Campaign Design - Base Classes: Hexblade

Hexblade
(adapted from Complete Warrior)

The physical prowess of those descended from fiends is well-known, but they also have a remarkable affinity for magic that befuddles, confuses, or curses their foes. Those who have fiendish blood in their veins can tap into these aspects of their heritage via the hexblade class. Combining the dynamic powers of martial prowess and arcane might, the hexblade presents a deadly challenge to those opponents unused to such a foe.

A hexblade balances talents in combat and arcane spellcasting. At lower levels, the hexblade relies upon melee ability augmented by his special power to curse enemies. As he gains experience, he becomes capable of casting a limited number of spells while his curse ability becomes more potent and he gains the ability to warp the normal laws of probability. He can also draw upon the service of a familiar to further augment his abilities.

Like their fiendish forebears, hexblades tend to be selfish and often cruel, though it is by no means limited to evil characters. Still, even the friendliest hexblade is at best neutral. Like the sorcerer, the power of the hexblade often displays itself at an early age, frequently in the form of unexplained accidents or other incidents of bad luck experienced by those around the budding hexblade. Hexblades share a unique bond. Though two hexblades who meet in a tavern won't necessarily strike up a lasting friendship, it is rare for two hexblades to oppose one another unless great personal gain is on the line.
Race: Fiend-Blooded (Daemon-Blooded, Demon-Blooded, or Devil-Blooded).
Alignment: Any nongood.
Hit Die: d10.
Luck Die: d3.

Class Skills

• Skill List: The hexblade's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Bluff (Cha), Concentration (Con), Craft: Any (Int), Diplomacy )Cha), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge: Arcana (Int), Profession: Any (Wis), Ride (Dex), and Spellcraft (Int) .
• Note: Because the Three Worlds campaign uses the Skills by Character house rule, the list of class skills given here is only included for the sake of completeness, and is not used by characters in the campaign setting.
• Skill Points at 1^st Level: (2 + Intelligence modifier) x 4.
• Skill Points at Each Additional Class Level: 2 + Intelligence modifier.

Class Features
All of the following are class features of the hexblade:

• Base Attack Bonus: Good. A hexblade gains +1 base attack bonus per class level.


• Fortitude Base Save Bonus: Poor. A hexblade gains +¹⁄₃ base Fortitude save bonus per class level.


• Reflex Base Save Bonus: Poor. A hexblade gains +¹⁄₃ base Reflex save bonus per class level.


• Will Base Save Bonus: Good. A hexblade gains a +2½ base Will save bonus at first level, and an additional +½ base Will save bonus per class level.


• Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Hexblades are proficient with all simple and martial weapons, as well as 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 armor without incurring the normal arcane spell failure chance. However, like any other arcane spellcaster, a hexblade wearing medium or heavy armor or using a shield incurs a chance of arcane spell failure if the spell in question has a somatic component. A multiclass hexblade still incurs the normal arcane spell failure chance for arcane spells derived from other classes.


• Spells: Beginning at 4^th level, a hexblades gains to ability to cast arcane spells, which are drawn from the hexblade spell list. They can cast any spell they know without preparing it ahead of time. To learn or cast a spell, a hexblade must have a Charisma score equal to at least 10 + the spell level (Charisma 10 for 0^th-level spells, Charisma 11 for 1^st-level spells, and so forth). The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against a hexblade's spell is 10 + spell level + the hexblade's Charisma modifier.
  
  
  
  Like other spellcasters, a hexblade can cast only a certain number of spells per day. His base daily spell allotment is given on the Hexblade table below. In addition, he receives bonus spells per day if he has a high Charisma score. When the Hexblade table indicates that the hexblade gets 0 spells per day for a given spell level, he gains only the bonus spells he would be entitled to based on his Charisma score for that spell level.
  
  
  
  Through 3^rd level, a hexblade has no caster level. At 4^th level and highers, his caster level is one-half his hexblade level.


• Spells Known: 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 Spells Known table below. Unlike spells per day, his Charisma score does not affect the number of spells a hexblade knows.
  
  
  
  Upon reaching 12^th level, and at every third hexblade level after that, a hexblade can choose to learn a new spell in place of one they already know. In effect, they lose access to the old spell in exchange for gaining the new one. The new spell's level must be the same as that of the spell being exchanged, and it must be at least two levels lower than the highest-level spell the hexblade can cast. A hexblade can only swap a single spell at any given level and must choose whether or not to swap the spell at the same time that they gain new spells known for the level.


• Hexblade's Curse (Su): Once per day, as a free 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 [enal;ty on attacks, saves, ability checks, skill checks, and weapon damage rolls for 1 hour thereafter. A successful will save (DC 10 + ½ the hexblade's class level + the hexblade's Charisma modifier) negates the effect.
  
  
  
  At every four levels beyond 1^st (5^th, 9^th, 13^th, and 17^th) a hexblade gains the ability to use his curse one additional time per day. Multiple hexblade curses don't stack, and any foe that successfully resists the effect cannot be affected again by the same hexblade's curse fr 24 hours.
  
  
  
  Any effect that removes or dispels a curse eliminates the effect of a hexblade's curse.


• Arcane Resistance (Su): At 2^nd level, a hexblade gains a bonus equal to his Charisma bonus (minimum of +1) on saving throws against spells and spell-like effects.


• Mettle (Ex): At 3^rd level and higher, a hexblade can resist magical and unusual attacks with great withpower or fortitude. If he 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), he instead completely negates the effect. An unconscious or sleeping hexblade does not gain the benefit of mettle.


• Arcane Ally: Beginning at 4^th level, a hexblade can obtain an ally due to his affinity for the arcane. A hexblade must choose between the following two options. One the choice is made, it cannot be changed thereafter.
  
  
  
  • Dark Companion: The hexblade creates an illusory companion resembling a panther or other large predator, spun from the darkness of the night. Doing so takes 24 hours and uses up magical materials that cost 100 shillings. Once created, the dark companions stands with the hexblade in battle, hindering his enemies' defenses.
    
    
    
    An enemy adjacent to the hexblade's dark companion suffers a -2 penalty to its saves and its armor Class. The dark ally's movement is equal to the hexblade's, including all modes of movement the hexblade possesses, and it acts during the hexblade's turn each round. The dark companion follows the hexblade's commands perfectly - in effect, it is merely an extension of his will.
    
    
    
    The dark companon has no real substance, and thus cannot attack or otherwise affect creatures or objects. if 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 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. Your dark companion is treated like a spell whose level is equal to ¼ your hexblade level. If it is dispelled, it automatically reforms at your side 24 hours later.
    
    
    
    A dark companion cannot 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 you at the start of your turn, or if you ever lose line of effect to it, it instantly reappears adjacent to you.
  
  
  • Familiar: The hexblade gains a familiar. Treat a hexblade as a sorcerer of three levels lower than his hexblade class level for the purpose of determining the familiar's powers and abilities.
    
    
    
    A character with more than one class that grants a familiar may only have one familiar at a time, but their applicable class levels stack for the purpose of determining the familiar's powers and abilities.


• Bonus Feat: At 5^th level and every five levels thereafter, 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.


• Greater Hexblade's Curse (Su): When a hexblade attains 7^th level, the penalty on attacks, saves, ability checks, skill checks, and weapon damage rolls incurred by the target of the hexblade's curse becomes -4 instead of -2.


• Aura of Unluck (Su): Once per day, a hexblade of 12^th 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 16^th level and higher, a hexblade can use his aura of unlick twice per day. A 20^th level hexblade can activate this aura three times per day.


• Dire Hexblade's Curse (Su): When a hexblade attains 19^th level, the penalty on attacks, saves, ability checks, skill checks, and weapon damage rolls incurred by a target of he hexblade's curse becomes -6 instead of -4.

Hexblade

Level	Special	1st	2nd	3rd	4th
1st	Hexblade's Curse (once per day)	-	-	-	-
2nd	Arcane Resistance	-	-	-	-
3rd	Mettle	-	-	-	-
4th	Arcane Ally	0	-	-	-
5th	Bonus Feat, Hexblade's Curse (twice per day)	0	-	-	-
6th	-	1	-	-	-
7th	Greater Hexblade's Curse	1	-	-	-
8th	-	1	0	-	-
9th	Hexblade's Curse (three times per day)	1	0	-	-
10th	Bonus Feat	1	1	-	-
11th	-	1	1	0	-
12th	Aura of Unluck (once per day)	1	1	1	-
13th	Hexblade's Curse (four times per day)	1	1	1	-
14th	-	2	1	1	0
15th	Bonus Feat	2	1	1	1
16th	Aura of Unluck (twice per day)	2	2	1	1
17th	Hexblade's Curse (five times per day)	2	2	2	1
18th	-	3	2	2	1
19th	Dire Hexblade's Curse	3	3	3	2
20th	Aura of Unluck (three times per day), Bonus Feat	3	3	3	3

Spells Known

Level	1st	2nd	3rd	4th
1st	-	-	-	-
2nd	-	-	-	-
3rd	-	-	-	-
4th	2*	-	-	-
5th	2	-	-	-
6th	3	-	-	-
7th	3	-	-	-
8th	4	2*	-	-
9th	4	2	-	-
10th	4	3	-	-
11th	4	3	2*	-
12th	4	4	3	-
13th	4	4	3	-
14th	4	4	4	2*
15th	4	4	4	3
16th	4	4	4	3
17th	5	4	4	4
18th	5	5	4	4
19th	5	5	5	4
20th	5	5	5	5

*If the hexblade has a high enough Charisma to gain bonus spells of this level

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