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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Shades of Eternity" data-source="post: 3482568" data-attributes="member: 10869">Multiclassing with Hexblade.Even if Hexblade isn't your first choice in a character, you can often get a great deal with a 3 level dip. Mettle is hard to argue with and the charisma bonus to spell saving throws always helps.Barberian: With a 1 or 2 level dip into Barbarian, you can take feats. on feats like Dreadful Wrath, Intimidating Rage, & Extra Rage.  These free Fear attacks stack with the hexblade abilities. Fighter: If you want to increase your survivability and make your character more of a tank, two levels of fighter are a good choice.  They give full access to heavy armor, and couple of bonus feats.Monks are a very good "anti-mage" class and the improved movement really help the hexblade move into position.  Plus evasion at level 2 make you a nightmare.  When combined with anti-magic feats can make you a mage's worst nightmare.Rogue is also a good choice for it gives a sneak attack and evasion. uncanny dodge has it's uses as well.Prestige classesA number of Prestige classes are particularly noteworthyBlackguard:  If you are playing an evil game, this is an excellent choice.  Your saves will be through the roof. Dark blessing stacks with arcane resistance and mettle, giving you a substantial bonus.  Aura of Despair combines well with the hexblade curses, and fiendish companion combines well with a strong familiar.Dragon Disciple:  Remember, that despite the casting enhancements, the dragon disciple is a melee class.  As a result the hexblade, with it's full bab is one of the best ways to progress into this class.Scarlett Corsair:  besides the overt fun of a cursing pirate, at 5th level, a scarlet corsaire can use imtimidate at 5th level to all foes with 30 feet, for a number of rounds equal to his charisma level.  This stacks well with the standard hexblade abilities.  If you decide to take a familiar with this mix, might I recommend parrot.BuildsThe following are a number of builds that I have found throughout my travels.Archerer hexblade designHuman Hexblade 201 Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot3 Ability Focus (Curse)6 Practiced Spellcaster9 Improved Familiar (Winter Wolf)12 Rapid Shot15 Improved Precise Shot18 *Archer feat*Melee Hexblade DesignHuman Hexblade 201- dreadful wrath, ability focus: hexblade curse3- power attack5- combat casting6- practiced spellcaster9- improved familar: winter wolf10- spell focus whatever12- arcane strike15- improved toughness (benefits you, yor winter wolf, and hound of doom spell), greater spell focus whatever18- improved initative20- spell penetrationQuick Hexblade DesignCatfolk hexblade 191- dodge3- mobility6- spring attack9 - catfolk pounce12- practiced spellcaster15- power attack18- arcane strikeMelee Design:Okay, how about:1 Intimidating Strike [PHBII]3 Power Attack5b Spell Focus (X)6 Practiced Spellcaster9 Improved Familiar (Winter Wolf) [CW]10 Greater Spell Focus (X)12 Brutal Strike [PHBII]15 Ability Focus (Curse)15b Spell Penetration18 Bonded Familiar [PHBII]20b Greater Spell PenetrationMonk HexbladeHexblade: 4 Monk: 161 Blind Fight, Combat Expertise3 Mage slayer5 Dodge (Cobra Style Monk)6 Mobility (Cobra Style Monk), Pierce Magical Concealment9 Improved Combat Expertise10 Spring Attack (Cobra Style Monk)12 Elusive Fighter15 Pierce Magical Protection18 X (Improved Init or Sun School)This nets a +16 BaB (Flurry of Blows to boot) 80 movement (110 with expeditious retreat) the ability to ignore magical concealment. Base damage of 2d8. Amazing saves vs spells and spell like effects. Improved Evasion and Mettle. A really nice touch AC. The ability to ignore a BBEG tank with power attack. If your DM isnt a fan of lots of level dips it utilizes only 2 classes.   The reason it goes with hexblade 4 is for BaB purposes (Going hex 3/ Fight 1/Monk: 16 with 2 flaws would allow for front loading of spring attack and then just use normal progression for monk but it will lose access to expeditious retreat which is handy for some spring attack situations and jumping situations)Other ideasDrow: 11 Hexblade/3 Blackguard/2 Ravager/2 Drow judicatorThe auras stack nicely, you also recieve the drow judicator abilities war strike (2d6 con, fort save for half) and the +3 to saves. the prereqs are all pretty much the same. Hexblade becomes extremely nasty with two levels of rogue. Evasion plus mettle means if you make your saving through, nothing will ever happen to you. plus the additional skill points really help setting up such feats as combat panache and goad Oddly enough, an interesting angle for the Hexblade is to take a level of Mindbender after 10th level (easy entry and minimal hardship to enter). Then at 12th level, take the Mindsight feat from the Lords of Madness. You could also take a 2nd level since that adds to BAB and gives you 2 other small-scale class benefits. Otherwise, this small dip only gives you a hit to BAB, yet you also get a nice addition to your Fort Save.The Mounted Hexblade:   A hexblade is a fairly descent design for mounted combat.  They get ride as a class skill, they can use mount, phantom steed or charm monster to increase their options.  Additionally, the improved familiar can give them a truely awesome mount.Tactics and strategy.A Hexblade is an awesome 5th member to the standard 4 base classes.  He can fight better then a bard and almost as well as a fighter, can ley down curses to help out your wizard's and smiting clerics.  He doesn't have the arcane healing ability, but where the bard brings bonuses, the hexblade bring penalties.Remember, with a Hexblade you're not trying to kill the foe. You want to cripple him so that he can be destroyed at whim.Your best assets overall are defensive in nature.  Your often best hanging back and/or trying to flank a target.One rules trick that might help is maxing out your Intimidation skills: a successful Intimidation check at the beginning of an encounter can lower your opponent's saving throws, increasing the chance your hex will stick. When you get access to spellcasting, avoid picking buffs that could be gotten from wands or potions, and concentrate on no-save attack or debuff spells. Remember you are not a spellcaster, you are a warrior with little bit of arcane casting. Also realize that a hexblade is more defensively orientated.  Use this to your advantage.</blockquote>

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