Hex and Hunter's Mark
With the release of One D&D in sight, two spells in particular have been getting a lot of attention. Both of these spells were trap options in 5th edition, and despite being nerfed in One D&D, look to be set to become a core part of two of the game’s most popular classes.
These spells are, of course, Hex and Hunter’s Mark.
What’s similar about these spells?
Hex and Hunter’s Mark are almost identical. For the heavy cost of a spell slot, a bonus action, and your concentration, you can target a creature, and when you hit them, you deal an additional 1d6 damage. If the target drops to 0 hit points, you can choose a new one with another bonus action. If the spells are upcast beyond 3rd level, they last 8 hours, and beyond 5th, 24 hours.
Each spell also has an additional minor rider - Hex gives the target disadvantage on ability checks of one kind, and Hunter’s Mark gives you advantage on Perception or Survival checks to find the target. These are both extremely situational, as very few monsters make ability checks in combat or are greatly inconvenienced by advantage on a couple check types.
Finally, each spell is only available to one class - Hex for the Warlock, and Hunter’s Mark for the Ranger.
What problems do these spells have in common?
The first and biggest problem is that any concentration spell has to pull its weight. Both Warlocks and Rangers have many fantastic concentration spells, like Fog Cloud, Entangle, Pass Without Trace, Spike Growth, Conjure Animals, Hypnotic Pattern, Hunger of Hadar, and so on, all of which are far more impactful than a few more points of damage. Since characters can only concentrate on one spell at a time, casting Hex or Hunter’s Mark means that you can’t use these far better spells.
Secondly, they cost a spell slot, neither of which either class can spare.
- Rangers are half-casters, and consequently have extremely limited spell slots. They’re much better off spending those slots on powerhouse spells like Goodberry, or any of the stronger spells listed above.
- Warlocks are Pact Magic casters, and also have extremely limited spell slots. They get minimal mileage from upcasting Hex, and are much better off spending their high-level slots on powerhouse spells like those listed above.
What problems are unique to Hunter’s Mark?
The biggest problem with Hunter’s Mark is simply that Rangers don’t have many bonus actions to spare. All Rangers worth their salt will take Crossbow Expert, which quite literally doubles their damage output until level 5, and remains an incredibly potent option beyond that. Hunter’s Mark competes for a bonus action not only on the turn it’s cast, but also whenever you kill a monster - which will be a very frequent occurrence for any competent damage dealer.
If you never kill monsters, and never drop concentration, Hunter’s Mark generally takes around 4 turns to just break even with Favored Foe. Damage in the first few rounds of combat is far more effective than damage in later rounds, since damage that isn’t delayed removes enemy turns faster. If you are actually killing monsters (which you will be), Hunter’s Mark is always a damage downgrade.
Therefore, Hunter’s Mark is left nicheless. In long encounter days, slots are more efficiently spent on spells like Goodberry or Pass Without Trace, but in short encounter days, Favored Foe provides a much greater damage boost, especially during the initial turns that decide the fate of a battle.
Finally, Hunter’s Mark is a concentration spell on a class that gets absolutely no built-in concentration protection whatsoever, and unlike Warlock, can’t afford feats that offer some, like War Caster or Resilient (Consitution). To be worth casting, it should have a heavy payoff (like other Ranger concentration spells), but it doesn’t.
What problems are unique to Hex?
Unlike Hunter’s Mark, there are some cases in which Hex is good. Warlocks don’t have fantastic 1st level spells, nor good uses for their bonus action. Therefore, many 1st or 2nd-level Warlocks will cast Hex, simply because they don’t have a good alternative.
At level 3 and beyond, the Warlock list gets fantastic - Suggestion, Hypnotic Pattern, Hunger of Hadar, and so on. These spells can turn the tide of an encounter, and are always worth casting over Hex, which doesn’t upcast at all.
Warlocks also have a much lower base damage output than Rangers, with their main contribution being spells. A Warlock should never give up their main contribution for a couple of extra points of damage.
What’s being changed about these spells?
It appears that none of the downsides of these spells - not the costing a bonus action + concentration + spell slot, nor the underwhelming damage, nor the far better alternatives, are being changed. However, their damage is massively downgraded, to once per turn.