using a staff (quarterstaff) over a spear until you reach level 13 and get War Caster. It's a focus and it has the same damage and uses, minus the thrown property (which I doubt will come into play much) and bludgeoning damage under piecing.
I think 3 levels of Warlock will be better damage. 3 warlock allows you to take the pact of the blade so can use the heavy polearms and thus take GWM. It's not even an extra feat since we can drop war caster for GWM and pickup Eldritch Mind as an invocation if we're worried about concentration. You can combine an elvish race for elven accuracy with the vengeance paladin's vow of emnity to compensate for the -5 to hit. If you have vow of emnity and hexblade's curse up at the same time against the same target, they are completely screwed. You also get 2nd level pact magic slots which makes it so you can use those for divine smite more liberally.
The problem with Green-Flame blade is not only an extra attack. But you can’t use your PAM bonus action attack after you cast a spell RAW. So this is another problem like casting eldritch blast with spear + shield.
FYI: When you do your 2nd level dip into warlock, if you buy a staff arcane focus at the next town (common/starting equipment 5gp) you can use that as your primary weapon instead of spear and that gets around the juggling required for casting, is treated like a quarterstaff in combat (which works with the pole arm mastery feat).
Spell casting Components (p203 of PHB):
Material components "A Character can use a component pouch or SPELLCASTING FOCUS (see Chapter 5) in place of the components for a specified spell ... A spellcaster must have a hand free to access these components but it CAN BE THE SAME HAND that he or she uses TO PERFORM SOMATIC components"
Under warlock Spellcasting ability: (p107 of PHB) "You can use a spellcasting focus (found in chapter 5) for your warlock spells
Ch5. Adventuring Gear. Under Arcane Focuses: Crystal, orb, rod, STAFF, wand.
Staffs as quarterstaff in combat. Dungeon Masters Guide P140 "Unless a staff's description says otherwise, a staff can be used as a quarterstaff"
Polearm master feat specifies "Attacking with a glaive, halberd or quarterstaff"
QED: At level 2 if you buy an staff arcane focus, you can wield it as a quartstaff dealing 1D6 blunt damage, enabling your polearm master feat. you can make it your hex weapon, you can wield it and your shield and cast warlock spells without needing to use your free action to drop & pick up weapons. Thus enabling casing Shield on reaction. As well as using your Charisma modifier for the to hit and damage bonuses.
I am playing a Hexblad 5 Paladin 2 and then I will go the rest of the campaign picking up sorcerer levels. That way I can have lots of spells both for control or smites. That way you can do tons of damage and an excellent support caster.
I'm a 2/1 hexadin in my new campaign.
The plan was full paladin but I had a roll that led to a magic weapon that is cursed (sword of veneagence).
I'm sticking paladin the rest of the way, unless the DM decides my actions are my attuned to the sword and then it is a hexblade level instead.
It isn't for everyone, but it has really upped the immersion for me.
And the first time I fail the curse DC I imagine the party will get a surprise 😂
I've tried Hexadins out in a few one shots and really enjoyed them. It might not be optimal, but I do like to get up to Hex 3 for the invocations and extra spells, but also Blade Pact so I can use a greatsword or glaive with Charisma.
I think the Strixhaven Backgrounds and the GuildMasters Guide to Ravnica Backgrounds add extra versatile from extra spell options.
You can even get animate dead on a warlock that way, if you want to be „that guy“
Not truly a hexadin but I'm partial to a 1 warlock/2 paladin/14 Swords bard, if we're building to L20 (not that many campaigns get that far) the other 3 levels are up to you but the versatility offered by the higher bard slots and the flourishes, I quite enjoy. Got to play this in a L20 dungeon crawl through the dead body of a god baby filled with high level monsters and had a blast.
Here is something I did in my current campaign, I'm actually a 5th level sorlock but it could work with hexadin, Bonus action: Wrathful Smite, Action: Booming Blade, (big) IF you hit and IF the enemy fails a wis save, but it's a dice game, you should be used to that.
Summing up potential damage assuming you hit and the enemy failed the saving throw:
1d8 weapon damage (longsword) 1d8 thunder damage (booming blade) 1d6 psychic damage (wrathful smite)
then on the enemy's turn it has to flee, activating the booming blade for extra 2d8 damage + you might want to spend your reaction for OA
So it is up to 5d8 + 1d6 in one turn + one opponent being controlled with fear spending one first level spell and one cantrip, you might get better results with extra attack + smite or at least more reliable damage but I think this 2 spells have a great synergy and I think the effect is fun
A great way to get around the str requirement for plate is to try and pick up mithril plate. Granted, you don’t get the up to +3 bonus from normal magical plate, but on the flip side you also don’t suffer disadvantage on stealth rolls, which is great if you’re in a group that tries to optimize around surprise.
Or you could play a dwarf
I played a hexadin a while back and it was some of the most fun i've ever had playing this game! For my race i picked half-elf and picked up elven accuracy at level 5. Combine that with the expaned crit range from hexblade's curse and the advantage i got from the vencence paladin meant that i crit more often than not! I know that crit fishing isn't really optimal but it's really fun!
with this build having so many attacks i love going oathbreaker for the extra damage from the aura, especially with a 2 lvl fighter dip
It should be noted that while war caster does apply here, since the build wields a weapon, it would not work with, for instance, a wizard with two wands, since the wands would not be considered weapons or shields.
The Bursting strike:
Bounus action :Eldritch smite + Divine smite + Green Flame Blade with quickened spell + branding smite. Action 1-2 Branding smite/ 1 action with green flame blade and Branding smite. Then rinse and repeat
One of my favorite characters I've played was an aasimar Hexblade who was convinced she was a Paladin cause of the talking sword she pulled out of her temples vault.
Wonderfully naive but good hearted girl. Eventually did reroll to Hexadin though.
Awesome video as always bud. I'd love to see an effective Gentleman Thief build. One who steal via stealth or words, BN thinking about it a lot for my next play through.
I built a Hexadin around a Vorpal Great Sword.
Back when any character could have Legendary Items, I managed to trade my way to a Vorpal Greatsword on a level 5 Hexadin.
Paladin 2, Hexblade 17, then last level in Paladin.
Went a half elf for Charisma, and Elven accuracy. Being able to use of an accuracy with a Vorpal Greatsword and easy ways warlocks get advantage led to slaughter.
This was adventurer’s league of course
I love that you’re updating all these builds.
If you take 3 levels of hexblad you can take Improved Pact Weapon, allowing you to use your pact weapon as a spell casting focus, removing the need for using a feat for warcaster
Ye.
The more versatile weapons are also handy.
Warlock 4 for the ASI isn't a bad way to take the character.
A multiclass that is effectively 100% "done", and completely free to take wherever you like after at 12 is a pretty good bargain.
@@aprinnyonbreak1290 L5 gives third level spells, which are vastly better than 2nd, and better invocations. If your going 4, 5 looks pretty good...
My take on full hands casting is that if one of those things is a potential focus (Shield with an emblem for cleric/paladin, Staff for arcane casters or druid) it works. yes, I know foci are supposed to replace material components and not be usable for spells that don't require them, but I don't care.
Love that we finally got the Hexadin Build from you.
Under what circumstances would you consider going for Warlock 3 or 4 to pick up Pact Blade and go to town with a Glaive and Great Weapon Master? Or would you rather not postpone Paladin levels any longer?
Anyways, great video!
That's what I did. I really wanted gift of the everliving ones.
I really love a Half-Elf Oath of Vengeance Paladin 6 + Warlock 4 to combine Great Weapon Master and Elven Accuracy (thanks to Vow of Enmity).
Not that big of a deal, but isn't green flame blade almost useless with polearm master because green flame blade doesn't use the attack action and trigger polearm master. Not that there better options for combat, but a utility cantrip could be nice.
I had and idea for a hexadin. was a pureblood yuan ti (magic resist and cool backstory) that found a weapon that keeps pressing him to be a good person. A devotion/celestial combo. imagine your character learning how to be a good person from their weapon
i really like the level 5 and 6 paladin levels, and im a fan of getting them as soon as possible. because of that i like to start with 16 strength and charisma (vuman). then go polearm master and war caster because i do play at tables that care about free hands for spells lol.
my favorite hexadin ive played went 7 levels oathbreaker paladin then 1 hexblade, then back to paladin. i didnt get my first charisma boost till paladin 8, which meant i wasnt pressured to take hexblade any sooner to boost my primary wrapon stat.
Been waiting for this one. Excited to see how it goes.
I started my character at hex 2, and was really tempted to go full paladin after, but Pact of the blade is too tempting and lets me ignore eldritch blast until level 11. The only multiclass I've been considering recently is bard for just 1 level at character level 4, which gives me 4 huge benefits: 2 1st level spell slots a day to justify using shield spell, 2 extra cantrips to support my out of combat utility (including booming blade), 4 extra spells known for support and utility, and 4 uses of bardic inspiration. I feel like that's a lot of bang for your buck for a single level dip on an otherwise pure hexblade build.
Any multiclass is a tough pill to swallow though.
I will say bard doesn’t get booming blade. Sorcerer does though!
Another use of Lay on Hands, but especially at lower amounts of Paladin levels, is to heal people at 0hp by one point. Specifically, using this on a party member that is after you in initiative, but before any other enemies, is a way you can spend one of your actions to grant one to them. Obviously, things like Healing Word and other bonus action options are usually tactically better, but sometimes you just *really* need the Wizard or Cleric to cast a particular spell or something. My Paladins usually save 3-5 points of their Lay on Hands for this purpose, and reserve the rest as a high-value immediate heal.
He mentioned this.
For Shield and Absorb Elements, I would allow if hands are full and a shield was actually being held. Flavor wise it makes sense
Watchers is a good because of the 7th lvl aura (counterspell is always nice too) but if you have a nice DM that will get you access to Sentinel Shield or Weapon of Warning then you could go a different Oath. My DM is awesome for these, because they're uncommon items he gives me a choice of possibly finding a different rare item as I level up, or enhancing the current items I have (so Sentinel Shield could add a +1 to AC or Weapon of Warning could add +1 to attack and dmg on top of what they already do) and when reaching higher lvls he gives opportunity again to enhance them further to match say a very rare item equivalent.
You can get away with a 13 in STR if you use a Dwarf as your race. Their speed is not affected by wearing heavy armor. You would still need the 13 to multiclass out of Paladin still though.
Trying to plan out my Baldur's Gate 3 character and this is helpful! So far we know that the max level is 12 and the pact of the blade is getting the charisma attack bonus (no hexblade subclass) so was thinking an even 6/6 split but would need at least 3 warlock levels for pact of the blade. 8/4 might be better though just for the stat improvements
Ruby of the war mage slapped on the end of that spear helps until you get war caster.
I'm also a stickler for that rule.
"A lot of DMs hand-wave somatic components." How did this joke just slip out and go unnoticed?
You get a big thumbs up
Their is a uncommon magic item call ruby of the war mage that make ur weopon counted as an arcana Focus witch mean if it's don't have a cost u can cast the spells and more importantly. Since the weapon is now an arcan focus u can us it to make The somatic component for your spells
the issue is spells with somatic but without material components [like shield] can't be cast with the hand holding a focus.
@@elliotbryant3459
I copied and pasted from dndbyond
Its under components. Look at last line. Oh i was wrong its a common magic item not uncommon.
Material (M)
Casting some spells requires particular objects, specified in parentheses in the component entry. A character can use a component pouch or a spellcasting focus (found in “Equipment”) in place of the components specified for a spell. But if a cost is indicated for a component, a character must have that specific component before he or she can cast the spell.
If a spell states that a material component is consumed by the spell, the caster must provide this component for each casting of the spell. A spellcaster must have a hand free to access a spell's material components -- or to hold a spellcasting focus -- but it can be the same hand that he or she uses to perform somatic components
-----------
Ruby of the War Mage
Wondrous Item, common (requires attunement by a spellcaster)
Etched with eldritch runes, this 1-inch-diameter ruby allows you to use a simple or martial weapon as a spellcasting focus for your spells. For this property to work, you must attach the ruby to the weapon by pressing the ruby against it for at least 10 minutes. Thereafter, the ruby can’t be removed unless you detach it as an action or the weapon is destroyed. Not even an antimagic field causes it to fall off. The ruby does fall off the weapon if your attunement to the ruby ends.
@@mattitalks6261 my bad, I thought I had previously read that neither war caster or Ruby of the war mage could facilitate the no M spell casting, but after reading the sage advice compendium, it does work [Edit: with War Caster]. With that being the case, the Improved Pact Weapon invocation could also get you this effect [Edit: if there are also M components] , just would require warlock 3
@@elliotbryant3459 war caster does not do m. But ruby does. The major thing about making a battle mage is s. I assume u have a way focus of some kond
@@mattitalks6261 what does the Ruby do that warcaster doesn’t in this scenario?
Anyway, this was from the sage advice compendium that got me to believe that not war caster or the focus weapon would work for these spells.
“Another example: a cleric’s holy symbol is emblazoned on her shield. She likes to wade into melee combat with a mace in one hand and a shield in the other. She uses the holy symbol as her spellcasting focus, so she needs to have the shield in hand when she casts a cleric spell that has a material component. If the spell, such as aid, also has a somatic component, she can perform that component with the shield hand and keep holding the mace in the other.
If the same cleric casts cure wounds, she needs to put the mace or the shield away, because that spell doesn’t have a material component but does have a somatic component. She’s going to need a free hand to make the spell’s gestures. If she had the War Caster feat, she could ignore this restriction.”
Instead of war caster, take tavern brawler and use a shield for both offense and defense. This leaves a hand free for casting or grappling. For optimal flavor, your shield should be a centergrip buckler with alternating red & white rings and blue in the center. Bonus points if an artificer is nice enough to give your shield the returning weapon infusion.
I've done the reverse, two levels of Paladin and then straight Warlock Hexblade. I probably would have returned to Pally if the campaign had lasted past level 9.
It's not the norm, but I prefer it as well. Using high level smites earlier is just fun, and in a pinch you can use your pact slots for a decent emergency heal.
What is your take on going Wood Half Elf for a hexadin? the 35 ft movement would afford us to go 13 strength and still end up at the dwarven 25ft of movement wearing plate, and also we would be able to pick up Elven Accuracy to fish more effectively for crit smites.
Doesn't seem worth it, considering you still need a 13 strength to multiclass paladin. Also polearm master is most impactful at lvls 1-5.
I had a question about the shield spell somatic components interaction you mentioned. I recall that a holy symbol could be on a shield and count as a casting focus? Wouldn't that allow the paladin to cast the spell while their hands were full? I thought this was a unique aspect of the Holy Symbol as a focus that applied to paladins and clerics who often have shields consuming one hand. Failing that couldn't they use a staff as a focus with polearm master. I am probably getting my rules mixed up but I thought either of those options allowed for the use of somatic components in this case. Cheers!
You are correct.
Using a shield with holy symbol as somatic hand is the intent according to Jeremy
The problem in this case is that the shield spell comes from the Warlock class and would need an arcane focus, which the holy symbol on the shield would not substitute.
1.) Shield spell not a paladin spell, so you can't use your holy symbol to cast it.
2.) Shield spell does not require material component, so there's no need for a holy symbol anyway.
3.) This is very weird and lengthy, please bear with me. a.) If a spell has a somatic component, you need a free hand to do the somatic component. b.) If a spell has both material and somatic components, you can use the same hand that handles material components to do the somatic component as well. c.) However Shield spell is only verbal and somatic, you cannot use the rule I've outlined in 3b.) without the War Caster feat.
How I run this for myself as a player (the rest of my tables aren't sticklers to spell components) is that as a reaction, I drop my weapon to free my hand and cast Shield. Some tables may not allow dropping an object as part of reaction.
@@rulethegamer Thank you that was the part I was missing, the material component. Otherwise, a staff in the primary hand would have been sufficient correct? I usually play melee characters so I get a little fuzzy on the intricacies of spell foci.
@@aegisvald5093 yes, a spellcasting staff. i think it's pricier than a quarterstaff, cant remember the usual price for the staff.
Not sure how option 2 is easier on the ability scores. You need 13 STR and 13 CHA to multiclass into or out of Paladin. So if you're dexterity based, you need 13 STR, 14 DEX, 14 CON, and 16+ CHA. Option 2 seems to make it more MAD than before.
why not go 3 hexblade and take pact of the blade, so you have access to reach heavy weapon as your pact weapon. Meaning you do have a free hand during combat to cast shield (without needing warcaster) since heavy require 2 hand when you WIELD them, so when you do the attack, during other turns you can hold it with only one hand.
The cost is the ASI (both times to get the first if you go back to Paladin and the loss of the level 19 ASI from Paladin if you go all the way) and the time it takes completing the basic 6 level on Paladin to get that sweet aura bonus. (Edit- also the extra attack would be an issue as staying in Warlock to get it or if you shift to Paladin you are getting that way later as well.)
Not saying you can’t do it just - trade offs.
^-- what they said! Also you get a second 5th level spell slot at paladin 19, which is kind of a big deal
because if you are going to go full paladin than getting 18 paladin for the 30 foot aura is better than Pact of the blade. if you want to take more than 2 levels of Hexblade than your better off going 13-14 Hexblade and 6-7 Paladin
I would like to see how you would do a Shepherd Druid now with the new summoning spells. Love the channel. I've been a long time subscriber!
Starting with Hexblade leaves you needing 13/14 in STR/DEX, wasting so many Point Buy points. Starting as a Paladin lets you go 15/8 (13/8 if you are a Dwarf), considering that heavy armor proficiency comes in really handy - don't let these 2 extra points for initiative deceive you. ALWAYS start with Paladin 1/2 if you want to be a Hexadin.
I always consided war caster to be obligatory for hexadins, for the Shield spell (not otherwise castable with weapon & shield, & yeah the tables I play at are strict about somitics for Shield at least), opportunity attack booming or green flame blade, and advantage on concentration vs. Damage.
My tables also generally don't allow custom lineage. Between that and needing to take warcaster asap, hexadins ime are extremely asi starved for most of their career, falling behind both pure paladins and pure hexblades in dpr due to postponing either or both of attack stats & weapon feats.
Still very strong characters, but yeah, noticeable tradeoffs.
I feel like it wouldn’t be terrible to take Variant Human with 16 Str 16 Cha instead of 15/17, and starting Straight Paladin for 8 levels. PAM at 1, Warcaster at 4, meaning 8 is your first ASI, so the time you’ll get up to a +4 Cha bonus. Level 9 would be Hexblade. That gets the feats and good defensive and utility Paladin features ASAP, and a +4 mainstat bonus for attack rolls isn’t necessarily any later than a different class order with the same feat picks.
I think if I were taking hexblade early, I’d probably want to start with a half-feat and Custom Lineage for 18 Cha from the start. If it was only a +3 Cha bonus, I just don’t know that there’s a high enough gain over a non-hexblade Paladin. That said, you do get Hex, and that’s solid damage at low levels, so a benefit to any early Lock level… hrm…
++edit++
Half-feat early instead of Warcaster also justifies early Hexblade, too…
What i've noticed with alot of optimal parties facing a DM who wants to challenge them, the aura of protection typically only benefits the paladin as an optimal party typically plays at range and scatters after the start of the fight. what happens is when they stick to the paladin is the DM is incentivized to use an aoe effect and even if they save they typically take half dmg. or worse if they fail the save and it's some sort of debuff or control effect. if the party members are not clumped together, then only 1 party member has to roll a save (preferably the paladin) and the others don't have to roll saves and take half-dmg. so imo, the value of aura of protection isn't as good in optimal parties. except of course if the paladin is L18.
the watcher's aura however is indeed very good and imo why the watcher is a top 4 paladin subclass and is the best aura the paladin has. it's perfectly advantageous to start off clumped around the paladin for the initiative boost then disperse. in practice this aura feels like adding an extra turn or 2 at least to your party as it's not always the case that the whole party's initiative rolls are higher than all the enemies. going ahead of enemies means you can burst them down or control them before they do anything harmful to the party.
personally, i'd rarely use heavy armor. i'd rather tradeoff that +1 ac for a +2 to initiative and dex saves (half-plate + 14 dex).
I find the aura works best protecting a party member with a bad save in a critical encounter.
Staying next to your Fighter versus Mind Flayers, or near your Wizard versus a Dragon.
Huddling up is awkward at the best of times, and can backfire at the worst, but turning a "This character is facing mortal danger from saves they are unlikely to make" into a "they are probably fine" is the real power.
+2 to Dex saves as well,
I think this point about auras is very circumstantial and depends on play group and dm. I've found that there are plenty of maps that make spreading out tricky. You can either be in fireball range or be out of the combat, unable to get line of sight. This can be fine if you are going to like drop a crowd control and then dip, but not great for ranged sniper types who need to be able to hit into combat most of the time. Also it's often impractical to adventure while super spread out even if it is optimally advantageous, so a surprise opening aoe will still usually land. Being too spread out especially as squishy ranged characters can also result in getting surrounded and picked off by flanking reinforcements or just impractical if you start off surrounded.
@@aprinnyonbreak1290 this is why i said optimal party. you just mentioned 2 melee party members. in an optimal party with a paladin, the paladin is the only frontliner. so he goes 1st, goes in front and attracts all the attention while all the other 3 are either ranged strikers or controllers. those party members with weaker saves are far away while the paladin is the one up in the threat's face and thus the only one who's "supposed" to roll saves.
I think straight 6 Paladin is better; I don't think delaying extra attack/aura of Protection is worth the +1 to hit/damage (and even +2 after level 4) especially if you aren't going GWM. You may also have access to str increasing items at that point which would let you go straight Paladin instead.
I wouldn't give away my bonus action attack for a Green flame blade damage to a 2nd target. Better just attack it with your stick :)
I think warlock 2/paladin 18 might be slightly more optimal. Taking the extra warlock earliest after paladin 6.
Paladin 19 gives you ASI and 1 extra first level spell slot. Warlock 2 gives you
- 1 extra first level spell slot per short rest. Assuming dmg standard 2 short rests per long rest, this is 3 times better.
- 2 invocations. This is roughly as good as one feat, but gives you interesting utility options like devils sight, beast speech (speaking with your mount!) and mask of many faces. Alternatively, you can take agonizing blast and you have a decent ranged option for when you need it. Sure, it's not as powerful as your usual stuff, but it gives you something to do when you can't reach your enemies.
I hate assumptions that the rules won’t be used.
Probability crit with hexblades curse is 10% BTW. I notice you used the additional damage from it but not the additional crit in your dpr calculation. Also that goes up to 19% with advantage
I think going mostly Warlock is probably a more optimal build personally.
Interesting, in what regard?
I can see it having more power offensively in shorter bursts. However, more Paladin gives you more slots in total with which you can smite, while also being really strong defensively.
@@forte_dx1813 The spell slots thing becomes less of an issue if you take 6 levels in Paladin. You end up with more slots than any warlock will ever get by level 2. 1 level pally to start. Then 5 levels in Warlock. This makes sure your power scaling is good. Then 5 more in Paladin. That gives you a significant boost in power as well and ends with a nice big old cake of extra attack. Then the rest in Warlock. You end up with a couple high level spells you can spend pact magic on whereas you can save your Paladin spells for normal combat.
The goal is to boost the power of smites up to 11 while also having a crazy effective eldritch blast. You can combo Eldritch Smite and Divine Smite because neither are spells. Eldritch blast scales with your combined level so it always remains powerful. You can do a total of 5 smites within four attacks in one turn with melee or four eldritch blasts at full power.
You get a LOT of Warlock invocations that boost your melee and ranged attacks. Thirsting blade gives you four attacks when combined with extra attack. Eldritch Smite gives you an additional non-spell smite. Improved Pact Weapon boosts the attack power of your magical weapon. Agonizing blast adds your charisma modifier to eldritch blast. Repelling blast could add fall damage and move the enemy if your dm allows it. Hex and Hexblade's curse make sure your bonus action gets used the first two turns.
You get the heavy armor of a Paladin. Divine Smite - which you can upcast with Pact magic - extra attack gets you to four attacks with Thirsting blade.
It's one of the craziest attackers ever. Totally broken beyond belief. There's more to it but it's too much to type. It's just a crazy combo.
instead of warcaster you can go 3 level hexblade and get improve pact weapon
Honestly, at lvl 20, I'd rather get Resilient Constitution rather than just bumping Con. I know it's gonna be an ugly score, but at those levels, +6 to con saves is probably gonna save your bacon more than +1 and 20 HP.
Also, a good way around War Caster feat is Ruby of the War Mage. But, I understand why you can't make those assumptions during these builds. However, this item is cheap and should be fairly readily available.
Planning on a hexadin in our next campain in a few month.
We run strict components, so War caster is a must (wich then again really nicely works with Melle cantriups at least)
ANother quirk of the hexadin:
VarHuman/CustomLineage Hexadin cant take War Caster at level 1 becasue they get spells at level 2...
Pretty sure they can still take it, just don't get a use for it until 2nd level.
13:50
According to Jeremy you can use the hand that is holding the shield with holy symbol as the hand for somatic components.
Sadly can not link the source because youtube deletes my comment if i do so.
But its easy to find on sage advice
if the spell has a material component. If not, like the spell Shield, you have to have a free hand or the Warcaster feat to cast it as a reaction.
Why not go tome warlock to lvl 3, then take shillelagh to make quarterstaff attacks 1d8 instead?
Was thinking of this, without 15 str, using steed. Just a rough level 1.
Hexadin: King Arthur
Quest log updated: Hexadin video complete! 😉
but what about the Optimal Hexorcadin: A multiclass of 1 Warlock (for Hex Warrior), 3 Sorcerer (for Metamagic options), and 16 Paladin? ;)
Paladin 1, Undead Warlock 2, Watchers Paladin 7/8, Clockwork Sorcerer X: Great AC (Heavy Armour + Shield + SHIELD), Good ranged damage at will with utility (Agonising Repelling Blast), Watchers Aura for backline (Protection + Initiative), Good spells (compared to Paladin spells which are frankly quite poor with the best being the level 1 Bless imo).
I was going to go a Hexadin with more levels in Hexblade so I could stack Divine and Eldritch smites but decided to go full Hexblade with Polearm master for my DM's sanity since he might have had to rework some bosses just to account for me
Some of the things you said in this video really made me think. I love disease and harsh terrain as part of a story, but not in D&D. Why? It's because of the hard shut downs. If a group realizes I love to use poison they can counter that fairly, but if they learn I love to use disease . . . adding a paladin to the mix lets them ignore a big part of my adventure. That's not fun. The same goes for tangled vines, quicksand, and other harsh terrain. The moment a party realizes I'm building an adventure around those challenges a druid lets them just ignore all my work, and ruins all my fun.
Of course I can use house rules to nerf those abilities, or I can ban those classes from my campaign but at that point I'm fighting the game, and frustrated players have a great argument that I'm cheating. The same goes for other terrain challenges. The moment teleport and fly are expected I'm not going to base my encounters around steep mountain passes along sheer cliffs, with huge walls you are supposed to climb.
It's not fun to set up a challenge just to watch somebody completely bypass it with a standard ability. It's even less fun if everyone bypasses it either by all having such abilities, or by having that one guy act like a taxi, or toss down a rope. In that way the meta limits what stories we can tell.
I'd suggest that many players don't like to be penalised for imposed travel; the time taken is enough of a mood-dampener let alone picking up some nasty infection or losing hp just for moving. You also need to bear in mind that Critical Role has had a massive influence in this- you rarely see the party actually travel because their normal mode of transport involves teleportation circles or trees.
It's OK for characters abilities to shine, bypassing natural terrain for Druids is rare, the player will feel good being able to use that ability.
@@samuelbroad11 The reason its rare is because it completely negates the challenge so people just don't add that to the adventure very often.
This makes it a ribbon ability, very situational. If you need it the skill is so good that you really don't even fully appreciate it.
Maybe the GM mentions the muck or quicksand to make you feel good, but the mention is going to be brief and then he's likely to skip describing it.
Meanwhile if the ability made the challenge easier, or required a roll every so often there might be a reason for the GM to include it as part of the story, and for the player to value it.
Monsters often have poison so the ability to handle that challenge is valuable. If you get poisoned it's going to be awful until somebody casts a spell, or until you make your saving roll. That's dramatic. It's good story telling.
But most monsters are resistant or immune to poison so players don't highly value being poisonous themselves. The story isn't going to include a lot of characters who are brewing and using poison, or who have spells and weapons with the poison damage type.
In that way poison, disease, and difficult terrain suffer from the same problem: They simply aren't fun for the players.
@@johnchance7836 Hmmm, got me thinking about the old 4th ed DMG's, they included kinda magical terrain, arcane spots on the tactical map that could hinder or help with various stuff. Maybe the Druid can ignore this quicksand but not that quicksand which is cursed (by an evil druid with skeleton animals!). OR a disease which requires a quest to remove, bypassing the lay on hands. My 9th level paladin warforged is cursed with rusty armour, any armour he puts on rusts away, Baba Lysaga did it. Sure he has Remove Curse spell, but the curse is too strong. Queue plot hook and adventure. also remember any taxi chain and separation of the players makes for a perfect ambush. Are they surmounting the obstacle? Sure, but they're spread out, hanging onto ropes and being peppered by baddies.
Polearm bonus and reaction probably should be hex weapon too
Assimar, Scourge, 1 level paladin, 2 levels hexblade, 6(7) paladin Oathbreaker, 12(13) levels hexblade. Your sustained damage is ridiculous, You summon a demon, you ride a demonic or undead steed,or summon one find steed is a spirit. your hexblade spectre. all of that damage plus your char bonus, your damage is charx3 once you hit l2. Every short rest you can hexblade curse, every longrest your radiant consumption damage. So at level 12 you can self cast haste. So, so assuming you got a halberd and GWM, and 18 char. If you blow your cooldowns, 1d10+39+2d10+27(x2)+1d4+27 +SMITES+crit on 19 (assuming improved pact weapon ifyour DM is stingy)+your steed so say hoof attack is 2d8+3+4. without Cooldowns you still do 1d10+23 (x3) +1d4+23