A spellslinging Swordsage (Spellsage?) [Archive] - Wizards Community

A spellslinging Swordsage (Spellsage?) [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
DreamerInsane
11-05-06, 09:42 AM In ToB, there's an adaptation for the Swordsage: d6HD, no armour, be able to learn spells instead of maneuvers.

Now, would a Swordsage entirely focusing on spellcasting be viable? As the spells are still treated as maneuvers, he'd never run out of spells (Adaptive Style==>Super-recharging/rememorizing), but his selection would be extremely limited, so he'd have to select his spells VERY carefully. Of course, being a Swordsage, he at least has weapons, decent BAB, and stances to fall back on.

The reason I'm interested in this is that a Swordsage and ready each maneuver (and thus, each spell) only once. (That's the picture I get from reading ToB, at least) This would mean that he can't just spam Fireballs, but has to actually be somewhat creative in his casting, which I like a lot.

In the end, the theme is VERY nice, and I love it. But is it viable? Should it get Armored Mage (Light) and keep d8 HD, or is it balanced as it is?

And, would a gestalt Normal Swordsage//Arcane Swordsage be overly broken?
It'd essentially be a Swordsage that just knows a set of spells and a set of maneuvers, and has to forgo armour if he doesn't want to suffer ASF.
nastynate
11-05-06, 12:21 PM I actually have used that variant in my games, and it works wonderfully. I highly recommend testing it out; the spellsage is a beautiful concept, and works almost perfectly just as it is.

I would not give them the armored mage ability or raise their hit dice back up to D8s (that's just overkill). They already get Wisdom to AC, D6s (which is higher than wizards and sorcerers), and virtually unlimited spellcasting ability, which is only balanced if you restrict the schools of magic they may choose from (what I did was allow them to substitute any one discipline for a particular school of magic).

Experiment with it, before you pass judgment or make any changes. Remember this is a character class with both staying power and potent arcane spells, and IMO it might be too powerful for some games (hence my restriction to a single school of magic). It does however, present a nifty solution to the hated vancian magic system.

-Peace Out-
DreamerInsane
11-05-06, 12:58 PM They do have a limited spell selection, though. A Sorcerer knows about as many 3rd-9th level spells total as a Spellsage spells.
It's that limited spell list that makes people prefer Wizards ^^

But yeah, I'll try it with the basic set, and perhaps grab a maneuver or two, as well.

Hmm... Darn. Stances have prerequisite known maneuvers, too. Let's see...

At least from Desert Wind, one can grab a nice four-stance chain: Flame's Blessing, Holocaust Cloak, Fiery Assault, Rising Phoenix.

That nearly allows you to take Inferno Blast, but the damn thing falls one maneuver short...

Any good Stance progressions for a Swordsage who takes few or no traditional maneuvers, but focuses on magic instead?

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
DreamerInsane 11-05-06, 09:42 AM	In ToB, there's an adaptation for the Swordsage: d6HD, no armour, be able to learn spells instead of maneuvers. Now, would a Swordsage entirely focusing on spellcasting be viable? As the spells are still treated as maneuvers, he'd never run out of spells (Adaptive Style==>Super-recharging/rememorizing), but his selection would be extremely limited, so he'd have to select his spells VERY carefully. Of course, being a Swordsage, he at least has weapons, decent BAB, and stances to fall back on. The reason I'm interested in this is that a Swordsage and ready each maneuver (and thus, each spell) only once. (That's the picture I get from reading ToB, at least) This would mean that he can't just spam Fireballs, but has to actually be somewhat creative in his casting, which I like a lot. In the end, the theme is VERY nice, and I love it. But is it viable? Should it get Armored Mage (Light) and keep d8 HD, or is it balanced as it is? And, would a gestalt Normal Swordsage//Arcane Swordsage be overly broken? It'd essentially be a Swordsage that just knows a set of spells and a set of maneuvers, and has to forgo armour if he doesn't want to suffer ASF.
nastynate 11-05-06, 12:21 PM	I actually have used that variant in my games, and it works wonderfully. I highly recommend testing it out; the spellsage is a beautiful concept, and works almost perfectly just as it is. I would not give them the armored mage ability or raise their hit dice back up to D8s (that's just overkill). They already get Wisdom to AC, D6s (which is higher than wizards and sorcerers), and virtually unlimited spellcasting ability, which is only balanced if you restrict the schools of magic they may choose from (what I did was allow them to substitute any one discipline for a particular school of magic). Experiment with it, before you pass judgment or make any changes. Remember this is a character class with both staying power and potent arcane spells, and IMO it might be too powerful for some games (hence my restriction to a single school of magic). It does however, present a nifty solution to the hated vancian magic system. -Peace Out-
DreamerInsane 11-05-06, 12:58 PM	They do have a limited spell selection, though. A Sorcerer knows about as many 3rd-9th level spells total as a Spellsage spells. It's that limited spell list that makes people prefer Wizards ^^ But yeah, I'll try it with the basic set, and perhaps grab a maneuver or two, as well. Hmm... Darn. Stances have prerequisite known maneuvers, too. Let's see... At least from Desert Wind, one can grab a nice four-stance chain: Flame's Blessing, Holocaust Cloak, Fiery Assault, Rising Phoenix. That nearly allows you to take Inferno Blast, but the damn thing falls one maneuver short... Any good Stance progressions for a Swordsage who takes few or no traditional maneuvers, but focuses on magic instead?