shadowoflameth
Adventurer
I recently watched a podcast review of the Hexblade Otherworldly Patron. I was surprised that both hosts hated it. Their main points were to the effect of it being broken particularly at first level.
I've played one to 14th now and I can say IMHO I would not ban it as a DM as these fellows seemed to find necessary. There has been criticism that I’ve thought quite a bit about.
Hex Warrior gets better Armor and weapons. I personally didn't care about the armor at all with my character and he's doing fine using Mage Armor instead. The martial weapons I grant are very good, especially with taking Pact of the Blade at 3rd and more so with Improved Pact Weapon. I don’t think either of these features are enough to call broken though it certainly gives a lot of ranged and melee options depending on what you like.
Hex Warrior gets to dump Strength and Dexterity and use Charisma to attack. This is a really good thing for the Hexblade, but I didn’t one level dip. If I did, I might dump one of these but not both, they are both too valuable for other things besides attacking. Unless you take Thirsting Blade later, you still only get one with the attack action. It’s an advantage that other warlocks don’t have access too but Fiend and Great Old One have some good stuff too. Again, In my experience; fair to call it very good, but not broken.
The spell list is really good. It is, but I’ve only used a couple of these. Shield is great, but it’s not the only reaction on the block. Phantasmal killer is really good by the time I got it, other options came into play and I don’t really use it. As a DM for a long time, I’ve never seen an encounter broken by either of these or any other spell on the list.
Accursed Specter is too good. It’s OK IMHO, but by the time you get it, a specter is almost never important in combat and as a scout it can be good, but you have to kill a humanoid first and have it not be outside in the daytime. If you are Pact of the Chain or if you pick up a familiar with another feature or feat, I think you have better options that aren’t as situational.
Every warlock will want to be a Hexblade. A lot of players already wanted to be Pact of the Blade, but they found Pact of the Blade unattractive without a new patron. Yes, the Hexblade assumes you’ll go Pact of the Blade, it is a natural choice and it’s what I picked, but you don’t have to. The features can be very good for other warlocks too, but some players really still like The Great Old One or the Fiend, and some Hexblades can still find value in the Tome or the Chain.
Hexblade’s Curse is broken because it gives bonuses to all attacks and not just melee. It is very good with Eldritch Blast against your cursed target, and yes, it gives you more damage and critical hit chance than the other patrons against that target. Is it enough difference to call it broken? This is a hard one to argue with because it makes you better at something than any other warlock. Does the limitation of having it against the target of your Hexblade’s Curse enough to not be broken? Personally, I find this one hard to argue with except that if Hexblade’s Curse only worked in melee, it would go from being amazing to being situational. You’re not a heavy combatant, you’re as sturdy as the rogue, but you don’t have Cunning Action, and if your Pact Weapon is a bow, then it goes from situational to useless.
So here's a poll. Do you agree that the Patron deserves be banned from tables?
I've played one to 14th now and I can say IMHO I would not ban it as a DM as these fellows seemed to find necessary. There has been criticism that I’ve thought quite a bit about.
Hex Warrior gets better Armor and weapons. I personally didn't care about the armor at all with my character and he's doing fine using Mage Armor instead. The martial weapons I grant are very good, especially with taking Pact of the Blade at 3rd and more so with Improved Pact Weapon. I don’t think either of these features are enough to call broken though it certainly gives a lot of ranged and melee options depending on what you like.
Hex Warrior gets to dump Strength and Dexterity and use Charisma to attack. This is a really good thing for the Hexblade, but I didn’t one level dip. If I did, I might dump one of these but not both, they are both too valuable for other things besides attacking. Unless you take Thirsting Blade later, you still only get one with the attack action. It’s an advantage that other warlocks don’t have access too but Fiend and Great Old One have some good stuff too. Again, In my experience; fair to call it very good, but not broken.
The spell list is really good. It is, but I’ve only used a couple of these. Shield is great, but it’s not the only reaction on the block. Phantasmal killer is really good by the time I got it, other options came into play and I don’t really use it. As a DM for a long time, I’ve never seen an encounter broken by either of these or any other spell on the list.
Accursed Specter is too good. It’s OK IMHO, but by the time you get it, a specter is almost never important in combat and as a scout it can be good, but you have to kill a humanoid first and have it not be outside in the daytime. If you are Pact of the Chain or if you pick up a familiar with another feature or feat, I think you have better options that aren’t as situational.
Every warlock will want to be a Hexblade. A lot of players already wanted to be Pact of the Blade, but they found Pact of the Blade unattractive without a new patron. Yes, the Hexblade assumes you’ll go Pact of the Blade, it is a natural choice and it’s what I picked, but you don’t have to. The features can be very good for other warlocks too, but some players really still like The Great Old One or the Fiend, and some Hexblades can still find value in the Tome or the Chain.
Hexblade’s Curse is broken because it gives bonuses to all attacks and not just melee. It is very good with Eldritch Blast against your cursed target, and yes, it gives you more damage and critical hit chance than the other patrons against that target. Is it enough difference to call it broken? This is a hard one to argue with because it makes you better at something than any other warlock. Does the limitation of having it against the target of your Hexblade’s Curse enough to not be broken? Personally, I find this one hard to argue with except that if Hexblade’s Curse only worked in melee, it would go from being amazing to being situational. You’re not a heavy combatant, you’re as sturdy as the rogue, but you don’t have Cunning Action, and if your Pact Weapon is a bow, then it goes from situational to useless.
So here's a poll. Do you agree that the Patron deserves be banned from tables?
