D&D 5E hexblade curse damage bonus with multiple damage types

[auburn2]

Hexblade curse gives a bonus to damage equal to proficiency. How do you apply that if there are more than one damage type and a creature has immunity or resistance to one of them?

example - rapier attack with hex: 1d8 PIERCING + 1d6 NECROTIC + dex/str PIERCING + curse ????

ice knife: 1d10 PIERCING + 2d6 COLD + curse ???

booming blade with whip: 1d4 SLASHING + str/dex SLASHING + xd8 thunder + curse ??? .... when he moves does he get another curse bonus for the xd8 thunder damage, is this thunder?

My going in assumptions are this should be one of two ways:

1. The player chooses the damage type from those that are used in the attack
2. It is always radiant or necrotic (players choice)

 

[doctorbadwolf]

Hexblade curse gives a bonus to damage equal to proficiency. How do you apply that if there are more than one damage type and a creature has immunity or resistance to one of them?

example - rapier attack with hex: 1d8 PIERCING + 1d6 NECROTIC + dex/str PIERCING + curse ????

ice knife: 1d10 PIERCING + 2d6 COLD + curse ???

booming blade with whip: 1d4 SLASHING + str/dex SLASHING + xd8 thunder + curse ??? .... when he moves does he get another curse bonus for the xd8 thunder damage, is this thunder?

My going in assumptions are this should be one of two ways:

1. The player chooses the damage type from those that are used in the attack
2. It is always radiant or necrotic (players choice)

If I’m not mistaken, the wording makes it part of the weapon damage?

<going reading>

Okay, so, the damage bonus definitely applies to the damage roll, which I would imagine means it’s of the same type as the main damage roll of the attack. However, because it’s a magical effect, I’d also imagine that the extra damage is always magical, so mundane sword + HC would be mundane slashing damage +proficiency bonus magical.

I Think. It’s late.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

It says "a bonus to damage rolls", which implies the damage type is the same as that of the weapon, prior to any additional special effects.

There is nothing to indicate that this damage is magical, although in practice it doesn't matter - it's unlikely that they hexblade will be using a mundane weapon.

 

[Benjamin Olson]

Choose from the damage types you are using. It's the solution that interpolates the least in the way of additional rules into applying the ability.

I don't know what basis there would be for making it radiant or necrotic if they weren't there already. It would probably just come out and say "add your proficiency bonus in radiant or necrotic damage" if that was the case.

If it were Hunter's Mark, where it is specifically for a weapon attack I'd say the basic weapon damage logically should determine the spell damage type, even if the weapon had some sort of other damage rider, was used with Booming Blade, etc. But there is no consistent basis for what the "core" damage is with all things that trigger Hexblade's Curse damage. It's not just weapon attack damage, it's whenever you're rolling damage against them. So it seems like the choices are "interpolate in a bunch of assumptions about how it was supposed to work" or just let the player pick which damage die (and hence which damage type) they are attaching their proficiency bonus to.

 

[Charlaquin]

Technically the weapon damage die and the 1d6 necrotic damage are separate damage rolls, so under a strict technical reading they should both benefit from the Hexblade’s Curse’s bonus damage. But I doubt that’s the design intent, and I would rule that it applies only to the weapon damage roll (dealing the same type of damage as the weapon).

 

[DND_Reborn]

My going in assumptions are this should be one of two ways:

1. The player chooses the damage type from those that are used in the attack
2. It is always radiant or necrotic (players choice)

For reference:

You gain a bonus to all damage rolls, whether by weapon or spell. The bonus damage type is not specified. So...

#1. Whenever a feature does additional damage and that type is not specified, you can choose from any of the types of damage your attack is doing.

This is a sage advice ruling. If I have time later, I will try to dig it up but don't right now.

example - rapier attack with hex: 1d8 PIERCING + 1d6 NECROTIC + dex/str PIERCING + curse ????

ice knife: 1d10 PIERCING + 2d6 COLD + curse ???

In the first example, the curse damage can be either piercing or necrotic; in the second example either piercing or cold.

 

[Sacrosanct]

booming blade with whip: 1d4 SLASHING + str/dex SLASHING + xd8 thunder + curse ??? .... when he moves does he get another curse bonus for the xd8 thunder damage, is this thunder?

Not really related, but the whip+booming blade thing sounds interesting until you realize that booming blade is only 5ft, so you can't take advantage of the whip's length (or any reach weapon). Knowing that, i don't know why anyone would choose a whip with that combo.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

Choose from the damage types you are using. It's the solution that interpolates the least in the way of additional rules into applying the ability.

I don't know what basis there would be for making it radiant or necrotic if they weren't there already. It would probably just come out and say "add your proficiency bonus in radiant or necrotic damage" if that was the case.

If it were Hunter's Mark, where it is specifically for a weapon attack I'd say the basic weapon damage logically should determine the spell damage type, even if the weapon had some sort of other damage rider, was used with Booming Blade, etc. But there is no consistent basis for what the "core" damage is with all things that trigger Hexblade's Curse damage. It's not just weapon attack damage, it's whenever you're rolling damage against them. So it seems like the choices are "interpolate in a bunch of assumptions about how it was supposed to work" or just let the player pick which damage die (and hence which damage type) they are attaching their proficiency bonus to.

It’s adding extra damage to an attack, and doesn’t specify a damage type. That means it is of the same type as the attack, but is magical regardless of whether the attack it, because it’s a spell effect.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

Technically the weapon damage die and the 1d6 necrotic damage are separate damage rolls, so under a strict technical reading they should both benefit from the Hexblade’s Curse’s bonus damage. But I doubt that’s the design intent, and I would rule that it applies only to the weapon damage roll (dealing the same type of damage as the weapon).

I don’t have time to double check right now, but is damage roll not clarified anywhere to refer to all the dice your roll for damage for a given effect?

 

[Charlaquin]

I don’t have time to double check right now, but is damage roll not clarified anywhere to refer to all the dice your roll for damage for a given effect?

Are a weapon’s damage and Hex’s 1d6 Necrotic damage not two different effects?