Spellswords, any good? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Spellswords, any good? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
leo_neil316
10-06-07, 03:28 PM So I was planning on a certain bad-guy being a fighter/wizard type and a friend of mine mentioned this prc so I was wondering if anyone had any experiance/thoughts on it.

Thanks in advance. :)
StevenO
10-06-07, 05:38 PM Most of the time it is used for one to three levels with the balance of character levels coming from other classes, usually Abjurant Champion or Eldritch Knight for more caster levels with a full BAB.

Some may have experience going deep into SS but it is almost a no brainer if you qualify because of the full BAB and +1 spellcasting at first level to go with the ASF reduction. Taking the second level gets you a bonus feat instead of spellcasting but the third once again grants spellcasting and an ASF reduction.
bkdubs123
10-06-07, 05:52 PM Steven hits the nail directly on the head. Spellsword just isn't as great for the fighter wizard type as Eldritch Knight and Abjurant Champion can be. The Spellsword is the early predecessor to the Duskblade what with its ability to wear armor, cast spells, and channel spells through its weapon. If that's the type of character you're going for then retrain levels as a Duskblade. That class gets the job of combining melee with magic better than any combination of classes.

IF however you want to be more of a magician who can do some meleeing too (typical gish build) then look into a couple levels of fighter (1-3 are optimal), a couple levels of wizard (I think 3 are required) and then finish the rest off with Eldritch Knight (DMG), Abjurant Champion (Complete Mage), and 1-3 levels of Spellsword. The build I like is Fighter 2 Wizard 4 Spellsword 3 Abjurant Champion 5 Eldritch Knight 6. BAB +18, Caster Level 17th.
Jaxgaret
10-06-07, 05:57 PM If you're creating an NPC foe for your campaign, it doesn't really matter if it is a "good" class or not. Just make whatever NPC builds you want - for whatever flavor you like. It's all about having fun and being creative. Your players will thank you for putting thought into your NPCs' uniqueness, rather than churning out the same power builds all the time.
Axiomatic_vampire
10-07-07, 06:46 PM If you're creating an NPC foe for your campaign, it doesn't really matter if it is a "good" class or not. Just make whatever NPC builds you want - for whatever flavor you like. It's all about having fun and being creative. Your players will thank you for putting thought into your NPCs' uniqueness, rather than churning out the same power builds all the time.

I absolutely agree. If players demand to take bizarre, RP incompatible sets of prestige classes, well, screw it, let 'em if they want to powergame. But there's no reason to make an NPC with such a bizarre array of classes. If you need NPC's to be optimized to have a shot against your players, do it with tactical advantages, one shot magic items that the players likely won't see as loot, and minions.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
leo_neil316 10-06-07, 03:28 PM	So I was planning on a certain bad-guy being a fighter/wizard type and a friend of mine mentioned this prc so I was wondering if anyone had any experiance/thoughts on it. Thanks in advance. :)
StevenO 10-06-07, 05:38 PM	Most of the time it is used for one to three levels with the balance of character levels coming from other classes, usually Abjurant Champion or Eldritch Knight for more caster levels with a full BAB. Some may have experience going deep into SS but it is almost a no brainer if you qualify because of the full BAB and +1 spellcasting at first level to go with the ASF reduction. Taking the second level gets you a bonus feat instead of spellcasting but the third once again grants spellcasting and an ASF reduction.
bkdubs123 10-06-07, 05:52 PM	Steven hits the nail directly on the head. Spellsword just isn't as great for the fighter wizard type as Eldritch Knight and Abjurant Champion can be. The Spellsword is the early predecessor to the Duskblade what with its ability to wear armor, cast spells, and channel spells through its weapon. If that's the type of character you're going for then retrain levels as a Duskblade. That class gets the job of combining melee with magic better than any combination of classes. IF however you want to be more of a magician who can do some meleeing too (typical gish build) then look into a couple levels of fighter (1-3 are optimal), a couple levels of wizard (I think 3 are required) and then finish the rest off with Eldritch Knight (DMG), Abjurant Champion (Complete Mage), and 1-3 levels of Spellsword. The build I like is Fighter 2 Wizard 4 Spellsword 3 Abjurant Champion 5 Eldritch Knight 6. BAB +18, Caster Level 17th.
Jaxgaret 10-06-07, 05:57 PM	If you're creating an NPC foe for your campaign, it doesn't really matter if it is a "good" class or not. Just make whatever NPC builds you want - for whatever flavor you like. It's all about having fun and being creative. Your players will thank you for putting thought into your NPCs' uniqueness, rather than churning out the same power builds all the time.
Axiomatic_vampire 10-07-07, 06:46 PM	If you're creating an NPC foe for your campaign, it doesn't really matter if it is a "good" class or not. Just make whatever NPC builds you want - for whatever flavor you like. It's all about having fun and being creative. Your players will thank you for putting thought into your NPCs' uniqueness, rather than churning out the same power builds all the time. I absolutely agree. If players demand to take bizarre, RP incompatible sets of prestige classes, well, screw it, let 'em if they want to powergame. But there's no reason to make an NPC with such a bizarre array of classes. If you need NPC's to be optimized to have a shot against your players, do it with tactical advantages, one shot magic items that the players likely won't see as loot, and minions.