Wizards of the Coast dropped a spooky new Dungeons and Dragons playtest document on May 6, and a revised version of the Hexblade Warlock is among the subclasses on trial. This subclass, infamous as a level-one multiclass dip in the 2014 rules, has had such a staggering makeover that it’s almost unrecognizable. Given how popular Hexblades were with power-builders, this has naturally caused some controversy.
One of the biggest changes to DnD classes in the new rules is that everyone chooses a subclass at level three. The Warlock 5e could originally specialize at level one, so the first tweak made to the Hexblade was to push its powers back a few levels.
The expanded spell list (renamed ‘Hexblade Spells’) now kicks in at third level, and its contents are now always prepared. Blur, Branding Smite, Blink, Elemental Weapon, Phantasmal Killer, Staggering Smite, Banishing Smite, and Cone of Cold have all been removed from the D&D Hexblade’s repertoire. In their place are Arcane Vigor, Hex, Magic Weapon, Conjure Barrage, Dispel Magic, Freedom of Movement, Animate Objects, and Steel Wind Strike.
This makes the Hexblade slightly less focused on smiting and gives it a few extra tools from the Ranger 5e spell list. Hex is the DnD spell to pay most attention to here, as it plays a huge role in the Hexblade’s other new features. For better or worse, they also feel influenced by the Ranger’s design mantra.
At level three, Hexblades now get the Hexblade Manifest feature. You can cast Hex without a spell slot a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier, with all uses replenishing on a long rest. Casting Hex causes a spectral weapon to surround the target of your spell, and, once per turn, you can inflict extra effects when you hit the Hex’d creature with an attack roll.
Draining Slash prevents the target from making opportunity attacks and halves its speed if it fails a Constitution saving throw. Harrowing Blade triggers a Wisdom save, and on a fail, the target takes necrotic damage the next time it attacks a creature other than you. Finally, Stymying Mark gives a target disadvantage on its next saving throw – no save required.
Later, at level six, the Life Stalker feature lets you regain HP when a target cursed by your Hex reaches zero hit points. Plus, once per turn, if you miss an attack roll against your Hex’d target, you deal necrotic damage to it equal to your Charisma modifier.
At level 10, Armor of Hexes offers you a new reaction. When you take damage from the target of your Hex, you can reduce the damage taken by 2d8 plus your Charisma modifier. This is a slightly more reliable way to reduce damage than the 2014 version of the same feature.
Lastly, at level 14, there’s Masterful Hex. You score critical hits against a Hex’d target on 19 as well as 20 (something 2014 Hexblades could do from level one), and you can deal necrotic damage to an extra target when you use your Hexblade maneuvers. Lastly, taking damage can’t break your concentration on Hex.
The three subclass features that modify Hex bear some similarity to the older Hexblade’s Curse feature. This allowed you to target a creature with a curse that improved your attacks against them and granted you HP when they died.
Crucially, unlike Hex, this feature didn’t require concentration. Warlocks aren’t overly reliant on concentration spells, but the need to constantly focus on Hex would stop them from casting classics like Hunger of Hadar, Hypnotic Pattern, and a range of summoning spells.
Speaking of summoning, the Hexblade has lost its ability to create specters from the creatures it slays. Oh, and the subclass no longer has proficiency in medium armor, shields, or martial weapons. The Hex Warrior also used to give Hexblades the ability to attack with weapons using their Charisma modifier in place of Strength or Dexterity, but this didn’t make it into the new playtest rules.
The new Hexblade is all about ‘Hex’ and not so much about ‘Blade’ anymore, as it focuses on buffing its magical attacks with that one signature spell. This narrowed subclass identity, combined with the reliance on a concentration spell for the subclass to function, have proven unpopular with many D&D fans online since the playtest was released.
We’re wondering if these concerns about Hex are a little out of proportion, however. Hex only costs a bonus action to cast, so the impact of breaking concentration on your character’s action economy are minimized. Plus, Warlocks are famously reliant on blaster cantrips, so it’ll be a rare case where they want to spend a slot on a concentration spell over casting Hex and spamming Eldritch Blast.
These complaints about a subclass built around a single concentration spell seem to have spilled over from conversations about the Ranger class. This core class was altered to rely on Hunter’s Mark in the 2024 Player’s Handbook, a choice that still proves divisive among D&D fans that resent having to spend their character’s concentration on a single low-level spell. These criticisms have sparked further critique of the new Hollow Warden subclass, who shares a playtest document with this new Hexblade.
You can see the full rules for these spooky subclasses in the original playtest document. We’re yet to test the new Hexblade for ourselves, so our thoughts are largely based on theorycrafting right now, but if you’d like to share your own thoughts and findings, hit us up in the Wargamer Discord. Or, if you need build ideas, here’s all you need to know about DnD races and DnD 2024 backgrounds.
Source: Wargamer
