Hexblade (revised)
This class incorporates some modifications to the Complete Warrior Hexblade from official sources, including the class designer, Mike Mearls
| Class Level | BAB | Fort | Ref | Will | Special | Spells | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | ||||||
| 1st | +1 | +2 | +0 | +2 | Hexblade’s curse 1+Cha/day | — | — | — | — |
| 2nd | +2 | +3 | +0 | +3 | Arcane resistance | — | — | — | — |
| 3rd | +3 | +3 | +1 | +3 | Mettle | — | — | — | — |
| 4th | +4 | +4 | +1 | +4 | Summon familiar or Dark companion | 0 | — | — | — |
| 5th | +5 | +4 | +1 | +4 | Bonus feat, hexblade’s curse 2+Cha/day | 0 | — | — | — |
| 6th | +6/+1 | +5 | +2 | +5 | Swift spellcasting 1/day, forced omens (prestidigitation) | 1 | — | — | — |
| 7th | +7/+2 | +5 | +2 | +5 | Greater hexblade’s curse | 1 | — | — | — |
| 8th | +8/+3 | +6 | +2 | +6 | Swift spellcasting 2/day, forced omens (silent) | 1 | 0 | — | — |
| 9th | +9/+4 | +6 | +3 | +6 | Hexblade’s curse 3+Cha/day | 1 | 0 | — | — |
| 10th | +10/+5 | +7 | +3 | +7 | Bonus feat | 1 | 1 | — | — |
| 11th | +11/+6/+1 | +7 | +3 | +7 | Swift spellcasting 3/day, forced omens (silent and still) | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 12th | +12/+7/+2 | +8 | +4 | +8 | Aura of unluck 1/day | 1 | 1 | 1 | — |
| 13th | +13/+8/+3 | +8 | +4 | +8 | Hexblade’s curse 4+Cha/day | 1 | 1 | 1 | — |
| 14th | +14/+9/+4 | +9 | +4 | +9 | Swift spellcasting 4/day, forced omens (3+Cha/day) | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 15th | +15/+10/+5 | +9 | +5 | +9 | Bonus Feat | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 16th | +16/+11/+6/+1 | +10 | +5 | +10 | Aura of unluck 2/day | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| 17th | +17/+12/+7/+2 | +10 | +5 | +10 | Hexblade’s curse 5+Cha/day | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| 18th | +18/+13/+8/+3 | +11 | +6 | +11 | Swift spellcasting 5/day, forced omens (at‑will) | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| 19th | +19/+14/+9/+4 | +11 | +6 | +11 | Dire hexblade’s curse | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| 20th | +20/+15/+10/+5 | +12 | +6 | +12 | Aura of unluck 3/day, bonus feat | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
Hit die: d10
Class skills: Bluff, Concentration, Craft, Diplomacy, Intimidate, Knowledge (magic), Profession, Ride (or Tumble, chosen at 1st level), Spellcraft
Skill Points per level: 2 + Int modifier (×4 at first level)
Starting gold: 6d4 × 10gp
Class features
- Weapon and Armor Proficiency
- Hexblades are proficient with all simple and martial weapons, and with light armor but not with shields. Because the somatic components required for hexblade spells are simple, a hexblade can cast hexblade spells while wearing light or medium armor and while carrying a light shield or buckler, without incurring the normal arcane spell failure chance. However, like any other arcane spellcaster, a hexblade wearing heavy armor or using a heavy shield incurs a chance of arcane spell failure if the spell in question has a somatic component (and most do). A multiclass hexblade still incurs the normal arcane spell failure chance for arcane spells derived from other classes.
- Hexblade’s Curse (Su)
As a swift action, a hexblade can unleash a curse upon a foe. The target must be visible to the hexblade and within 60 feet. The target of a hexblade’s curse takes a −2 penalty on attacks, saves, ability checks, skill checks, and weapon damage rolls for 1 hour thereafter. A successful Will save (DC 10 + ½ hexblade’s class level + hexblade’s Cha modifier) negates the effect, but the daily use is not expended if the target saves.
A hexblade can use her curse a number of times per day equal to 1 plus her charisma modifier. At every four levels beyond 1st (5th, 9th, 13th, and 17th) a hexblade gains the ability to use her curse one additional time per day, as indicated on the table above. Multiple hexblade’s curses don’t stack, and any foe that successfully resists the effect cannot be affected again by the same hexblade’s curse for 24 hours.
Any effect that removes or dispels a curse eliminates the effect of a hexblade’s curse.
A hexblade can utter only one hexblade’s curse per round, even if she gets multiple curses per day.
- Arcane Resistance (Su)
- At 2nd level, a hexblade gains a bonus equal to her Charisma bonus (minimum +1) on saving throws against spells and spell-like effects.
- Mettle (Ex)
- At 3rd level and higher, a hexblade can resist magical and unusual attacks with great willpower or fortitude. If she makes a successful Will or Fortitude save against an attack that normally would have a lesser effect on a successful save (such as any spell with a saving throw entry of Will half or Fortitude partial), she instead completely negates the effect. An unconscious or sleeping hexblade does not gain the benefit of mettle.
- Familiar
Beginning at 4th level, a hexblade can obtain a familiar. Doing so takes 24 hours and uses up magical materials that cost 100 gp. A familiar is a magical beast that resembles a small animal and is unusually tough and intelligent. The creature serves as a companion and servant.
The hexblade chooses the kind of familiar she gets. As the hexblade advances in level, her familiar also increases in power. Treat the hexblade as a sorcerer of three levels lower for determining the familiar’s powers and abilities.
- Dark Companion
A hexblade who selects this class feature does not gain a familiar.
At 4th level, a hexblade can create an illusory companion resembling a panther, spun from the darkness of the night. Doing so takes 24 hours and uses up magic materials that cost 100 gp. Once created, the dark companion stands with the hexblade in battle, hindering her enemies’ defenses.
Any enemy adjacent to a dark companion takes a −2 penalty on its saves and to its AC. The companion’s speed is equal to the hexblade’s (including all modes of movement) and it acts during her turn each round. It follows her mental commands perfectly — in effect, it is merely an extension of her will.
A dark companion has no real substance, and thus can’t attack or otherwise affect creatures or objects. It occupies a 5-foot space. Even though any creature can enter a dark companion’s 5-foot space without restriction, it must occupy its own space in order to have any effect on enemies. It is immune to any damage or other effects that might harm creatures, though it can be dispelled or suppressed just like a spell effect. A dark companion is treated as a spell whose level is equal to ¼ hexblade level. If it is dispelled, it automatically reforms at its master’s side 24 hours later.
A dark companion can’t create flanking situations, nor does it provoke attacks of opportunity from movement, because enemies automatically recognize it as an illusion. If it is more than 120 feet from its master at the start of her turn, or if she ever loses line of effect to it, it instantly reappears adjacent to her.
- Spells
Hexblade Spell List
Beginning at 4th level, a hexblade gains the ability to cast a small number of arcane spells, which are drawn from the hexblade spell list. She can cast any spell she knows without preparing it ahead of time, just as a sorcerer can. To learn or cast a spell, a hexblade must have a Charisma score equal to at least 10 + the spell level. The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against a hexblade’s spell is 10 + the spell level + the hexblade’s Cha modifier.
Like other spellcasters, a hexblade can cast only a certain number of spells of each spell level per day. Her base daily spell allotment is given on the table above. In addition, she receives bonus spells per day if she has a high Charisma score. When the table indicates that the hexblade gets 0 spells per day of a given spell level (for instance, 1st-level spells for a 4th-level hexblade), she gains only the bonus spells she would be entitled to based on her Charisma score for that spell level.
The hexblade’s selection of spells is extremely limited. A hexblade begins play knowing no spells, but gains one or more new spells at certain levels, as indicated on the table below. (Unlike spells per day, her Charisma score does not affect the number of spells a hexblade knows; the numbers on that table are fixed.)
Through 3rd level, a hexblade has no caster level. At 4th level and higher, her caster level is one-half her hexblade level.
Spells Known Level 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 1st – – – – 2nd – – – – 3rd – – – – 4th 2¹ – – – 5th 2 – – – 6th 3+p – – – 7th 3+p – – – 8th 4+p 2¹ – – 9th 4+p 2 – – 10th 4+p 3 – – 11th 4+p 3 2¹ – 12th 4+p 4 3 – 13th 4+p 4 3 – 14th 4+p 4 4 2¹ 15th 4+p 4 4 3 16th 4+p 4 4 3 17th 5+p 4 4 4 18th 5 5 4 4 19th 5 5 5 4 20th 5 5 5 5 ¹ Provided the hexblade has sufficient Charisma to have a bonus spell of this level. p: Prestidigitation (see Forced Omens, below). - Bonus Feat
- At 5th level, and every five levels thereafter (10th, 15th, and 20th), a hexblade gains a bonus feat, which must be selected from the following list: Combat Casting, Greater Spell Focus (enchantment, necromancy, or transmutation only), Greater Spell Penetration, Spell Focus (enchantment, necromancy, or transmutation only), Spell Penetration.
- Quickened Spell
- At 6th level, the hexblade can cast one hexblade spell per day as a swift action, as long as its original casting time is a standard action or faster. She gains an additional use of this power at levels 8, 11, 14, and 18.
- Forced Omens (Ex)
At 6th level, a foreboding sense of doom travels with the hexblade, as candle lights flicker, fresh food turns green, or the air becomes stale. A hexblade adds prestidigitation to her list of spells known. If a hexblade already knows this spell, she may choose a different 1st-level spell. As a bonus spell, prestidigitation cannot be traded for another 1st-level spell.
At 8th level, a hexblade may cast prestidigitation as if augmented by the Silent Spell feat without using up a higher-level spell slot. At 11th level, a hexblade may cast prestidigitation as a spell-like ability, lacking both somatic and verbal components, but is still limited to her spell slots per day. At 14th level, a hexblade may cast prestidigitation a number of additional times per day equal to 3 + her Charisma modifier. At 18th level, a hexblade can cast prestidigitation at will. The prestidigitation spell disappears from her list of spells known at this level.
- Greater Hexblade’s Curse (Su)
- When a hexblade attains 7th level, the penalty on attacks, saves, ability checks, skill checks, and weapon damage rolls incurred by a target of the hexblade’s curse becomes −4 instead of −2.
- Aura of Unluck (Su)
Once per day, a hexblade of 12th level or higher can create a baleful aura of misfortune. Any melee or ranged attack made against the hexblade while this aura of unluck is active has a 20% miss chance (similar to the effect of concealment). Activating the aura is a free action, and the aura lasts for a number of rounds equal to 3 + the hexblade’s Charisma bonus (if any).
At 16th level and higher, a hexblade can use her aura of unluck twice per day. A 20th-level hexblade can activate her aura three times per day.
- Dire Hexblade’s Curse (Su)
- When a hexblade attains 19th level, the penalty on attacks, saves, ability checks, skill checks, and weapon damage rolls incurred by a target of the hexblade’s curse becomes −6 instead of −4.