D&D 5E (2024) Hexblade isn't coming, yet.

[Remathilis]

The whole video is interesting, but the jump out is how the hexblade got cut and won't be in Arcana Unleashed either. It was a full back to the drawing board for it.

(15:00) Mark for the hexblade.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

Its too bad. I think each Pact Boon could use a patron that dovetails with it but can function without it or maybe gains it automatically.

 

[GarrettKP]

Interesting that it isn’t in Arcana Unleashed. Means that even after reverting to the 2014 style design in the second pass, it still didn’t get good reception.

Personally, I don’t think Hexblade is needed in 2024 anymore now that Pact Blades got fixed. But interesting that it still hasn’t gotten good reception.

 

[Parmandur]

The Xanathar's He lade was mechanically a patch on the 2014 Blade Pact, so with the 2024 Blade Pct not needing the patch...kind of left unmoored on the mechanics side. And you can essentially thematically make any Warlock Patron be a magical blade in a similar fashion, pretty easily.

 

[Dessert Nomad]

I probably won't get to watching this until tomorrow, but did they address the lack of story behind the hexblade? The other pacts make sense, but the 'pact with a sentient blade' stuff just doesn't work for me as a story, and the subclass mechanics don't really have anything to do with gaining power from a weapon, it's 'some curse stuff' and 'fixed pact of the blade plus weapon and armor profs'. I know the idea is supposed to be Elric, but the mechanics they released definitely don't evoke that feel for me.

EDIT: To be clear about what I mean, to me nothing in the hexblade abilities implies a pact with a sentient weapon, and you use a weapon that is not the sentient weapon from your pact or related to it. The other subclasses all have abilities that tie with their patron - GOO gets better at weird stuff, Fiend gets fiendish abilities, Archfey gets tricky teleporting, light because like a celestial, and so on, but I don't see how 'makes a hex and sometimes raises spirits' ties in to a sentient weapon. And the 'any weapon' bit is like if Elric made a pact with Stormbringer, but actually fought with a sword he picked up from a local blacksmith and Stormbringer was just off away somewhere else.

 

[Remathilis]

I probably won't get to watching this until tomorrow, but did they address the lack of story behind the hexblade? The other pacts make sense, but the 'pact with a sentient blade' stuff just doesn't work for me as a story, and the subclass mechanics don't really have anything to do with gaining power from a weapon, it's 'some curse stuff' and 'fixed pact of the blade plus weapon and armor profs'. I know the idea is supposed to be Elric, but the mechanics they released definitely don't evoke that feel for me.

Not really. My guess was it was going to tie into Ebonbane as a patron, but that's mostly speculation.

 

[Remathilis]

The Xanathar's He lade was mechanically a patch on the 2014 Blade Pact, so with the 2024 Blade Pct not needing the patch...kind of left unmoored on the mechanics side. And you can essentially thematically make any Warlock Patron be a magical blade in a similar fashion, pretty easily.

The issue is that the blade part isn't needed since pact of the blade has taken that, and the hex part isn't strong enough to carry on it's own. Maybe they will create a hag/witch/curse patron that picks up some of the hexing magic and you will be able to build a hexblade with pact of the blade and it, but I think a dedicated hexblade is done for now.

 

[Selas]

People played Hexblade for mostly two reasons: made pact of the blade usable, and it negated a fighter dip for armor & martial proficiencies; the shield spell was just a bonus. 2024 fixes PotB, and you can get Shield with MI, so the only limitation is that you still need to multiclass fighter to get proficiencies. This is all they want from a Hexblade, and unless WotC delivers this, no matter how they change it, players will burn it.

 

[humble minion]

People played Hexblade for mostly two reasons: made pact of the blade usable, and it negated a fighter dip for armor & martial proficiencies; the shield spell was just a bonus. 2024 fixes PotB, and you can get Shield with MI, so the only limitation is that you still need to multiclass fighter to get proficiencies. This is all they want from a Hexblade, and unless WotC delivers this, no matter how they change it, players will burn it.

Well, some of them played it for paladin multiclassing and smiting shenanigans. But yeah, in general it seemed to be a subclass most played for their 'build', rather than for their character concept. Which in my book makes it a pretty clear failure in several ways.

 

[Not a Decepticon]

I probably won't get to watching this until tomorrow, but did they address the lack of story behind the hexblade? The other pacts make sense, but the 'pact with a sentient blade' stuff just doesn't work for me as a story, and the subclass mechanics don't really have anything to do with gaining power from a weapon, it's 'some curse stuff' and 'fixed pact of the blade plus weapon and armor profs'. I know the idea is supposed to be Elric, but the mechanics they released definitely don't evoke that feel for me.

EDIT: To be clear about what I mean, to me nothing in the hexblade abilities implies a pact with a sentient weapon, and you use a weapon that is not the sentient weapon from your pact or related to it. The other subclasses all have abilities that tie with their patron - GOO gets better at weird stuff, Fiend gets fiendish abilities, Archfey gets tricky teleporting, light because like a celestial, and so on, but I don't see how 'makes a hex and sometimes raises spirits' ties in to a sentient weapon. And the 'any weapon' bit is like if Elric made a pact with Stormbringer, but actually fought with a sword he picked up from a local blacksmith and Stormbringer was just off away somewhere else.

Considering WotC is doing everything to delete the patrons without admitting they do it, I'm sure they like how Hexblade is weakest, least roleplay-froendly patron