Any suggestions for tweaking a Hexblade?

[harmyn]

I am not really impressed with the Hexblade. I like the idea of it, but it just feels a little underpowered. Its spells aren't that bad as they are a secondary effect. But the curse power is a good idea that is too limited and not allowed frequently enough for my tastes.

My initial thoughts were to allow a Curse a number of times per day equal to the Charisma modifer (minimum 1) or CHR Mod+1 possibly and also create different curses to use in addition to the single option given in the book.

Also I was going to do a straight swap on the familiar option to the shadow option offered in PHB2.

Any thoughts on this?

Any other ideas suggestions or tweaks you could make to sculpt it into shape a bit more?

 

[airwalkrr]

Hexblade is a good class for PCs, but it doesn't have enough bells and whistles for a villain. A good, simple fix is to make the curse unlimited in use, although that makes the hexblade very attractive for a dip class. The fact that you can't use it on someone who has already saved against it means you can't just keep using it over and over until the opponent rolls a 1. IMO, "dipping" and the ridiculous multiclassing system in 3e that allows it is the problem though.

 

[Land Outcast]

A good solurion would be creating a real curse... I mean, hexblade you know...

 

[harmyn]

I am always open to ideas for making up good curses. That's why I see trouble with the Hexblade. In their description and even class name they sound like that would be their thing, then they come packaged with only a basic, and rather bland, curse. They need something more.

One that steps up to a blindness effect maybe? slight blurring with limited range, great blurring only up close, then Blindness?

A temporary polymorph curse at high levels? You know, the classic toad effect?

For pure crunch there is an Attribute penalty possibly? -4/-8/-12 in stepping (minimum 1)
Maybe a substance bane? Touch of gold or silver hurts or eventually causes damage?

Attraction of Arrows? Ranged attacks vere towards your victim? Radius of effect for passing missiles increases with curse level?

A temporary illness or pox?

Paranoia?

Induce a Fear (or Flaw if you use that optional rule)?

Any thoughts?

 

[DragonTurtle]

Ability score damage is a good way to signify a number of different types of curses. If the hexblade could start off doing 2 points of damage to their choice of ability scores, then have it go up in potency that would make them useful to negate a number of opponents.
"That wizard was really tough until the hexblade addled his wits with that curse, after that all his spells just fizzled."

 

[Land Outcast]

"That wizard was really tough until the hexblade tried to addle his wits with that curse, after that...

the spells were aimed at the hexblade, following his early defunction

I wouldn't ask a will save from a wizard

 

[DragonTurtle]

Better a wizard than a cleric!

 

[starwed]

One easy fix is to replace the spellcasting with a very small number of warlock invocations. (Maybe 3 least and 1-2 lesser by 20th level.)

 

[szilard]

I just wrote some of my thoughts about this in my gaming blog - http://neitherworldstories.blogspot.com.

-Stuart