Creating a Hexblade

wolfpunk · Post by **wolfpunk** » Mon Dec 10, 2007 1:53 am

I was thinking of creating a hexblade class, but then I realized perhaps I could just use the bard.

Here is my idea:

Charisma is still the prime stat and they still use the same HD and BTH.

Exalt becomes Despair, instead of providing a bonus to allies it provides a penalty to enemies.

They lose the Legend Lore ability.

They retain the Fascinate ability but gain it at 5th level.

They gain Demoralize as a knight, but at 7th level.

Exhort Greatness becomes Manifest Curse and is still gained at 9th level. Instead of providing the bonuses to one creature, it instead penalizes (-2 to hit and -2 hit dice) one creature plus 1 for every two levels after 9th. This stacks with Demoralize.

Hexblades use the Fighter XP table instead of Bard XP table.

Thoughts

Julian Grimm · Post by **Julian Grimm** » Mon Dec 10, 2007 2:45 am

Interesting. What is the fluff behind the class as well?
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wolfpunk · Post by **wolfpunk** » Mon Dec 10, 2007 3:08 am

I don't know if you are familiar with the Hexblade class from Complete Warrior, but I will assume you are not.

The basic premise in my mind is a capable fighter who could basically curse or give the "evil eye" to opponents in battle. It would grant a -2 to basically all d20 rolls. As they gained levels the penalties would increase. They also had limited spell use, which I have dropped. They had a bonus on saves versus spells, but I didn't know whether to include that or not.

gideon_thorne · Post by **gideon_thorne** » Mon Dec 10, 2007 3:41 am

wolfpunk wrote:
Thoughts

A simple one, yes.

Why not just have a fighter pick charisma as a prime and work it like this.

One can roll the attribute check where the fighter is basically intimidating an opponent, the CL becomes the opponents level. Should the fighter make the roll, the penalty applied to the opponents actions is determined by the difference between what the fighter rolled and the number to beat.

Gets you to the same place without the need to construct an entirely new class.
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wolfpunk · Post by **wolfpunk** » Mon Dec 10, 2007 4:08 am

gideon_thorne wrote:
A simple one, yes.

Why not just have a fighter pick charisma as a prime and work it like this.

One can roll the attribute check where the fighter is basically intimidating an opponent, the CL becomes the opponents level. Should the fighter make the roll, the penalty applied to the opponents actions is determined by the difference between what the fighter rolled and the number to beat.

Gets you to the same place without the need to construct an entirely new class.

Then if it can just be hand waved as a charisma roll why does the knight have the inspire, embolden, and demoralize abilities?

gideon_thorne · Post by **gideon_thorne** » Mon Dec 10, 2007 4:11 am

wolfpunk wrote:
Then if it can just be hand waved as a charisma roll why does the knight have the inspire, embolden, and demoralize abilities?

For those who use knights in their games as a specific class I guess? Personally, I don't. Knights are a title in my campaign setting, a hard earned one. Same with Paladins.

But I was thinking you were after a bit of a new ability, so I conjured one out of the air that I thought might work.
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wolfpunk · Post by **wolfpunk** » Mon Dec 10, 2007 4:17 am

Well really I was just kind of using the bard abilities in a negative way, I just borrowed the knight ability cause I thought it fit in.

Maybe I should just ask this, would you allow a bard to apply their abilities as a penalty to enemies instead of as a bonus to allies?

gideon_thorne · Post by **gideon_thorne** » Mon Dec 10, 2007 4:42 am

wolfpunk wrote:
Well really I was just kind of using the bard abilities in a negative way, I just borrowed the knight ability cause I thought it fit in.

Maybe I should just ask this, would you allow a bard to apply their abilities as a penalty to enemies instead of as a bonus to allies?

Since it pretty much amounts to the same thing, sure.
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Treebore · Post by **Treebore** » Mon Dec 10, 2007 7:06 am

I think its an excellent adaptation. Its giving me ideas for a new type of bad guy too.
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CharlieRock · Post by **CharlieRock** » Mon Dec 10, 2007 12:59 pm

Why not rename Legend Lore to Demonic Insight (or something) and leave it?
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wolfpunk · Post by **wolfpunk** » Mon Dec 10, 2007 2:58 pm

CharlieRock wrote:
Why not rename Legend Lore to Demonic Insight (or something) and leave it?

That is certainly an option of simply renaming it. Or for a less demonic tie you could name it Dark Insight, or Dark Lore.

Should I add in the resistance to enchantment related spells and effects?

CharlieRock · Post by **CharlieRock** » Mon Dec 10, 2007 3:50 pm

wolfpunk wrote:
That is certainly an option of simply renaming it. Or for a less demonic tie you could name it Dark Insight, or Dark Lore.

Should I add in the resistance to enchantment related spells and effects?

Was that what hexblades got from D&D3? I don't have the Complete Warrior here. It belonged to my brother, who has it now.

If you do place that ability on there, I would not let it exceed 50% what elves get (or why grant this to elves in the first place). That would be less or equal +5 to save. Now I would chop it up and make it +1 every other even level starting with 2nd and topping at tenth level with +3. (or topping off at 18th level with +5).
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wolfpunk · Post by **wolfpunk** » Mon Dec 10, 2007 3:55 pm

I will check it out when I get home. I know they had the mettle ability. I will work up a little progression and submit it for review.

CharlieRock · Post by **CharlieRock** » Mon Dec 10, 2007 4:10 pm

wolfpunk wrote:
I will check it out when I get home. I know they had the mettle ability. I will work up a little progression and submit it for review.

Sounds cool. I just like the LL ability and was wondering why it got chucked. Was it not mixing well with the background?

Ever played Ogre Battle:Tactics by Atlus for PS1? It had a Terror Knight character class that was really neat I always wanted to make but didn't get around to.
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wolfpunk · Post by **wolfpunk** » Mon Dec 10, 2007 4:30 pm

Uhmm, it got chucked without a really good reason, I guess I was losing the legend lore ability to add the demoralize ability.

I wasn't sure if demoralize would be considered more or less valuable than legend lore, but since I was letting it stack with Despair I thought it should probaby net in an xp cost increase.

I like the legend lore ability, and if people wanted to keep it, I certainly wouldn't have a problem with it.

The Hexblade in Complete Warrior had the ability to gain a familiar, it could be a neat element that if you have a familiar it is slightly fiendish and it whispers the legend lore knowledge in your ear and that is how you use the ability.

In that case we would have to add the legend lore back in, add a familiar to the mix, and then decide what that is worth XP cost wise.

CharlieRock · Post by **CharlieRock** » Mon Dec 10, 2007 4:49 pm

wolfpunk wrote:
In that case we would have to add the legend lore back in, add a familiar to the mix, and then decide what that is worth XP cost wise.

If you wanted to tack down the HD to d8 then I think fighter xp would be okay.

If not, I'm thinking Cleric xp. Or even illusionist (depending on what else the familiar can do).
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serleran · Post by **serleran** » Mon Dec 10, 2007 5:17 pm

I would give it the advancement of the paladin class.

wolfpunk · Post by **wolfpunk** » Mon Dec 10, 2007 6:51 pm

So if use the paladins hit dice, bth, and xp table. use the bards abilities, add the demoralize ability, add a familiar, and the resistance to certain types of spells.

That seems pretty good to me, it sort feels like an anti-paladin type class to begin with.

wolfpunk · Post by **wolfpunk** » Mon Dec 10, 2007 11:21 pm

The Hexblade in Complete Warrior gets their Charisma modifier (min +1) as a bonus versus spells and spell-like effects.

In addition they have Mettle which negates the effects of spells and spell-like abilities that have a lesser effect if you make the save. If a hexblade makes the save they suffer no effect.

I could see ditching Mettle but leaving the Charisma bonus to saves against spells and spell like effects.

CharlieRock · Post by **CharlieRock** » Tue Dec 11, 2007 2:55 am

wolfpunk wrote:
I could see ditching Mettle but leaving the Charisma bonus to saves against spells and spell like effects.

Sounds cool.
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Treebore · Post by **Treebore** » Tue Dec 11, 2007 5:53 am

wolfpunk wrote:
The Hexblade in Complete Warrior gets their Charisma modifier (min +1) as a bonus versus spells and spell-like effects.

In addition they have Mettle which negates the effects of spells and spell-like abilities that have a lesser effect if you make the save. If a hexblade makes the save they suffer no effect.

I could see ditching Mettle but leaving the Charisma bonus to saves against spells and spell like effects.

Just give them the same things as a Paladin, +2 to all saves. Heck, maybe even give the +2 to AC bonus.
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Creating a Hexblade

Creating a Hexblade

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