Dungeons & Dragons: How To Build A Hexbuckler (2024)

The Hexblade warlock is among the most popular subclasses to multiclass with in due to the large number of powerful features that are front-loaded in the class's toolkit. While the sorlock and Hexblade paladin are well known routes to take this build, one of the lesser explored paths for a multiclass Hexblade is combining the subclass with the rogue Swashbuckler.

While this build won't have as powerful single target nova damage (one turn burst), it does result in a flavorful character that makes full use of both of its subclass abilities and has strengths of its own. A hexbuckler is a charming duelist who has taken their love for the art of the sword a little too far and forged a pact with a magic weapon created by dark magic.

Best Hexbuckler Features

Hexblade's Curse

At first level, you unlock the ability to curse a creature you can see within 30 feet of you as a bonus action. The curse lasts for one minute, and while it is active, you gain the following benefits against the target:

• A bonus to damage rolls equal to your proficiency bonus.
• Attack rolls crit on a roll of 19 or 20.
• If the target dies, you regain hit points equal to your warlock level + your Charisma modifier.

Even though you can only use this feature once per short rest, it's quite good at increasing your damage against the most imposing opponent on the battlefield. Notably, the added critical hit chance is especially nice alongside the rogue's sneak attack.

Hex Warrior

Also at first level, you gain proficiency with shields, medium armor, and martial weapons. More importantly, you form a mystical bond with a weapon you are proficient in that doesn't have the two-handed property. Attacks made with that weapon use your Charisma modifier for the attack and damage rolls.

This feature allows us to focus on maximizing our Charisma instead of needing to rely on Dexterity for attack rolls. This is especially nice for a Rogue thanks to the class's access to the Expertise feature (add double your proficiency with a skill), making our Charisma skill checks nearly impossible to fail in concert with a maxed out Charisma score.

Fancy Footwork

Once we reach our third level in the rogue class, we'll unlock the Swashbuckler subclass and pick up this feature. Fancy Footwork makes it so that creatures who we have struck with a melee attack on a turn cannot take opportunity attacks against us.

Rakish Audacity

This second feature, which is also gifted to us when we gain the Swashbuckler subclass, gives us a bonus to initative rolls equal to our Charisma modifier. Going first is always nice, especially when your character is capable of making an attack that one-shots weaker enemies.

The best benefit of this feature, though, is that you gain an additional way to trigger your Sneak Attack. Any time you make an attack against a creature within five feet of you, no other creatures are adjacent to you, and you don't have disadvantage on the attack roll, your Sneak Attack applies to the attack. In other words, you become a one-versus-one god.

Best Species For A Hexbuckler

Unlike other rogues, the hexbuckler is more interested in maximizing their Charisma than their Dexterity. Consequently, species with a +2 bonus to Charisma including the half-elf and tiefling are premier choices.

However, tables using the customizing your origin rules from Tasha's Cauldron of Everything can choose from a wider range of species and put their +2 towards their Charisma.

The best custom origin species will provide your hexbuckler with superior movement, as getting in and out of melee range is the backbone of your strategy. As a result, you'll want to look at the Aarakocra, Fairy, Eladrin, Githyanki, Harengon, Shadar-Kai, and Astral Elf.

Best Ability Scores For A Hexbuckler

See Also

Worldbuilding and RPG Campaign Management | World Anvil

As mentioned above, Charisma is your most important statistic as a hexbuckler, even though the majority of the levels you'll be taking are in Rogue. This is all due to the Hex Warrior feature, which allows us to attack with Charisma instead of Dexterity and has the wonderful added benefit of allowing you to pump your social interaction skills into the stratosphere.

Behind Charisma is Constitution. A high Constitution modifier is important for every character, as your total hit points are based off of your Constitution score. This goes doubly so for melee characters like the hexbuckler, as you'll be putting yourself in added danger by wading in and out of melee.

Strangely enough for a rogue build, Dexterity comes in at third-place in importance. You still want to reach a Dexterity of 14 at some point in your career as the Armor Class (AC) your medium armor gives you can be increased by two from your Dexterity score.

Fourth important is Wisdom as warlocks have proficiency in Wisdom saving throws and spells and abilities that require a Wisdom save are typically quite nasty. Consequently, you'll want to lean into your Wisdom save proficiency even if it means only giving your save an additional +1.

Intelligence and Strength are tied for last. Intelligence is slightly more important as there are some skills here, like Investigation, that your rogue might want to grab proficiency in. That being said, both of these are dump stats for a hexbuckler.

Multiclassing Level Progression

Aspiring hexbucklers want to start with your first level in Warlock, and pick up the Hexblade subclass. From there, you'll take levels in rogue until you unlock Swashbuckler at a total character level of four. At that point, take one more level in Warlock to gain Eldritch Invocations and another spell slot. Then, switch back to Rogue until you get Evasion.

From here, you can either continue taking rogue levels for the rest of your career or switch over to warlock levels.

It's really up to what you want for your character as both routes are equally good. Players interested in additional spellcasting as well as a change in strategy should switch over to Warlock while those who enjoy what their hexbuckler is already capable of can stick with rogue.

Best Feats For A Hexbuckler

As we've already stated, the hexbuckler is chiefly concerned with being able to move across the battlefield. As a result, the best feats available to a hexbuckler focused on combat are those that can increase your mobility.

That being said, feats that provide additional skill proficiencies are also great thanks to your high Charisma and Expertise feature. Here's a table with your best options:

Hexbuckler Strategy

As it's been hinted at throughout this article, the hexbuckler's combat strategy revolves around using the Booming Blade cantrip. This cantrip works in tandem with your Sneak Attack to deliver an impressive amount of damage to a single target.

The strategy goes as follows. Run into melee with an enemy, cast booming blade and attack them triggering your Sneak Attack thanks to Rakish Audacity, and then run away from them using your Fancy Footwork feature. When the enemy runs to pursue you, it will take 1d8 lightning damage from your Booming Blade allowing you to surpass a rogue's typical damage output.

This strategy gets even better once you reach character level 5 as Booming Blade will then deal an additional 1d8 lightning damage as part of your attack as well as another 2d8 lightning damage when the target moves. There may not be all that much to this attack plan, but it's a cheeky way to deal some extra damage.

This may not be the best Hexblade build as far as combat is concerned, but the hexbuckler does offer an intriguing way to play a melee character that's unlike most other builds. Furthermore, the hexbuckler is nearly unmatched when it comes to its initiative bonus and expertise in social interaction.

Thanks to being a multiclass build, the hexbuckler can talk themself out of almost any situation. In a way, this makes them the most roguish character of them all.