#You simply add the roll and the bonus together

Each weapon, spell, and harmful monster ability specifies the damage it deals. You roll the damage die or dice, add any modifiers, and apply the damage to your target. Magic weapons, special abilities, and other factors can grant a bonus to damage.

 

—Damage Rolls, Player's Handbook, pg. 196

There's no language indicating that the damage must not exceed the maximum value of the die or dice, which is what your alternate interpretation seems to be based on. It simply instructs you to add the roll and the modifier together.

So if you were to roll a 1d8+3, rolled a natural 6 on the die, the total damage would be 6 + 3 = 9, with no capping of the damage due to exceeding the value that can appear on the die.

The Hexblade's Curse feature is not an exception to this rule either:

You gain a bonus to damage rolls against the cursed target. The bonus equals your proficiency bonus.

 

—Hexblade's Curse, Xanathar's Guide to Everything, pg. 55

In this context, "Damage Rolls" is meant to reference the platonic concept of damage rolls as described in the section I previously quoted. It's not meant to explicitly describe individual die rolls; and even if it did, there's no language here to suggest that it should cap at the die's maximum value.

You simply add the roll and the bonus together

Each weapon, spell, and harmful monster ability specifies the damage it deals. You roll the damage die or dice, add any modifiers, and apply the damage to your target. Magic weapons, special abilities, and other factors can grant a bonus to damage.

—Damage Rolls, Player's Handbook, pg. 196

There's no language indicating that the damage must not exceed the maximum value of the die or dice, which is what your alternate interpretation seems to be based on. It simply instructs you to add the roll and the modifier together.

So if you were to roll a 1d8+3, rolled a natural 6 on the die, the total damage would be 6 + 3 = 9, with no capping of the damage due to exceeding the value that can appear on the die.

The Hexblade's Curse feature is not an exception to this rule either:

You gain a bonus to damage rolls against the cursed target. The bonus equals your proficiency bonus.

—Hexblade's Curse, Xanathar's Guide to Everything, pg. 55

In this context, "Damage Rolls" is meant to reference the platonic concept of damage rolls as described in the section I previously quoted. It's not meant to explicitly describe individual die rolls; and even if it did, there's no language here to suggest that it should cap at the die's maximum value.

#You simply add the roll and the bonus together

Each weapon, spell, and harmful monster ability specifies the damage it deals. You roll the damage die or dice, add any modifiers, and apply the damage to your target. Magic weapons, special abilities, and other factors can grant a bonus to damage.

—Damage Rolls, Player's Handbook, pg. 196

There's no language indicating that the damage must not exceed the maximum value of the die or dice, which is what your alternate interpretation seems to be based on. It simply instructs you to add the roll and the modifier together.

So if you were to roll a 1d8+3, rolled a natural 6 on the die, the total damage would be 6 + 3 = 9, with no capping of the damage due to exceeding the value that can appear on the die.

#You simply add the roll and the bonus together

Each weapon, spell, and harmful monster ability specifies the damage it deals. You roll the damage die or dice, add any modifiers, and apply the damage to your target. Magic weapons, special abilities, and other factors can grant a bonus to damage.

—Damage Rolls, Player's Handbook, pg. 196

There's no language indicating that the damage must not exceed the maximum value of the die or dice, which is what your alternate interpretation seems to be based on. It simply instructs you to add the roll and the modifier together.

So if you were to roll a 1d8+3, rolled a natural 6 on the die, the total damage would be 6 + 3 = 9, with no capping of the damage due to exceeding the value that can appear on the die.

The Hexblade's Curse feature is not an exception to this rule either:

You gain a bonus to damage rolls against the cursed target. The bonus equals your proficiency bonus.

—Hexblade's Curse, Xanathar's Guide to Everything, pg. 55

In this context, "Damage Rolls" is meant to reference the platonic concept of damage rolls as described in the section I previously quoted. It's not meant to explicitly describe individual die rolls; and even if it did, there's no language here to suggest that it should cap at the die's maximum value.