D&D 5E Race choice for pure Hexblade build

Benny89 · Apr 5, 2019

Stat rolls 18, 14, 16, 8, 10, 12

Pure Hexblade build, no multiclass. We start at level 4, probably play to level 10 at most.

I have two choices:

One a classic Vuman with PAM, GWM + 18 CHA on level 4, attacking with advantage with +3 (+8 - 5 from GWM) with Pact Glaive +1. From level 5 I have 3 attacks with GWM and on level 8- +2 CHA for 20 CHA and I am done.

Other one is Half-Elf drow with GWM (and later Elven Accuracy) and 20 CHA on level 4, attacking with advantage with +4 (+9 - 5 from GWM). However to get Elven Accuracy I have to wait till level 8 so max I will attack till level 8 is 2 attacks with advantage. From level 8 I will have two attacks with super advantage but Vuman will have 3 attacks with 20 CHA on level 8.

Darkness on Half-Elf is nice but both will switch to using Shadow of Moil anyway.

Since game is till level 10, I think Vuman is better choice as he comes online faster and allows to have 3 attacks from level 4. Even if we see level 12- he would still come ahead as he could take Resilence (CON) and have concentration effects much longer vs half-elf who would pick PAM on level 12.

I like Half-Elf Elven Accuracy, however I think that PAM is just too good to skip on pure Hexblade.

UngeheuerLich · Apr 7, 2019

You never rolled those stats. Only even from 8 to 18... very unlikely with 4d6 drop lowest.

Blue · Apr 7, 2019

UngeheuerLich said:
You never rolled those stats. Only even from 8 to 18... very unlikely with 4d6 drop lowest.

Glad to see I'm not the only person who notices things like that. So ... ANYDICE to the rescue.

Assuming 4d6 drop the lowest, rolling 6 times

The chance the highest is an 18 is 9.34%. Pretty good.

The chance the second highest is a 16 is 13.55%

Third highest being a 14 is 22.17%

Fourth highest being a 12 is 25.76%

Fifth highest being a 10 is 22.74%

Lowest being an 8 is 14.17%

So, total odd for this roll are: 0.00233%

Of course, any particular roll is low. The most likely individual set is: 16, 14, 13, 12, 11, 9. But that's still only a 0.02273% chance - almost 10 times as likely, but still any individual roll is unlikely.

https://anydice.com/program/3eff

UngeheuerLich · Apr 7, 2019

Blue said:
Glad to see I'm not the only person who notices things like that. So ... ANYDICE to the rescue.

Assuming 4d6 drop the lowest, rolling 6 times

The chance the highest is an 18 is 9.34%. Pretty good.

The chance the second highest is a 16 is 13.55%

Third highest being a 14 is 22.17%

Fourth highest being a 12 is 25.76%

Fifth highest being a 10 is 22.74%

Lowest being an 8 is 14.17%

So, total odd for this roll are: 0.00233%

Of course, any particular roll is low. The most likely individual set is: 16, 14, 13, 12, 11, 9. But that's still only a 0.02273% chance - almost 10 times as likely, but still any individual roll is unlikely.

https://anydice.com/program/3eff

Of course every individual roll is unlikely, but those stats are not only unlikely, but perfectly alligned. There is a high probability that such a roll is faked... although it is so obvious that it might be a lucky roll anyway...

I really like my students giving me two set of rolls. One of them actually rolled in order, one of them made up (as rolled in order). It is quite easy to find out, which one is the fake one.

Hint: I would rather accept a set of 18,17,15,14,12,12 than this one.

Blue · Apr 8, 2019

UngeheuerLich said:
Of course every individual roll is unlikely, but those stats are not only unlikely, but perfectly alligned. There is a high probability that such a roll is faked... although it is so obvious that it might be a lucky roll anyway...

I really like my students giving me two set of rolls. One of them actually rolled in order, one of them made up (as rolled in order). It is quite easy to find out, which one is the fake one.

Hint: I would rather accept a set of 18,17,15,14,12,12 than this one.

I hear you.

Though I tell you, I play in a group of 30-50 years olds, and some of us use point buy (like myself) and some roll. Not a single one of the rolled sets did not start with an (or at least one!) 18 before racial mods.

*shaking my head*

On the other hand I'm teaching my daughters 5e, and one didn't want to be human (base, not allowing variant) because she had two 9s that she thought would be more interesting to RP then if they became boring 10s.

Really shows the difference between the old school "we win if we survive and succeed in our mission" mentality and the "we win if we have fun even if our characters lose" mentality. I am still trying to train myself out of the former as a player, played the 80s and 90s with more-adversarial-than-not DMs.

FrogReaver · Apr 8, 2019

UngeheuerLich said:
Of course every individual roll is unlikely, but those stats are not only unlikely, but perfectly alligned. There is a high probability that such a roll is faked... although it is so obvious that it might be a lucky roll anyway...

I really like my students giving me two set of rolls. One of them actually rolled in order, one of them made up (as rolled in order). It is quite easy to find out, which one is the fake one.

Hint: I would rather accept a set of 18,17,15,14,12,12 than this one.

Why assume it was an in-order roll?

FrogReaver · Apr 8, 2019

Benny89 said:
Stat rolls 18, 14, 16, 8, 10, 12

Pure Hexblade build, no multiclass. We start at level 4, probably play to level 10 at most.

I have two choices:

One a classic Vuman with PAM, GWM + 18 CHA on level 4, attacking with advantage with +3 (+8 - 5 from GWM) with Pact Glaive +1. From level 5 I have 3 attacks with GWM and on level 8- +2 CHA for 20 CHA and I am done.

Other one is Half-Elf drow with GWM (and later Elven Accuracy) and 20 CHA on level 4, attacking with advantage with +4 (+9 - 5 from GWM). However to get Elven Accuracy I have to wait till level 8 so max I will attack till level 8 is 2 attacks with advantage. From level 8 I will have two attacks with super advantage but Vuman will have 3 attacks with 20 CHA on level 8.

Darkness on Half-Elf is nice but both will switch to using Shadow of Moil anyway.

Since game is till level 10, I think Vuman is better choice as he comes online faster and allows to have 3 attacks from level 4. Even if we see level 12- he would still come ahead as he could take Resilence (CON) and have concentration effects much longer vs half-elf who would pick PAM on level 12.

I like Half-Elf Elven Accuracy, however I think that PAM is just too good to skip on pure Hexblade.

Since you can get such a high charisma so early I have a different suggestion.

Be a half-elf. Max Charisma at level 4. Take Cloak of Flies invocation and the extra attack invocation at level 5. Use a great sword.

Doing 5 auto damage to everything around you will be very strong. Opening up the fight with blur + that will be very strong. In fights you don't use that just use hex and swing that great sword for really solid damage.

UngeheuerLich · Apr 8, 2019

FrogReaver said:
Why assume it was an in-order roll?

Why assume I did assume that? With those rolls its not necessary. For my test with students, it is.

FrogReaver · Apr 8, 2019

UngeheuerLich said:
Why assume I did assume that? With those rolls its not necessary. For my test with students, it is.

No assumption. You claimed they were.

“Of course every individual roll is unlikely, but those stats are not only unlikely, but perfectly alligned. There is a high probability that such a roll is faked... “

UngeheuerLich · Apr 8, 2019

FrogReaver said:
No assumption. You claimed they were.

“Of course every individual roll is unlikely, but those stats are not only unlikely, but perfectly alligned. There is a high probability that such a roll is faked... “

Nope. That quote does not imply that I assumed they were rolled in order.