At 1st level a hexblade gains a fallen powerful being as a charge, from which he either draws his powers, or once learned from. The once powerful creature is now under the care of the hexblade, and is contained in a docile form that bears some resemblance to the creature's true form, for example a hellcat may appear as a housecat, a drider may appear as a monstrous spider, while a vampire may appear as simply a young version of it's human form. The charge's form is never larger than small size, and typically no smaller than dimunitive. Should the charge ever die, the hexblade loses all supernatural abilities until either the charge is returned to life, or he finds a new charge. However, should the hexblade ever die, the magical seals suppressing the charge's power immediately break, returning it to its full former power, with the addition of any abilities it had gained from being the hexblade's charge, such as spells. If the hexblade is returned to life, it suffers the loss of abilities as if it's charge had died, and must find a new charge. On rare occasions, charges that have grown attached to their masters may choose to willingly allow themselves to be sealed by their former master to reestablish their connection.

The charge begins with an unfriendly attitude toward the hexblade, but depends on the hexblade to survive, and thus will follow and serve the hexblade as required, though it may refuse to provide aid if a request goes strongly against it's nature. As a hexblade spends time with his charge, a bond will typically grow between the hexblade and his charge. At 4th level, a charge that is at least indifferent toward the hexblade learns, and may cast a small number of spells to aid the hexblade, drawn from the hexblade's spell list. An unfriendly charge refuses to cast spells for the hexblade, and may even use them to sabotage the hexblade.

Unlike a familiar, a hexblade's charge has hit dice equal to it's master's class level, granting it saves, skills, ability points and feats. The charge's hit point total is equal to three quarters it's masters hit point total, regardless of it's hit dice or constitution score. The charge retains it's normal type, retaining all traits from it's type, but losing all racial abilities it once had. If it's type is undead, it's connection to it's master grants it immunity to being turned or rebuked, as well as gaining the ability to be healed by positive energy if it's master is a living creature.

To determine a charge's ability scores, generate it's ability scores as if it were a player character (for a typical game that means 32 point buy), then modify the charge by it's sealed form. If the charge is undead it retains a constitution score if it's master is living. If the charge's sealed form is of a creature that is normally mindless (such as a monstrous spider), or if it is an animal instead treat the ability score adjustment for it's intelligence as +0. The charge's sealed form begins with an intelligence score of 6, though as it's master grows in power, it regains more of it's former sentience, gaining an additional point of intelligence for every 2 levels it's master gains, up to it's normal intelligence for it's sealed form. It's sealed form may never have more intelligence than it's unsealed form. The charge may not have a sealed form larger than small, or a CR greater than 1/2. The charge may have templates added to it's sealed form if the templates do not modify, or reduce it's CR, for example, a wolf is not a suitable form for a charge, as it is both CR1 and medium size, however adding the young template reduces it's CR to 1/2, as well as it's size to small. The charge gains all the abilities of it's new form.

The charge gains 6+int skill points per hit dice, and has the class skills of it's base form, and may select any feat that it qualifies for when it gains a feat from hit dice. It gains two good saves appropriate to it's form, for example animals would have good fortitude and reflex, and has a base attack bonus equal to it's master's class level.

At 1st level, the charge gains a pocket dimension where it can hide, or seek refuge and isolation should it so choose. Each charge's dimension is different, and access to it varies. A drider in the form of a spider may be able to access it's dimension by entering spider webs, perhaps even ones it weaves itself, a hellcat in the form of a housecat may access it's dimension by passing through it's master's legs, while a vampire in the form of a young girl may access it's dimension through it's master's shadow. Where possible, access to the pocket dimension should be tied to the master somehow, and it should be possible to limit access somehow. For example, a shadow can be engulfed by darkness, or blurred into nothing through umbral light, while the passageway between a master's legs doesn't exist if it's master is laying down, or floating through the air. In cases where no plausible tie to the master can be made, the charge may only gain access to it's dimenison if appropriate access points are within 30 feet of it's master. While inside it's pocket dimension, the hexblade's charge is aware of it's surroundings, as if being able to see and hear through it's access point, if it is available.

At 4th level the hexblade's charge casts a small number of arcane spells, which are drawn from the hexblade spell list. It can cast any spell it knows without preparing it ahead of time, just as a sorcerer can.
To learn or cast a spell, the charge must have a Charisma score equal to at least 10 + the spell level (Cha 11 for 1st-level spells, Cha 12 for 2nd-level spells, and so forth). The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against the charge's spell is 10 + the spell level + the hexblade’s Cha modifier.
Like other spellcasters, the charge can cast only a certain number of spells of each spell level per day. Its base daily spell allotment is given on the left half of the table below. In addition, it receives bonus spells per day if it has a high Charisma score (see Table 1–1: Ability Modifiers and Bonus Spells, page 8 of the Player’s Handbook).
The charge's selection of spells is extremely limited. It begins play knowing no spells, but gains one or more new spells at certain levels, as indicated on the right half of table below. (Unlike spells per day, his Charisma score does not affect the number of spells a hexblade knows; the numbers on right half of table below are fixed.)
Upon reaching 12th level, and at every third level after that (15th and 18th), the charge can choose to learn a new spell in place of one it already knows. In effect, the charge “loses” the old spell in exchange for 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 charge can cast. For instance, upon reaching 12th level, a charge could trade in a single 1stlevel spell (two spell levels below the highest-level hexblade spell it can cast, which is 3rd) for a different 1st-level spell. At 15th level, it could trade in a single 1st-level or 2nd-level spell (since it now can cast 4th-level hexblade spells) for a different spell of the same level. A hexblade's charge may swap only a single spell at any given level, and must choose whether or not to swap the spell at the same time that it gains new spells known for the level.
Through 3rd level, a hexblade's charge has no caster level. At 4th level and higher, it's caster level is equal to it's master's hexblade level - 3.
Due to the charge's connection with it's master it may cast these spells on it's master even if the spells are personal, and it may share spells with it's master much like a wizard can do with it's familiar, except the range at which the spells persist extends out to 30 feet. Shared spells persist if the familiar enters it's pocket dimension, but not for any other planar boundaries. The charge must have hands and be able to speak to cast spells, though it may select the surrogate spellcasting feat to be able to cast spells if it lacks the ability to speak, or has no hands.