Unearthed Arcana Unearthed Arcana: Wizards & Warlocks -- Hexblades, Raven Queens, and Lore Mastery!

Master of Hexes
Starting at 14th level, you can use your
Hexblade’s Curse again without resting, but
when you apply it to a new target, the curse
immediately ends on the previous target.

Does this mean you can cast it one more time, or over and over again? And does the 1 minute duration reset upon a new target, or does it continue from the previous target?

 

[fuindordm]

The best thing about this UA is the new invocations and the scraps of expanded lore on various patrons.
The second-best thing is everything else, because there are serious balance issues.

 

[Marandahir]

About the Pact Boon question, if you've read En5ider you know there's potential there. I really like the "Pact of the Evil Eye" that was featured in En5ider #042 "Heroes of the Night" (October 2015) by Brandes Stoddard of Tribality.com and Harbinger of Doom Blog. Great example of a classic profane magic trope filling the right niche. I'm actually kind of surprised that WotC didn't think of the idea, given that they had a mid-4e Theme devoted to the concept (Oracle of the Evil Eye, "Character Themes: Born from the Feywild" by Logan Bonner, Dragon #405, November 2011).

I like the Hexblade Patron idea. It's a good way to model characters like InuYasha whose key character ability growth is through mastery of new techniques with a weapon. Could also model Frostmourne from Warcraft 3/World of Warcraft, for example. Arthas is a total slave to the blade, and the Lich-King behind it (while other Death Knights might be Blackguards ala the Paladin UA or perhaps Pact of the Undying Bladelocks).

I don't really understand the Shadow Hound feature, as it doesn't seem right for the theme – like it was jammed in there because it's a cool ability and they couldn't figure out who else to give it to. I also feel like the Raven Queen stuff should be contained in her own patronage section. I mean, yes, she's awesome and has been woefully underused this edition (as with much of 4e's flavorful materials), but she doesn't need two separate Warlock Pacts.

It's interesting because I always considered the Pact of the Blade the Hexblade chassis, with the Pact of the Chains a Binder chassis and Pact of the Tome a default Warlock Chassis. But here the Hexblade emerges as a more centralized weapon-themed subclass, showing that the subclasses really are the Patrons, even though the Pact Boons completely transform the class into a different beast. I think it would be pretty weird to play this subclass in the Pact of the Chains or Pact of the Tome, especially since you'd want to make your Hexblade a Pact Weapon so that you could take Thirsting Blade and get that extra attack. You're not playing your role as a melee-combatant if you don't have extra attack or some sort of sneak attack equivalent. But it's entirely possible to do Hexblade with a non-melee weapon (opening up that weird question again that Pact of the Blade has too – why is the word "blade" there if non-bladed weapons can be substituted in?). In addition, for Archfey Patrons (presumably those bound to the Maiden of the Moon, but the invocation doesn't specify it HAS to be her), you can now form a Pact Bow. This is a big step for Pact of the Blade enthusiasts, but is incompatible with Hexblade Patron. So if you want to go Hexbow for some reason, then there's your case for doing Pact of the Chains or Pact of the Tome. Of course, it's probably easier just to learn Eldritch Blast and use that to strike distant targets.

The more I think about it, the more the Hexblade could have the potential to model InuYasha's swiss-army-knife-sword the Tessaiga, and similar blooddrinking, ability-stealing weapons. It would be interesting to have some sort of hexblade-tied invocation that allows for special abilities like that weapon has – like breaking barriers, shooting out diamond storms, or creating tornadoes and blades of wind with its force of arms. There's so much potential for expanding Eldritch Invocations with homebrew without hurting the balance of the game, since Warlocks only get 8 in their lifetime, so Hexblade could be a root model for this sort of thing and then the DM could expand it for the sake of their player.

I just don't understand that Shadow Hound's role in this…

The Raven Queen pact is awesome. I never saw her as a Warlock Patron (she was a deity in 4e, and still is in the Nerathi Pantheon in 5e DMG), but boy does she fit. And the raven themed powers are awesome and exciting. Could easily be reskinned for entities like Odin, too.

Strange that they are playtesting expanded options for the Seeker Patron but not the Undying Patron or Undying Light Patron. Maybe there's a rights issue with the Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide? And maybe the Undying Light Patron didn't catch on? When they released "Light, Dark, Underdark!" SCAG had just come out, and I asked Mearls on twitter why they went with such a similar name, and he said that it was a miscommunication between the two teams. Made me think that when they license out to Green Ronin Publishing or whatnot, they're not as closely following their design work as they should be.

But Seeker was an odd patron, and odd that it got a Pact Boon all to itself. It seems weird to me that they're pushing it again here. I do like the multitude of new ideas of invocations specialized to different entities that might be your Patron. It's a cool way of customizing a subclass further and recalls to my mind the Sorcerer-King Patron in 4e's Dark Sun Campaign Guide, and how they later had a Dragon article providing customized options for each of the different Sorcerer-King's Templars (considered Warlocks in 4e, rather than a type of Cleric). In fact, that overlap between Warlocks and Clerics in Dark Sun may well be the same idea governing that followers of the Raven Queen are now Warlocks. Not bad, Wizards, not bad…

As for Wizard (CLASS)… I'm so glad they finally figured out a Generalist Wizard that doesn't (A) step on the toes of the Sorcerer, (B) step on the toes of the Specialist Wizards, and (C) feels like its own concept, rather than just "I'm a dabbler of different schools." This is a Savant, a master of knowledge and research, and is a major angle the Wizard was missing with all its specialists (and bladesingers and theurges). This is someone who has mastered the Spellbook and thus focuses on the versatility of the Wizard, rather than playing versatility like a Bard might or like a Sorcerer might. I especially like that they can turn Acid Arrow into Radiant Arrow or Finger of Death into Finger of Flames – but actually, even more potent than that is that they can target your weakest save (1/rest). I also like that they're intellectually aware and can get a jump start on the action because of their acuity of mind.

 

[Ahrimon]

So, I think it's a good idea to get the creative juices flowing, but I think Pact of the Hexblade is not needed. Instead some new invocations could completely take it's place.

• Spirit of Legion: You channel the battle knowledge of warriors and servants of your patron. You gain proficiency in medium armor, shields, and martial weapons.
• Deadly Hex(hex spell): When you make an attack roll against your hexed target you score a critical hit on a 19-20. This would beef up eldritch blast though, but so does the Hexblades curse.
• Alternative - Blade Hex(hex spell): When you make a weapon attack roll against the target of your hex spell you score a critical hit on a 19-20.
• 2nd Alternative - Blade Hex(hex spell, pact of the blade): When you make a weapon attack roll with your pact blade against the target of your hex spell you score a critical hit on a 19-20.
• Armor of Hexes: When the target of your hex spell makes an attack roll against you they suffer disadvantage on the attack.
• Burning Hex(hex spell):Change it from targets under the hexblades curse to targets under the effects of your Hex spell
• Chilling Hex(hex spell):Change it from targets under the hexblades curse to targets under the effects of your Hex spell
• Claw of Acamar: Remove the specific weapon and change it to grant your pact weapon reach.
• Curse Bringer(hex spell): When you reduce a hexed target to 0 HP with your pact weapon you can immediately move the hex to a new target. The bonus damage is considered the same as your weapon type.
• Weapon of Dispater: Change it to your pact weapon.
• Relentless Hex(hex spell): Change it from the Hexblade's curse to your hexed target.

And Bam. No need for a Hexblade, and great options for every warlock. They could even throw in invocations that give access to some of the hexblades spells as similar to the invocations that grant spells already.

 

[Tales and Chronicles]

So, I think it's a good idea to get the creative juices flowing, but I think Pact of the Hexblade is not needed.

This. After a whole afternoon of working with different hexblades, I found that I still prefered the good old blade warlock with the addition of the new invocations because of the lack of flavor of the hexblade: its mechanicaly interesting, but does not feel like a ''Patron'', its more like a test a what would a warlock look like if ''hex'' was a feature (like the 4e warlock's curse) instead of a spell.

 

[The Crimson Binome]

Mostly, this version of the Hexblade is just disappointing. They started with a class that was the arcane equivalent to the Paladin - d10 hit dice, full BAB, some subtle spellcasting and supernatural abilities - and they've turned it into an overtly-magical hybrid martial/blaster class that doesn't care about Strength! It doesn't even have Extra Attack! It would have been better off as a subclass of Fighter or Paladin.

 

[Azzy]

The Lore Master is the 1e/3e OA Wu Jen made culturally-generic. Sudden Action? Sorta, you can choose to add your Int bonus to initiative—not ki-powered, but scratches the same itch. Metamagic-like abilities. Yup, Spell Secrets. Elemental Mastery? Sorta—your Spell Secrets can make you a master of elements, if not an elemental specialist (though you could choose to do that).

 

[imdeadagain]

Stormbringer
Mournblade

Posted by C4-D4RS on the MetroLiberal HoloNet

I see Elric in my future.....


Sent from my iPhone using EN World mobile app

 

[ccs]

i'm not a fan of extending ranges to one mile.
so now al battles where players have control of where battles take place the wizrds gets good number of rounds before even the range enemies can attack without ranged penalty

The players only have as much control of where battles take place as the DMs willing to let them....

 

[OB1]

How about this:
Your Charisma stat isn't just about being charming. It's about the strength of your own sense of self. As a Warlock, your Patron chose to make a pact with you because of your strong personality & sense of self. If Wisdom is the Willpower of the mind, Charisma is the Willpower of the gut, intestinal fortitude(or testicular fortitude if you're a sports/WWE fan). Casting spells and wielding your Patron's gifts aren't intellectual exercises for you, you draw from deep down inside you for the power you need. And in the case of a Hexblade, one of those gifts is martial prowess.

Let's try this: As an hexblade, you're bound to a sentient weapon with its own will and desires. The blade is capable of hitting per itself, but your own conviction/presence/charm may convince the blade to strike when YOU will it.

I'd feel better about it if it only applied to pact weapons instead of physical ones and would then feel much less like power creep, but I'll say these are very good arguments in favor.

 

[einhander]

Is the shadow hound rideable? If so, you could have some fun with a lance and a mount. With the cha finesse feature, you don't have to worry to much about MAD either. Being a small hexblade opens up all sorts of fun.