Level Up (A5E) Finding the Elusive Swordmage

[Corinnguard]

Up to the Narrator.

Each Mythical Martial tradition comes with the caveat that a Narrator has to decide whether someone starts proficient with it automatically. But also provides an organization that can teach you to use it, and a magical item that allows you to learn. And, of course, the Narrator can always add in their own setting-specific ways to become proficient.

So there's multiple ways to access it, but it's going to depend on your narrator.

Gotcha. Or the average homebrewer.

 

[MegaloRob]

Have her build a modified herald.
Modifications:
Combat traditions: tempered iron and either arcane knight or eldritch blackguard.
Then replace the spell list with the wizard spell list.

 

[TheHand]

Have her build a modified herald.
Modifications:
Combat traditions: tempered iron and either arcane knight or eldritch blackguard.
Then replace the spell list with the wizard spell list.

Yeah, sounds like an interesting way to go. I think we got her build figured out for this next campaign, but I'll file that away for future exploration.

 

[Timespike]

I'm a little late to this discussion, but as the author of the aforementioned Manual of Adventurous Resources: Battlemages, I figured I'd weigh in.

That product has a lot of useful tools for mixing magic and martial skill, including tertiary caster archetypes for the adept, berserker, fighter, and rogue classes and combat-focused archetypes for sorcerers, warlocks, and wizards. There's also the Cutting Omen combat tradition that run on stored magical energy, and a selection of multiclass spells that use the class features of the martial classes. The warlock class in there is called the "martialist" and is closer to a hexblade or the First Codex of War patron I wrote up in an En5ider article a while back; it's not excessively dark or evil-coded. The same goes for the Cutting Omen combat tradition, the multiclass spells, and the weapon cantrips (which come in both melee and ranged varieties) you'll find in there.

I do think you're on the right track using @Steampunkette 's new combat traditions. You may also want to look at the following other options:

• First, don't forget the Adventurer's Guide! There's a couple of good synergy feat chains for spellsword types. The obvious chain is Bladechanter, but don't overlook Proclaimer or even Mystic Arcanist (if you're using the Warpriest archetype from the AG and the Steelblooded sorcerer from Battlemages) could make a pretty awesome combat spellcaster.
• Some of my other work such as Thematic Toolkit: Arcane Avenger, Thematic Toolkit: Venomous Shadow, and Thematic Toolkit: Judge, Jury, and Executioner provide some useful synergy feat chains and archetypes, and while the Proscriber wizard archetype I tacked onto Thematic Toolkit: Master of Ceremonies last month isn't a full-fledged battle mage, it's still a bit more martially-focused than a standard wizard. If you combine it with an appropriate fighter archetype like Duelist (AG) or Arcane Showoff (MoAR Battlemages) it should work really well as an agile battlemage.

 

[lichmaster]

Hey @timespike , I remember time ago you mentioned creating a collection with all issues of MOARs (IIRC after all 5 were released). Have you released it?

 

[Timespike]

Hey @timespike , I remember time ago you mentioned creating a collection with all issues of MOARs (IIRC after all 5 were released). Have you released it?

Nope. We're working on volume 5 now, that will be the next thing.

 

[WanderingMystic]

Even though I have all the odds so far I would love to have a hardback copy to match everything else I have for level up

 

[lichmaster]

Nope. We're working on volume 5 now, that will be the next thing.

Great! Also, is something similar on the horizon for the Thematic Toolkits?

 

[Timespike]

Great! Also, is something similar on the horizon for the Thematic Toolkits?

Eventually, yes, though I'm not sure what form it'll take. January's OGL nightmare kind of imposed some time to stop and evaluate on me. The Thematic Toolkit line does okay, but not as well as MoAR for completely valid reasons. So I am contemplating other means to deliver on my goal of getting a full set of multiclass synergy feats out there (in other words, a fully generic set for every 2-class combination in the system). I have a massive outline for a project I'm probably going to call the Tome of Character Options. I may include at least some Thematic Toolkit content in there alongside the planned new stuff, but I'm not certain; I keep going back and forth on that.

What I can tell you is that you won't see much cross-pollination between MoAR and the rest of my line. Because MoAR is a collaborative project, I want to leave material from there as much of its own thing as possible. I feel like that's the most fair thing I can do for my collaborators who are paid via a royalty share.

 

[Timespike]

Even though I have all the odds so far I would love to have a hardback copy to match everything else I have for level up

I would love to have a hardcover version of the whole MoAR line to offer (heck, I'd love to have a copy for my own bookshelf!). However, that will require a bunch of conversations and new work with the various folks involved. I think it's safe to say that such a product will exist at some point, but I make absolutely zero promises about when.