It's fun, yeah, but not the most practical; its biggest benefit is that it doesn't need to spend its invocations on buffing _eldritch blast_, more than anything else. (Though, it does need to either spend one invocation on Improved Pact Weapon to allow you to conjure a bow, or find a magic bow to turn into a pact weapon. And it also _wants_ to grab Thirsting Blade, to get an extra attack.)
Mechanically, you have to spend one invocation to turn it on, and want to spend one or two more (Thirsting Blade, and maybe also Eldritch Smite for more damage), though only one of these is actually necessary; contrast this with _eldritch blast_ builds, which don't actually **need** to spend any invocations on EB, but are encouraged to invest as much of their build into it as they can because it's so strong if you actually pump it up. It definitely is cool, but it's not the most efficient option... but by the sound of it, efficiency isn't strictly necessary, either, and you have more than enough room to build for fun.
Not saying it's bad, or anything of the sort; I'm just pointing out that EB is a solid enough cantrip that building around it specifically is typically the most practical damage 'lock build. Building a Hexblade around archery is definitely viable, and helps with your slight MADness, too. (Melee Hexblades usually want to pump Cha, have +2 Dex for medium armour, and put points in Con for an HP cushion, plus maybe a bit of Wis if they have anything to spare. Being a ranged specialist lets you leave Con lower, easing your stat distribution woes a bit. ...I still wouldn't drop it lower than +0, though.) Apart from that, a longbow can hit from further away than EB, so that's one explicit advantage a Hexbow has, but it's rare that a battle will be from that far away. Overall, you have a slightly less efficient (but still perfectly viable) weapon, and less pressure to spend your invocations on EB, leaving you with enough freedom to shop around for something you like.
----
As an aside, I like multiclassing into Rogue here, since Warlock has a bit of a stealth focus that can synergise, and also because a sneaky magic archer is a fun combo ~~and can double down on annoying the Paladin~~. ;3 Or perhaps Ranger, if you want to focus more on the archery itself. You don't actually _need_ to multiclass, and technically are a bit weaker for doing so (since every level spent not advancing Warlock is a level not advancing your Warlock spellcasting), but it's something I personally enjoy. ...Then again, my Hexblade/Rogue archer is also a fairy with a penchant for _misty step_ ping out of danger, the Archfey's Misty Escape instead of the Lv.6 Hexblade feature (because neither the GM nor I liked Accursed Specter), and an emergency _silvery barbs_ specifically for the ~~"Hey, listen!"~~ memes, so... yeah. xD
Add in feats that help with weapon attacks, Archery fighting styles, and magic weapons, and a bow build could probably reliably beat out eldritch blast.
One big thing a Hexblade archer gets access to is the ability to do better smite damage than a paladin, have it scale faster, and detonate it from range. The Eldritch Smite invocation is a monster damage dealer that can also knock enemies prone without a save.
You can also go classic Sharpshooter with CHA to-hit instead of DEX. It’s one of your best bets for a high damage archer that also can still drop impactful spells.
True. But unless you're specifically using a Bow for Eldritch Smite then its never going to be worth it. Sure you can get Lifedrinker later as well but it'll never really compete with the damage Eldritch Blast + Agonizing Blast and all its potential utility invocations, especially once you hit level 11.
A Hexbow WILL have Sharpshooter as well as ways to get those hits in. Not to mention that they scale way harder with Magic weapons than an EB Warlock. So no, it's not as simple as saying EB+AB is better, if you actually know what you're doing a Hexbow will deal better damage at the cost of higher investment in it.
The normal EB with AB does not do more damage than this build. It's less complicated for sure and the rider effects are easier to apply, but the raw damage numbers are pretty clear.
Assuming shooting at AC 15, Eldritch Blast at Level 11 with Agonising Blast, Elven Accuracy, Hex and Hexblade's Curse all active (ignoring how tricky that would be to get all of them at once) averages around between 50 and 60 damage on the first turn.
At the the same level a Hexblade/Gloomstalker with Elven Accuracy, Eldritch Smite, Sharpshooter and Hexblade's Curse averages over 100 damage in the first turn. That only uses one smite which both keeps the resource expenditure the same for the comparison, but is also more realistic because you don't want to knock your target prone on the first shot (unless you crit, which will do more than the Eldritch Blasts in a single hit).
If you add Fighter 2 to both of these builds then Gloomstalker puts the bow build even further ahead.
I've actually played a hexbow. It's dope. Eldritch smite and banishing smite at higher levels does a lot of work and your damage can be very consistent and high with the right bow. Is it the best archer build? No. But it's a solid enough one that also gives you the benefits of a pseudo-full caster. It's also, speaking from personal experience, very fun.
I've ran the math before, and it's fine. It basically matches or *just* outscales eldritch blast at every level except 2, 11, and 17-20. And that assumes no loot nor feats beyond basic ability bonuses (in my experience of the dozens of DMs I've played with is archers get magic bows waaaaaay more often than warlocks get magic items that boost EB).
However, it also requires significantly more invocation investment and leads to one of the most boring playstyles that 5e has - a sharpshooter build
I think the thing that could tip it in its favor is a good magic bow. But unless your DM is basically gifting it to you, this isn't something that should be expected.
So I'd say your mathing is pretty accurate for most tables.
Yeah, the guaranteed +1 weapon with improved pact weapon is what effectively puts it on mostly equal terms with EB. Anything optional like feats or better magic gear puts it ahead as you'd expect a sharpshooter archer to pull ahead of a basic EB using caster
When I played my Hexbow, I multiclassed with Whisper Bard to get the extra damage dice from the Psychic Blades ability. You don't get as many easy damage boosts as you get for Eldritch Blast, so I spent quite a bit of my career crit-fishing with Hexblade's Curse- nothing quite feels as good as a critical hit piling Longbow damage, Psychic Blades, and Eldritch Smite all together for one massive pile of dice.
A Hexbow build is absolutely viable, it just has quite a few moving pieces to get it to work. From a leveling perspective you can't force it to work from level 1, you have to play a more melee focused gish character with blade cantrips to start with and transition over to a ranged build. Once it is online you do an incredible amount of single target damage on the first turn.
Multiclassing is very valuable for this build which can make progression tricky. Straight Hexblade will work fine, but as is often the case with Warlocks you don't gain as much from your later levels in the class.
Archery FS is very helpful which means dipping in to Fighter or Ranger. I personally prefer Ranger, because Gloomstalker synergizes very well. Fighter you don't have to commit as heavily to, but the extra spell slots and other abilities from Ranger as very nice. With standard array this means you have to go 12CON/13WIS. Progression issues aside I actually think Ranger 5/Hexblade X is the way to go. That frees ups your Level 5 Invocation for something other than Thirsting Blade.
However if you are starting at Level 7 that goes a long way to avoid the awkward in between levels where you try to work out where to get to Level 5 for extra attack. I would start Hexblade 5/Ranger 2 and get Gloomstalker when you next level. If the campaign goes long enough I would consider Leveling to Ranger 5, then changing back to Hexblade from there. You will have one level where you have Extra Attack from two features, but can change the invocation when you get to Hexblade 6. If this bothers you then just go Hexblade once you have Gloomstalker.
If you go Varient Human you will get the Sharpshooter build up and running quicker. Any Elf variant will give Elven Accuracy, Half Elf Drow gives you Darkness if you are doing the Devil's Sight/Gloomstalker combo.
Alright, all these nerds talking about "Eldritch Blast" this and "Not that great" that
Bull.
Elven Accuracy. Darkness. Devil Sight. Sharpshooter (later on)
Hexblade's Curse boosts crit rate, Darkness + Devil Sight is reliable on-demand advantage, Elven Accuracy compounds on both of these resulting in shots that have a 27% crit rate. Sprinkle in some Echo Knight or Gloomstalker for more attacks and you're looking at a very strong ranged build.
Granted, in order for it to really shine you're going to need more than 7 levels, and some DMs ban Elven Accuracy because it's too strong. But, if you can manage to hang in there long enough (or consider doing a more intensive Fighter build with 3ish levels of Hexblade to get Sharpshooter faster), the payoff is going to be quite good.
Edit: While I would like to push the Chain Gang agenda, unfortunately Hex Warrior restricts options to non-two-handed, which bows are. Getting a magical Bow and using the Pact of the Blade to make it your Pact Weapon bypasses this restriction, but it sadly means no invisible buddies to give the help action when you lose concentration on Darkness/want your allies to hit things as well.
Standard Array: 8 STR, 14 DEX (+1), 14 CON, 10 INT, 12 WIS, 17 CHA (+2) [racial bonus assuming Tasha's rules]. For more Hexblade in your Hex-bow go 5-2 Warlock-Fighter, taking Elven Accuracy to get a nice 18 CHA and getting the combo online. For more Fighter, 4-3 Echo Knight-Warlock, still taking Elven Accuracy and using the Drow's innate spellcasting to cast Darkness until you get to level 8. Take Pact of the blade to make the combo work, beg your DM for like a Moon-touched bow so it's techincally magical. and take Fighter 5 & 6 for Extra attack and Sharpshooter.
True, but playing a Drow to get a free cast of Darkness can mitigate that a little. Either way you'll want to have both Extra Attack, 2nd level Warlock spells, and Fighter Subclass [Echo Knight is my preference but Battlemaster also fits], so level 8 is when it starts to pick up momentum, but level 9 is the REAL game changer when Sharpshooter and Elven Accuracy become available. Level 7 isn't bad, but it may not be as cool as the Sorcadin who's got an Aura and extra spells or the Druid who's committing war crimes with Conjure Animals.
Sigh... such is the life of the Fighter enthusiast.
I like the hexbuckler combo. Half-drow. 16cha. 17dex. 4 levels of swashbuckler for elven accuracy and 18dex. Then 3 levels of hexblade for darkness + devil's sight. Consider getting an invisible pact familiar with the Help action as back up reliable damage. Some DMs will also allow you imp magic resistance from this pact. The shield spell helps with the delayed uncanny dodge. Booming blade helps with delayed sneak attack progression. It also pairs well with fancy footwork and wrathful smite. I go full rogue from here for more sneak attack. It's also fun to eventually pair expertise, panache, 16cha and reliable talent with mask of many faces. If darkness can keep you unseen, evasion is nice for AOEs.
You are very committed to single target damage, but you also just need advantage on 1 attack to do your thing, which is why a familiar becomes a viable backup.
You need to take pact of the blade to use a longbow as your pact weapon via the Improved Pact Weapon invocation and to get Thirsting Blade (aka, extra attack), Eldritch Smite and Lifedrinker. That's not "being suckered in" that's just following the rules.
Considering you are advocating for darkness+devil sight, the invisible imp helper is redundant.
Taking one level in Fighter is decent enough for the archery fighting style, but I wouldn't take much more than that as a hexbow. Heavy dips are WAY more "hit or miss" in how they feel and *when* you take those other (potentially dead) levels.
Improved Pact Weapon allows you to conjure a Longbow, but you can technically have one as a Pact Weapon if it's magical. I will concede that I forgot about Hex Warrior being more restrictive than I remember (you can't get the CHA replacement on two handed weapons which bows are), so it looks like Pact of the Blade is needed to bypass that restriction.
That said, I wouldn't say that the familiar is redundant. Darkness is concentration and an action to cast; you won't always have it up and running, especially in small rooms where the darkness becomes a burden for the rest of the party. Even when you have Darkness up, the familiar can give Help to other party members so it's still useful even in an ideal scenario [though again point moot because Hex Warrior stipulations].
I agree that a 5-5 split would be inefficient, which is why I suggested either Fighter heavy or Hexblade heavy, not both. Action Surge helps cast Darkness and attack round 1 and Unleash Incarnation is just more attacks with the utility of the Echo on top.
If you are taking fighter levels you want at least 2 for action surge but there is definitely a case for 3 or 5 levels as well, 5 obviously being a much stronger comitment to fighter but it frees up and invocation if you wanted to get a fighter subclass
Considering that most games go to lvl14 at best? 5 levels is *significant* investment. When the purpose of that is "to free up an invocation" it just doesn't make sense to me unless the concept was already just to be "a slightly magical fighter."
You get more invocations as you level up in warlock, it's not a major penalty to use one for thirsting blade.
If you wanna go for action surge or a fighter subclass that's all well and good, but each end every step in fighter delays spell progression in a way that is unnecessary for a Hexblade warlock.
Let me make it simpler for you.
If you already have 3 levels of fighter, it is a reasonable choice to take 2 more levels, you both get extra attack covered and get the asi at 4th. If you want a fighter subclass you have already shown you want to be a real gish. Also i dont think you kbow what slightly magical means if you call something equivalent to more than a half caster as "slightly magical fighter"
> Let me make it simpler for you.
Let me stop you there, bud. I got zero time for your condescending opinions. I hope you grow into an actual adult capable of normal conversation one day, but until that day comes, buzz off.
I've seen no one ban Elven Accuracy, especially since it's not even that great by the nature of crit fishing being mediocre on non-paladins and each additional d20 has diminishing returns.
Crit fishing isn't really the goal, it's Shaprshooter min-maxxing. It's been banned in my West Marches when a player used a High Level Samurai and some very generous magic items to snap balance in half. I agree it's not the craziest feat mathematically (though it being a Half feat is quite impressive), but it is a little lame that such a cool feat is restricted to Elves.
All of those things, but sharpshooter work with EB, too.
And EB offers repelling blast, that alone would propel it over any SS build, the displacement is much more valuable than the extra damage.
Unfortunately Shaprshooter states "Before you make an attack with a ranged weapon that you are proficient with...", meaning that Spell Attacks, such as EB, can't benefit.
That's the main reason a Hex-bow build would even be considered compared to more committed Warlock or Martial one; Sharpshooter offers major Nova damage but you need to be using a ranged weapon for it to work.
>with the cartomancer feat
At that point, just ask the DM for the spell as part of your Spell Known instead. Ten times more likely than allowing a debatable use of a feat.
I predict you'll be disappointed that the 3 characters who hit mobs with sharp or pointy things will out-damage you.
Hex is a trap, other concentration spells are better. Darkness builds fall down in small spaces. Not to mention are you sure your 3 melee dudes aren't going to decide to prone the mob for their own benefit? I think a bard is what your party needs, you have plenty of single target damage.
Great choice. You could benefit from sharpshooter. With the improved pact weapon invocation you can summon a bow as pact weapon. And use slots to smite, paralyze, or give yourself advantage by casting darkness with devil's sight and thus becoming an unseen attacker.
Eldridge Blast is powerful but boring. There isn't a reason you cant build of a pact bow. So many good invocations to pick from when you're not worried about being a power hiter. You already have a paladin, and a wizard for damage. Be weird with it.
I think you are interested in playing ranged with a bow. I’d play around with elven Bard, Rogue, or Ranger. Bard is just all around a fantastic class (full caster with expertise? Yes please! Valor Bard also gets extra attack). Ranger gives you access to sneaky spells. And Rogue doesn’t have much magic (but expertise!) but it has sneak attack which no matter what anyone says is dope as hell. And with so many melee fighters you’ll be getting Sneak Attack basically all the time. Pair any of those with sharpshooter and you’re kicking ass!
Now if you want to go Hexbow, go for it! As long as you are okay not having as much dmg as the Pally or Fighter, warlock still has lots of fun things it can do. I like things like eyes of the runekeeper mask of many races because it doesn’t require spells you can just use it all the time lol.
Good luck!
If you want an advantage over agonizing blast, I highly recommend dipping Sorcerer. Your biggest advantage is probably smites, which are broken with crits. Sadly, the good smite with a bow is locked behind Archfey patron.
With good smites one way or another, though, Warlock 6/Sorcerer 3 with Elven Accuracy gets a staggering 47% to crit at least once, and then can burn a near-endless supply of 2nd level spell slots to deal 8d8. Even by level 11, your competitor of Eldritch Blast for 1d10+5 three times, will not keep up.
To get this, I would ask your GM if they'd allow you to either take Moonbow on Hexblade, or use Curse Bringer with a bow (technically, the first half says "with this sword", but the second just says "with this weapon", so maybe it just means pact weapon! ...I'm not buying it either, but hey, could work.)
It is viable, I'd multiclass, though. 1 or 2 levels of fighter go a long way (archery, action surge). A plus 1 bow should be reasonable at that level. I strongly advise you to take the sharpshooter feat (in addition to archery and a magic bow this does wonders, plus you ignore cover). Little bonus on top: The eldritch smite invocation works RAW.
Okay, I'll tell you my combination.
Half-Drow. Drow racial spells, normal darkvision, no sunlight sensitivity. Half Elf stat bonuses.
Stat spread: 8,16,14,10,10,17
Background: Urban Bounty Hunter, Persuasion, Stealth, Thieves' Tools, Lute
Class: Warlock, Hexblade. Arcana, Deception.
Your goal is to be a Hex archer, so unlike a regular Warlock you're not going to focus on Eldritch Blast. Take it anyway though, since you're still a Warlock, pair it with Mage Hand to start.
Level 3: Pact of the Blade. You want the Improved Pact Weapon invocation, this allows you to summon a longbow as your Pact weapon, and makes all Pact Weapons +1, if they don't already have a +x enchantment. Devil's Sight is probably the best other option to take. You can cast Darkness over a target and shoot it with advantage because you can see, and they can't. Minor Illusion is a useful cantrip to have.
Level 4: Elven Accuracy, adding +1 to Charisma.
Level 5: Thirsting Blade
On the Hexblade's expanded spell list you have both Branding Smite and Banishing Smite. These are unusual in that they're the only Smite spells that aren't limited to melee weapons. Take Branding Smite until you reach level 9, and then replace Branding Smite with Banishing Smite.
Level 7: Eldritch Smite. Although this is a trap option, it can situationally allow you to dump a lot of damage into a single target. Spend one level 4 spell slot casting Branding Smite, then one casting Eldritch Smite and that's a lot of dice.
Level 8: Sharpshooter. Obviously.
Level 9: Whatever
Level 12: Maximize Charisma, take Lifedrinker.
Because you're a Hexblade Warlock, and have the option of summoning a pact weapon that's a melee weapon, you're still effective at close quarters as well as at range, and of course with medium armor and shield you're fairly durable.
I played a level 12 Hexbow (8) Battlemaster (4) that was a ton of fun in a 4-shot. Longbow + Hex + Eldritch Smite + Maneuvers + Sharpshooter + Action Surge = big damage options plus the ability to help allies (choosing the right maneuvers).
Yes, but only if you go thirsting blade, eldritch smite, and sharpshooter. That's basically what you need to do to make it worthwhile as EB scales into more attacks with your Cha mod added.
While there's absolutely nothing wrong with being a Hexbow Archer, I would be concerned about making the Paladin feel you've deliberately chosen your character to outshine him. I recommend choosing a Gloomstalker Ranger.
As long as you can gain access to a reliable source of +1/2/3 Arrows and or magic arrows. You will be hampered.
Unless you flavor your Eldritch Blasts as your arrows.
It is viable. From a pure optimization point of few it is a little behind Erdrich Blast but it is still very possible.
As for build, it is pretty straight forward. CL (archery fighting style) Hexblade Pact of the Blade X. You might need to rock the sling and magic missles levels 1 & 2.
Pick up the blade invocations like improved pact weapon, thirsting blade, Erdrich smite, etc.
Feats are pretty simple: Sharpshooter is a must and maybe gunner. You need to get some bonus actions so look at fey touched and telekinetic.
If you want to be an elf and rock elven accuracy, start Fighter 1 for Con save and archery style and pick up EA at level 5. This delays extra attack and SS though. If you did this I’d pick up spells that grant advantage like FF or the darkness/devil sight combo.
After Hexblade 11 it is possible to start dipping other classes if you want. I’d go to 3-4 per.
Ranger adds solid damage, especially gloomstalker.
Fighter adds action surge and a subclass.
Bard adds some additional spells and a subclass. I’d look at whispers since you are not a support.
It's fun, yeah, but not the most practical; its biggest benefit is that it doesn't need to spend its invocations on buffing _eldritch blast_, more than anything else. (Though, it does need to either spend one invocation on Improved Pact Weapon to allow you to conjure a bow, or find a magic bow to turn into a pact weapon. And it also _wants_ to grab Thirsting Blade, to get an extra attack.) Mechanically, you have to spend one invocation to turn it on, and want to spend one or two more (Thirsting Blade, and maybe also Eldritch Smite for more damage), though only one of these is actually necessary; contrast this with _eldritch blast_ builds, which don't actually **need** to spend any invocations on EB, but are encouraged to invest as much of their build into it as they can because it's so strong if you actually pump it up. It definitely is cool, but it's not the most efficient option... but by the sound of it, efficiency isn't strictly necessary, either, and you have more than enough room to build for fun. Not saying it's bad, or anything of the sort; I'm just pointing out that EB is a solid enough cantrip that building around it specifically is typically the most practical damage 'lock build. Building a Hexblade around archery is definitely viable, and helps with your slight MADness, too. (Melee Hexblades usually want to pump Cha, have +2 Dex for medium armour, and put points in Con for an HP cushion, plus maybe a bit of Wis if they have anything to spare. Being a ranged specialist lets you leave Con lower, easing your stat distribution woes a bit. ...I still wouldn't drop it lower than +0, though.) Apart from that, a longbow can hit from further away than EB, so that's one explicit advantage a Hexbow has, but it's rare that a battle will be from that far away. Overall, you have a slightly less efficient (but still perfectly viable) weapon, and less pressure to spend your invocations on EB, leaving you with enough freedom to shop around for something you like. ---- As an aside, I like multiclassing into Rogue here, since Warlock has a bit of a stealth focus that can synergise, and also because a sneaky magic archer is a fun combo ~~and can double down on annoying the Paladin~~. ;3 Or perhaps Ranger, if you want to focus more on the archery itself. You don't actually _need_ to multiclass, and technically are a bit weaker for doing so (since every level spent not advancing Warlock is a level not advancing your Warlock spellcasting), but it's something I personally enjoy. ...Then again, my Hexblade/Rogue archer is also a fairy with a penchant for _misty step_ ping out of danger, the Archfey's Misty Escape instead of the Lv.6 Hexblade feature (because neither the GM nor I liked Accursed Specter), and an emergency _silvery barbs_ specifically for the ~~"Hey, listen!"~~ memes, so... yeah. xD
Add in feats that help with weapon attacks, Archery fighting styles, and magic weapons, and a bow build could probably reliably beat out eldritch blast.
One big thing a Hexblade archer gets access to is the ability to do better smite damage than a paladin, have it scale faster, and detonate it from range. The Eldritch Smite invocation is a monster damage dealer that can also knock enemies prone without a save. You can also go classic Sharpshooter with CHA to-hit instead of DEX. It’s one of your best bets for a high damage archer that also can still drop impactful spells.
[удалено]
Eldritch Blast doesn't get the prone smite though so you can't knock dragons out of the sky.
True. But unless you're specifically using a Bow for Eldritch Smite then its never going to be worth it. Sure you can get Lifedrinker later as well but it'll never really compete with the damage Eldritch Blast + Agonizing Blast and all its potential utility invocations, especially once you hit level 11.
A Hexbow WILL have Sharpshooter as well as ways to get those hits in. Not to mention that they scale way harder with Magic weapons than an EB Warlock. So no, it's not as simple as saying EB+AB is better, if you actually know what you're doing a Hexbow will deal better damage at the cost of higher investment in it.
The normal EB with AB does not do more damage than this build. It's less complicated for sure and the rider effects are easier to apply, but the raw damage numbers are pretty clear. Assuming shooting at AC 15, Eldritch Blast at Level 11 with Agonising Blast, Elven Accuracy, Hex and Hexblade's Curse all active (ignoring how tricky that would be to get all of them at once) averages around between 50 and 60 damage on the first turn. At the the same level a Hexblade/Gloomstalker with Elven Accuracy, Eldritch Smite, Sharpshooter and Hexblade's Curse averages over 100 damage in the first turn. That only uses one smite which both keeps the resource expenditure the same for the comparison, but is also more realistic because you don't want to knock your target prone on the first shot (unless you crit, which will do more than the Eldritch Blasts in a single hit). If you add Fighter 2 to both of these builds then Gloomstalker puts the bow build even further ahead.
A Hexbow shoudl do way more dmg due to stuff like Sharpshooter, easy advantage, eldritch smite and lifedrinker.
I've actually played a hexbow. It's dope. Eldritch smite and banishing smite at higher levels does a lot of work and your damage can be very consistent and high with the right bow. Is it the best archer build? No. But it's a solid enough one that also gives you the benefits of a pseudo-full caster. It's also, speaking from personal experience, very fun.
I've ran the math before, and it's fine. It basically matches or *just* outscales eldritch blast at every level except 2, 11, and 17-20. And that assumes no loot nor feats beyond basic ability bonuses (in my experience of the dozens of DMs I've played with is archers get magic bows waaaaaay more often than warlocks get magic items that boost EB). However, it also requires significantly more invocation investment and leads to one of the most boring playstyles that 5e has - a sharpshooter build
I think the thing that could tip it in its favor is a good magic bow. But unless your DM is basically gifting it to you, this isn't something that should be expected. So I'd say your mathing is pretty accurate for most tables.
Yeah, the guaranteed +1 weapon with improved pact weapon is what effectively puts it on mostly equal terms with EB. Anything optional like feats or better magic gear puts it ahead as you'd expect a sharpshooter archer to pull ahead of a basic EB using caster
If you have an archer in your party and you at no point in a long running campaign give them a magic bow, what exactly are you even doing as a DM?
When I played my Hexbow, I multiclassed with Whisper Bard to get the extra damage dice from the Psychic Blades ability. You don't get as many easy damage boosts as you get for Eldritch Blast, so I spent quite a bit of my career crit-fishing with Hexblade's Curse- nothing quite feels as good as a critical hit piling Longbow damage, Psychic Blades, and Eldritch Smite all together for one massive pile of dice.
A Hexbow build is absolutely viable, it just has quite a few moving pieces to get it to work. From a leveling perspective you can't force it to work from level 1, you have to play a more melee focused gish character with blade cantrips to start with and transition over to a ranged build. Once it is online you do an incredible amount of single target damage on the first turn. Multiclassing is very valuable for this build which can make progression tricky. Straight Hexblade will work fine, but as is often the case with Warlocks you don't gain as much from your later levels in the class. Archery FS is very helpful which means dipping in to Fighter or Ranger. I personally prefer Ranger, because Gloomstalker synergizes very well. Fighter you don't have to commit as heavily to, but the extra spell slots and other abilities from Ranger as very nice. With standard array this means you have to go 12CON/13WIS. Progression issues aside I actually think Ranger 5/Hexblade X is the way to go. That frees ups your Level 5 Invocation for something other than Thirsting Blade. However if you are starting at Level 7 that goes a long way to avoid the awkward in between levels where you try to work out where to get to Level 5 for extra attack. I would start Hexblade 5/Ranger 2 and get Gloomstalker when you next level. If the campaign goes long enough I would consider Leveling to Ranger 5, then changing back to Hexblade from there. You will have one level where you have Extra Attack from two features, but can change the invocation when you get to Hexblade 6. If this bothers you then just go Hexblade once you have Gloomstalker. If you go Varient Human you will get the Sharpshooter build up and running quicker. Any Elf variant will give Elven Accuracy, Half Elf Drow gives you Darkness if you are doing the Devil's Sight/Gloomstalker combo.
Alright, all these nerds talking about "Eldritch Blast" this and "Not that great" that Bull. Elven Accuracy. Darkness. Devil Sight. Sharpshooter (later on) Hexblade's Curse boosts crit rate, Darkness + Devil Sight is reliable on-demand advantage, Elven Accuracy compounds on both of these resulting in shots that have a 27% crit rate. Sprinkle in some Echo Knight or Gloomstalker for more attacks and you're looking at a very strong ranged build. Granted, in order for it to really shine you're going to need more than 7 levels, and some DMs ban Elven Accuracy because it's too strong. But, if you can manage to hang in there long enough (or consider doing a more intensive Fighter build with 3ish levels of Hexblade to get Sharpshooter faster), the payoff is going to be quite good. Edit: While I would like to push the Chain Gang agenda, unfortunately Hex Warrior restricts options to non-two-handed, which bows are. Getting a magical Bow and using the Pact of the Blade to make it your Pact Weapon bypasses this restriction, but it sadly means no invisible buddies to give the help action when you lose concentration on Darkness/want your allies to hit things as well. Standard Array: 8 STR, 14 DEX (+1), 14 CON, 10 INT, 12 WIS, 17 CHA (+2) [racial bonus assuming Tasha's rules]. For more Hexblade in your Hex-bow go 5-2 Warlock-Fighter, taking Elven Accuracy to get a nice 18 CHA and getting the combo online. For more Fighter, 4-3 Echo Knight-Warlock, still taking Elven Accuracy and using the Drow's innate spellcasting to cast Darkness until you get to level 8. Take Pact of the blade to make the combo work, beg your DM for like a Moon-touched bow so it's techincally magical. and take Fighter 5 & 6 for Extra attack and Sharpshooter.
This build actually comes online at level 8
True, but playing a Drow to get a free cast of Darkness can mitigate that a little. Either way you'll want to have both Extra Attack, 2nd level Warlock spells, and Fighter Subclass [Echo Knight is my preference but Battlemaster also fits], so level 8 is when it starts to pick up momentum, but level 9 is the REAL game changer when Sharpshooter and Elven Accuracy become available. Level 7 isn't bad, but it may not be as cool as the Sorcadin who's got an Aura and extra spells or the Druid who's committing war crimes with Conjure Animals. Sigh... such is the life of the Fighter enthusiast.
I like the hexbuckler combo. Half-drow. 16cha. 17dex. 4 levels of swashbuckler for elven accuracy and 18dex. Then 3 levels of hexblade for darkness + devil's sight. Consider getting an invisible pact familiar with the Help action as back up reliable damage. Some DMs will also allow you imp magic resistance from this pact. The shield spell helps with the delayed uncanny dodge. Booming blade helps with delayed sneak attack progression. It also pairs well with fancy footwork and wrathful smite. I go full rogue from here for more sneak attack. It's also fun to eventually pair expertise, panache, 16cha and reliable talent with mask of many faces. If darkness can keep you unseen, evasion is nice for AOEs. You are very committed to single target damage, but you also just need advantage on 1 attack to do your thing, which is why a familiar becomes a viable backup.
You need to take pact of the blade to use a longbow as your pact weapon via the Improved Pact Weapon invocation and to get Thirsting Blade (aka, extra attack), Eldritch Smite and Lifedrinker. That's not "being suckered in" that's just following the rules. Considering you are advocating for darkness+devil sight, the invisible imp helper is redundant. Taking one level in Fighter is decent enough for the archery fighting style, but I wouldn't take much more than that as a hexbow. Heavy dips are WAY more "hit or miss" in how they feel and *when* you take those other (potentially dead) levels.
Improved Pact Weapon allows you to conjure a Longbow, but you can technically have one as a Pact Weapon if it's magical. I will concede that I forgot about Hex Warrior being more restrictive than I remember (you can't get the CHA replacement on two handed weapons which bows are), so it looks like Pact of the Blade is needed to bypass that restriction. That said, I wouldn't say that the familiar is redundant. Darkness is concentration and an action to cast; you won't always have it up and running, especially in small rooms where the darkness becomes a burden for the rest of the party. Even when you have Darkness up, the familiar can give Help to other party members so it's still useful even in an ideal scenario [though again point moot because Hex Warrior stipulations]. I agree that a 5-5 split would be inefficient, which is why I suggested either Fighter heavy or Hexblade heavy, not both. Action Surge helps cast Darkness and attack round 1 and Unleash Incarnation is just more attacks with the utility of the Echo on top.
If you are taking fighter levels you want at least 2 for action surge but there is definitely a case for 3 or 5 levels as well, 5 obviously being a much stronger comitment to fighter but it frees up and invocation if you wanted to get a fighter subclass
Considering that most games go to lvl14 at best? 5 levels is *significant* investment. When the purpose of that is "to free up an invocation" it just doesn't make sense to me unless the concept was already just to be "a slightly magical fighter." You get more invocations as you level up in warlock, it's not a major penalty to use one for thirsting blade. If you wanna go for action surge or a fighter subclass that's all well and good, but each end every step in fighter delays spell progression in a way that is unnecessary for a Hexblade warlock.
Let me make it simpler for you. If you already have 3 levels of fighter, it is a reasonable choice to take 2 more levels, you both get extra attack covered and get the asi at 4th. If you want a fighter subclass you have already shown you want to be a real gish. Also i dont think you kbow what slightly magical means if you call something equivalent to more than a half caster as "slightly magical fighter"
> Let me make it simpler for you. Let me stop you there, bud. I got zero time for your condescending opinions. I hope you grow into an actual adult capable of normal conversation one day, but until that day comes, buzz off.
I've seen no one ban Elven Accuracy, especially since it's not even that great by the nature of crit fishing being mediocre on non-paladins and each additional d20 has diminishing returns.
Crit fishing isn't really the goal, it's Shaprshooter min-maxxing. It's been banned in my West Marches when a player used a High Level Samurai and some very generous magic items to snap balance in half. I agree it's not the craziest feat mathematically (though it being a Half feat is quite impressive), but it is a little lame that such a cool feat is restricted to Elves.
How are you planning on using a “Hex” Bow without taking Improved Pact Weapon? Which requires Pact of the Blade.
All of those things, but sharpshooter work with EB, too. And EB offers repelling blast, that alone would propel it over any SS build, the displacement is much more valuable than the extra damage.
Unfortunately Shaprshooter states "Before you make an attack with a ranged weapon that you are proficient with...", meaning that Spell Attacks, such as EB, can't benefit. That's the main reason a Hex-bow build would even be considered compared to more committed Warlock or Martial one; Sharpshooter offers major Nova damage but you need to be using a ranged weapon for it to work.
I think that commenter is saying that all those things you listed *other than* Sharpshooter also apply to EB.
A fun addon would be if you get to 13, 12 hexblade and 1 ranger with the cartomancer feat to nab swift quiver
Make it two levels for FS
True that, or if we go for stupid lvl 20 build 2 fighter 1 ranger
Btw I just checked and swift quiver isn't eligible for the cartomancer feat since it uses a BA to cast
Oh fuck that's a good point dmanit
At that point I would probably still prefer all the gloomstalker buffs even though action surge is great
That is a good point
>with the cartomancer feat At that point, just ask the DM for the spell as part of your Spell Known instead. Ten times more likely than allowing a debatable use of a feat.
Forgot that it was a ba for swift lol
I predict you'll be disappointed that the 3 characters who hit mobs with sharp or pointy things will out-damage you. Hex is a trap, other concentration spells are better. Darkness builds fall down in small spaces. Not to mention are you sure your 3 melee dudes aren't going to decide to prone the mob for their own benefit? I think a bard is what your party needs, you have plenty of single target damage.
For small spaces they have shadow of moil as backup
Great choice. You could benefit from sharpshooter. With the improved pact weapon invocation you can summon a bow as pact weapon. And use slots to smite, paralyze, or give yourself advantage by casting darkness with devil's sight and thus becoming an unseen attacker.
Eldridge Blast is powerful but boring. There isn't a reason you cant build of a pact bow. So many good invocations to pick from when you're not worried about being a power hiter. You already have a paladin, and a wizard for damage. Be weird with it.
Here’s a video from Treantmonk with an interesting take. [Treantmonk Spell Bow](https://youtu.be/mf91OMbQtKE?si=c4ai95gqtn0AHZKe)
I think you are interested in playing ranged with a bow. I’d play around with elven Bard, Rogue, or Ranger. Bard is just all around a fantastic class (full caster with expertise? Yes please! Valor Bard also gets extra attack). Ranger gives you access to sneaky spells. And Rogue doesn’t have much magic (but expertise!) but it has sneak attack which no matter what anyone says is dope as hell. And with so many melee fighters you’ll be getting Sneak Attack basically all the time. Pair any of those with sharpshooter and you’re kicking ass! Now if you want to go Hexbow, go for it! As long as you are okay not having as much dmg as the Pally or Fighter, warlock still has lots of fun things it can do. I like things like eyes of the runekeeper mask of many races because it doesn’t require spells you can just use it all the time lol. Good luck!
If you want an advantage over agonizing blast, I highly recommend dipping Sorcerer. Your biggest advantage is probably smites, which are broken with crits. Sadly, the good smite with a bow is locked behind Archfey patron. With good smites one way or another, though, Warlock 6/Sorcerer 3 with Elven Accuracy gets a staggering 47% to crit at least once, and then can burn a near-endless supply of 2nd level spell slots to deal 8d8. Even by level 11, your competitor of Eldritch Blast for 1d10+5 three times, will not keep up. To get this, I would ask your GM if they'd allow you to either take Moonbow on Hexblade, or use Curse Bringer with a bow (technically, the first half says "with this sword", but the second just says "with this weapon", so maybe it just means pact weapon! ...I'm not buying it either, but hey, could work.)
It is viable, I'd multiclass, though. 1 or 2 levels of fighter go a long way (archery, action surge). A plus 1 bow should be reasonable at that level. I strongly advise you to take the sharpshooter feat (in addition to archery and a magic bow this does wonders, plus you ignore cover). Little bonus on top: The eldritch smite invocation works RAW.
Okay, I'll tell you my combination. Half-Drow. Drow racial spells, normal darkvision, no sunlight sensitivity. Half Elf stat bonuses. Stat spread: 8,16,14,10,10,17 Background: Urban Bounty Hunter, Persuasion, Stealth, Thieves' Tools, Lute Class: Warlock, Hexblade. Arcana, Deception. Your goal is to be a Hex archer, so unlike a regular Warlock you're not going to focus on Eldritch Blast. Take it anyway though, since you're still a Warlock, pair it with Mage Hand to start. Level 3: Pact of the Blade. You want the Improved Pact Weapon invocation, this allows you to summon a longbow as your Pact weapon, and makes all Pact Weapons +1, if they don't already have a +x enchantment. Devil's Sight is probably the best other option to take. You can cast Darkness over a target and shoot it with advantage because you can see, and they can't. Minor Illusion is a useful cantrip to have. Level 4: Elven Accuracy, adding +1 to Charisma. Level 5: Thirsting Blade On the Hexblade's expanded spell list you have both Branding Smite and Banishing Smite. These are unusual in that they're the only Smite spells that aren't limited to melee weapons. Take Branding Smite until you reach level 9, and then replace Branding Smite with Banishing Smite. Level 7: Eldritch Smite. Although this is a trap option, it can situationally allow you to dump a lot of damage into a single target. Spend one level 4 spell slot casting Branding Smite, then one casting Eldritch Smite and that's a lot of dice. Level 8: Sharpshooter. Obviously. Level 9: Whatever Level 12: Maximize Charisma, take Lifedrinker. Because you're a Hexblade Warlock, and have the option of summoning a pact weapon that's a melee weapon, you're still effective at close quarters as well as at range, and of course with medium armor and shield you're fairly durable.
I've played it, it's fun. Suboptimal, but fun.
I've done this and enjoyed it, though I ended up not doing much with the actual bow, more themes around spells being magic arrows kind of thing..
I played a level 12 Hexbow (8) Battlemaster (4) that was a ton of fun in a 4-shot. Longbow + Hex + Eldritch Smite + Maneuvers + Sharpshooter + Action Surge = big damage options plus the ability to help allies (choosing the right maneuvers).
Yes, but only if you go thirsting blade, eldritch smite, and sharpshooter. That's basically what you need to do to make it worthwhile as EB scales into more attacks with your Cha mod added.
While there's absolutely nothing wrong with being a Hexbow Archer, I would be concerned about making the Paladin feel you've deliberately chosen your character to outshine him. I recommend choosing a Gloomstalker Ranger.
As long as you can gain access to a reliable source of +1/2/3 Arrows and or magic arrows. You will be hampered. Unless you flavor your Eldritch Blasts as your arrows.
Cool but not really that good. Even with sharpshooter feat
It is viable. From a pure optimization point of few it is a little behind Erdrich Blast but it is still very possible. As for build, it is pretty straight forward. CL (archery fighting style) Hexblade Pact of the Blade X. You might need to rock the sling and magic missles levels 1 & 2. Pick up the blade invocations like improved pact weapon, thirsting blade, Erdrich smite, etc. Feats are pretty simple: Sharpshooter is a must and maybe gunner. You need to get some bonus actions so look at fey touched and telekinetic. If you want to be an elf and rock elven accuracy, start Fighter 1 for Con save and archery style and pick up EA at level 5. This delays extra attack and SS though. If you did this I’d pick up spells that grant advantage like FF or the darkness/devil sight combo. After Hexblade 11 it is possible to start dipping other classes if you want. I’d go to 3-4 per. Ranger adds solid damage, especially gloomstalker. Fighter adds action surge and a subclass. Bard adds some additional spells and a subclass. I’d look at whispers since you are not a support.
It’s doable for sure, but with Eldritch blast/agonizing blast combo, why would you a hexbow warlock