Thoughts on how to properly utilize my SpellSlinger in a fight.

[th3g0dc0mp13x]

TL;DR: how should a hexblade 2/sorcerer 1-5 utilize their action economy in a fight with a bunch of squishies for allies.

So I recently read the three spellslinger books by Sebastian De Castell, and right after I finished one of my friends started a campaign. I rolled with one good stat and 5 middling stats so I decided to go with something SAD. Enter Addermire a 1 shadow sorcerer/2 hexblade Yuan-Ti Pureblood.

Spoiler: Addermire

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Shadow Sorcerer 1/Hexblade 2
8,13,12,12,10,19
Invocations: Agonizing and Repelling Blast
AC 17 Scale armor and shield.
Cantrips: Booming Blade, Eldritch Blast, Light, Mage hand, Mold Earth, Poison Spray, Prestidigitation
1st Level Spells: Armor of Agathys, Catapult, Hex, Shield, Thunderwave
2nd Level Spells: Suggestion (Racial 1/day)

Spoiler: Party Composition

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Note: most of the party is probably going to not fight "smart" which is why i'd like to do what I can to prevent TPK's.
Human Tempest Cleric: the way he's talked about his character I expect him to be in peoples face beating them with his anchor (fluffed greataxe)
Shadar-Kai Sheperd Druid: newish player, I helped her pick her main spells so I know she has a large amount of good spells for control but I don't know how well they'll work. Honorable spell mention Spike growth+ Repelling blast=yum
Aarakocra Drunken Master Monk: Skirmisher through and through
Fallen Aasimar Gloomstalker: plans on being a ranged sharpshooter
Tabaxi Necromancer Wizard: super thematic spell list witch bolt, toll the dead, grease and things like that, I don't know how she's planning on playing.

What I'm thinking is that I'll focus on the most dangerous looking enemy and trying to prevent them from closing with the squishy party (Wizard, Druid, Ranger [maybe not the ranger]). Obviously at level 3 this isn't so effective as I only have 10' that I can move someone, but at 5 I'll have the option to move them 40'.

On top of that what should my rounds look like in an hard-deadly encounter at levels 5-8

1. Curse+EB, Hex+eb, EB+Quickened EB
2. Curse or hex+EB, EB+Quickened EB
3. EB+QEB, EB+QEB
4. Something else?

[Crgaston]

With that many cantrips available, and since you've chosen repelling blast, I would strongly consider taking Create Bonfire. Concentration is an important and often overlooked part of action economy, and having a concentration cantrip lets you utilize your concentration without burning a spell slot. This can be useful when you are wanting to preserve resources or when you are just out of slots.

While Hex can be great when you are targeting a single baddie, especially once you can quicken, CB lets you drop some soft crowd control and also gives you a fun hazard to Repelling Blast foes through. Since it's persistent, you can drop it ON a baddie to incentivize them to move, or you can place it in between enemies and your squishier allies. It can also combo well with Booming Blade if one of your allies has it.

For example, if your monk and cleric are engaged with someone, you hit that target with CB. Then the enemy has to chose between staying and taking fire damage or moving and taking the AoO (or disengaging and doing no damage), while you are free to Repel the other enemies.

As to your list of options, it looks like you have a good handle on what your options are/will be. Each individual fight will be unique and the best response will vary based on the tactical situation when initiative is rolled (as well as what your party members do!).

[Keravath]

In your group you will have one of the better ACs.

Medium armor (breastplate) .. hopefully 14 dex .. with a shield is 18 and the shield spell is 23. You could use booming blade/green flame blade and melee for the first few levels.

You didn’t mention what type of Druid .. but if it is a moon Druid then they can be very good at tanking. After level 5, any Druid can summon some animals that will also be good substitute tanks.

At level 3, you won’t have any sorcery points and it will be quite a while before you can regularly use quickened Eldritch Blast since it requires 2 sorcery points every time.

Presumably your invocations are agonizing blast and repelling blast?

If you are looking at just doing damage .. hex plus agonizing Eldritch Blast. I find I rarely use Hexblades curse since it is only once per short rest and requires the bonus action I tend to use on other things first.

Also, try to have a few good concentration spells available as well as some AoE ... sorlocks can do a lot more than Eldritch Blast.

[Nhorianscum]

As of right now your only control option is repelling blast. If you're planning on keeping the sorlock multi then...

Dropping thunderwave for color spray or sleep and carrying nets and bags of ball bearings to use with catapult should give most of the control you want. (If the DM does not allow catapult tomfoolery just drop it for fog cloud)

Killing poison spray for minor image should offer the rest "there is now a bush where the wizard was, move along"

Moving forward and assuming a battlefield control role with careful and quickened spell, web, and darkness are your babies.

[th3g0dc0mp13x]

Snip

You make some very good points with create bonfire, I'll have to talk to my DM about this one as my character is supposed to be more of a kinetic damage specialist. I'm going to do some damage math at the end of this post, I think I'll throw those numbers in as well.

If you are looking at just doing damage .. hex plus agonizing Eldritch Blast. I find I rarely use Hexblades curse since it is only once per short rest and requires the bonus action I tend to use on other things first.
Also, try to have a few good concentration spells available as well as some AoE ... sorlocks can do a lot more than Eldritch Blast.

God I wish it were a breastplate that disadvantage on stealth from Scale sucks. All of that type of info is in the spoilers. It's a shepard druid and a necromancer, I'm not even worried about having a tank post level five, til then though yeah it's me and my terrible health. Though our monk apparently has 17 AC as well so he and I have been a kind of flexible second line.

I'm actually shocked that you forget about the curse, it's basically a hex that scales and doesn't use concentration. I am primarily focusing on being a damage dealer with side helping of "stay over in your corner and let me shoot holes in you.

As of right now your only control option is repelling blast. If you're planning on keeping the sorlock multi then...
Dropping thunderwave for color spray or sleep and carrying nets and bags of ball bearings to use with catapult should give most of the control you want. (If the DM does not allow catapult tomfoolery just drop it for fog cloud)
Killing poison spray for minor image should offer the rest "there is now a bush where the wizard was, move along"
Moving forward and assuming a battlefield control role with careful and quickened spell, web, and darkness are your babies.

I'm going to go Sorcerer from here on in we just had our first session so I'm locked in so to speak. I hadn't even thought about using a net with catapult that's genius, He's pretty much rule of cool so it will probably fly. (I used a held action to shoot a cannonball out of the air and it was amazing) Honestly colorspray and sleep are not in my characters fluff so I probably won't be grabbing them but it's a good suggestion thank you. Poison Spray is a racial so I'm stuck with it.
I'm planning on more of a ranged striker role with a control secondary. So I'm thinking quickened and twinned.

Math because I'm bored. I'm not going to bother taking into account a hit chance as the to hit should be similar no matter what, It's not like I'm running GWM.

Spoiler: Third Level

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Hex+EB, Curse+EB, EB= 13+15+15=43 Dmg
Curse+CB, EB+CB, EB+CB= 6.5+16+16=38.5 Dmg+an additional 6.5-19.5 on their turns if they start there. (assuming that I can hit it through the fire each of my turns)It also requires a failed dex save to take any damage at all.

Spoiler: Fifth Level

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Hex+EB, EB+Q.EB, EB=26+52+26=104 Dmg
Curse+EB, EB+Q.EB, EB=25+50+25=100 DMG
Hex+EB, Curse+EB, EB+Q.EB=26+32+64=122 Dmg
Curse+CB, EB+CB+Q.EB, EB+CB=12+62+37=111 Dmg with a possible 12-36 additional depending on other factors.

Spoiler: Eighth Level

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Hex+EB, EB+Q.EB, EB+Q.EB=28+56+56=140 Dmg
Curse+EB, EB+Q.EB, EB+Q.EB=27+54+54=135 Dmg
Hex+EB, Curse+EB, EB+Q.EB=28+34+68=130 Dmg
Curse+CB, EB+CB+Q.EB, EB+CB=Q.EB=12+66+66=144 Dmg with a possible 12-36 depending on other factors.

What I'm noticing is that at low levels 1-7, thanks to a lack of sorcery points for max damage you prep the battle first and then kick their buts. However once you have enough SP to pull off 2+quickens this basically reverses. Also if Create Bonfire was used perfectly it could be a huge damage increase, Unfortunately I don't think it's likely that you would get more then two "hits" before you needed to use your action to move it.

Spoiler: Edit: 13th Level because I'm bored and this is as high as I expect the campaign to go.

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EB+Q.EB, EB+Q.EB, EB+Q.EB=63+63+63=189 Dmg.
Hex+EB, EB+Q.EB, EB+Q.EB=42+84+84=210 Dmg
Curse+EB, EB+Q.EB, EB+Q.EB=46.5+93+93=232.5 Dmg
Curse+EB, Hex+EB, EB+Q.EB=46.5+57+114=217.5 Dmg

Spoiler: Level 20 because why not.

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EB+Q.EB, EB+Q.EB, EB+Q.EB=84+84+84=252 Dmg
Hex+EB, EB+Q.EB, EB+Q.EB=56+112+112=280 Dmg
Curse+EB, EB+Q.EB, EB+Q.EB=66+132+132=330 Dmg
Curse+EB, Hex+EB, EB+Q.EB=66+80+160=306 DMG

[Crgaston]

Nice! Thanks for doing that math. I concur that Create Bonfire isn't something that yo rely on to produce consistent, reliable DPR numbers. It's more a mild control slotless cool factor option, but it IS a potent option in those circumstances where it will be useful. It's probably better on a straight Warlock since as a Sorlock you'll eventually have more options for your Concentration and more slots to use them.

I assume your "depending on other factors" is the Druid's Spike Growth?

[th3g0dc0mp13x]

Nice! Thanks for doing that math. I concur that Create Bonfire isn't something that yo rely on to produce consistent, reliable DPR numbers. It's more a mild control slotless cool factor option, but it IS a potent option in those circumstances where it will be useful. It's probably better on a straight Warlock since as a Sorlock you'll eventually have more options for your Concentration and more slots to use them.

I assume your "depending on other factors" is the Druid's Spike Growth?

I didn't do that because Spike growth is MEAN. I meant the failed dex save and manuvering to place them in the flames come the beginning of their turn.

I agree on the better concentration, most likely I'll end up running haste on the Monk while cursing the bbeg and blasting away.

[Crgaston]

I didn't do that because Spike growth is MEAN. I meant the failed dex save and manuvering to place them in the flames come the beginning of their turn.

I agree on the better concentration, most likely I'll end up running haste on the Monk while cursing the bbeg and blasting away.

Re: Spike Growth... Yep, once you get Far Step you can keep teleporting to get the good angle for repelling them. Balls nasty.

Re: Create Bonfire... they don't have to start their turn there. It procs when you cast it, when they enter it for the first time on a turn, or when they END their turn there. But yeah, Hasted Monk + Curse sounds solidly fun. Spread the love.
:)