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The hexblade paladin is one of the most beloved builds in all ofDungeons & Dragonsdue to its potency as well as the fact that it is a class literally dripping with flavor. Paladins swear an oath to a god or other powerful being while warlocks make a pact with other more questionable formidable entities. The juxtaposition of hexblade paladins attempting to hold to their oath while also appeasing their patron makes for an incredibly juicy story.
Beyond that,paladins are regarded by some as the best class in the game and multiclassing them with warlock skyrockets their power level to astronomical heights. All that being said, this is one of the most difficult D&D builds to execute properly. Let’s take a look.
Species
The usual Species frontrunners apply here with bothVariant Human and Tasha’s Custom Lineagebeing amazing options since they provide you with a feat at level 1.
Players who love spellcasting might considerShadow Touched or Fey Touched,while those interested in a more damage-oriented melee build should pick upGreat Weapon Master.
Alternatively,any species that provides a +2 Charisma bonus is a fine choice as Charisma will be our primary ability score. Great generic options include Elves,Tieflings, Aasimar, and Yuan-Ti Purebloods.
Both Dragonborn and Triton are niche options that are incredible in the right setting. Speak with your dungeon master about the game setting when building your character to arrive at the most optimal Species choice.
Awhite Dragonborn with resistance to cold damagemight be the best Species option in an arctic campaign setting, while aTriton with an innate swim speedcould make for a superior choice in any sea-based campaign.
Ability Scores
The Hexblade Paladin is a strange case when it comes to ability scores asit appears to be MAD (Multiple Ability score Dependent) at first glance but becomes SAD (Single Ability score Dependent) as you gain levels.
Interestingly enough, this class wants tostart with a Strength score of 15to enable decent melee attacks at early levels and unlockplate armorat later ones.
However, you will abandon increasing this score as you level thanks toPact of the Blade allowing us to use Charisma for our attacks instead of Strength.
Below is a table that shows what your starting ability scores should look like. If you’re using Standard Array or rolling ability scores instead of point buy,attempt to get as close to this iteration as possible.
15
10
14
8
16
Due to the power of Paladin auras,maximizing your Charisma score is your number one goal. Obtaining a Strength score of 15 is your secondary goal in order to unlock wearing plate armor.
If at all possible, you shouldstart with 15 Strength in order to prevent this from becoming an issue laterand provide you with better melee attacks at low levels.
Multiclassing Level Progression
The level progression of the Hexblade Paladin is without a doubt the most hotly debated topic. There aremultiple ways to level your hexblade paladinbased on whether you’re going for utmost damage or party protection.
If you’re interested in doling out as much damage as you possibly can, focus on Warlock levels,but if you want to take advantage of thedefensive benefitsthe Paladin class offers, focus on Paladin.
Either way, you want tostart with your first level in Paladinin order to gain access to heavy armor and weapon proficiencies. This will somewhat insulate your character from death which is a more common occurence at low levels.
elow is a table that explainsthe remainder of your level progressionbased on whether you want to play a damage-oriented Hexblade or a more defensive one.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
9
11
12 - 20
Warlock
Sorcerer
Something that makes a huge difference in the level progression here is the way that Hex Warrior works in tandem with Pact of the Blade.
Whilea defensive Paladin using a sword and shield needs only one level in Hexblade Warlockto unlock using Charisma for their attacks,the offensive Paladin must wait until Hexblade Warlock level 3 (level 5 total)when they get Pact of the Blade to give the same benefit to a two-handed weapon.
Spells And Smites
While your spell slots might not be as high level as some other classes, you still gain access to a generous assortment of spellcasting goodies thanks to your multiclassing. The best and most commonly used spells you’ll have, especially at low levels, areBless and Shield.
Bless provides you and your party with a powerful boon that increases your chances of success by a d4 on nearly every roll in combat while Shield supplies an emergency panic button in case you find yourself in a bad situation.
Bless is particularly importantfor Great Weapon Master Hexblade builds who wish touse the feat at low levels.
You want to reserve your low level Paladin spell slots for casting these two spells. Meanwhile, your higher level Warlock spell slots should be used to unleashpowerful smiteson your foes.
One of the big benefits of the Hexblade Paladin multiclass is that you canuse these Warlock spell slots to divine smite for tons of damage and then get them back by taking a short rest.
Alternatively, you can use your higher level Warlock spell slots to cast more powerful Paladin spells likeAid, Lesser Restoration, and Find Steed.
Ranged Or Melee
While many players interested in this build are looking to play a melee-based character, the Hexblade Paladin also comes with great ranged attack options thanks to eldritch blast and Warlock invocations.
If you wish to make your Hexblade Paladinmore useful at range than in melee, this is totally doable by taking invocations such asAgonizing Blast and Repelling Blastto increase the potency of your eldritch blasts.
Alternatively, invocations likeThirsting Blade and Lifedrinker will turn your Hexblade Paladin into a melee powerhousewhose damage output is difficult to match.
There’s also the option for Hexblades topick up the Devil’s Sight invocation alongside the Darkness spell.
This combo will allow you tomake attacks against enemies at advantagewhile they can only attack you with disadvantage.
Ultimately,it’s up to you how you want to build your Paladin, but it’s worth noting that one path may be better than another based on who your party members are.
Due to your auras only having a limited range,you want to stay nearby your party members at all times so that they can enjoy your aura benefits.
A Hexblade in a mostly ranged party would likely do better tofocus on ranged attacks, while a Hexblade in a mostly melee party will seegreater aura uptime by leaning towards melee.
Whatever you decide to focus on, your Hexblade Paladin will have good offensive options for both ranged and melee combat scenarios.Depending on the situation, you may even want to switch from one method of attack to another.
Subclasses
The final consideration when building your Hexblade Paladin isyour choice of subclasses. Of course, your Warlock subclass will undoubtedly be Hexblade, but your Paladin subclass choice is totally up to you.
Some ofthe most synergistic options available include Oath of Vengeance, Oath of Conquest, and Oath of the Watchers.
Vengeance and Conquest are great options for damage-oriented HexbladeswhileWatchers is unmatched as far as what it brings to the table defensively.
Defensive Paladin builds who pick up Sorcerer levels later in the game will get the most mileage out of theDivine Soul Sorcerersubclass but theClockwork SoulandAbberant Mindsubclasses are close seconds.
Your Paladin subclass choice is the decision that provides your character with the exact flavor you’re looking for.
Don’t be afraid tolook into Oaths that might better fulfill your specific fantasy.
How To Play A Hexblade Paladin In The 2024 Rules
With the release of D&D’s 2024 rules update, the preceding information can still help you to create a powerful Hexblade paladin, butsome changes to character creation deserve mentioning. We’ll go over each of those in the sections below.
Background
The Hexblade paladin wants Strength and Charisma above all else, sothe best background to choose for your character origin is the Entertainer, which allows you to boost both Strength and Charisma. The Musician Origin Feat also gives you and your team Heroic Inspiration, which be very helpful.
If you’ve already got a Bardin the party with the Musician feat,consider one of the following backgrounds.
The Noble backgroundalsoprovides access to Strength and Charisma, but you may not want theSkilled Origin Featif your party already has a high-skill character like a rogue.
The Merchant is a good compromise. The Lucky Origin Feat is excellent for any character, and you’ll be able to boost Constitution and Charisma (make sure you place Strength at 15 through either the Standard Array or Point Buy systems). Hermit is similar to Merchant but substitutes the Healer Origin Feat for Lucky—useful if your party still needs a healer.
Starting Equipment
The starting equipment of the paladin class is ideal for a Hexblade paladin. A longsword is the perfect starting weapon for a Hexblade, and chainmail provides sufficient early-game protection until you can afford to move up to splint or plate armor.
Dwarf is an excellent choice for a Hexblade paladin. Because you’ll be taking levels of warlock which provide fewer hit points, the Dwarven Toughness trait can help make up the difference.
A melee-focused Hexblade paladin will benefit from the Orc’s Adrenaline Rushand Relentless Endurance traits, while those who didn’t pick the entertainer background would benefit from being a human and having a second Origin Feat (choose the Tough feat for a hit point boost similar to Dwarven Toughness).
Your recommended ability scores don’t change at all from the 2014 to the 2024 rules.Prioritize Charisma, then Strength, then Constitution above allother ability scores in eitherstandard array or point buy systems.
Paladin Oaths
The paladin subclasses are slightly updated for the 2024 rules but are largely still familiar to paladin fans.Oath of Vengeance and Oath of Glory would be the best choices for an offensive-oriented Hexblade paladin, while Oath of Devotion and Oath of the Ancients would be more defensive-oriented Hexblade paladins.
