D&D 5E [GUIDE] The Sorlock – Guide to the tormented divine soul with Xanathar's Divine Soul(17)+Hexblade(3) [Updated 12/20/21]

[Patryn13]

Thank you for this guide, I think it is really good. One question though regarding the concentration limitation. It seems a lot of the damage bonuses rely on one or more sources of concentration buffs. Advantage (darkness, invisibility, etc.), Hex, Bless, Haste etc. I know you can sometimes get these from your party but it might be helpful to have a priority list for what buff to cast yourself in which situations.

Also, you mention not being able to use a shield until Warcaster. Why can't you use a shield as soon as you pick up hexblade? If you have the shield in one hand and your arcane focus in the other can't you still cast all your spells?

Lastly, I'd put Elven Accuracy at 6 and Cha +2 at 11. They both get you to +4 for Charisma based checks but Elven Accuracy gives you the advantage bonus.

 

[mellored]

Thank you for this guide, I think it is really good. One question though regarding the concentration limitation. It seems a lot of the damage bonuses rely on one or more sources of concentration buffs. Advantage (darkness, invisibility, etc.), Hex, Bless, Haste etc. I know you can sometimes get these from your party but it might be helpful to have a priority list for what buff to cast yourself in which situations.

1: Twin-haste if you have 2 rogues and can cast it before battle. (Attack, and use the extra action to ready an attack for off-turn-double sneak attack).
2: Twin-advantage if you have a good attacking ally and can cast it before battle.
3: (Quicken) Bless if you have 2 other strong attacking party members (fighter, barbarian).
4: Quicken Haste on a rogue.
5: Quicken Advantage.
6: Hex.

Also, you mention not being able to use a shield until Warcaster. Why can't you use a shield as soon as you pick up hexblade? If you have the shield in one hand and your arcane focus in the other can't you still cast all your spells?

Eldrich blast (and all S-but-not-M spells), requires a free hand, so you can't do shield and rod with out warcaster.

Shield + free-hand + component belt works just fine.

And most DM's ignore the rule because it's just complex, stupid, and doesn't make anything more fun to force people to put down their wand to cast a handful of spells.

Lastly, I'd put Elven Accuracy at 6 and Cha +2 at 11. They both get you to +4 for Charisma based checks but Elven Accuracy gives you the advantage bonus.

Agreed.

 

[Obliza]

Thank you for this guide, I think it is really good. One question though regarding the concentration limitation. It seems a lot of the damage bonuses rely on one or more sources of concentration buffs. Advantage (darkness, invisibility, etc.), Hex, Bless, Haste etc. I know you can sometimes get these from your party but it might be helpful to have a priority list for what buff to cast yourself in which situations.

Yeah this is definetely something I've been thinking about but the problem is its incredibly complicated! I've written a small write-up and looking for feedback.

Also, you mention not being able to use a shield until Warcaster. Why can't you use a shield as soon as you pick up hexblade? If you have the shield in one hand and your arcane focus in the other can't you still cast all your spells?

Actually you are entirely correct per http://dnd.wizards.com/articles/sage-advice/rules-spellcasting I will fix the guide to reflect this, thankyou.

I and Mellored are mistaken.

Lastly, I'd put Elven Accuracy at 6 and Cha +2 at 11. They both get you to +4 for Charisma based checks but Elven Accuracy gives you the advantage bonus.

When you said this I immediately face-palmed, thankyou! #fixed

1: Twin-haste if you have 2 rogues and can cast it before battle. (Attack, and use the extra action to ready an attack for off-turn-double sneak attack).
2: Twin-advantage if you have a good attacking ally and can cast it before battle.
3: (Quicken) Bless if you have 2 other strong attacking party members (fighter, barbarian).
4: Quicken Haste on a rogue.
5: Quicken Advantage.
6: Hex.

I don't value haste as highly as you do. Activating sneak attack should also take priority over haste. Also keep in mind you lose any instance of extra attack when you use ready action. You cannot use haste to ready an action 'That action can be used only to take the Attack (one weapon attack only), Dash, Disengage, Hide, or Use an Object action.'
This means that you must use your action to ready an attack and use your hasted action to attack once. You still get the double sneak attack but you also sacrifice an attack.
Sneak attack damage is usually greater than an additional attack for most rogues unless they are multiclassing but you also are relying on a trigger to activate your 'ready action' and you disable any opportunity attacks.

Eldrich blast (and all S-but-not-M spells), requires a free hand, so you can't do shield and rod with out warcaster.

We are actually both mistaken. http://dnd.wizards.com/articles/sage-advice/rules-spellcasting

 

[mellored]

I don't value haste as highly as you do. Additionally Extra Attack 1 & 2 & 3 and Haste Extra Attack can all only be used as part of your Attack Action. As a Lvl20 Fighter who is hasted you can Attack 5 times, or you can hold your action to do a single attack. You do not benefit from extra attack or haste when you hold your action, and you cannot split the attack action in any way.

Haste is just for the rogues, not fighters.

i.e.
Rogue turn: use the haste action for 1d6+5+4d6 and uses the normal action to ready action to attack on the wizard turn.
Wizard turn: rogues uses their reaction for 1d6+5+4d6.
= 10d6+10 total damage.

Or they can just attack again if they miss. Either way, it's double damage. For a spell and a reaction.

 

[Obliza]

Haste is just for the rogues, not fighters.

i.e.
Rogue turn: use the haste action for 1d6+5+4d6 and uses the normal action to ready action to attack on the wizard turn.
Wizard turn: rogues uses their reaction for 1d6+5+4d6.
= 10d6+10 total damage.

Or they can just attack again if they miss. Either way, it's double damage. For a spell and a reaction.

You are correct, I edited what I initially said. This is a powerful way to get double sneak attack although does seem a bit tedious!

 

[Saurdaux]

We are actually both mistaken. http://dnd.wizards.com/articles/sage-advice/rules-spellcasting

No, you had it right the first time, and your link confirms your original reading:

If the same cleric casts cure wounds, she needs to put the mace or the shield away, because that spell doesn’t have a material component but does have a somatic component. She’s going to need a free hand to make the spell’s gestures. If she had the War Caster feat, she could ignore this restriction.

An arcane focus can only be used for the somatic component of a spell that also has a material component.

 

[Obliza]

No, you had it right the first time, and your link confirms your original reading:



An arcane focus can only be used for the somatic component of a spell that also has a material component.

You are reading the wrong part.

If a spell has a somatic component, you can use the hand that performs the somatic component to also handle the material component.


For example, a wizard who uses an orb as a spellcasting focus could hold a quarterstaff in one hand and the orb in the other, and he could cast lightning bolt by using the orb as the spell’s material component and the orb hand to perform the spell’s somatic component.


Warcaster allows you to use a staff or a wand with a shield. You could always use a arcane focus or component pouch with a shield.

 

[Saurdaux]

For example, a wizard who uses an orb as a spellcasting focus could hold a quarterstaff in one hand and the orb in the other, and he could cast lightning bolt by using the orb as the spell’s material component and the orb hand to perform the spell’s somatic component.

That's exactly my point. If you're using the spellcasting focus as the spell's material component, you can use it to perform the somatic component. If the spell doesn't have a material component, though, none of this applies. No material component, no spell focus.

 

[Obliza]

That's exactly my point. If you're using the spellcasting focus as the spell's material component, you can use it to perform the somatic component. If the spell doesn't have a material component, though, none of this applies. No material component, no spell focus.

Wait let me get this straight...

You can cast a spell with an arcane focus, component pouch, holy symbol blah blah.

If you are a cleric, you can cast a V,S,M spell with your shield as the holy focus blah blah.

If you are a cleric, you cannot cast a V,S spell with your shield as the holy focus.

That must be the most convoluted and asinine ruling I have ever seen. You can only do somatic components of a spell if it also has material components.


A component pouch leaves your hand free. So this does not apply to a component pouch.

Do we know the rules of an arcane focus?

Say an orb as a focus, it's not a weapon. It could be classified as an improvised weapon. Is it an action to hold/sheathe it?


Looking through the rules, several threads I find nothing stating you must hold an arcane focus. "A spellcaster must have a hand free to access a spell's material components — or to hold a spellcasting focus — but it can be the same hand that he or she uses to perform somatic components."

So press your hand to the focus when you cast the spell, no need to keep it there.

 

[Saurdaux]

Oh, no doubt. It's absolutely ludicrous and a big pain in the ass. I just want to wave my staff or wand or whatever for all of my spells, please and thank you. It's something that I tend to handwave when I DM, and I imagine lots of people do the same. For general advice, though, RAW is the safer bet.

A spellcasting focus for an arcane class works the same way as it does for a divine one, with the exception that you can put a holy symbol on a shield. You have to handle it and it only applies as a substitute for material components. The general rule is on pg. 203 of the PHB, under Components > Material.

Edit: Yeah, the common workaround is component pouch around the neck. Handle it, then let it go.