Homebrew Sword Mage feat (PEACH) - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 Cyber-Dave Nov 30, 2014 11:38:58	Sword Mage Prerequisite: Ability to cast at least one arcane spell. You have trained in techniques that meld swordplay and spellcasting, gaining the following benefits: · You can use any sword you are proficient in as a spellcasting focus for arcane spells. · So long as you have at least one unused spell slot of 1st level or higher, you can draw on the latent energy of your spellslots in order to empower your melee attacks with a sword you are proficient in; you may use your Spellcasting Ability instead of your Strength or Dexterity when making melee attacks with your sword. · If you are holding a sword you are proficient in, concentrating on a spell, and a creature makes a melee attack against you, you may make an opportunity attack against that creature.
#2 rampant Nov 30, 2014 12:02:51	Um quick question, how is sword defined for the purpose of this feat?
#3 Cyber-Dave Nov 30, 2014 12:21:05	rampant wrote:
#4 bonethug0108 Nov 30, 2014 12:26:03	Short handle(only long enough to fit in one or two hands; so no reach weapons) + blade larger than a dagger? Seems self explanatory. I would maybe add a proficiency with one one handed sword of your choice(greatswords seem a bit much), and note that all effects only work when wielding the sword in one hand. Reason being that this feat would otherwise force multiclassing, force you to take Weapon Master or Magic Initiate, limit your race to Elf(Any) or limit your class choice to Bard. You already have the restriction of needing to cast an arcane spell so you shouldn't force another restriction. That makes the list of usable weapons Longsword, Rapier, Scimitar, and Shortsword.
#5 Cyber-Dave Nov 30, 2014 12:31:54	bonethug0108 wrote:
#6 bonethug0108 Nov 30, 2014 12:45:26	Well an Eldritch Knight or an Arcane Trickster is very unlikely to get full use of this feat(the meat of it being the second bullet point). And forcing such a narrow choice on class(Bard) or race(Elf) without NEEDING to take another feat or multiclass is bad form imo. So you'd need to power up one of the other bullet points for the EK or AT, or allow a free weapon proficiency(maybe even replace the third bullet point with it, though I do like that). As for the greatsword thing, that is some seeming overpowered(I may be way off base), but also more flavor as you keep a hand free when you fight to cast.
#7 Psikerlord Nov 30, 2014 12:43:56	i think the last bullet point is a bit strong. As long as he's in melee, concentrating on a spell, he gets an extra attack every round?
#8 ankiyavon Nov 30, 2014 13:09:29	The third bullet point seems too strong (keep in mind that Polearm Master is similar, but has only two bullet points), and also not really in keeping with swordmage. Swordmage was a defender class. You punish people who don't attack you, not people who attack you. I would alter it to allowing you to make an opportunity attack against any enemy within your reach who makes an attack that doesn't include you, or giving them disadvantage on an attack that doesn't include you as a reaction. I'm also not super sold on the stat replacement effect, because only variant humans get a feat at level 1. Playing a swordmage at level 1 would be an exercise in frustration for the first two sessions until you hit 3 and got a feat; either you waste stat points on a melee stat, or you can't effectively attack with a sword until you get the feat.
#9 Gnarl Nov 30, 2014 13:20:36	The opportunity attacks seem a bit strong when combined with very long duration spells such as Hex.
#10 ShinQuickMan Nov 30, 2014 13:44:13	Hmmm... I'm not sure if its intended, but you could combine this feat with Warcaster to get easier (if risky) OA spells. Off the top of my head, this could allow a Bladelock to potentially shut down the enemy's attack with an EB + Eldritch Spear or a single-target debuff spell (like Dissonant Whispers). Also, I'd just like to echo bonethug's opinion: I don't like the strict "sword only" requirement. EDIT: @Psikerlord, ankiyavon, and Gnarl Assuming that this feat + Warcaster combo wasn't intended, keep in mind that the conditions for meeting the third part of the feat requires great risk; you need to be in melee to take advantage of that, which, needless to say, makes you liable to getting attacked more often. A scratch and an unlucky save will cost you a spell and a significant portion of this feat. @ankiyavon Not to speak for him, but I don't think the OP was looking to emulate the 4E swordmage.
#11 bonethug0108 Nov 30, 2014 13:52:24	It isn't so much that I dislike the sword only thing, moreso the fact that it creates two contrasting requirements which requires doing too much else just to get the feat or otherwise makes the feat less effective for the two subclasses it seems to be made for. Maybe if you add Dagger as a weapon that works with it it would open it up better. If not, it seems most people think the last point is too strong, and giving the sword proficiency instead is both in line with other feats and certainly not too overpowered. In 5e feats are made so you DON'T have to jump through hoops. When you limit a feat to one race, one class, and only two other subclasses by default, that is super constrictive. I'm not sure any other feat comes close to that.
#12 Lawolf Nov 30, 2014 13:52:17	Third bullet should be changed IMHO. Easily triggered reaction attacks are generally too powerful. Maybe allow the Swordmage to cast Mage Armor at-will.
#13 Rhenny Nov 30, 2014 14:22:59	I like the way it gives the feel of a sword mage. Not sure about the reaction attack. Although it seems like it might grant too much, it may not be so OP in play. Sentinal gives an attack for creatures moving in or out of threat regardless of disengage. That's pretty powerful. Cyber-Dave's feat does have the restriction of having to have a concentration spell up. It's close...maybe a little more powerful. What if the sword mage has to cast a spell to gain the extra attack. That would limit it a little further. When the sword mage casts a spell, he/she can hold a reaction attack in reserve. If a creature attacks the sword mage while he/she has the reserve reaction attack, the sword mage can use the reaction to make an attack.
#14 bonethug0108 Nov 30, 2014 14:32:01	Maybe you can just make it so you can break concentration to use an OA. That way you limit it's use by making it a tatical option. You either keep your spell up or break concentration to focus on a retalitory strike. If the attack broke your concentration anyway, the choice is easy. Edit: I'm of the mind, being that OAs only mention that they interrupt movement, that OAs in response to an attack happen after the triggering attack. I realize not everyone plays it that way.
#15 tubadancross Nov 30, 2014 16:18:52	A rewrite that I might use: Sword Mage Prerequisite: Ability to cast at least one evocation spell. You have trained in techniques that meld swordplay and spellcasting, gaining the following benefits: · You can use any melee weapon you are proficient in as a spellcasting focus for spells. · So long as you have at least one unused spell slot of 1st level or higher, you can draw on the latent energy of your spellslots in order to empower your melee attacks with a melee weapon you are proficient in; you may use your Spellcasting Ability instead of your Strength or Dexterity when making melee attacks. · When you hit a creature with a melee attack you may expend a spellslot to deal extra damage equal to Xd8 where X is equal to the level of the spellslot epended. This damage type is the same type of damage as any evocation spell you have prepared (your choice.)
#16 bonethug0108 Nov 30, 2014 15:11:47	Not bad. Small note: you left sword in the second bullet. Intentional?
(Reply to #16) tubadancross	bonethug0108 wrote:
#18 rampant Nov 30, 2014 17:35:02	Ok my primary concern is that sorcs and bards are spont casters who don't prep spells, can they use the third bullet point?
#19 SilentSin Nov 30, 2014 17:58:04	I like the idea of at will mage armour, though it would mean that part of the feat is wasted on sorcerers and warlocks who already have that ability (I guess it would save a warlock invocation for use on something else). How about: You can use any melee weapon you are proficient with as a spellcasting focus. You can use your spellcasting ability instead of strength for attacks as long as you have at least one remaining spell slot. You gain a +1 bonus to AC while you are concentrating on a spell.
#20 Stormborn20 Nov 30, 2014 19:42:39	For purposes of this feat, what is an "arcane spell"? Do you just mean that the character can use an arcane focus, i.e. a sorcerer, warlock, or wizard?
#21 rampant Nov 30, 2014 20:41:50	I'd like to avoid frees +s to AC/attack in a feat, maybe DR instead?
#22 danyc Nov 30, 2014 23:09:54	Aside from the arcane focus part, almost all the abilities seem problematic to me: To me, the ability swap is by far the most egregious part, and would never, ever be a thing at my tables. SAD characters are boring and tend to be more powerful, so I don't want to encourage them more than the game already does. Eldrich Knights or multiclass characters having to think about which stats they focus on is part of what balances them. Also, since this is on a Feat, and since Feats are supposed to compete with ability increases, this makes the 'cost' of the feat much less. In many ways, it almost becomes a negative 'cost'. Instead of having to decide between shoring up a weak attribute on a MAD character and getting a feat, you now do both, arguably making the single feat worth 2 or 3. Two of the other suggested abilities are outright class features, which seems too much for a feat: The unrestricted reaction attack is equivalent to a high-level barbarian subclass ability, and tossing spells for damage dice is equivalent to the core Paladin mechanic (and would stack with it, lol?). So these are also non-starters, to me. Even +AC seems like a bad idea because its stacking bonuses on an area where the class is already quite strong (armor + physical shield that you're now free to use with no complications whatsoever, shield spell, etc). Looking at how tricky many of these are, it ultimately occurs to me that the feat itself is problematic in its design because it's essentially just an 'upgrade your EK' feat. It doesn't change your character or enable you to play a new archetype, it's just a pure upgrade and will end up being a must-take for all such characters. While Sharpshooter/GWM are arguably this as well, so is Warcaster, and an EK or other gish can already use BOTH of these, so I'm not sure why they need yet another feat. Honestly, if your concern is about the spellcasting focus, maybe just tack that onto Warcaster (or onto EK as a base option) and call it a day. The rest is just upgrading an already strong archetype.
#23 Reius Dec 01, 2014 0:24:36	This seems like a nice beginning for a PF-Magus kinda archetype. Not a swordmage defender, but an in-your-face, sword in one hand, spell in the other, brutal melee specialist.
#24 cowleymen Dec 01, 2014 2:01:22	Reius wrote:
#25 Lawolf Dec 01, 2014 8:29:38	I don't think SAD is much of an issue. Afterall, no magic attribute increases AC or initiative. The best single target damage dealers in the game are already SAD (crossbow fighters). So I think my favorite version of the feat is this. Magus -You can use a melee weapon as your spell focus. -While you have at least one unused spell slot, you can use your magic ability in place of your Strength or Dexterity for melee attacks. -When you hit an enemy with a melee attack you can expend a spell slotof an evocation spell. If you do, you deal 1d6 additional damage +1d6 more per slot level. This damage is the same type as the spell slot being used. For example, an elf wizard hits an enemy with his sword and uses a 3rd level spell to enhance his attack. He chooses fireball and deals 4d6 extra fire damage.
#26 Ramzour Dec 01, 2014 11:01:08	Cyber-Dave wrote:
#27 Cyber-Dave Dec 03, 2014 9:27:17	Ok, so, I really don't like the "expend spellsots to deal damage" suggestion that people like Lawolf are proposing (for many reasons). I have also accepted that the original third bullet point at least seems overpowered based on a lot of the feedback I have recieved in this thread. I have gone back and hit the drawing board again. I have come up with this: Sword Mage Prerequisite: Ability to cast at least one arcane spell. You have trained in techniques that meld swordplay and spellcasting, gaining the following benefits: · You can use any sword as a spellcasting focus for arcane spells. · You may use melee spell attacks to attack with a sword; you do not add your proficiency bonus to that attack unless you are also proficient with the sword. · You learn the Blade Ward cantrip, and if you use your turn’s action to attack with a sword and hit with every attack you make, you may cast Blade Ward as a bonus action. Changes worth noting: you do not need to be proficient in a sword to make use of this feat anymore. Being proficient in the sword will help! The feat, however, can still grant benefits until you manage to acquire that proficiency. That should make the lives of 1st level human mages a little easier. When reading the third bullet point, please note that it is specifically designed to be less abusable depending on who is using the feat. Being able to cast blade ward as a bonus action when you are usually making 3 or 4 attacks per round would be great for a melee focused eldritch knight. It would be overpowered, in fact. If the fighter has to hit with every single attack he makes, however, then it stops being as great of an option. Yes, it will be a nice little perk. It won't, however, happen very round. Even if the fighter is hitting 80% of the time, if the fighter is making 3 attacks a round that means that there is still a 48% that he will miss with one of his attacks per round. The fighter would have to choose to make fewer attacks in order to use that last bullet point reliably (otherwise it is just a nice bonus which will activate about once every other round, mathematically speaking). A wizard, who would rather be casting a daily spell when it can, will still make good use of that third bullet point when they are stuck in melee and don't want to completely waste their damage potential on casting blade ward. Does this version look more usable and balanced?
#28 tubadancross Dec 03, 2014 12:05:00	+1 to Cyber-Dave's post. That is a simple enough to understand feat and I would allow it in my game. I would likely remove the restriction on the spells being arcane-only and the impliment being swords-only (though they would likely remain melee weapons only), for the sake of diversity. I might also allow it to give a +1 to INT or maybe another mental stat.
(Reply to #27) bonethug0108	Cyber-Dave wrote:
#30 Ramzour Dec 04, 2014 5:36:11	Cyber-Dave wrote:
#31 mellored Dec 04, 2014 5:50:14	Cyber-Dave wrote:
#32 Lawolf Dec 04, 2014 7:48:24	I much prefer this. Swordmage Feat -You can use any weapon you wield as your spellcasting focus. -You can use your magic ability modifier for the attack roll (but not the damage roll) of your melee attacks. -When you cast a cantrip, you can use a bonus action to make a single melee attack.
#33 mellored Dec 04, 2014 8:04:42	Lawolf wrote:
#34 Lawolf Dec 04, 2014 8:16:06	mellored wrote:
#35 Cyber-Dave Dec 04, 2014 9:35:23	Ramzour wrote:
#36 Cyber-Dave Dec 04, 2014 9:47:57	mellored wrote:
#37 Cyber-Dave Dec 04, 2014 9:56:36	Lawolf wrote:
#38 Lawolf Dec 04, 2014 10:14:11	Updated feat below. Swordmage Feat -You can use any sword you wield as your spellcasting focus. -You can use your magic ability modifier for in place of your Strength or Dexterity modifier when making melee attacks with swords. -When you cast the Bladeward or Truestrike cantrip, you can use a bonus action to make a single melee attack with a sword. IMHO casting bladeward as a bonus action is too powerful, even dependent upon hitting an enemy. Alternate 3rd feature. - When you are hit by an attack, you can use your reaction to protect yourself with a magical barrier increasing your AC by an amount equal to half your proficiency bonus against that attack.
#39 Gnarl Dec 04, 2014 10:33:45	Cyber-Dave wrote:
#40 Ramzour Dec 04, 2014 11:50:48	Cyber-Dave wrote:
(Reply to #37) tubadancross	Cyber-Dave wrote:
#42 rampant Dec 04, 2014 12:31:32	Ok I'm confused on what the second point of the current incarnation actually does.
#43 Ramzour Dec 04, 2014 15:11:42	rampant wrote:
#44 Lawolf Dec 04, 2014 15:27:11	Ramzour wrote:
#45 Ramzour Dec 05, 2014 0:02:31	Lawolf wrote:

Post/Author/DateTime

Post

Cyber-Dave

Nov 30, 2014 11:38:58

Sword Mage

Prerequisite: Ability to cast at least one arcane spell.

You have trained in techniques that meld swordplay and spellcasting, gaining the following benefits:

· You can use any sword you are proficient in as a spellcasting focus for arcane spells.

· So long as you have at least one unused spell slot of 1st level or higher, you can draw on the latent energy of your spellslots in order to empower your melee attacks with a sword you are proficient in; you may use your Spellcasting Ability instead of your Strength or Dexterity when making melee attacks with your sword.

· If you are holding a sword you are proficient in, concentrating on a spell, and a creature makes a melee attack against you, you may make an opportunity attack against that creature.

rampant

Nov 30, 2014 12:02:51

Um quick question, how is sword defined for the purpose of this feat?

Cyber-Dave

Nov 30, 2014 12:21:05

rampant wrote:

bonethug0108

Nov 30, 2014 12:26:03

Short handle(only long enough to fit in one or two hands; so no reach weapons) + blade larger than a dagger? Seems self explanatory.

I would maybe add a proficiency with one one handed sword of your choice(greatswords seem a bit much), and note that all effects only work when wielding the sword in one hand. Reason being that this feat would otherwise force multiclassing, force you to take Weapon Master or Magic Initiate, limit your race to Elf(Any) or limit your class choice to Bard. You already have the restriction of needing to cast an arcane spell so you shouldn't force another restriction.

That makes the list of usable weapons Longsword, Rapier, Scimitar, and Shortsword.

Cyber-Dave

Nov 30, 2014 12:31:54

bonethug0108 wrote:

bonethug0108

Nov 30, 2014 12:45:26

Well an Eldritch Knight or an Arcane Trickster is very unlikely to get full use of this feat(the meat of it being the second bullet point). And forcing such a narrow choice on class(Bard) or race(Elf) without NEEDING to take another feat or multiclass is bad form imo.

So you'd need to power up one of the other bullet points for the EK or AT, or allow a free weapon proficiency(maybe even replace the third bullet point with it, though I do like that).

As for the greatsword thing, that is some seeming overpowered(I may be way off base), but also more flavor as you keep a hand free when you fight to cast.

Psikerlord

Nov 30, 2014 12:43:56

i think the last bullet point is a bit strong. As long as he's in melee, concentrating on a spell, he gets an extra attack every round?

ankiyavon

Nov 30, 2014 13:09:29

The third bullet point seems too strong (keep in mind that Polearm Master is similar, but has only two bullet points), and also not really in keeping with swordmage.

Swordmage was a defender class. You punish people who don't attack you, not people who attack you.

I would alter it to allowing you to make an opportunity attack against any enemy within your reach who makes an attack that doesn't include you, or giving them disadvantage on an attack that doesn't include you as a reaction.

I'm also not super sold on the stat replacement effect, because only variant humans get a feat at level 1. Playing a swordmage at level 1 would be an exercise in frustration for the first two sessions until you hit 3 and got a feat; either you waste stat points on a melee stat, or you can't effectively attack with a sword until you get the feat.

Gnarl

Nov 30, 2014 13:20:36

The opportunity attacks seem a bit strong when combined with very long duration spells such as Hex.

#10

ShinQuickMan

Nov 30, 2014 13:44:13

Hmmm... I'm not sure if its intended, but you could combine this feat with Warcaster to get easier (if risky) OA spells. Off the top of my head, this could allow a Bladelock to potentially shut down the enemy's attack with an EB + Eldritch Spear or a single-target debuff spell (like Dissonant Whispers).

Also, I'd just like to echo bonethug's opinion: I don't like the strict "sword only" requirement.

EDIT: @Psikerlord, ankiyavon, and Gnarl

Assuming that this feat + Warcaster combo wasn't intended, keep in mind that the conditions for meeting the third part of the feat requires great risk; you need to be in melee to take advantage of that, which, needless to say, makes you liable to getting attacked more often. A scratch and an unlucky save will cost you a spell and a significant portion of this feat.

@ankiyavon

Not to speak for him, but I don't think the OP was looking to emulate the 4E swordmage.

#11

bonethug0108

Nov 30, 2014 13:52:24

It isn't so much that I dislike the sword only thing, moreso the fact that it creates two contrasting requirements which requires doing too much else just to get the feat or otherwise makes the feat less effective for the two subclasses it seems to be made for.

Maybe if you add Dagger as a weapon that works with it it would open it up better.

If not, it seems most people think the last point is too strong, and giving the sword proficiency instead is both in line with other feats and certainly not too overpowered.

In 5e feats are made so you DON'T have to jump through hoops. When you limit a feat to one race, one class, and only two other subclasses by default, that is super constrictive. I'm not sure any other feat comes close to that.

#12

Lawolf

Nov 30, 2014 13:52:17

Third bullet should be changed IMHO.

Easily triggered reaction attacks are generally too powerful.

Maybe allow the Swordmage to cast Mage Armor at-will.

#13

Rhenny

Nov 30, 2014 14:22:59

I like the way it gives the feel of a sword mage. Not sure about the reaction attack. Although it seems like it might grant too much, it may not be so OP in play.

Sentinal gives an attack for creatures moving in or out of threat regardless of disengage. That's pretty powerful. Cyber-Dave's feat does have the restriction of having to have a concentration spell up.

It's close...maybe a little more powerful.

What if the sword mage has to cast a spell to gain the extra attack. That would limit it a little further. When the sword mage casts a spell, he/she can hold a reaction attack in reserve. If a creature attacks the sword mage while he/she has the reserve reaction attack, the sword mage can use the reaction to make an attack.

#14

bonethug0108

Nov 30, 2014 14:32:01

Maybe you can just make it so you can break concentration to use an OA. That way you limit it's use by making it a tatical option. You either keep your spell up or break concentration to focus on a retalitory strike. If the attack broke your concentration anyway, the choice is easy.

Edit:

I'm of the mind, being that OAs only mention that they interrupt movement, that OAs in response to an attack happen after the triggering attack. I realize not everyone plays it that way.

#15

tubadancross

Nov 30, 2014 16:18:52

A rewrite that I might use:

Sword Mage

Prerequisite: Ability to cast at least one evocation spell.

You have trained in techniques that meld swordplay and spellcasting, gaining the following benefits:

· You can use any melee weapon you are proficient in as a spellcasting focus for spells.

· So long as you have at least one unused spell slot of 1st level or higher, you can draw on the latent energy of your spellslots in order to empower your melee attacks with a melee weapon you are proficient in; you may use your Spellcasting Ability instead of your Strength or Dexterity when making melee attacks.

· When you hit a creature with a melee attack you may expend a spellslot to deal extra damage equal to Xd8 where X is equal to the level of the spellslot epended. This damage type is the same type of damage as any evocation spell you have prepared (your choice.)

#16

bonethug0108

Nov 30, 2014 15:11:47

Not bad. Small note: you left sword in the second bullet. Intentional?

(Reply to #16)

tubadancross

bonethug0108 wrote:

#18

rampant

Nov 30, 2014 17:35:02

Ok my primary concern is that sorcs and bards are spont casters who don't prep spells, can they use the third bullet point?

#19

SilentSin

Nov 30, 2014 17:58:04

I like the idea of at will mage armour, though it would mean that part of the feat is wasted on sorcerers and warlocks who already have that ability (I guess it would save a warlock invocation for use on something else).

How about:

You can use any melee weapon you are proficient with as a spellcasting focus.
You can use your spellcasting ability instead of strength for attacks as long as you have at least one remaining spell slot.
You gain a +1 bonus to AC while you are concentrating on a spell.

#20

Stormborn20

Nov 30, 2014 19:42:39

For purposes of this feat, what is an "arcane spell"? Do you just mean that the character can use an arcane focus, i.e. a sorcerer, warlock, or wizard?

#21

rampant

Nov 30, 2014 20:41:50

I'd like to avoid frees +s to AC/attack in a feat, maybe DR instead?

#22

danyc

Nov 30, 2014 23:09:54

Aside from the arcane focus part, almost all the abilities seem problematic to me:

To me, the ability swap is by far the most egregious part, and would never, ever be a thing at my tables. SAD characters are boring and tend to be more powerful, so I don't want to encourage them more than the game already does. Eldrich Knights or multiclass characters having to think about which stats they focus on is part of what balances them. Also, since this is on a Feat, and since Feats are supposed to compete with ability increases, this makes the 'cost' of the feat much less. In many ways, it almost becomes a negative 'cost'. Instead of having to decide between shoring up a weak attribute on a MAD character and getting a feat, you now do both, arguably making the single feat worth 2 or 3.

Two of the other suggested abilities are outright class features, which seems too much for a feat: The unrestricted reaction attack is equivalent to a high-level barbarian subclass ability, and tossing spells for damage dice is equivalent to the core Paladin mechanic (and would stack with it, lol?). So these are also non-starters, to me.

Even +AC seems like a bad idea because its stacking bonuses on an area where the class is already quite strong (armor + physical shield that you're now free to use with no complications whatsoever, shield spell, etc).

Looking at how tricky many of these are, it ultimately occurs to me that the feat itself is problematic in its design because it's essentially just an 'upgrade your EK' feat. It doesn't change your character or enable you to play a new archetype, it's just a pure upgrade and will end up being a must-take for all such characters. While Sharpshooter/GWM are arguably this as well, so is Warcaster, and an EK or other gish can already use BOTH of these, so I'm not sure why they need yet another feat.

Honestly, if your concern is about the spellcasting focus, maybe just tack that onto Warcaster (or onto EK as a base option) and call it a day. The rest is just upgrading an already strong archetype.

#23

Reius

Dec 01, 2014 0:24:36

This seems like a nice beginning for a PF-Magus kinda archetype. Not a swordmage defender, but an in-your-face, sword in one hand, spell in the other, brutal melee specialist.

#24

cowleymen

Dec 01, 2014 2:01:22

Reius wrote:

#25

Lawolf

Dec 01, 2014 8:29:38

I don't think SAD is much of an issue. Afterall, no magic attribute increases AC or initiative. The best single target damage dealers in the game are already SAD (crossbow fighters). So I think my favorite version of the feat is this.

Magus

-You can use a melee weapon as your spell focus.

-While you have at least one unused spell slot, you can use your magic ability in place of your Strength or Dexterity for melee attacks.

-When you hit an enemy with a melee attack you can expend a spell slotof an evocation spell. If you do, you deal 1d6 additional damage +1d6 more per slot level. This damage is the same type as the spell slot being used.

For example, an elf wizard hits an enemy with his sword and uses a 3rd level spell to enhance his attack. He chooses fireball and deals 4d6 extra fire damage.

#26

Ramzour

Dec 01, 2014 11:01:08

Cyber-Dave wrote:

#27

Cyber-Dave

Dec 03, 2014 9:27:17

Ok, so, I really don't like the "expend spellsots to deal damage" suggestion that people like Lawolf are proposing (for many reasons). I have also accepted that the original third bullet point at least seems overpowered based on a lot of the feedback I have recieved in this thread. I have gone back and hit the drawing board again. I have come up with this:

Sword Mage

Prerequisite: Ability to cast at least one arcane spell.

You have trained in techniques that meld swordplay and spellcasting, gaining the following benefits:

· You can use any sword as a spellcasting focus for arcane spells.

· You may use melee spell attacks to attack with a sword; you do not add your proficiency bonus to that attack unless you are also proficient with the sword.

· You learn the Blade Ward cantrip, and if you use your turn’s action to attack with a sword and hit with every attack you make, you may cast Blade Ward as a bonus action.

Changes worth noting: you do not need to be proficient in a sword to make use of this feat anymore. Being proficient in the sword will help! The feat, however, can still grant benefits until you manage to acquire that proficiency. That should make the lives of 1st level human mages a little easier.

When reading the third bullet point, please note that it is specifically designed to be less abusable depending on who is using the feat. Being able to cast blade ward as a bonus action when you are usually making 3 or 4 attacks per round would be great for a melee focused eldritch knight. It would be overpowered, in fact. If the fighter has to hit with every single attack he makes, however, then it stops being as great of an option. Yes, it will be a nice little perk. It won't, however, happen very round. Even if the fighter is hitting 80% of the time, if the fighter is making 3 attacks a round that means that there is still a 48% that he will miss with one of his attacks per round. The fighter would have to choose to make fewer attacks in order to use that last bullet point reliably (otherwise it is just a nice bonus which will activate about once every other round, mathematically speaking). A wizard, who would rather be casting a daily spell when it can, will still make good use of that third bullet point when they are stuck in melee and don't want to completely waste their damage potential on casting blade ward.

Does this version look more usable and balanced?

#28

tubadancross

Dec 03, 2014 12:05:00

+1 to Cyber-Dave's post. That is a simple enough to understand feat and I would allow it in my game. I would likely remove the restriction on the spells being arcane-only and the impliment being swords-only (though they would likely remain melee weapons only), for the sake of diversity.

I might also allow it to give a +1 to INT or maybe another mental stat.

(Reply to #27)

bonethug0108

Cyber-Dave wrote:

#30

Ramzour

Dec 04, 2014 5:36:11

Cyber-Dave wrote:

#31

mellored

Dec 04, 2014 5:50:14

Cyber-Dave wrote:

#32

Lawolf

Dec 04, 2014 7:48:24

I much prefer this.

Swordmage Feat

-You can use any weapon you wield as your spellcasting focus.

-You can use your magic ability modifier for the attack roll (but not the damage roll) of your melee attacks.

-When you cast a cantrip, you can use a bonus action to make a single melee attack.

#33

mellored

Dec 04, 2014 8:04:42

Lawolf wrote:

#34

Lawolf

Dec 04, 2014 8:16:06

mellored wrote:

#35

Cyber-Dave

Dec 04, 2014 9:35:23

Ramzour wrote:

#36

Cyber-Dave

Dec 04, 2014 9:47:57

mellored wrote:

#37

Cyber-Dave

Dec 04, 2014 9:56:36

Lawolf wrote:

#38

Lawolf

Dec 04, 2014 10:14:11

Updated feat below.

Swordmage Feat

-You can use any sword you wield as your spellcasting focus.

-You can use your magic ability modifier for in place of your Strength or Dexterity modifier when making melee attacks with swords.

-When you cast the Bladeward or Truestrike cantrip, you can use a bonus action to make a single melee attack with a sword.

IMHO casting bladeward as a bonus action is too powerful, even dependent upon hitting an enemy.

Alternate 3rd feature.

- When you are hit by an attack, you can use your reaction to protect yourself with a magical barrier increasing your AC by an amount equal to half your proficiency bonus against that attack.

#39

Gnarl

Dec 04, 2014 10:33:45

Cyber-Dave wrote:

#40

Ramzour

Dec 04, 2014 11:50:48

Cyber-Dave wrote:

(Reply to #37)

tubadancross

Cyber-Dave wrote:

#42

rampant

Dec 04, 2014 12:31:32

Ok I'm confused on what the second point of the current incarnation actually does.

#43

Ramzour

Dec 04, 2014 15:11:42

rampant wrote:

#44

Lawolf

Dec 04, 2014 15:27:11

Ramzour wrote:

#45

Ramzour

Dec 05, 2014 0:02:31

Lawolf wrote: