D&D 5E Hexblade main stat

[ZickZak]

I've made Hexblade its own class and removed Pact otB and Hexblade from Warlock options. At lvl 5, it automatically gets Thirsting Blade invocation.

What other stat besides Charisma would you use for Pact Weapon? I'm not really a fan of attacking with Charisma (how does it work?)
Warlock was supposed to be INT class, so that's probably the best choice. Not sure if there are any "broken" multiclasses / feats to consider, like Bladesinger or something.
I think there's already too many WIS classes, but could be cool...

 

[Flamestrike]

I'm not really a fan of attacking with Charisma (how does it work?)

Magic. Your bond with your patron is strong and it rewards you with improved weapon skill (like improved magical ability via higher DCs etc).

 

[EzekielRaiden]

I've made Hexblade its own class and removed Pact otB and Hexblade from Warlock options. At lvl 5, it automatically gets Thirsting Blade invocation.

What other stat besides Charisma would you use for Pact Weapon? I'm not really a fan of attacking with Charisma (how does it work?)

My view is that any stat can be used as an attack stat, it just represents different styles of combat.

Str: This is the bog standard. But it's not just "you land hard blows," it's also "you physically drive against your foe." Fighting not by being indefatigable, but by fatiguing your enemy first.
Dex: The alt standard. But it's not just "precision hits." It's also "rapid-fire attacks and feints." As Sun Tzu said, "Speed is the essence of war."
Con: As alluded to above, this is fighting by being relentless. Nothing slows you down. Nothing stops your advance. It's both outlasting the enemy and never letting the opponent get a chance to rest. (Humans hunted this way a lot; it's called "persistence" or "endurance" hunting.)

And as for mental...
Int: It's the old adage, "Work smarter, not harder." Prediction, understanding of physics, knowledge of the enemy, tactics, etc. Why make five hundred strikes when you only need to stab the femoral artery once?
Wis: Fighting by awareness. Paraphrasing Sun Tzu, if your form is imperceptible to your enemy while your enemy's form remains perceptible to you, you cannot be defeated. Wis-based fighting is observational and intuitive rather than logical and predictive.
Cha: Employing the psychological in fighting--both on your enemy and on yourself. Confidence, poise, conviction--the unbreakable will to overcome your enemy no matter what.

These are, obviously, also possible to augment with magic, hence "fighting with <mental stat>" could be literally just "I'm weaving my magic into my blows so that, even though my physical skill is inadequate, my magic makes up the difference." That's...kind of what the Hexblade patron and Blade pact represent: literally pouring some of your mojo into being a powerful fighter without having the physique to pull it off the "legitimate" way.

But I doubt you came here to be told "akshully, it DOES make sense." I'm just offering my two bits on why I think it does, in case that might be useful to you.

Warlock was supposed to be INT class, so that's probably the best choice. Not sure if there are any "broken" multiclasses / feats to consider, like Bladesinger or something.

It was? Do you have a citation for that? I've never heard this, and I distinctly remember the playtest Warlock not being Int-based (though it was only with us very briefly, RIP.)

I think there's already too many WIS classes, but could be cool...

Really? There's only Cleric, Ranger, and Monk. Hardly dramatic compared to the four Cha-based classes, Bard, Paladin, Sorcerer, Warlock.

 

[Dausuul]

Really? There's only Cleric, Ranger, and Monk. Hardly dramatic compared to the four Cha-based classes, Bard, Paladin, Sorcerer, Warlock.

Also druid. There are two pure Wis classes (cleric, druid), three pure Cha (warlock, sorcerer, bard), one Str/Cha (paladin), and two Dex/Wis (ranger, monk).

IMO, warlocks shouldn't even have a primary stat. Play up the idea of power gained by a bargain, from outside yourself. The gods demand wisdom, wizardry requires a keen mind, martial prowess takes physical strength and speed... but the only thing Asmodeus asks is what you're willing to pay.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Also druid. There are two pure Wis classes (cleric, druid), three pure Cha (warlock, sorcerer, bard), one Str/Cha (paladin), and two Dex/Wis (ranger, monk).

IMO, warlocks shouldn't even have a primary stat. Play up the idea of power gained by a bargain, from outside yourself. The gods demand wisdom, wizardry requires a keen mind, martial prowess takes physical strength and speed... but the only thing Asmodeus asks is what you're willing to pay.

Use wisdom, but treat negatives as positives and visa versa!

 

[ZickZak]

It was? Do you have a citation for that? I've never heard this, and I distinctly remember the playtest Warlock not being Int-based (though it was only with us very briefly, RIP.)

 

[jgsugden]

...What other stat besides Charisma would you use for Pact Weapon? I'm not really a fan of attacking with Charisma (how does it work?)

I describe it as the blade and arm of the Hexblade being guided by the magic. When an NPC Hexblade is encountered, the movement of the blade is always described as unnaturally quick and precise, as if the weapon were wielding the warlock, and not the other way around.

Warlock was supposed to be INT class, so that's probably the best choice. Not sure if there are any "broken" multiclasses / feats to consider, like Bladesinger or something...

I really do not see how Intelligence ever makes any more sense than Charisma. For either, it has to be a magical force guiding the weapon to make sense. There is no real world example of a slow and weak weapon wielder being highly effective in combat.[/quote][/QUOTE]

 

[ECMO3]

What other stat besides Charisma would you use for Pact Weapon? I'm not really a fan of attacking with Charisma (how does it work?

Strength makes the most sense to me and is probably the most balanced.

Removing Hexblade (or getting rid of it) is fine, but I think taking away POB nerfs all the other Warlocks and really narrows eliminates potential melee warlock builds.

 

[EzekielRaiden]

Interesting. Bit surprised about that TBH. I always thought of Warlocks as wheeling and dealing, you know, making risky deals and having the force of personality to not be crushed beneath said deals.

 

[Cap'n Kobold]

Strength actually makes a certain amount of sense. Obviously it makes sense in terms of attacking with the Pact Weapon, but since the Hexblade's patron is a literal weapon, it is sort of fitting to base some of their actual Warlock abilities on it as well.
As a weapon, I can see the Hexblade's patron being impressed by, and insisting on a user with the power and control to wield them fittingly.