D&D 5E Is Hex actually that great?

[Caliban]

of course, otherwise you'd long since stopped trying to wiggle out an extra spell slot

Doubtful. Pretty sure I'd find someone more fun to play with. You come off as much too adversarial and dictatorial for my tastes. This is supposed to be a hobby, not a dominance game.

 

[Caliban]

Or, you know, you could just tell the player that it won't work and to quit trying to game the system.

Probably the most effective method if this (tactic/loophole/exploit/threat to all you hold dear in gaming) bothers you as the DM.

 

[JackOfAllTirades]

If I was a player, I'd be very dubious about eating Hexed food for breakfast!

And as a GM, I'd seriously consider giving the players a good reason to be dubious about it.

Never let a warlock cook your food, who knows what he's gonna do to it?

Saving throws all around! Come on now, who ate the Hexed food?


On a more serious note, if this many players are going to this much trouble to figure out how cast Hex "for free" then just maybe it's a bit under powered at higher levels. Or maybe it's the fact that the equivalent ability used to be a class feature for warlocks and they simply feel like it shouldn't cost them a spell slot to begin with. I can relate: I rather enjoyed having that warlock class feature in 4E which scaled up with level. (Looks enviously at 5E Rogue's sneak attack.)

 

[Staffan]

I rather enjoyed having that warlock class feature in 4E which scaled up with level. (Looks enviously at 5E Rogue's sneak attack.)

It kind of does. The main use of hex is to increase the damage of eldritch blast - sure, there are other perks as well, but that's what it's there for. Eldritch Blast scales with level by adding attacks, and you get to add hex damage to each one.

The rogue's Sneak Attack in itself scales faster than hex does, but eldritch blast + hex together scale faster. Every ~5 levels, you add 1d10+1d6+5 (average 14 - I'm assuming a high-level warlock will get to Cha 20 eventually), compared to the rogue adding 1d6 every other level.

 

[spanglemaker]

I personally would imagine that the animal was hexed, then killed. It's spirit or animating intelligence has gone over to the afterlife. Leaving a dead carcass which is free from magical taint.

But I like the concept of the hex affecting the dead flesh, might work that into a campaign.

I read again the entries in the PHB on Eldritch Blast (1d10 force damage per Ray, separate rolls per ray). Hex states 1d6 damage per Hit.

I had been rolling for 2 separate attacks for my 5th level Warlock, with two successes I was doing 2d10 plus 1d6 damage. Now I realise that it should be 2d10 plus 2d6

 

[Mouseferatu]

If I was a player, I'd be very dubious about eating Hexed food for breakfast!

And as a GM, I'd seriously consider giving the players a good reason to be dubious about it.

Never let a warlock cook your food, who knows what he's gonna do to it?

Saving throws all around! Come on now, who ate the Hexed food?

"The life of everyone in this party depends upon just one thing: finding someone back there who can not only travel the planes, but who didn't have fish for dinner."

(I'm going to feel old when half or more of the people here don't get this.)

 

[TwoSix]

"The life of everyone in this party depends upon just one thing: finding someone back there who can not only travel the planes, but who didn't have fish for dinner."

(I'm going to feel old when half or more of the people here don't get this.)

Looks like I picked the wrong week to quit replying to quotes.

 

[Saeviomagy]

It's kind of ironic that of all the spellcasters, it's only the warlock who can't use hex in it's most effective form (ie - taking only a 1st level spell slot's worth of resources).

Personally I think the no-save disadvantage to checks is far, far more potent than the damage. Anyone can deal damage. Being able to subtly force disadvantage on a wide variety of checks is pretty rare.

 

[Tanaka Chris]

Hmmm, suggested fix...
Using Bestow Curse as a benchmark... at higher levels it loses it's concentration factor.
Same applies for Hex lvl 3 and above? Or would that be OPed?

 

[Arial Black]

It's kind of ironic that of all the spellcasters, it's only the warlock who can't use hex in it's most effective form (ie - taking only a 1st level spell slot's worth of resources).

My Paladin/Warlock is perfectly happy with hex.

I use my paladin slots to cast hex, and my (short rest) warlock slots to Smite.