I am playing a Hexblade and IMO the top 3 abilities are using Cha as your attack stat, adding your prof bonus to damage when you use the Curse, and access to the Shield spell. The extra crits on 19 - well, playing every other week since Feb when the UA was released, I can't remember ever getting one. On 100 d20 rolls, you can expect five 19's, and they are going to get used on initiative rolls, skill checks, saves, and attacks when you don't have your Curse up. You might have to roll hundreds of times to get even one 19 crit. The hp recovery when your cursed enemy dies is also weak. Half the time I am uninjured and get nothing back. For that reason, if you like the Hexblade pact, go with a one-handed weapon you can use with Hexblade Warrior and Curse. If you aren't going to use Cha as your attack stat, you should skip the Hexblade and go Fiend.
If you want advantage on attacks, and who doesn't, vengeance paladin is the way to go. Paladin's Vow of Enmity works with both weapons and Eldritch Blast, but Barb's Reckless Attack does not. RA requires strength so you won't even get the extra damage from your Curse with a 2 handed weapon, which is far more important to your total damage over time than the occasional 19 crit. I would start Paladin for the heavy armor proficiency, dip one level of Hexblade Warlock so that you can attack with Cha, and then stay with Paladin through level 6 to get your extra attack and Aura of Protection. After that I would switch back to Hexblade the rest of the way.
Stats: you need a min of 13 Str to MC into Paladin, but if you want to wear heavy armor you'll need a 15 str. As a 1/2 Elf, you could start 14/12/13/8/12/14, and after racial mods have 15/12/14/8/12/16. Heavy armor AC could get up to 20, with Shield spell boosting it to 25. If you don't care about heavy armor you could switch the 14 and 12 in str and dex. [edit - my stats made no sense b/c I was sleep deprived]
Since the Paladin can already smite, you don't have to take that HB invocation and can use it for something else. By level 9 Pal6/War3) you will have access to the Darkness spell, four 1st level spell slots, and four 2nd level slots, two of which recharge on a short rest. Surround yourself with Darkness and you will be almost unhittable when your enemies attack at disadvantage against your 20 AC backed up with a shield spell.
Hexblade turns a MAD paladin into a SAD paladin since now you will use Cha for attacks, spellcasting, Aura of Protection.
If you want advantage on attacks, and who doesn't, vengeance paladin is the way to go. Paladin's Vow of Enmity works with both weapons and Eldritch Blast, but Barb's Reckless Attack does not. RA requires strength so you won't even get the extra damage from your Curse with a 2 handed weapon, which is far more important to your total damage over time than the occasional 19 crit. I would start Paladin for the heavy armor proficiency, dip one level of Hexblade Warlock so that you can attack with Cha, and then stay with Paladin through level 6 to get your extra attack and Aura of Protection. After that I would switch back to Hexblade the rest of the way.
Stats: you need a min of 13 Str to MC into Paladin, but if you want to wear heavy armor you'll need a 15 str. As a 1/2 Elf, you could start 14/12/13/8/12/14, and after racial mods have 15/12/14/8/12/16. Heavy armor AC could get up to 20, with Shield spell boosting it to 25. If you don't care about heavy armor you could switch the 14 and 12 in str and dex. [edit - my stats made no sense b/c I was sleep deprived]
Since the Paladin can already smite, you don't have to take that HB invocation and can use it for something else. By level 9 Pal6/War3) you will have access to the Darkness spell, four 1st level spell slots, and four 2nd level slots, two of which recharge on a short rest. Surround yourself with Darkness and you will be almost unhittable when your enemies attack at disadvantage against your 20 AC backed up with a shield spell.
Hexblade turns a MAD paladin into a SAD paladin since now you will use Cha for attacks, spellcasting, Aura of Protection.
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