Why does this class get so much love? Does the image of a sellsword spreading curses like candy really appeal to that many people? The answer, for me, is yes. This version borrows some from
AfterCrescent's own homebrew hexblade.
The Hexblade
"So many years to clean the slate
Endless despair within its wake
His touch soiling what used to be clean
His gaze burning on the edge of our dreams"
-Opeth, Heir Apparent
Hexblades are sellswords who spread curses and manipulate luck to their own ends. Whether hexblades receive their power from an accursed soul or from entering into a dark pact is immaterial, they are feared all the same.
Game Rule Information[spoiler]
Abilities: Hexblades value power and therefore Strength. Hexblades also value their own lives and therefore Constitution. Hexblades also value their curses and therefore Charisma. Everything else is personal preference.
Alignment: Most hexblades are chaotic as entropy seems to follow them where ever they walk. However, a small handful are lawful. There are no alignment restrictions on hexblades.
Class Skills (4 + INT): Bluff, Climb, Concentration, Craft, Diplomacy, Hide, Intimidate, Jump, Knowledge (arcana/religion), Move Silently, Perform, Profession, Ride, Spellcraft, Swim, Use Magic Device
Hit Die: d10
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Hexblade Chart[spoiler]
Level BAB Fort Ref Will Invocations Special
1st +1 +2 +0 +2 1 Invocations (Least), Hexblade's Curse 1/enc
2nd +2 +3 +0 +3 1 Cursed Soul
3rd +3 +3 +1 +3 1 Dark Companion (-2)
4th +4 +4 +1 +4 2 Hexblade's Curse 2/enc
5th +5 +4 +1 +4 2 Bonus Feat, Channel Curse
6th +6/+1 +5 +2 +5 2 Greater Hexblade's Curse
7th +7/+2 +5 +2 +5 3 Invocations (Lesser)
8th +8/+3 +6 +2 +6 3 Hexblade's Curse 3/enc
9th +9/+4 +6 +3 +6 3 Aura of Unluck (1/day)
10th +10/+5 +7 +3 +7 4 Bonus Feat
11th +11/+6/+1 +7 +3 +7 4 Swift Intimidation
12th +12/+7/+2 +8 +4 +8 4 Hexblade's Curse 4/enc
13th +13/+8/+3 +8 +4 +8 5 Aura of Unluck (3/day)
14th +14/+9/+4 +9 +4 +9 5 Dark Companion (-4)
15th +15/+10/+5 +9 +5 +9 5 Bonus Feat
16th +16/+11/+6/+1 +10 +5 +10 6 Invocations (Greater), Hexblade's Curse 5/enc
17th +17/+12/+7/+2 +10 +5 +10 6 Greater Aura of Unluck (5/day)
18th +18/+13/+8/+3 +11 +6 +11 6 Extended Intimidation
19th +19/+14/+9/+4 +11 +6 +11 7 Bonus Feat, Dire Hexblade's Curse
20th +20/+15/+10/+5 +12 +6 +12 7 Hexblade's Curse 6/enc
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Class Features[spoiler]
Armor & Weapon Proficiencies: The hexblade is proficient with all simple and martial melee weapons and with light and medium armor and shields (but not with tower shields). A hexblade suffers no armor spell failure for using his invocations while wearing light or medium armor or using a shield (but not a tower shield).
Hexblade's Curse (Su):Invocations (Sp): A hexblade gains invocations much like a warlock and learns new and advanced invocations as indicated on the hexblade chart. A hexblade's caster level for all invocations is equal to her hexblade level.
Cursed Soul (Su): At 2nd level, a hexblade gains her charisma bonus on saving throws.
Dark Companion (Su): At third level, a hexblade may call upon a dark companion. By spending 24 hours in meditation and expending 100gp worth of incense, a hexblade pulls on her natural unluck and forms an animal-like creature (the exact appearance varies between hexblade) made of shadow to accompany her. The companion takes up a 5-foot square but cannot attack or be attacked. Because it is made of shadow and occupies a 5' square, anyone can freely move into and out of the square it occupies. It can be dispelled as a spell (CL equal to her hexblade level, spell level equal to 1/3 her hexblade level). If dispelled, the dark companion reforms 2d4 rounds later. At any point if a dark companion is more than 120' from the hexblade, it dissipates and reforms adjacent to the hexblade at the beginning of her next turn. All foes within 5' of the dark companion take a -2 to saves, attacks, and armor class.
At 14th level, the penalty increases to -4.
Bonus Feats: At 5th level and every 5th level afterwards (10th, 15th, 20th), the hexblade gains a bonus feat which may be drawn from the following list:
Arcane Mastery*, Battle Caster*, Extra Invocation*, Mage Slayer*, Pierce Magical Concealment*, Pierce Magical Protection*, Ability Focus (Hexblade's Curse)^, Vatic Gaze
+, or any feat with the [Luck] or [Hex] descriptor.
*: Complete Arcane
^: Monster Manual I
+: PHBII
Channel Curse (Su):Greater Hexblade's Curse (Su): At 6th level, the hexblade's curse now gives a -4 penalty rather than a -2. Additionally, all foes within 10' of the target must make a will save or become affected with the basic hexblade curse (with a +2 bonus to their save). If a shape invocation is applied, it overrides the reverberation effect of the greater curse.
Aura of Unluck (Sp): Beginning at 9th level, the hexblade may obscure his true position. Once per day, as a swift action, he may activate this ability. He gains a miss chance of 20% for a number of rounds equal to 3 + his Charisma Modifier.
At 13th level, he may use this ability 3 times per day. At 17th level, he may use this ability 5 times per day.
Swift Intimidation (Ex): At 11th level, the hexblade may use the intimidate skill to demoralize opponents as a swift action.
Greater Aura of Unluck (Sp): At 17th level, the hexblade's mischance with her Aura of Unluck increases to 50%.
Extended Intimidate (Ex): At 18th level, when a hexblade intimidates an opponent, the effect lasts for 24 hours. In addition, he gains a +8 bonus to re-establish the intimidate effect if he returns to the same target. The attitude of the target towards the hexblade is always unfriendly.
Dire Hexblade's Curse (Su): At 19th level, the hexblade's curse now gives a -6 penalty rather than a -4. Additionally all foes within 10' of the target must make a will save or become affected with the Greater hexblade curse (with a +2 bonus to their save) and all foes within 30' of the target must make a will save or become affected by the basic hexblade curse (with a +2 bonus to their save). The penalties from the different curses overlap, they do not stack. If a shape invocation is applied, it overrides the reverberation effect of the dire curse.
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Design Notes[spoiler]
I wanted this to be a melee class, hence no ranged weapons, similar to the warblade.
Also, with the invocations, I didn't want to restrict to a smaller list of invocations (I have the warlock and dragonfire adept invocations as one list), but I also wanted to make essences and shapes relevant to a hexblade as well, so they can be applied to her curses, I did specify that essences that change damage type can't be applied. Does this push the curse into a more powerful ability? Yes, but it's a curse. It should blind, cause fear, knock people off their feet and whatnot. But with sorcerers, favored souls and spirit shamans (only full casters I allow) casting wish, miracle and shapechange, I don't think a hexblade applying a -6 penalty in a cone that knocks everyone effect over is a big deal.
My biggest concerns are the two bits I raided from zhentarim fighter: Swift Intimidate and Extended Intimidation. I feel they come much to late, but in giving the illusion of no-dead levels I have them where they are.
Yes, I recycled the image from my prestige hexblade and mixed my extreme metal genres with the quote and the image.
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