Why are Hexblades mean?

[Mercule]

Looking through my new copy of "Complete Warriar" today (yeah, I'm behind the curve, sue me), I was looking at Hexblades and trying to decide whether I wanted to add them into my game. Something confuses me.

Why must Hexblades be non-good? I understand the alignment restrictions for Paladins, Monks, and Barbarians (and, to an extent Bards and Druids), even if I don't agree. These classes are supposed to represent an archetype that has certain tendancies. What's the deal with the Hexblade, though? Why wouldn't a Paladin/Hexblade work?

 

[shilsen]

I don't have the book (yeah, I'm so far behind that the curve looks like a straight line to me ), but from the description of the class I assume it's based on a consideration of the Hexblade as a warrior who magically curses his enemies. With the fairly common fantasy/folklore/myth idea of curses as evil, or at least distinctly non-good, the class ends up with a non-good alignment. Personally, I think it's perfectly acceptable to allow good hexblades too.

 

[James McMurray]

I too was confused when I first saw it. They don't even have a preponderance of [Evil] spells in their repetoire.

 

[FireLance]

My conclusion is, it's to prevent people from creating a character with +20 BAB and one level in 20 warrior type classes. A Ranger 1/Paladin 1/Fighter 1/Hexblade 1/Samurai 1/Swashbucker 1 could possibly qualify for several PrCs with fighter BAB.

 

[Endur]

Curses are evil spells. Hexblades specialize in "Hexes" or curses. Ergo, they are evil, or at least somewhat tainted by the evil curses they use (i.e. neutral).

 

[Jeph]

Curses are evil spells. Hexblades specialize in "Hexes" or curses. Ergo, they are evil, or at least somewhat tainted by the evil curses they use (i.e. neutral).

But they don't even have to learn any curses, if they don't want to. They could stick to choosing other magics, since they only know a few spells like Sorcerers and Bards.

 

[BrooklynKnight]

My conclusion is, it's to prevent people from creating a character with +20 BAB and one level in 20 warrior type classes. A Ranger 1/Paladin 1/Fighter 1/Hexblade 1/Samurai 1/Swashbucker 1 could possibly qualify for several PrCs with fighter BAB.

Uhh, and end up with an 80% xp penalty per level?

 

[James McMurray]

Uhh, and end up with an 80% xp penalty per level?

Prestige classes don't cause XP penalties, and if you have 20 classes all at first level you don't get any penalties either, even if they are all core classes.

Curses are evil spells.

except that Bestow Curse does not have the [Evil] descriptor, and therefore isn't an evil spell. It might not be a nice spell, but it could be viewed as being more humane than fireball.

 

[Ackem]

Because they wanted a core class reverse-Paladin.

 

[Silveras]

But they don't even have to learn any curses, if they don't want to. They could stick to choosing other magics, since they only know a few spells like Sorcerers and Bards.

Uhm, did you note that the class' special abilities based on inflicting curses ? They start at first level with "Hexblade's Curse", and gain several improvements to make that more potent and usable more times per day as they go up in level.

Note also that the Alignment block tells you why the Hexblade is not for good people: their style is "selfish" and "cruel". Two words that go with Good like "asphalt" and "castor oil" go with ice cream.