Post/Author/DateTime	Post
bkdubs123 11-08-07, 09:31 PM	The Swordmage This is my take on how the 4e Swordmage might look using existing 3.5 mechanics. I have per day, per encounter and at will abilities rolled into a neat little package. Enjoy! http://i110.photobucket.com/albums/n100/bkdubs123/Anima______no_4_by_Wen_M.jpg "Aid me, noble spirits that I may bring greater glory to this desolation, in your honor!" - Krynneth Valcori, Divine Swordmage Here cometh the fluff Even as the ancient Orders finally crumble away to mere shadows, the Swordmage itself has made quite a resurgence. The Swordmages of the olden time were closely linked up with the gods and other higher powers, though they did not all wield divine magic, they often served as emissary-warriors for their deities. These Swordmages formed the Crucible Orders (or Cruthcaelw Orders) which taught many disciplines, principles, and secrets. Duskblades also emerged from the members of these Orders, and often Swordsages as well. The true ideal of a Swordmage is to be seemlessly proficient with his weapon as he is with his magic, but not only that, to be able to protect the secrets of the Weave itself, through which they are taught all powers pass and powers return. Many of the ancient Orders held themselves personally responsible for the keeping of divine secrets scattered throughout the multiverse. The Wild Spirit Order commanded by Phaedrarc Leonis (Half-Dragon Leonal Half-Dragon Paragon 3/Swordmage 13) kept a longstanding peace between the natural world and the industrial world, but after Leonis mysteriously disappeared the Order fell apart. The Seven-Blessed Steel of Agrimaz was another powerfully religious Order that promoted a very pragmatic viewpoint centered around faith and personal defense. This order had a vast library with information on powerful arcane magics, treatises on the power and uses of divine magics, and insights into a mysterious culture known as the LeShay which some of the Swordmages of the Order seemed to worship as gods themselves. The Shadecallers were a dark, though not exactly sinister, Order devoted to what they called the Elder Gods. These deities the Shadecallers said once dwelled in the Plane of Shadows, but were displaced by the Shining Foe, or the Morningstar he is sometimes called. Of course some, if not many, of the Shadecallers were evil, and this gave them a bad name, but one cannot deny their express knowledge of powerful arcane magics and the ability many of them possessed to undo arcane magics. Recently the Swordmages have made a resurgence. The age of Orders have long since passed, but it would seem that many of the eldest survivors of the Orders have begun to take new students. These newly emerging Swordmages are eager to prove their ability in the tumultuous world, spreading awareness of the Weave and the teachings gifted to them by aging masters. Making a Swordmage How you create your Swordmage is entirely up to you, and there are many different choices for you along your road through development. As a Swordmage you possess a widely versatile suite of talents, but depending on the paths you take you might react differently in specific situations than others. Let's start with the basics. You have a fair d8 hit dice and you have the highest base attack bonus. This is the makings of an able warrior, but take care with your choices. A Divine Swordmage can make an excellent melee force, but as an Arcane or Wild Swordmage you might want to try a different strategy. All Swordmagi are proficient with simple weapons, but most are proficient with but a few martial weapons. It is not uncommon to see Arcane Swordmagi wielding a Staff and Longbow as their primary means of defense. Swordmagi are not simply warriors though, they are magi after all. They all have a modicum of mastery over spellcasting be that Arcane or Divine and through the use of invocations and traditional spells they can contribute to a party fairly well with spellcasting support. They certainly can't fill the role of a powerful Wizard or Cleric, but they can offer magical power when it is needed. Abilities: Your choice in placing ability scores depends on your choice in Weave Path. Arcane Swordmagi are concerned with the mind - specifically with either Intelligence or Charisma, but also with Dexterity as they are not proficient with any armors. Divine Swordmagi are concerned with Wisdom first, then Strength to fuel their formidable melee presence. Wild Swordmagi are also concerned with Wisdom, but they value Dexterity and Strength as well. Constitution is of course important to all Swordmagi as they are expected to be warriors after all. The Martial Path of a Swordmage can also determine to some degree the importance of his ability scores. Several maneuvers of the martial disciplines require saving throws and the DC of these saving throws may be based on an ability score not so important to their Weave Path. For this reason Swordmagi tend to be exceptionally well-rounded individuals capable in any environment. Races: In the days of the Orders some races were welcomed by one Order and shunned by the next. The Seven Blessed commonly recruited Elves, the Wild Spirit commonly recruited Shifters and Half-breeds, the Shadecallers often recruited aberrant races, but also Humans. In the modern age most of the new Swordmagi are Human, but other races are certainly not uncommon. There is indeed a newly emerging Dwarf Order called the Iron Justices, and a new arcane Order called the Mystic Knights of the Cairn. Alignment: Though the Orders were generally governed by certain principles and morals on the whole, individual members and pupils could be of any persuasion on the ethical and moral axes. Now that the Orders have begun to disappear (though new ones are forming) this bent toward alignment is disappearing as well. Swordmagi can be of any alignment. Those Swordmagi who belong to Orders have a slight predilection toward Law believing that they and their Order have a purpose to serve, while those without Orders have no inherent Chaotic nature. Wild Swordmagi are often Chaotic, and often Good even, while Arcane and Divine Swordmagi can easily go either way. Starting Gold: 4d4x10 (100 gp). Starting Age: As Duskblade. Playing a Swordmage You make a mystical art of warfare. You do things with your weapons no Fighter could ever dream to do, of course the opposite is also true. Where other combatants train tirelessly to develop new combat skills you develop inner strength, magical prowess, and sometimes supernatural secrets in your weapons. You also manipulate magical energy in ways the most wizened of Swordsages can only dream about. While its true that perhaps the Duskblade combines his spellcasting with melee combat better, and of course the Wizard masters spell powers far beyond any talent you possess you also have tricks up your sleeve that they cannot match. You draw inexhaustible power straight from the Weave itself, and the complex and mystic blade magics taught to you by your master give you other options to your fighting style that no spellslinger can match. In fact this is your greatest strength - your options. You have more options than perhaps any other adventurer like you. Use them wisely. Religion As a Swordmage your class is deeply rooted in religious belief, but in the current state of affairs you may have no ties to religion at all. Those in Orders have a stronger predilection to being religious than those not in Orders, but even so it is the Order typically that is religious rather than the individual members. Certainly however it is not uncommon for Swordmagi to revere or even worship a deity or even several deities. Even Arcane Swordmagi can be found worshipping entities such as Azuth, Boccob, Glormindus*, or even the Weave itself. Divine Swordmagi since they can be of any alignment and persuasion often worship deities and of many differing portfolios. Wild Swordmagi of course tend to worship nature deities such as Obad-Hai, Talos, or even the Wild Three (Faeron*, Mogdunn*, and Zeityr*). *These are deities from my homebrew campaign world. Combat A Swordmage's style of fighting depends almost entirely on his selection of Weave and Martial Paths and beyond that his selection of spells, invocations, maneuvers and stances. Arcane Swordmagi typically like to take a more mentalist approach. They can be methodical and cautious preferring to weaken enemies with ranged magical power before moving in with intricate melee maneuvers. Divine Swordmagi have a myriad of spells and invocations with which to bolster their attack and defenses and often wear heavy armors. This lends these Swordmagi toward powerful front-line melee combat and with proper maneuver selection they excel at it greatly. Wild Swordmagi can be a mix of both. Joined by their animal companion these warriors fight with fierce and primal emotions. They can supplement their attacks with powerful elemental forces and they can leap upon an unsuspecting foe with magically grown natural attacks such as claws, hooves, horns, and fangs. Swordmagi in the World "We were attacked by primitive beasts, but their tenacity was unquestioned and our weapons couldn't pierce their brawny hides. Our Wizard had exhausted himself to kill two of them, but three more remained. It was then that the old master showed up. He struck from afar at first with magic missiles and then he leaped upon them carrying a longsword and wearing no armor. I was amazed at the grace with which he dispatched the beasts. One second his sword was aflame scorching as it grazed one of the beasts armor plates, but the next it was quiet again and shattered another's hide like glass! It wasn't long before the three creatures lie dead at his feet - he wasn't even winded. He took us in that night, and I made him promise to teach me to fight like he did. I've been following the Swordmage's Path ever since." -- Remnaro Fleischart, apprentice to Dol Mlundu The ancient master, the spelltouched glade guardian, the warrior pilgrim, or the scholarly knight these are Swordmagi. Using their unique mixture of prepared spells, infinite Weave drawn magical power, and the ancient arts of Blade Magic these magi perform miracles of integration the world has never seen. Never before has one man combined so many different magics together and never before has combining them been so fluid and so natural. Since he is not just a warrior, but also a magician and master of a powerful mind, the Swordmage contributes equally well in dangerous combat situations as he does in scholarly or social endeavors. Daily Life When a Swordmage is not contemplating the Weave, which he does often, he is refining his physical prowess. To a Swordmage all of his powers are attributed to the weave - his spells, his invocations, even the energy channeled into his martial maneuvers. Swordmagi can seem humorless to some, but of course this is merely a stereotype. Many Swordmagi make time for the lighter things in life. Swordmagi tend to enjoy activities that challenge the mind or the body such as reading or solving riddles and rock climbing or swimming or friendly sparring matches. Notables Phaedrarc Leonis, the Master of the Wild Spirit Order was a Swordmage of high bloodline. He was descended from a Gold Dragon and a Leonal Guardinal and retains strong qualities from both sides. He was a primal force to be reckoned with, and he was personified by the element of fire. Like fire he could be devastating, but he could also be soothing. He mastered powerful elemental energies through his spells and invocations, but his martial maneuvers reflected a more subtle and protective side. Leonis mysteriously disappeared one morning leaving his Order confused and frightened. Shortly thereafter the Order collapsed, but the grove in which it met has always remained closely watched. Dol Mlundu (Arcane Swordmage 9), is an ancient survivor of the Shadewalker Order of Swordmagi, but he was always an atypical member of that group. He joined because he was fascinated by the arcane, and they of course had the largest and most complete library on arcane magics. Not only could he read through an endless amount of arcane scripture but the masters there were exceptionally well read themselves. He has recently taken on some apprentices himself though he has no intentions of starting a new Order of his own. As he has grown older he has less and less desire for adventure. Dol Mlundu is a shrewd man, who when pressed to fight is full of surprises. He has plans laid out for nearly any encounter and always has contingencies waiting in the wings. Krynneth Valcori (Divine Swordmage 5), is a newcomer to the loretrenched class of Swordmagi, but already he is making a name for himself through his good deeds and powerful personality. Krynneth is a member of the Mystic Knights of the Cairn and though he is not the leader he may well be the favorite. He prefers flashy displays of Weave energies to practical or tactical combat maneuvering as evidenced by his chosen martial disciplines: Storm Serpent, Diamond Mind, Steel Aegis, and Crescent Moon. He wears mithral Half-Plate most often, carries an ornate Bastard Sword and wears a steel shield strapped to his back. He prefers a straight and dirty approach to combat flying at enemies wielding his bastard sword in two-hands, though when pressed to recover his maneuvers he often switches to sword and shield. Game Rule Information Hit Dice: d8 Alignment: Any Lv Base Attack Ft Rf Wl Special Spellcasting Man Man Stances 1st 2nd 3rd 4th Known Ready Known 1. +1 +2 +0 +2 Weave Path, Martial Path, Least Invocation (1) - 3 3 2 2. +2 +3 +0 +3 Combat Casting, Combined Power 0 4 3 2 3. +3 +3 +1 +3 Least Invocation (2) 1 5 3 2 4. +4 +4 +1 +4 Bonus Feat 1 5 3 3 5. +5 +4 +1 +4 Least Invocation (3) 2 0 6 3 3 6. +6/+1 +5 +2 +5 Martial Weave 1/encounter 2 1 7 4 3 7. +7/+2 +5 +2 +5 Lesser Invocation (1) 2 1 8 4 3 8. +8/+3 +6 +2 +6 Bonus Feat 3 2 9 4 4 9. +9/+4 +6 +3 +6 Lesser Invocation (2) 3 2 0 9 4 4 10. +10/+5 +7 +3 +7 Weave Fury 1/encounter 3 2 1 10 4 4 11. +11/+6/+1 +7 +3 +7 Lesser Invocation (3) 4 3 1 11 5 4 12. +12/+7/+2 +8 +4 +8 Bonus Feat 4 3 2 12 5 5 13. +13/+8/+3 +8 +4 +8 Greater Invocation (1) 4 3 2 0 13 5 5 14. +14/+9/+4 +9 +4 +9 Martial Weave 2/encounter 5 4 2 1 13 5 5 15. +15/+10/+5 +9 +5 +9 Greater Invocation (2) 5 4 3 2 14 5 5 16. +16/+11/+6/+1 +10 +5 +10 Bonus Feat 5 4 3 2 15 6 6 17. +17/+12/+7/+2 +10 +5 +10 Master Invocation (1) 6 5 3 3 16 6 6 18. +18/+13/+8/+3 +11 +6 +11 Weave Fury 2/encounter 6 5 4 3 17 6 6 19. +19/+14/+9/+4 +11 +6 +11 Master Invocation (2) 6 5 4 3 17 6 6 20. +20/+15/+10/+5 +12 +6 +12 Incantation of the Prodigy 6 5 4 4 18 6 7 Class Skills (4+Int modifier, x4 at 1st level): Balance, Climb, Concentration, Craft, Jump, Profession, Spellcraft, and Tumble Weapons and Armor Proficiency: A Swordmage is proficient with all simple weapons and with no armor. Swordmages may gain additional proficiencies based upon their Weave Path. Weave Path: At first level, a Swordmage choose a path along the Spellweave to follow for the rest of his career from either Arcane, Divine, Wild or Generalist. A Swordmage's chosen path determines his spell list, what types of Invocations he can learn and effects his class skills, weapon and armor proficiency, and his bonus feats. A Swordmage's caster level for spells is equal to his Swordmage level, and it is half that rounded up for invocations. Arcane Path - A Swordmage who has chosen the Arcane path casts spells which are drawn from the Sorcerer/Wizard list of spells; he also casts invocations from the of the Arcane Type. He gains a familiar which improves just as a Sorcerer or Wizard's familiar, He adds Decipher Script, Knowledge (Arcane), Knowledge (History) and Use Magic Device to his list of class skills, He gains proficiency with a single martial weapon of his choice but gains no further proficiency with armors or shields. When a Swordmage who has chosen the Arcane Path gains bonus feats he may choose any Heritage, Metamagic or Reserve Feat as well as the normal Fighter feats he may choose from. A Swordmage's spells who has chosen the Arcane Path are effected by either Charisma or Intelligence chosen by the Swordmage at first level. This choice is made once and can never be changed. Divine Path - A Swordmage who has chosen the Divine Path casts spells which are drawn from the Cleric's list of spells; he also casts Invocations of the Divine Type. He gains an aura reflecting his alignment (Aura of Good if Good, Aura of Law and Evil if Lawful and Evil), He adds Diplomacy, Heal, Knowledge (Religion), and Sense Motive to his list of class skills, He gains proficiency with a number of martial weapons equal to his wisdom modifier, proficiency with all armors and with light and heavy shields. When a Swordmage who has chosen the Divine Path gains bonus feats he may choose any Divine Feat as well as the normal Fighter feats he may choose from. A Swordmage's spells who has chosen the Divine Path are effected by his Wisdom. Wild Path - A Swordmage who has chosen the Wild Path casts spells which are drawn from the Druid's list of spells; he also casts Invocations of the Wild type. He gains an animal companion which improves exactly as a Druid's animal companion, He adds Disable Device, Escape Artist, Handle Animal, Hide, Intimidate, Knowledge (Nature), Knowledge (Dungeoneering), Listen, Move Silently, Ride, Search, Spot, Survival, and Swim to his list of class skills, He gains 2 more skill points per level, but he gains no further proficiency with weapons or armors. When a Swordmage who has chosen the Wild Path gains bonus feats he may choose any Heritage or Divine Feat he qualifies for as well as the normal Fighter feats he may choose from. A Swordmage's spells who has chosen the Wild Path are effected by his Wisdom. As an exception to the rule, A Wild Swordmage's divine spells are subject to spell failure of armor as if they were arcane spells. Generalist Path - A Swordmage who has chosen the Generalist Path can learn and cast spells from any Swordmage spell list; he also can learn and cast Invocations of any type. He adds two skills that can be used untrained and any two other skills to his list of class skills, He gains 1 extra skill point per level, He gains proficiency with a single martial weapon of his choice and with light armors and can cast arcane spells in light armor with no chance of spell failure. A Swordmage who has chosen the Generalist Path does not gain Bonus Feats at levels 4, 8, 12, and 16. A Swordsage's spells who has chosen the Generalist Path are effected by his Intelligence. Spellcasting: A Swordmage begins play with knowledge of a single spell-like ability called an invocation (explained below), but he does not yet possess the ability to draw upon his Weave Path to cast spells. At 2nd level he may realize this potential to cast his first spell if he has a high enough ability score. Even if he can't cast his spell he learns 1 spell from his Path list and learns a new spell every level thereafter. At 5th level a Swordmage can learn up to 2nd level spells, at 9th level up to 3rd level spells, and at 13th up to 4th level spells. All Swordmages cast their spells spontaneously. Swordmages get bonus spells per day for having a high ability score, which ability score is dependent upon the Weave Path he has chosen. Martial Path: In addition to choosing his spellcasting path, a 1st level Swordmage also chooses his unique martial style that he will fight with during his Swordmage levels. This choice determines the martial disciplines a Swordmage has access to from the four categories; Elemental, Warfare, Devotion, and Trickery. A Swordmage chooses one discipline from each of the four categories and from 1st level onward chooses his maneuvers from those disciplines. Over his levels as a Swordmage he will only ever gain access to 4th level maneuvers, but can gain even 8th level stances. At first level a Swordmage knows 3 maneuvers and 2 stances drawn from his selected disciplines and he may ready 3 maneuvers at the beginning of the day. A Swordmage learns a new maneuver at every level except 4th, 9th, 14th, and 19th, and may ready an additional maneuver at 5th and every five levels thereafter. At 5th level a Swordmage can learn his 1st 2nd level maneuver, at 10th his first 3rd level maneuver, and at 15th his first 4th level maneuver. At fourth level and every four levels thereafter a Swordmage learns a new stance up to the highest level his initiator level allows, so long as he meets the prerequisites. By spending a move action in quick focus after changing his stance, a Swordmage recovers all of his expended maneuvers. A Swordmage's initiator level is equal to his Swordmage level although for the purposes of learning his maneuvers (and only for the purposes of learning his maneuvers) it is half his class level rounded up. At level 18-20 a Swordmage must learn a maneuver of 4th level or lower. Elemental Disciplines - Desert Wind, Stone Dragon, Placid Lake (http://forums.gleemax.com/showthread.php?t=905351), Storm Serpent (http://forums.gleemax.com/showthread.php?t=841294) Warfare Disciplines - Diamond Mind, Iron Heart, Tiger Claw, White Raven Devoted Disciplines - Devoted Spirit, Falling Star (http://forums.gleemax.com/showthread.php?t=771597), Eternal Mount (http://forums.gleemax.com/showthread.php?t=801187), Steel Aegis (http://forums.gleemax.com/showthread.php?t=900023) Trickery Disciplines - Shadow Hand, Setting Sun, Dancing Fox (http://forums.gleemax.com/leaving.php?destination=http://www.enworld.org/showthread.php%3Ft%3D187901), Crecsent Moon (Follow the link for Dancing Fox) Invocations: At first level, a Swordmage learns a single Least Invocation of the type indicated by his path. He continues gaining Least Invocations at every odd level until 7th when he learns a Lesser Invocation. He continues gaining Lesser Invocations at every odd level until 13th when he learns a Greater Invocation. He learns an additional Greater Invocation at 15th and learns his first Master Invocation at 17th. At 19th level a Swordmage learns a second Master Invocation. Least Invocations are considered 1st level spells, Lesser are considered 2nd level, Greater are considered 3rd level, and Master are considered 4th level. Invocations are considered spell-like abilities and can be used at will. Bonus Feats: At 2nd level a Swordmage gains Combat Casting as a bonus feat. At levels 4, 8, 12 and 16 a Swordmage gains a bonus feat drawn from the Fighter's list of bonus feats but also may choose other feats depending on his Weave Path. Combined Power: From 2nd level onward a Swordmage's spells and martial maneuvers draw power from one another. If during his previous round he successfully dealt damage to a foe with a martial maneuver the DC and caster level of any spell or invocation the Swordmage casts this round increases by +1. Furthermore, if during his previous round any foe failed a save against one of his spells or invocations the DC and initiator level of any martial maneuver initiated by the Swordmage this round increases by +1. This bonus increases by +1 at 5th level, and by +1 every five levels thereafter. Martial Weave: A Swordmage learns to coax further power from his spells through an expenditure of martial spirit. At 6th level, once per encounter, a Swordmage can expend a maneuver to cast a spell or invocation of equal level as though the metamagic feat Quicken Spell had been applied to it. A maneuver expended this way cannot be recovered except by spending five minutes in meditation. A Swordmage may use this ability once more each encounter at every eighth level after 6th. Weave Fury: A Swordmage learns that by empowering his maneuvers with weave magics he can gain more endurance of them. At 10th level, once per encounter, a Swordmage can spend a spell slot in order to apply the effects a single martial strike of the same level as the spent spell slot to a full attack action. The maneuver must have an initiation time of 1 standard action, it must be a strike, and a single attack must be part of the maneuver's initiation. This ability changes the initiation time to a Full Round Action and instead of making a single attack you make a full attack. With each attack you make, the effects of the empowered maneuver are repeated, including the rolling of any saving throws. Attack rolls made during a Weave Fury suffer a -2 penalty to hit, although this may be partially mitigated by the strike used. A Swordmage may use this ability once more each encounter at every eighth level after 10th. Incantation of the Prodigy: At 20th level a Swordmage learns the awesome secret of the Incantation of the Prodigy. Whenever he prepares spells and readies his maneuvers for the day he may choose to forgo the use of all of his invocations that day. If he does so he may prepare and ready double the number of spells and maneuvers he normally would. Lists of Invocations: **Notice** (Invocations are not fully fleshed out at the moment, but here are a few guidelines. All Invocations mimic the abilities of some spells, some a little differently than the corresponding spell. Many invocations have a list of spells after their name; this means that by learning that invocation you can use any of those spells when you cast the invocation. Invocations with the entry of "As spell" function exactly as the spell of the same name. Some invocations have extra notation after the "As spell" entry indicating it works slightly differently than the named spell. Invocations with the entry "(Self Only)" may only be cast on the Swordmage himself and have a duration of 24 hours. Invocations with the entry "(Personal Weapons Only)" may only be cast on weapons possessed and/or wielded by the Swordmage. That's all for now.) Compiled Lists Least Invocations Arcane Magician's Secret - Mage Hand, Open/Close, Mending, Prestidigitation Elementary Elements - Deals 1d4 Acid/Electricity/Fire/Frost, 60ft ranged touch Imaginative Figments - Flare, Dancing Lights, Daze Monster, Nystul's Magic Aura Grim Hand - Disrupt Undead + Shaken, Touch of Fatigue, Chill Touch Be Prepared - Resistance, Detect Poison, Detect Magic, Alarm, Endure Elements Soundforge - Sonic Snap, Ghost Sound, Silent Portal, Ventriloquism Communicator - Read Magic, Message, Arcane Mark, Amanuensis, Erase Obscuring Mist - As spell Benign Transposition - As spell Distract Assailant - As spell Feather Fall - As spell (Self Only) Magic Weapon - As spell (Personal Weapons Only) Slide - As spell Wings of the Sea - As spell (Self Only) Weapon Shift - As spell Divine Grim Hand - As above Be Prepared - As above Communicator - As above Divine Power - Light, Mending, Purify Food and Drink, Virtue Divineagua - Create Water, Bless/Curse/Anarchic/Aximatic Water Divine Word - Comprehend Languages (Self Only) Vital Sense - Deathwatch Divine Watchman - Detect Opposition Obscuring Mist - As spell Magic Weapon - As spell (Personal Weapons Only) Divine Dreams - As Healthful Rest (self only) Resurgence - As Resurgence only one extra save per effect Wings of the Sea - As spell (Self Only) Wild Be Prepared - As above Elementary Elements - As above Stargazer - Light, Know Direction, Guidance, Dancing Lights Divine Power - As above Nature's Warden - Naturewatch, Speak with Animals Longstrider - As spell + Pass Without Trace (Self Only) Faerie Fire - As spell Magic Fang - As spell Obscuring Mist - As spell Animate Elemental - Animate Fire/Water/Wood Aspect of the Wolf - As spell Beast Claws - As spell Wings of the Sea - As spell (Self Only) Lesser Invocations Arcane Greater Communications - Comprehend Languages, Whispering Wind, Magic Mouth Eldritch Mount - As Mount Magician's Assistant - Summon Monster I, or Unseen Servant Magic Missile - As spell Identify - As spell Hypnotism - As spell Protection from Arrows - As spell Fog Cloud - As spell Glitterdust - As spell Detect Thoughts - As spell Web - As spell See Invisibility - As spell Darkness - As spell Gust of Wind - As spell Pyrotechnics - As spell Elemental Orb - As Any Lesser Orb spell Divine Divine Authority - As Command Hide from Undead - As spell Protection from Opposition - As spell (Self Only) Sanctuary - As spell (Self Only) Shield of Faith - As spell (Self Only) Aid - As spell (Self Only) Align Weapon (Personal Weapons Only) Death Knell - As spell Make Whole - As spell Status - As spell Helping Hand - As spell Magic Vestment - As spell Command Undead - As spell Ghost Touch Armor - As spell Lesser Spell Immunity - As spell Wild Find Traps - As spell Charm Animal - As spell Entangle - As spell Hide from Animals - As spell Summon Nature's Ally - As spell Warp Wood - As spell Barkskin - As spell (Self Only) Sphere of Frostfire - As Flaming Sphere, but damage can change each round, Fire/Cold Fog Cloud - As spell Gust of Wind - As spell Spider Climb - As spell Summon Swarm - As spell Tree Shape - As spell Sleet Storm - As spell Snare - As spell Speak with Plants - As spell Greater Invocations Arcane Mage Armor - As spell (Self Only) Charming Gaze - As Charm Person, Gaze attack Ray of Enfeeblement - As spell Ray of Clumsiness - As spell Touch of Idiocy - As spell Spirited Step - As Expeditious Retreat (Self Only) Awesome Leap - As Jump (Self Only) Constant Blur - As Blur (Self Only) Invisibility - As spell (Self Only) Dispel Magic - As spell Suggestion - As spell Major Image - As spell Greater Magic Weapon - As spell (Personal Weapons Only, Full Caster Level) Divine Bear's Endurance - As spell (Self Only) Owl's Wisdom - As spell (Self Only) Spiritual Weapon - As spell Animate Dead - As spell Daylight - As spell Glyph of Warding - As spell Searing Light - As spell Speak with Dead - As spell Death Ward - As spell Zone of Truth - As spell Tongues - As spell Infernal Wound - As spell (Personal Weapons Only) Divine Storm - As Axiomatic/Anarchic Storm/Holy/Unholy Storm Greater Magic Weapon - As spell (Personal Weapons Only, Full Caster Level) Indulgence - As Favorable Sacrifice Wild Meld into Stone - As spell Stone Shape - As spell Wind Wall - As spell Control Water - As spell Neutralize Poison - As spell Poison - As spell Repel Vermin - As spell Bull's Strength - As spell (Self Only) Cat's Grace - As spell (Self Only) Owl's Wisdom - As spell (Self Only) Call Lightning - As spell Dominate Animal - As spell Magic Fang, Greater - As spell (Full Caster Level if cast on Animal Companion or self) Summon Nature's Ally III - As spell Master Invocations Arcane Paralyzing Gaze - As Hold Person, Gaze attack Greater Elemental Orb - As any Orb spell (except sonic and force) Blink - As spell Haste - As spell (Self Only) Solid Fog - As spell Shout - As spell Otiluke's Resilient Sphere - As spell Hallucinatory Terrain - As spell Translocation Trick - As spell Divine Dispel Magic - As spell Magic Circle against Opposition - As against Evil/Good/Law/Chaos Bestow Mercy - Remove Blindness/Deafness, Remove Curse, Remove Disease Divine Flight - As Fly Greater Spell Immunity - As Spell Immunity (Self Only) Mass Align Weapon - As spell Blade of Pain and Fear - As spell Divine Transformation - As Lesser Holy/Infernal Transformation Revenance - As spell (Once per day, per creature) Wild Blight - As spell Command Plants - As spell Freedom of Movement - As spell (Self Only) Flame Strike - As spell Ice Storm - As spell Reincarnate - As spell, except with 3.0 random table Polymorph - As spell (Self Only, but not 24 hour duration, you do not heal when you change forms) Eye of the Hurricane - As spell Summon Elementite Swarm - As spell
Genetic 11-08-07, 11:48 PM	So err... is that a class table you made up yourself or is that a class table for 4th edition? Lol. I'm confused. :(
bkdubs123 11-09-07, 12:30 AM	A class table I made up. Let me make that 100% clear.
bkdubs123 11-09-07, 03:30 AM	Nearly finished already! The only thing left to do is write flavor and write out the invocations lists.
bkdubs123 11-09-07, 02:04 PM	Okay the class works mostly now, it could be playtested now I'm sure. So if I could get some reviews on this that would be nice. The only thing left for to do is explain the invocations in fuller detail.
vorpo 11-09-07, 02:07 PM	Pls drop me a note in the Peach Market (http://forums.gleemax.com/showthread.php?t=945547) as to what category to put your class under. Thx
rampant 11-09-07, 07:55 PM	I'm with you up until you added maneuvers and invocations. The invocations especially seem out of place with a half caster level, and a lack of options up until the point where you just invest them all int increasing your other abilities. Now as a general rule I'm not a big fan of base classes using multiple mystical styles (i.e. caster+psion, or invoker+meldshaper), But this could be made to work. First off I'd advise trimming off the invocations entirely or make them more integral to the class. Now the second thing is you're spread abit thin. You have to balance large powerful spell lists ( yeah I know you get only up to fourth level but alot of the quintessential attack and buff spells are 1-4 ), good bab, the invocations, and the maneuvers. The problem is you're being too general, the spells and invocations both cover broad areas, as do the maneuvers (to a lesser extent), You can afford to narrow it down. For instance let arcane invocations focus on 1 or two areas, let divine have a different focus, and do the same for wild (i'd suggest blasting, buffing, and battle feild control respectively). Then I'd type up more specialized spell list set arcane = Blasting and magic manipulation, divine = buff/support, Wild = Battle feild control and some shapeshifting, might make a good mix. Then hack off the number of disciplines per path by about half. THat way they can specialize or generalize based on path combination, (you might even consider letting the invocation path be seperate from the spell path). THe other option is to ditch either invocations, spells, or both, in exchange for some more advanced class abilities.
bkdubs123 11-09-07, 08:12 PM	Ah, but you've missed the point of the class. I COULD make it more clear since I removed my designer's notes earlier today. This is an experiment to see how the 4e Swordmage might look. You'll note I have ToB maneuvers (likely to see a place with all sorts of meleers in 4e), Spells per day (per day powers which are balanced against...), and Invocations (... at will powers at a lower power level). As I continue to refine this idea I may write out an entire new spell list for each Weave Path so I can trim it out and balance it myself, but right now I'm actually not worried about the balance I think it's probably pretty well balanced. As far as specializing the invocations goes I kinda already did. Sure they all have a little of everything, but Arcane is more focused on battlefield control, Divine more on Buffing, and Wild more on... well Wild has a balanced focus of all of them with some unique-type landscape manipulation on top. I'm not sure about narrowing the choices of discipline down as they only get up to 4th level maneuvers also. They have great choice in what types of maneuvers they want, but they don't get to know or ready a huge number and they can only get 4th level maneuvers. My final advice is take a deep breath, read through the features again thoroughly, and then comment again. If you still think something is unbalanced please let me know!
rampant 11-09-07, 09:17 PM	Another big issue is the limitation on maneuver levels, i know you're trying to use it a a balance, but it it's directly overwriting a rule from ToB that allows you to learn maneuvers based on your initiator level which is influenced by, but not completely depentdant on your martial adept class level. I see what you're aiming for the invocations are the wards and unlimited use abilities that the sword mage was supposed to have, the spells represent the limited per day stuff, and the maneuvers are supposed to be the more interesting combat options presented to warrior types. Ok all that said there is an issue, 4 disciplines is the same number granted to the Warblade a dedicated martial adept, I'd reduce how quickly they gain new maneuvers known also. Also You need a dedicated entry for stances, because the way you have it worded they never learn stances. (Since they are considered seperate form maneuvers. What precisely do you mean by quick focus when you're talking about your recovery method? It sounds like some sort of special action. THe issue I have is that you have some decent ideas, but they are poorly integrated.
bkdubs123 11-10-07, 01:21 AM	Okay, why should I limit the number of maneuvers learned and readied when he only gets up to 4th level maneuvers? I understand that I'm breaking the rule that you get maneuvers as based on your initiator level, that's why I explained that you cannot get higher than 4th level, when exactly you can begin learning new levels of maneuvers, and I acknowledge in the text that I'm breaking the rule. At fourth level and every four levels thereafter a Swordmage learns a new stance up to the highest level his initiator level allows, so long as he meets the prerequisites. How is that not clear? I understand that stances are learned seperate from maneuvers, that's why I explained when they learn new stances seperately from when they learn new maneuvers. The quick focus I'm talking about is no more a special action than a Warblade's "quick flourish" with a weapon. They take a second to breath, switch their stance and recover their maneuvers. I am rewording the bit about learning maneuvers to better mesh with existing rules rather than overwrite them. Do you have any other concerns?
jradd777 11-10-07, 01:22 AM	Just trying to help, any opinions expressed are mine, I'm not speaking for Bkdubs but I know him and have worked with him on a few projects so I often know what he means by particular phrases, etc: Isn't this where he describes about gaining stances? "At first level a Swordmage knows 3 maneuvers and 2 stances [...]." He could separate out every single aspect (Maneuvers, Maneuvers readied, Stances). That just takes up so much space, he's explaining it all much more briefly and without the flavor translation, is all. Maybe someone who knows nothing about Maneuvers/Stances needs a bit more explanation, but someone like that isn't likely to be able to offer up much viable, constructive criticism. The "quick focus" thing seems to me like you're just reading it incorrectly. I think he is simply "quickly focusing"/thinking, concentrating, rapid meditation, which takes up a move action. Maybe it could be reworded but I think your confusion lies mostly in how you initially read it. Hope this helps!
rampant 11-10-07, 02:30 AM	The reason I keep harping on the maneuvers is quite honestly this class is so all over the place that it needs trimming. Look I hate to point out the Duskblade as an example of good design, but comparing the two there's little reason for somebody to take duskblade vs. this character unless they absolutely those two extra spell levels with a very limited selection. In which case they'd probably play a warmage instead. I know you're trying to emulate what you've seen of 4th edition so far but remember that you still have to balance this class vs. other 3.5 classes. Yes you're limiting everything to low levels, but it's still alot of powers, and still poorly integrated. The invocations are hardly mentioned in the class abilities until the last ability where you sack them completely. The spell list lets you pick and choose from the three core spell casters best powers. Even if they are only up to a certain level that seems off to me. You have a couple of nice abilities that make the martial maneuvers and the spells work together ok, but the invocations seem tacked on from a class ability standpoint. Both the warlock, and the Dragonfire adept used invocations that intereacted with their promary class features, the sowrdmage invocations are cheap replacements for their spells basically. Try figuring out some invocations that will interact with their maneuvers and spells. The reason I'm on you about the Maneuvers known, is you end up with 22 right? a swordsage the most dedicated Martial adept gets 24. Even with the fac that you have less ready, and less schools to choose from, that seems wrong, it may very well be balanced mechanically, but flavor wise it's like the 7th level wizard who's copied all the 4th level or lower spells from the 32nd level archmage.
bkdubs123 11-10-07, 02:51 AM	You're thinking of the invocations as being seperate from a Swordmage's spells. Mechanically they are, but conceptually they are not. The invocations are powers that are easier to draw from the Weave than a Swordmage's spells. In fact they still are spells in every sense, they're just defined as spell like abilities, and I used the existing term Invocation because that already defines an at-will usage spell like ability. I don't see why you need the invocations to be tied to unique class features. What class features are a Dragonfire Adept's invocations tied to then? However it was my original intent to let a Swordmage benefit from his Combined Power feature through the use of Invocations, and to allow him to quicken invocations through the use of his Martial Weave class feature. Since they are defined as "spell-like abilities" it doesn't quite work that way, but I will merely make an exception written into the abilities themselves. Does that tie them together a bit more in your mind? As far as maneuvers go, I was a bit concerned that they learned too many maneuvers myself. I can lower that a bit no problem, and know just how to do it.
rampant 11-10-07, 03:33 AM	The trick is with the limited spell progression you end up with the invocations and the spells being pretty much the same in power level, but the the invocations are at half caster level. So the invocations will get used for things like mage armor, that have long durations already, or are otherwise minimally impacted by level while the spells do all the actual in combat stuff. Essentially I'm trying to say that you're trying to do too much with each rig. You're trying to be a decent Initiator, fighter, Spell caster, and invoker. My advice would be to take a page from the shadow caster's book, and allow spells of lower level to be used more often as you level up. In addition I would like to point out that the primary failure of the caster/fighter mix in 3.x is that the vast majority of the most useful spells were designned with a pointy-hat-wearing, dagger-carrying, odd-smelling, tome-writing little man in mind.
bkdubs123 11-10-07, 04:39 AM	The trick is with the limited spell progression you end up with the invocations and the spells being pretty much the same in power level, but the the invocations are at half caster level. So the invocations will get used for things like mage armor, that have long durations already, or are otherwise minimally impacted by level while the spells do all the actual in combat stuff. Not necessarily true. There are decent blasting invocations tossed in there that can still be useful even at half caster level. The ones minimally impacted by caster level are usually higher level invocations and are often 24 hour duration self buffs. Essentially I'm trying to say that you're trying to do too much with each rig. You're trying to be a decent Initiator, fighter, Spell caster, and invoker. Um... yeah. I thought that was the point. 4e will have all of these things available and all as part of the same core system. I know that it all seems missmashed and like a crazy hybrid of different systems but try to look at it as though it were a cohesive whole. My advice would be to take a page from the shadow caster's book, and allow spells of lower level to be used more often as you level up. That does not accomplish what the experiment is trying to accomplish which is create a class that feels like a 4th Edition Swordmage. In addition I would like to point out that the primary failure of the caster/fighter mix in 3.x is that the vast majority of the most useful spells were designned with a pointy-hat-wearing, dagger-carrying, odd-smelling, tome-writing little man in mind. I don't know about that. Any evocation spell is pretty caster/fighter-y as are many abjurations and several transmutations.
rampant 11-10-07, 02:12 PM	Um yeah about the sword mage in 4e, I don't know for sure but I think it either got cancelled or set back to phb3, if you got more solid info say so. Next up the swrodmage was advertised as having some sort of ward ability, so I'm begining to see your plan with the invocations. The issue there is now you have two problem, one you're treating one of their primary class features flavorwise as a secondary mechanics-wise, two i think you missed my point about the shadow caster idea instead of having bonus spells you give them the abity to cast each spell they know of a certain level a certain number of times per day based on level, so when you get to higher levels you can cast your lower level spells an unlimited or nearly unlimited number of times per day. Or what you could do is even break it into a three tiered system where they have per day spells, per encounter, and unlimited. Example If you ditch the invocations you can add a few more spell levels, say you go to 1-6 right (don't talk to me about catrips)? at level 20 you could cast 1-2 unlimited number of times, 3-4 maybe 2-3 times per encounter, and 5-6 would be like twice a day or something. And the part about the spells being designed for pure spell casters was just an attempt to get you thinking about the spell lists, You need to look for spells that will work well with the class, stuff that might not be ideal for most casters would be perfect for this guy. Especially look for spells that rely on non-touch attack rolls since this guy has a perfect bab he doesn't need all of his weapons to be touch attacks, or instead of changing spells or looking up obscure ones, have an ability that allows him to sacrifice the touch aspect in exchange for automatically piercing SR, or weakening/negating the enemies saving throw.
bkdubs123 11-10-07, 02:56 PM	I think you're just attaching to much flavor inherent to the words and systems used to put this together. You actually said, and I quote: Or what you could do is even break it into a three tiered system where they have per day spells, per encounter, and unlimited. That's literally what I did. Some of it isn't called spells anymore, but look at what they do and how they function. I have Vancian Spellcasting (Spells per day). That one's a no brainer, next. I have Martial Initiation (Spells per encounter). Note that I called them spells per encounter. Sure they aren't spells, they're "maneuvers" but you watch how they function in the game and tell me they aren't spells per encounter. Next. I have Invocations (unlimted, at-will spells). Every invocation on the list with the exception of a very few are literally spells. I fear that you are seeing spells, maneuvers, invocations and adding and bears OH MY! Look at it as a consistent whole. This class gets spells and to a lesser extent martial prowess to go with it. Vancian is spells, Invocations are spells, and much of the time the maneuvers themselves are spells. As far as limiting spell lists is concerned, again, I'm just not concerned about that yet. You think there is a problem letting him pick from the entire lists - I don't. There are already ways to allow lower level spellcasting classes (Paladin, Ranger, Spellthief) to get access to the complete spell list of other classes (Wizard, Cleric) in addition to their own so I don't really think its a big stretch to let this guy. And finally, dammit, how did my spellcasting part of the table get messed up again!?
rampant 11-10-07, 04:37 PM	The reason I don't like the maneuver/spell/invocation sytem is because it does evoke a certain flavor, the advantage of making the spells 3-tiered has alot to do with book keeping, as it stands you need 3-4 books to play this character. You need seperate entries for maneuvers, and spells/invocations. Also the way you have it set up means you have mediocre per day, mediocre unlimited, and mediocre per encounter. The advantage of the system I proposed is that it is easier to track, and it allows for players to use their lesser abilities an unlimited number of times per day, their medium level abilities based on encounter, and their strongest stuff will be on the per day timer. The way you have it you're going to rule from 1st to 10th level and about there you start rapidly lossing effectiveness.
bkdubs123 11-12-07, 03:40 AM	well actually the way I have it set up allows for players to use their lesser abilities an unlimited number of times each day, their medium level abilities based on encounter (manuevers are less powerful than spells), and their strongest stuff is on the per day timer. the only real difference in using your system is that you give the Duskblade 6th level spellcasting and take away arcane channeling, whereas in my system I give the Duskblade a ton more versatility for his arcane channeling. The class may very well rule from 1st to 10th, but I'm not sure it will, as you say, rapidly start losing effectiveness. Also, as far as "ruling" goes, it still does a lot of things worse than any other class that uses the same thing does. The Warlock gets stronger invocations and an eldritch blast. The fighter makes better use of the attack bonus. The Wizard or Sorcerer or Cleric or Druid casts spells a heck of a lot better than this class. Any initiator uses manuevers faster, better, and in greater quantity. The only class the Swordmage really competes with is the Duskblade who casts more powerful spells earlier than the Swordmage does, and has his Arcane Channeling ability to support him. I do want to playtest this. Maybe someone who knows how to run the Gauntlet could run him through it for me. In the meantime, I'd like to see some other opinions on the class, but it seems like everyone else has their own projects going on right now. *sigh*
bkdubs123 11-13-07, 06:41 PM	Okay so I've added some fluff. Soon I'll be adding even more entries such as Playing a Swordmage, Combat, Advancement, Swordmagi in the World and Adaptation. Oh, and you can consider this a BUMP too. Comments please!
windscar18 11-13-07, 06:55 PM	I think the main problem here is that 4th level spells are generally not the most useful here, but adding any more has the potential of pushing this class over the edge. The idea is interesting, but also a little iffy. You have so many options, but does that necessitate power? Your abilities here do make up for it though. In fact, it makes up for it almost too much. Why cast a single level 4 spell when you can apply a ridiculous amount of damage to one/several targets with Weave Fury? Can you say Haste + ownage? EDIT: BTW, the limit to only level 4 maneuvers just found itself into my brain... Why are you limiting his maneuvers possibly known to that of even a non-initiator? If you're going to limit his maneuvers at all, at least put it at level 6, and I wouldn't even complain about balance if you scaled it to level 9.
bkdubs123 11-13-07, 08:47 PM	Well, the big problem child is Divine Surge the 4th level manevuer that does heads and shoulders more damage than any maneuver even close to its level... which is kind of absurd. Yes Fan the Flames does 6d6, but its fire damage and you can't use it with Weave Fury. Divine Surge is probably overpowered as Tome of Battle maneuvers go, but even then you can only do it so often and you can only hit so often too. Weave Fury allows you to use a full attack action yes, but you still have to hit in order for the maneuver to ever go off more than once. Why would you ever cast that 4th level spell instead of channeling it through Weave Fury? Anytime you didn't want to do a lot of damage in one round. DnD isn't just about who can deal the most damage per second. But, yes, I am somewhat concerned with the power level of 40d8s of damage at 20th level plus full attack damage without any outside help, but there's not a lot I can do about that. I don't want to change the mechanic of a cool class feature just because its really strong in conjunction with a single maneuver. The only thing I can say is that Divine Surge probably ought to be a Full Round Action rather than a Standard Action (I mean look at the 8th level maneuver Greater Divine Surge).
windscar18 11-13-07, 09:12 PM	I'm going to go ahead and say that Divine Surge is not overpowered, in that it only provides straight damage that a full round action can provide. It only happens to be overpowered with your class. If anything, I'd be more worried about Ruby Nightmare Blade, which scales more strongly with your base damage, which can exceed the +28 average bonus damage of Divine Surge. Greater Divine Surge is placed at level 8, not because it's particularly powerful by itself, but because it combos some insanely well. Strike of Righteous Vitality + Greater Divine Surge, for example. What I was saying with my previous comment is that, with only level 4 spells, you only have such limited access to utility spells. So, then, what is there left? Well, there's emergency spells, buff spells and not much else. But, buff spells are now not really that important considering the fact that you are essentially destroying enemies very extremely quickly with Weave Fury. What I'm essentially saying is that an ability like Weave Fury does have its place. But it doesn't have its place when the highest spell level you have is only 4, with a standard spell list. I would rather think that making your own spell list would be much more suitable here.
bkdubs123 11-13-07, 11:48 PM	I'd say that Divine Surge is overpowered because doing calculations reveals that an unoptimized Crusader can deal damage comparable to an optimized Pounce Barbarian with a single standard action while the Barbarian must leap, charge, and hit with two attacks to beat him and not by much. Oh, and rage. So yes, I'll be ruling that Divine Surge is a full round action from now on. Ruby Nightmare Blade doesn't scare me so much as you essentially make two attack rolls with it each time, and if the first one fails you take a penalty to hit and deal regular damage, and this is still actually less frightening than the optimized Pounce Barbarian. You have nice access to Utility spells in the first 4 levels of spells. You have access to all sorts of cool tricks its just that none of them are as powerful as 9th level spells. I think Weave Fury still has a great place with this class, but perhaps the problem does not lie with making my own spell list, but rather with making my own maneuver list for each category. I could think about that.
bkdubs123 11-14-07, 04:27 PM	Full Fluff write up is complete. Now I just have to write all the bloody Invocation descriptions... God, that'll take forever...
Vadin 04-16-08, 07:25 PM	There! Diagonally! Pretty sneaky, bkdubs! An interesting and unique class, to say the least. However, the lack of choices for gaze attacks seems a tad limiting. A larger list with more effects (both fear things like shaken and frightened and new abilities) might be nice. Some ideas on new abilities...lowering DR and Elemental Resistance, imposing a miss penalty for every missed attack the enemy makes (that continues to stack for the duration of the effect...say, 10-ish rounds), and other anti-bard effects Just some thoughts.
bkdubs123 04-16-08, 08:19 PM	There! Diagonally! Pretty sneaky, bkdubs! I... have... no idea... what you're... talking about...:confused: :embarrass :rolleyes: ;) More choice would be nice. Yes. But it all must be centered around the fear... yes the fear...