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D&D Older Editions
Masters of Blade Magic: A Swordmage Handbook (By Herid_Fel)
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<blockquote data-quote="Veep" data-source="post: 6707975" data-attributes="member: 6793297"><p style="text-align: center"><span style="font-size: 18px"><strong><u><strong>Powers - Heroic Tier</strong></u></strong></span></p> <p style="text-align: center"><span style="font-size: 18px"><strong><u><strong></strong></u></strong></span></p><p></p><p><strong>Level 1, At-Will</strong></p><p> </p><p><strong><span style="color: #ff0000">Arcane Lance</span> (D405) </strong> - You're better off using a glaive and taking Frigid Blade - that does more damage and doesn't require you to ride a mount (which can't follow when you teleport).</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #0000ff">Booming Blade</span> (FRPG)</strong> - This power does solid damage on a hit, and it also helps make you a little more sticky. If they choose to run away from you, then the damage done is actually respectable.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #0000ff">Frigid Blade</span> (D367)</strong> - This power gets better and better as you level. By the time you've reached paragon, it's mostly equivalent to slow. At epic, it can act as immobilize against some enemies, and will slow most of the rest. It's also an at-will cold spell, so it works in conjunction with Lasting Frost/Wintertouched without requiring a frost blade.</p><p></p><p><strong>Frostwind Blade (PHH 2)</strong> - Not too useful in heroic, where you're only going to have one enemy marked for most of the fight. It improves a bit when you can have sustained multimarking capabilities, but even then, its range for the extra damage is somewhat limited, and you're less likely to use it when you have more encounters. Frigid Blade's a stronger choice for a cold-themed at-will.</p><p></p><p><strong>Greenflame Blade (FRPG)</strong> - This power helps to clear out minions... if they're bunched up, and they don't resist fire. It's not a bad choice, but the extra damage scales too slowly to help at later levels.</p><p></p><p><strong>Lightning Lure (FRPG)</strong> - Lightning Lure is the only ranged at-will for a swordmage, but its main use is to pull enemies over so that you can hit them. Remember that vertical forced movement is generally a no-no. That said, you can still sometimes use this power to pull an enemy through damaging terrain (or even off a cliff, if you're standing next to one), which makes this a good third power for a human swordmage.</p><p></p><p><strong>Luring Strike (AP)</strong> - Luring Strike has low damage, even for a class that already does low damage compared to the other classes. The advantages it brings are increased mobility, and some battlefield control. It can be used to pull an enemy away from an ally, giving the ally a chance to get free, or to position the enemy for combat advantage against one or more attacks.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #00ccff">Sword Burst</span> (FRPG)</strong> - It's a close burst 1 that does force damage (so it's unlikely to be resisted). It's your only choice for an area-of-effect at-will. Fortunately, it's a good one. The size of the burst can be expanded with feats, and it only targets enemies, making it the linchpin for a couple of combinations.</p><p></p><p> </p><p></p><p><strong>Level 1, Encounter</strong></p><p> </p><p><strong><span style="color: #800080">Blazing Pursuit</span> (AP)</strong> - This power's usefulness depends on whether your enemies try to run away from you. Less useful for assault swordmages (despite the kicker) and ensnaring swordmages, who have their own ways of getting next to an enemy that gets away from them.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #800080">Chilling Blow</span> (FRPG)</strong> - Chilling Blow is most effective against multi-attackers (such as controllers, artillery, elites, and solos). That said, at the levels where you'll be using it, you probably won't have a great Constitution modifier (+3, maybe +4 if you take a race with a Con bonus rather than an Int bonus).</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #ff0000">Crackling Burst</span> (AP)</strong> - It's like Sword Burst, but it doesn't avoid allies and does less damage unless the targets move (in which case it does 1 more damage, on average). Avoid.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #ff0000">Dimensional Cleave</span> (D405) </strong> - Triggering this power (and its big brothers) reliably requires another encounter power which teleports a creature next to you. That makes it too hard to use unless you're building around it. It's <span style="color: #800080"><strong>slightly better</strong></span> for ensnaring swordmages, but all you get from this power is the same thing that assault swordmages get naturally.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #0000ff">Falcon's Mark</span> (AP)</strong> - Double marking powers are strong anytime, and this can also help out a swordmage who can't close in on a good target, either due to terrain or status conditions. It's even stronger for the ensnaring swordmages, who get a second target for their aegis.</p><p></p><p><strong>Flame Cyclone (FRPG)</strong> - The first close blast you can take. It's basically equivalent to an at-will for a sorcerer, but if you don't have a controller in your group who can dish out the area damage, that area damage might save your behind in a few fights (and the power improves to <strong><span style="color: #0000ff">blue</span></strong>).</p><p></p><p><strong>Foesnare (FRPG)</strong> - Your first immobilizing power. The ability to use it while charging shouldn't be ignored, since it means you can still do something useful as a defender even if dazed. Charging also improves your attack bonus.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #800080">Fox's Feint</span> (AP)</strong> - Swapping positions with the target is only situationally useful - mainly to get the target into a flank. This power is black for ensnaring swordmages, but they're probably better off with Falcon's Mark or Foesnare.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #ff0000">Lightning Clash</span> (FRPG)</strong> - You'll usually be better off with Flame Cyclone which does more damage to the targets it hits and hits more targets.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #0000ff">Sword of Sigils</span> (AP)</strong> - So, I can mark anyone that I hit with a close burst 1 attack, do more damage to them if they ignore the mark equal to White Lotus Riposte, and it gives a mini-shielding aegis to the shielding swordmage? This power is a strong choice.</p><p></p><p> </p><p><strong>Level 1, Daily</strong></p><p> </p><p><strong><span style="color: #0000ff">Binding Aegis</span> (D405) </strong> - The nice part is "effect". Immobilize can stop a lot of monsters in heroic, and you get the attack later as needed. The main downside is "only targeting a marked enemy", so you have to get close before using it.</p><p></p><p><strong>Blade of Judgment (D385)</strong> - Blade of Judgment can be used when an ally is hit with an area effect, even if you are also targeted. The target also doesn’t need to be marked with your aegis (despite the flavor text). It’s slightly better for ensnaring swordmages to give them a damage option instead of their aegis power’s CA+repositioning, and slightly weaker for assaultmages who can already do something similar.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #ff0000">Burning Blade</span> (FRPG)</strong> - This power is unconscionably weak if you only make the minimal investment in Strength. Assault swordmages who do bump Strength get a much better use out of it, though they still need to use it early in the fight to gain the most benefit. For them, it improves to <strong>black</strong>.</p><p></p><p><strong>Dance of the Sword (AP)</strong> - This is the first "hypno-sword" power. It comes with low damage, but it targets Will and comes with a large area of effect that only targets enemies. Hit or miss, the targets won't be making OAs, so you and your allies nearby can move freely for at least a turn. Improves to <span style="color: #0000ff"><strong>blue</strong></span> if you can expand its size.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #00ccff">Dimensional Thunder</span> (D367)</strong> - Dimensional Thunder is a weapon attack against a NAD, which is a positive (even when the NAD is Fortitude). It comes with movement baked into the power, which can be very helpful when you're almost but not quite where you need to be, or if you're dazed and would otherwise have to charge. It has decent damage for a swordmage power, and no matter what, all enemies adjacent to you will be taking ongoing damage. Very strong indeed.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #800080">Dragon's Teeth</span> (AP)</strong> - Large area of effect, and it only targets enemies. Unfortunately, its main benefit is Strength-based, so it's primarily of use to assault swordmages (and is <strong>black</strong> for them).</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #0000ff">Frost Backlash</span> (FRPG)</strong> - This is the highest single-target damage power you'll see for another 14 levels. Its main use is to give your enemy no good choices for a big battle - hit your ally and trigger your mark, or hit you and take a 3[W] weapon attack against a NAD. The main reason it's not rated light blue is that you can't always get the enemy to hit you when you want to use the power.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #ff0000">Lashing Asp</span> (AP)</strong> - This stance is a minion killer, but there's easier ways to kill minions. It is otherwise similar to Burning Blade (bonus damage based on secondary ability), and using Constitution instead of Strength isn't enough to help it. There are better utility stances to use than this "attack".</p><p></p><p><strong>Sweeping Frostblade (AP)</strong> - This will always immobilize, at least for a little while. It's also another enemy-only burst, giving it good synergy with expanding the burst size. </p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #0000ff">Vanishing Blade (D390)</span></strong> - This daily attack power would have worked slightly better as a utility power (probably a stance). You don't care much about whether you hit with this power, but the effect gives you great protection for a round and then excellent mobility for the remainder of the encounter. Especially fun for assault swordmages who can use it to punish their aegis targets, then dart back out.</p><p></p><p><strong>Warding Flourish (D374)</strong> - An interesting choice here - you're not immobilizing, but you get most of the benefit of immobilization if you're attacking melee-based enemies (without reach). It can pin enemies, and also allows your allies to push them around a little. With the right terrain, that's very useful.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #ff0000">Whirling Blade</span> (FRPG) - </strong>A pseudo-reliable ranged 5 attack that does 2[W] damage. Range isn't that valuable to you, and the Miss benefit means you're probably not hitting the target that you wanted to.</p><p></p><p> </p><p><strong>Level 2, Utility</strong></p><p> </p><p><strong><span style="color: #ff0000">Arcane Transport</span> (AP)</strong> - At level 2, you probably don't have too many teleportation powers. At later levels, when you do have those powers, you probably still want something stronger than this. If it were an encounter power, it'd be worthwhile. As it stands, it isn't.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #0000ff">Channeling Shield</span> (AP)</strong> - You get a mini-aegis of shielding which works against any attack (against you, from a creature you don't have marked...), and if you are a shielding swordmage, it also gives you a damage boost. Unfortunately, the damage it prevents doesn't scale well, and so it's down to <strong>black</strong> by late paragon and epic.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #0000ff">Dimensional Warp</span> (FRPG)</strong> - Swapping places with an ally or swapping two allies' places comes in handy more often than one would think at first. It can get an ally that was surrounded out of trouble, or allow two allies to make use of the same space to flank on their turns. It's a minor action to use, so you can also use it to get a little burst of speed yourself if needed.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #800080">Eldritch Speed</span> (FRPG)</strong> - Nice for when you know that you need to get in fast. Unfortunately, it's hard to tell ahead of time when that is.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #ff0000">Elemental Aegis</span> (D367)</strong> - 99% of the time, Channeling Shield will be much more useful. This only prevents elemental energy damage, doesn't help you, and requires the attacking enemy to be marked by you. The 1% of the time where the ally's hit with multiple attacks and the resistance works multiple times isn't worth it.</p><p></p><p><strong>Fear No Elements (FRPG)</strong> - Most campaigns will have a fair number of fights where there's a particularly damaging energy type. With this power, you don't need to have the right equipment ahead of time.</p><p></p><p><strong>Ghost Step (AP)</strong> - You can shift through difficult terrain with this power, and it helps a lot with positioning. I prefer more defensive stances, but your mileage may vary. </p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #0000ff">Host of Shields</span> (AP)</strong> - Simple, yet effective. The benefit is equally applicable at higher levels, and it can keep you up during a long solo battle while your mark protects your allies.</p><p></p><p><strong>Mythal Recovery (FRPG)</strong> - At lower levels, there are fewer killer status effects. As you level up and dazes and blinds get thrown around, this power (or similar powers) become more valuable. It increases to <strong><span style="color: #0000ff">blue</span></strong> by paragon tier.</p><p></p><p><strong>Price of Ensnarement (D382)</strong> - Price of Ensnarement gives you a damage bonus against slowed or immobilized enemies, and adds a small attack bonus if you're an ensnaring swordmage. The value of this stance is based on your party as well as your personal build. If you're the only one with slowing and immobilizing powers, it's not useful as a level 2 utility (since you probably only have a single encounter power that slows or immobilizes). If you're in a party with a wizard with Ray of Frost, then it improves immensely. Once you reach a higher level, you may find it worth retraining into if you're already focused on that branch of powers or have taken advantage of Sudden Roots.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #800080">Spellbinder’s Gift</span> (D385)</strong> - This can be used to hit vulnerabilities (including vulnerabilities you created) or to avoid resistances if your party's weapons are already doing elemental damage. The former, you want more than one encounter per day (especially at the cost of a minor to sustain), and the latter is unlikely. Weapon attacks don't often have associated elemental damage.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #ff0000">Ward of Brilliance</span> (AP)</strong> - It's like the wizard's shield, only it's a daily and only works against melee attacks from a marked target. Ignore the part about blinding if the attack - your turn will come before the enemy's turn, so it's basically "grants CA and can't make OAs" until you next act.</p><p></p><p><em><strong>Special Mention: <span style="color: #00ccff">Arcane Mutterings</span> (PHB3)</strong></em> - While this is a skill power, it's one for which every swordmage qualifies. Remember what I said above about avoiding Charisma and training in most social skills? This lets you use Arcana in place of three of the four main social checks, once per encounter. If it's a skill challenge, once per encounter is probably enough to make a meaningful contribution so you're not stuck wishing that you had more useful skills. This is the most generally useful of the Arcana skill powers, even if it's not normally useful in combat. </p><p></p><p><strong>Level 3, Encounter</strong></p><p> </p><p><strong><span style="color: #0000ff">Blades of Fiery Wrath</span> (D382)</strong> - This power is competing at the same slot as Transposing Lunge and Dimensional Vortex. Fortunately, it is a decent choice thanks to its free action and trigger. The White Lotus feats already make it attractive to have a swordmage who uses a lot of at-will attacks. With this spell, you can use your at-will attacks and have a good fallback if your first attack misses.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #0000ff">Blastback Swipe</span> (FRPG)</strong> - Here's a power with a lot of stuff going on. Weapon attack versus NAD, can be used during charging, and if you're an assault swordmage, used in place of an MBA when your aegis triggers. The push 2 isn't shabby either. Stronger for assault swordmages, but not enough to go to light blue.</p><p></p><p><strong>Blazing Lunge (AP) -</strong> Blazing Lunge does more damage than Blastback Swipe and targets a slightly better defense, but its damage is more easily resisted and it doesn't have any control elements.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #800080">Corrosive Ruin</span> (FRPG)</strong> - This power was ok when it was Flame Cyclone, but this does less damage and targets Fortitude. Making the damage acid is a minor benefit, but powers are also supposed to be better as you level up, not equal.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #00ccff">Dimensional Vortex</span> (AP)</strong> - The existence of Dimensional Vortex is the only reason that Transposing Lunge isn't gold for shielding swordmages. You don't need to have the target marked (making it especially useful in the early rounds of combat), and it's an attack against Will. You can reverse an attack that could have dropped one of your allies. It's slightly better for shielding swordmages, but any flavor of swordmage makes use of it effectively.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #0000ff">Dual Lightning Strike</span> (AP)</strong> - Two attacks against two distant enemies is good, and marking them means that they'll try to come after you. The power also has teleportation built in as an effect, which means it can be used to get you into a flank for the second attack (or just let you move if you were immobilized).</p><p></p><p><strong>Incendiary Sword (D367) </strong> - This is the swordmage's sole area burst against Will. It's a strange power, but its low range and inability to discriminate between allies and enemies means that it's not of as much use as it first appears. If your DM tries hard to avoid the extra damage, it works better as a little soft control.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #ff0000">Shadow Snake Lunge</span> (AP)</strong> - If I wanted to immobilize a creature, I'd use a power that did it directly. If I wanted to use a power that did more damage if the target moved away, I'd use Booming Blade.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #800080">Sloth Strike</span> (FRPG)</strong> - Would you do an extra 1[W] damage and change immobilized into slowed? That's basically what this power does when compared to Foesnare. I'd rather have the strong lockdown than the extra ~5 damage.</p><p></p><p><strong>Transposing Lunge (FRPG)</strong> - This power is only average for two of the swordmage builds (teleporting your target adjacent to you helps positioning and sometimes with terrain), but the kicker for shielding swordmages makes it <span style="color: #00ccff"><strong>light blue</strong></span> for them. It is used as part of your aegis activation, so even if you don't hit (and potentially pull the target to where its attack fizzles), you'll still prevent some damage. For a good shielding swordmage, this is close to a free action.</p><p></p><p><strong>Unseen Gauntlet (AP)</strong> - Speaking of movement denial, Unseen Gauntlet does a good job of immobilizing a target at range. Against a melee-based enemy, this is nearly as good as a stun. If it didn't target Fortitude (the best defense for brutes, who are also the most melee-based), it'd be blue.</p><p></p><p> </p><p><strong>Level 5, Daily</strong></p><p> </p><p><strong>Deep Freeze (FRPG)</strong> - This power forces enemies to keep away from the creature that you've attacked. The initial attack itself is somewhat underwhelming, but this means that a stronger use of the power is to hit yourself or an ally with it. Yeah, it's harder for swordmages to get Rain of Steel, but the damage is just as nice.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #800080">Dimensional Bond</span> (AP)</strong> - I'm not sure who's supposed to use this power. I guess it's shielding swordmages who want to follow their aegis target - assault and ensnaring swordmages have their own ways of keeping up with the enemies they have marked.</p><p></p><p><strong>Elemental Foible (FRPG)</strong> - Ignore the attack and hit line of this power. Giving an enemy vulnerability to elemental damage is the main shtick, and if the party can take advantage, then this power is huge. If they can't, it isn't.</p><p></p><p><strong>Energy Theft (AP)</strong> - Like Elemental Foible, this power's attack and hit don't matter. By making the vulnerability (save ends), you give your party a minor resistance to that energy type. Against creatures doing typed damage (e.g. the undead with necrotic, or a variety of elementals), this resistance can turn a hard combat into an easy one. It's unfortunate that it acts more like a utility power when you use it this way. If your DM regularly uses encounters with a "theme" type of damage, then this power increases to <strong><span style="color: #0000ff">blue</span></strong>.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #ff0000">Enervating Slash</span> (AP)</strong> - So it's like weakened in almost every way, but with a different name. The creatures it hurts the most are the ones most likely to save against it. Pass.</p><p></p><p><strong>Lingering Lightning (FRPG)</strong> - Nice visual, but the low range hurts it. Still, the chance for hitting three targets around you with ongoing damage keeps it from dropping to purple.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #800080">Mark of the Hound</span> (AP)</strong> - The effect isn't that great. The damage is good for a swordmage (which is mediocre for most other classes). You have better options.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #ff0000">Purifying Wound</span> (AP)</strong> - This power is worse than Dimensional Thunder, and it comes at a higher level. Pass on it.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #0000ff">(Swordmage) Shielding Fire</span> (D367)</strong> - This power has a different name in the compendium than in the Dragon article. Shielding Fire's damage is almost besides the point (though its damage is on the high side if you hit). Permanently marking an enemy from across the battlefield (with your aegis, no less) is very useful, and it doesn't prevent you from using your aegis normally. For a shielding swordmage, this makes the aegis of shielding into a decent offense. Your mark's much less likely to be ignored now. This power is <strong><span style="color: #00ccff">light blue</span></strong> for a shielding swordmage.</p><p></p><p><strong>Theft of Alacrity (D382)</strong> - As a plus, this is an attack against Will, which is nice. The ability to teleport after the enemy is situationally useful for repositioning, but you probably won't need it to pursue the enemy (unlike what the flavor text would suggest). Enemies that are immobilized or slowed tend to have trouble getting away from you...</p><p></p><p> </p><p><strong>Level 6, Utility</strong></p><p> </p><p><strong><span style="color: #00ccff">Armanthor's Step</span> (FRPG)</strong> - Now any race can gain the same sort of mobility as eladrin, shadar-kai, and shardminds. This power is <strong><span style="color: #0000ff">less useful</span></strong> for those races who already have a racial encounter teleport, but they still benefit from the power bonus that comes after the teleportation (into a flank, hopefully). It can also help a great deal outside of combat. There's a reason that eladrin buildings don't have ground floor windows...</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #800080">Dimensional Warding</span> (FRPG)</strong> - Enemies can't teleport around you while this stance is active. For most of them, this is no change from the usual. There are some times where this can be vital, however, so it's not all the way down to red. As you go higher in paragon and epic tiers and are more likely to face teleporting enemies, this power goes up to <strong>black</strong>.</p><p></p><p><strong>Eldritch Quagmire (D405) </strong> - You get to be a warden with Winter's Herald. For ensnaring swordmages, it can negate an opponent's turn once, making it <span style="color: #0000ff"><strong>stronger</strong></span>.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #800080">Fate-Spurned Foe</span> (FRPG)</strong> - You don't have that many (save ends) effects, and those you have aren't that bad. This power is nice for a wizard which multiclasses into swordmage, though.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #800080">Nimbus of Shielding</span> (D382)</strong> - Nimbus of Shielding competes with a lot of good utility powers at level 6. The basic effect (+1 to AC to adjacent allies) is very limited. With the shielding swordmage kicker, it also helps with non-AC defenses, which is a bit more useful (protecting against burst effects, which typically target non-AC defenses). That said, it's still very positioning dependent, and I have a bias against powers which constrain your ability to move freely around the battlefield.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #ff0000">Quickling Stride</span> (AP)</strong> - Double move as a single move action. Too bad that in most battlefields, teleporting 5 is better than moving 12.</p><p></p><p><strong>Silversteel Veil (FRPG)</strong> - Not a bad power. It protects you and your nearby allies (with an untyped bonus, even), and it has the Force keyword, so it can trigger your Solid Sound later. The only stain against it is that it can be hard to tell when it's best to use it.</p><p></p><p><strong>Stride of the Gallant (D382)</strong> - Encounter-long teleport is very nice, but the restrictions on destination and the fact that it was made a daily stance rather than an encounter stance (as it was originally) keep it from being a very strong choice. If you've got things which increase your teleportation distance, then you can get more use out of the stance, and it's accordingly higher rated.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #0000ff">Swordmage's Decree</span> (AP)</strong> - You get a double mark each encounter, or a super-mark once in a day. The utility of this utility power goes down in paragon and epic when you have access to Double Aegis and Total Aegis, but this power still works even then to mark more targets than you'd otherwise be able to.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #ff0000">Unicorn's Touch</span> (AP)</strong> - After the errata, it's garbage. Alas, we hardly knew ye.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #ff0000">Variable Defense</span> (D367)</strong> - The damage resistance is limited to elemental types, it's of a low magnitude, and the ability to change it won't come in handy often enough to justify it over Fear No Elements.</p><p></p><p><strong>Zephyr of the Barren Sands (AP)</strong> - While teleportation is still usually more useful than flight, flight still gets around difficult terrain and many enemies, and you don't need line of sight to your final destination. That keeps this power in the black.</p><p></p><p> </p><p><strong>Level 7, Encounter</strong></p><p> </p><p><strong><span style="color: #ff0000">Dazing Rebuke</span> (AP)</strong> - This power's timing is all sorts of messed up, and it uses up your immediate action. Save that for something better.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #0000ff">Echoes of Sword Magic</span> (D382)</strong> - The first blue power of level 7. This power has the same advantages as Blades of Fiery Wrath back at level 3, but it also does thunder damage (harder to resist, and works with Resounding Thunder) and marks the targets you hit for a turn (with your aegis, no less).</p><p></p><p><strong>Evoker's Summoning (D385)</strong> - The power wants to be good. It's against Will (which makes the force damage somewhat puzzling), but its effect is basically the equivalent of the fighter's Come and Get It, but against a single enemy that only moves the target if you hit (and with lower damage). I know they're different classes, but they're the same role, and if anything, the swordmage should have more battlefield control than the fighter.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #ff0000">Electrified Lash</span> (FRPG)</strong> - It's more damaging than Sword Burst, but that's the only good thing that can be said of it. Too bad Sword Burst is an at-will attack.</p><p></p><p><strong>Fettering Aegis (D405) </strong> - Major downside is the action type. It won't provoke from the mover (assuming it's his turn), but any other enemies can smack you. It's ok for non-ensnaring, and <span style="color: #0000ff"><strong>much stronger</strong></span> for ensnaring swordmages who force enemies to remain there. You're like a fighter!</p><p></p><p><strong>Flamewall Strike (FRPG)</strong> - It's got interesting flavor, and is the closest thing that the swordmage has here to auto-damage. It could be worse.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #800080">Isolating Slam</span> (FRPG)</strong> - Knock those enemies apart! Of course, if you miss with the primary attack (which is an MBA using Intelligence), you don't do anything. Even given that swordmages don't do much damage and this is only an encounter power, that's a little underwhelming.</p><p></p><p><strong>Rejuvenating Strike (AP)</strong> - Rejuvenating Strike can keep you going through a tough fight, and is especially valuable if your leader hasn't focused on healing. The kicker for the ensnaring swordmage is nice, but minor.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #ff0000">Shatterblade</span> (AP)</strong> - This is a larger Greenflame Blade, but at least it does Int damage to those adjacent foes. Wait, it also hits allies? This is a bit too dangerous to get good use out of it.</p><p></p><p><strong>Sleet Strike (D367)</strong> - Despite my personal distaste for the flavor (moving doesn't make you fall prone, but shifting does?), the power is fairly effective at keeping enemies attacking you. If they don't, they'll either move away (provoking OAs) or shift and fall prone (no, I don't know why they'd do that either).</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #800080">Spikes of Agony</span> (FRPG)</strong> - This power is a larger Booming Blade. Sensing a pattern here? Since the extra damage isn't rolled, it doesn't benefit from any modifiers you have from enhancement bonuses, item bonuses, etc. That said, for assault swordmages, this power improves to <strong>black</strong>, as it helps to pin a mark who was already ignoring you.</p><p></p><p><strong>Thunderclap Strike (AP)</strong> - Simple, but effective. This could be considered an improvement on Sword Burst, but there are enough differences to distinguish between them. This hits allies and targets Fortitude, but does twice as much damage and knocks targets prone.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #ff0000">Watchful Strike</span> (AP)</strong> - The flavor text is only true for the assault swordmage. For them, this power is black. For everyone else, this power's less effective than Dual Lightning Strike back at level 3.</p><p></p><p> </p><p></p><p><strong>Level 9, Daily</strong></p><p> </p><p><strong>Arcane Deflection (AP)</strong> - This daily gives you a stance which you can use to protect your adjacent allies. That said, using that stance requires you to use an immediate action, so you can't use your aegis. Be aware of whether getting allies adjacent to you will be a help - there are plenty of nasty bursts by this level, and being able to block one of the attacks isn't so great if it means someone else gets hit. You're best at blocking NAD attacks against allies with weak NADs, since you're getting your proficiency bonus and the monster is taking a -2 to -4 penalty over an AC attack. Improves slightly for the Sigil Carver paragon path, which is going to have clustered allies anyway. </p><p></p><p><strong>Be Gone (FRPG)</strong> - If this power only teleported an enemy away, it'd be ok, but not great. Thankfully, it's also Reliable, so it'll always hit, eventually. Very straight-forward, if a little dull.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #800080">Beacon Blade</span> (FRPG)</strong> - Blinding is a very nice status condition. On the downside, the damage is low, and the effect won't come in handy against most enemies.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #0000ff">Blade Bolt</span> (AP)</strong> - Another "throw your blade" power. It allows for a double mark (though it will disappear if you use your aegis again), and can slow a foe so that it might not be able to reach you. The weapon attack against a NAD is icing on the cake. </p><p></p><p><strong>Dimensional Echoes (D382)</strong> - Dimensional Echoes is a weapon attack against Fortitude, which is nice. I wish that the damage were higher - it's equivalent to a level 1 encounter power from most classes, or a level 3 encounter power for the swordmage. The effect is good, but I don't know that it's enough to convince me to take the power. Single square teleportation is awful close to shifting, and the other half is nearly equal to sliding the enemy one square. If I had enough other teleporting goodness to justify taking Extended Teleportation, Dimensional Echoes looks a whole lot more inviting and improves to <span style="color: #0000ff"><strong>blue</strong></span>.</p><p><strong></strong></p><p><strong><span style="color: #0000ff">Forceful Dismissal</span> (AP)</strong> - Push and prone is a nice combination, and it still pushes with half damage on a miss. If you don't have many close blast powers thus far, this is a good one.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #ff0000">Glamor Blade</span> (FRPG)</strong> - You can be in two places at once, as long as those two places are within 5 squares of one another. Battlefields are large enough in 4e that this won't help much with OAs. The damage is low to boot. Skip this power. </p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #0000ff">Hellspike Assault</span> (AP)</strong> - Hellspike Assault gives you two weapon attacks against a NAD, as well as the movement to get to your second target. The damage on the second attack is pretty good for a swordmage to boot.<strong></strong></p><p><strong></strong><strong></strong></p><p><strong><span style="color: #ff0000">Icy Sweep</span> (D367)</strong> - The damage is off a secondary attribute, and sliding around you isn't nearly as good as teleporting anywhere within 5 squares. Take Be Gone if you like this sort of thing.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #ff0000"> Isolating Aegis</span> (D405) </strong> - Confusingly phrased for its effect (it is no one's ally, and no one is its ally). Unfortunately, an anti-leader effect is too rarely useful to justify this power. </p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #ff0000">Leaping Flames</span> (D367)</strong> - If I could go lower than red, I would. If this attack misses, you've done half of 1d10 + Intelligence damage. Whoop-de-do. Even if you hit, the "traveling flames" move so slowly that you'll probably not catch another enemy with it. </p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #800080">Lightning Strider</span> (D367)</strong> - High mobility, low damage. It helps you cross the field, but it doesn't do much to the enemies that were in your way. </p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #0000ff">Troll Rampage</span> (AP)</strong> - Regeneration all combat (while bloodied) is nice. Charge for that extra +1 attack. If you miss, you'll still get a few hit points back, so keep that in mind when healing at the end of encounters. It might not be worth a surge if you think you'll start the next combat with this power. This power is normally best used around the middle of the combat, when you've got a better idea of how much benefit you'll get from bloodied regeneration.</p><p></p><p> </p><p><strong>Level 10, Utility</strong></p><p> </p><p><strong><span style="color: #800080">Arcane Awareness</span> (FRPG)</strong> - You don't grant CA for a turn. Wait until paragon, then take a feat which gets most of this benefit all the time. </p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #ff0000">Armor of Assault</span> (AP)</strong> - Armor of Assault doesn't compare favorably to Host of Shields, a level 2 stance from Arcane Power. Host of Shields doesn't help with Fortitude or Will, but it also doesn't require you to hit with a melee weapon attack every round to get the benefit. There's also the level 10 vs. level 2 issue. Overall, stick with Host of Shields or Impenetrable Warding to improve your defenses.</p><p></p><p><strong>Dimensional Dodge (FRPG)</strong> - Depending on how your DM rules on the timing, this may allow you to take an OA against a target trying to hit you with a ranged attack. Otherwise, it at least gets you in the target's face. Rated black assuming you get the OA, or <strong><span style="color: #800080">purple</span></strong> if you don't.</p><p></p><p><strong>Feywild Grace (AP)</strong> - Another stance to help you move around. The power bonuses to skills are nice, but the meat of the power is ignoring difficult terrain and an extra 2 speed. The value of this stance is dependent on how much the DM uses difficult terrain.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #0000ff">Impenetrable Warding</span> (FRPG)</strong> - Your NADs are going to be lower than your AC, probably by quite a bit. Some of the nastier attacks from enemies target your NADs. This stance gives +3 to those NADs for most swordmages, and up to +5 for people who improve their warding to the utmost. This makes for a powerful stance.</p><p></p><p><strong>Like a Feather (AP)</strong> - It's like Feather Fall, only more useful. Protecting against prone helps during combat more often than preventing falling damage. It's just unfortunate that it has such competition here. For those swordmages in campaigns set in Sharn, this power becomes <strong><span style="color: #ffd700">gold</span></strong>.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #800080">Spider's Leap</span> (AP)</strong> - If Like a Feather is about things going down, Spider's Leap is about those things going up, or at least side-to-side. You can jump quite a ways... but being able to fly six squares, as you could do through level 6's Zephyr of the Barren Sands, is almost always more useful, even for the ensnaring swordmage.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #ff0000">Unerring Vision</span> (AP)</strong> - It's sort of like truesight mixed with blindsight, but since the targets still have total concealment, concealment, or cover, it's like knowing that you're going to be ambushed, but you don't know exactly when or how. There's also the question of "when do I need to know to use this?"</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Veep, post: 6707975, member: 6793297"] [CENTER][Size=5][b][u][b]Powers - Heroic Tier [/b][/u][/b][/size][/CENTER] [b]Level 1, At-Will[/b] [b][COLOR=#ff0000]Arcane Lance[/COLOR] (D405) [/b] - You're better off using a glaive and taking Frigid Blade - that does more damage and doesn't require you to ride a mount (which can't follow when you teleport). [b][COLOR=#0000ff]Booming Blade[/COLOR] (FRPG)[/b] - This power does solid damage on a hit, and it also helps make you a little more sticky. If they choose to run away from you, then the damage done is actually respectable. [b][COLOR=#0000ff]Frigid Blade[/COLOR] (D367)[/b] - This power gets better and better as you level. By the time you've reached paragon, it's mostly equivalent to slow. At epic, it can act as immobilize against some enemies, and will slow most of the rest. It's also an at-will cold spell, so it works in conjunction with Lasting Frost/Wintertouched without requiring a frost blade. [b]Frostwind Blade (PHH 2)[/b] - Not too useful in heroic, where you're only going to have one enemy marked for most of the fight. It improves a bit when you can have sustained multimarking capabilities, but even then, its range for the extra damage is somewhat limited, and you're less likely to use it when you have more encounters. Frigid Blade's a stronger choice for a cold-themed at-will. [b]Greenflame Blade (FRPG)[/b] - This power helps to clear out minions... if they're bunched up, and they don't resist fire. It's not a bad choice, but the extra damage scales too slowly to help at later levels. [b]Lightning Lure (FRPG)[/b] - Lightning Lure is the only ranged at-will for a swordmage, but its main use is to pull enemies over so that you can hit them. Remember that vertical forced movement is generally a no-no. That said, you can still sometimes use this power to pull an enemy through damaging terrain (or even off a cliff, if you're standing next to one), which makes this a good third power for a human swordmage. [b]Luring Strike (AP)[/b] - Luring Strike has low damage, even for a class that already does low damage compared to the other classes. The advantages it brings are increased mobility, and some battlefield control. It can be used to pull an enemy away from an ally, giving the ally a chance to get free, or to position the enemy for combat advantage against one or more attacks. [b][COLOR=#00ccff]Sword Burst[/COLOR] (FRPG)[/b] - It's a close burst 1 that does force damage (so it's unlikely to be resisted). It's your only choice for an area-of-effect at-will. Fortunately, it's a good one. The size of the burst can be expanded with feats, and it only targets enemies, making it the linchpin for a couple of combinations. [b]Level 1, Encounter[/b] [b][COLOR=#800080]Blazing Pursuit[/COLOR] (AP)[/b] - This power's usefulness depends on whether your enemies try to run away from you. Less useful for assault swordmages (despite the kicker) and ensnaring swordmages, who have their own ways of getting next to an enemy that gets away from them. [b][COLOR=#800080]Chilling Blow[/COLOR] (FRPG)[/b] - Chilling Blow is most effective against multi-attackers (such as controllers, artillery, elites, and solos). That said, at the levels where you'll be using it, you probably won't have a great Constitution modifier (+3, maybe +4 if you take a race with a Con bonus rather than an Int bonus). [b][COLOR=#ff0000]Crackling Burst[/COLOR] (AP)[/b] - It's like Sword Burst, but it doesn't avoid allies and does less damage unless the targets move (in which case it does 1 more damage, on average). Avoid. [b][COLOR=#ff0000]Dimensional Cleave[/COLOR] (D405) [/b] - Triggering this power (and its big brothers) reliably requires another encounter power which teleports a creature next to you. That makes it too hard to use unless you're building around it. It's [COLOR=#800080][b]slightly better[/b][/COLOR] for ensnaring swordmages, but all you get from this power is the same thing that assault swordmages get naturally. [b][COLOR=#0000ff]Falcon's Mark[/COLOR] (AP)[/b] - Double marking powers are strong anytime, and this can also help out a swordmage who can't close in on a good target, either due to terrain or status conditions. It's even stronger for the ensnaring swordmages, who get a second target for their aegis. [b]Flame Cyclone (FRPG)[/b] - The first close blast you can take. It's basically equivalent to an at-will for a sorcerer, but if you don't have a controller in your group who can dish out the area damage, that area damage might save your behind in a few fights (and the power improves to [b][COLOR=#0000ff]blue[/COLOR][/b]). [b]Foesnare (FRPG)[/b] - Your first immobilizing power. The ability to use it while charging shouldn't be ignored, since it means you can still do something useful as a defender even if dazed. Charging also improves your attack bonus. [b][COLOR=#800080]Fox's Feint[/COLOR] (AP)[/b] - Swapping positions with the target is only situationally useful - mainly to get the target into a flank. This power is black for ensnaring swordmages, but they're probably better off with Falcon's Mark or Foesnare. [b][COLOR=#ff0000]Lightning Clash[/COLOR] (FRPG)[/b] - You'll usually be better off with Flame Cyclone which does more damage to the targets it hits and hits more targets. [b][COLOR=#0000ff]Sword of Sigils[/COLOR] (AP)[/b] - So, I can mark anyone that I hit with a close burst 1 attack, do more damage to them if they ignore the mark equal to White Lotus Riposte, and it gives a mini-shielding aegis to the shielding swordmage? This power is a strong choice. [b]Level 1, Daily[/b] [b][COLOR=#0000ff]Binding Aegis[/COLOR] (D405) [/b] - The nice part is "effect". Immobilize can stop a lot of monsters in heroic, and you get the attack later as needed. The main downside is "only targeting a marked enemy", so you have to get close before using it. [b]Blade of Judgment (D385)[/b] - Blade of Judgment can be used when an ally is hit with an area effect, even if you are also targeted. The target also doesn’t need to be marked with your aegis (despite the flavor text). It’s slightly better for ensnaring swordmages to give them a damage option instead of their aegis power’s CA+repositioning, and slightly weaker for assaultmages who can already do something similar. [b][COLOR=#ff0000]Burning Blade[/COLOR] (FRPG)[/b] - This power is unconscionably weak if you only make the minimal investment in Strength. Assault swordmages who do bump Strength get a much better use out of it, though they still need to use it early in the fight to gain the most benefit. For them, it improves to [b]black[/b]. [b]Dance of the Sword (AP)[/b] - This is the first "hypno-sword" power. It comes with low damage, but it targets Will and comes with a large area of effect that only targets enemies. Hit or miss, the targets won't be making OAs, so you and your allies nearby can move freely for at least a turn. Improves to [COLOR=#0000ff][b]blue[/b][/COLOR] if you can expand its size. [b][COLOR=#00ccff]Dimensional Thunder[/COLOR] (D367)[/b] - Dimensional Thunder is a weapon attack against a NAD, which is a positive (even when the NAD is Fortitude). It comes with movement baked into the power, which can be very helpful when you're almost but not quite where you need to be, or if you're dazed and would otherwise have to charge. It has decent damage for a swordmage power, and no matter what, all enemies adjacent to you will be taking ongoing damage. Very strong indeed. [b][COLOR=#800080]Dragon's Teeth[/COLOR] (AP)[/b] - Large area of effect, and it only targets enemies. Unfortunately, its main benefit is Strength-based, so it's primarily of use to assault swordmages (and is [b]black[/b] for them). [b][COLOR=#0000ff]Frost Backlash[/COLOR] (FRPG)[/b] - This is the highest single-target damage power you'll see for another 14 levels. Its main use is to give your enemy no good choices for a big battle - hit your ally and trigger your mark, or hit you and take a 3[W] weapon attack against a NAD. The main reason it's not rated light blue is that you can't always get the enemy to hit you when you want to use the power. [b][COLOR=#ff0000]Lashing Asp[/COLOR] (AP)[/b] - This stance is a minion killer, but there's easier ways to kill minions. It is otherwise similar to Burning Blade (bonus damage based on secondary ability), and using Constitution instead of Strength isn't enough to help it. There are better utility stances to use than this "attack". [b]Sweeping Frostblade (AP)[/b] - This will always immobilize, at least for a little while. It's also another enemy-only burst, giving it good synergy with expanding the burst size. [b][COLOR=#0000ff]Vanishing Blade (D390)[/COLOR][/b] - This daily attack power would have worked slightly better as a utility power (probably a stance). You don't care much about whether you hit with this power, but the effect gives you great protection for a round and then excellent mobility for the remainder of the encounter. Especially fun for assault swordmages who can use it to punish their aegis targets, then dart back out. [b]Warding Flourish (D374)[/b] - An interesting choice here - you're not immobilizing, but you get most of the benefit of immobilization if you're attacking melee-based enemies (without reach). It can pin enemies, and also allows your allies to push them around a little. With the right terrain, that's very useful. [b][COLOR=#ff0000]Whirling Blade[/COLOR] (FRPG) - [/b]A pseudo-reliable ranged 5 attack that does 2[W] damage. Range isn't that valuable to you, and the Miss benefit means you're probably not hitting the target that you wanted to. [b]Level 2, Utility[/b] [b][COLOR=#ff0000]Arcane Transport[/COLOR] (AP)[/b] - At level 2, you probably don't have too many teleportation powers. At later levels, when you do have those powers, you probably still want something stronger than this. If it were an encounter power, it'd be worthwhile. As it stands, it isn't. [b][COLOR=#0000ff]Channeling Shield[/COLOR] (AP)[/b] - You get a mini-aegis of shielding which works against any attack (against you, from a creature you don't have marked...), and if you are a shielding swordmage, it also gives you a damage boost. Unfortunately, the damage it prevents doesn't scale well, and so it's down to [b]black[/b] by late paragon and epic. [b][COLOR=#0000ff]Dimensional Warp[/COLOR] (FRPG)[/b] - Swapping places with an ally or swapping two allies' places comes in handy more often than one would think at first. It can get an ally that was surrounded out of trouble, or allow two allies to make use of the same space to flank on their turns. It's a minor action to use, so you can also use it to get a little burst of speed yourself if needed. [b][COLOR=#800080]Eldritch Speed[/COLOR] (FRPG)[/b] - Nice for when you know that you need to get in fast. Unfortunately, it's hard to tell ahead of time when that is. [b][COLOR=#ff0000]Elemental Aegis[/COLOR] (D367)[/b] - 99% of the time, Channeling Shield will be much more useful. This only prevents elemental energy damage, doesn't help you, and requires the attacking enemy to be marked by you. The 1% of the time where the ally's hit with multiple attacks and the resistance works multiple times isn't worth it. [b]Fear No Elements (FRPG)[/b] - Most campaigns will have a fair number of fights where there's a particularly damaging energy type. With this power, you don't need to have the right equipment ahead of time. [b]Ghost Step (AP)[/b] - You can shift through difficult terrain with this power, and it helps a lot with positioning. I prefer more defensive stances, but your mileage may vary. [b][COLOR=#0000ff]Host of Shields[/COLOR] (AP)[/b] - Simple, yet effective. The benefit is equally applicable at higher levels, and it can keep you up during a long solo battle while your mark protects your allies. [b]Mythal Recovery (FRPG)[/b] - At lower levels, there are fewer killer status effects. As you level up and dazes and blinds get thrown around, this power (or similar powers) become more valuable. It increases to [b][COLOR=#0000ff]blue[/COLOR][/b] by paragon tier. [b]Price of Ensnarement (D382)[/b] - Price of Ensnarement gives you a damage bonus against slowed or immobilized enemies, and adds a small attack bonus if you're an ensnaring swordmage. The value of this stance is based on your party as well as your personal build. If you're the only one with slowing and immobilizing powers, it's not useful as a level 2 utility (since you probably only have a single encounter power that slows or immobilizes). If you're in a party with a wizard with Ray of Frost, then it improves immensely. Once you reach a higher level, you may find it worth retraining into if you're already focused on that branch of powers or have taken advantage of Sudden Roots. [b][COLOR=#800080]Spellbinder’s Gift[/COLOR] (D385)[/b] - This can be used to hit vulnerabilities (including vulnerabilities you created) or to avoid resistances if your party's weapons are already doing elemental damage. The former, you want more than one encounter per day (especially at the cost of a minor to sustain), and the latter is unlikely. Weapon attacks don't often have associated elemental damage. [b][COLOR=#ff0000]Ward of Brilliance[/COLOR] (AP)[/b] - It's like the wizard's shield, only it's a daily and only works against melee attacks from a marked target. Ignore the part about blinding if the attack - your turn will come before the enemy's turn, so it's basically "grants CA and can't make OAs" until you next act. [i][b]Special Mention: [COLOR=#00ccff]Arcane Mutterings[/COLOR] (PHB3)[/b][/i] - While this is a skill power, it's one for which every swordmage qualifies. Remember what I said above about avoiding Charisma and training in most social skills? This lets you use Arcana in place of three of the four main social checks, once per encounter. If it's a skill challenge, once per encounter is probably enough to make a meaningful contribution so you're not stuck wishing that you had more useful skills. This is the most generally useful of the Arcana skill powers, even if it's not normally useful in combat. [b]Level 3, Encounter[/b] [b][COLOR=#0000ff]Blades of Fiery Wrath[/COLOR] (D382)[/b] - This power is competing at the same slot as Transposing Lunge and Dimensional Vortex. Fortunately, it is a decent choice thanks to its free action and trigger. The White Lotus feats already make it attractive to have a swordmage who uses a lot of at-will attacks. With this spell, you can use your at-will attacks and have a good fallback if your first attack misses. [b][COLOR=#0000ff]Blastback Swipe[/COLOR] (FRPG)[/b] - Here's a power with a lot of stuff going on. Weapon attack versus NAD, can be used during charging, and if you're an assault swordmage, used in place of an MBA when your aegis triggers. The push 2 isn't shabby either. Stronger for assault swordmages, but not enough to go to light blue. [b]Blazing Lunge (AP) -[/b] Blazing Lunge does more damage than Blastback Swipe and targets a slightly better defense, but its damage is more easily resisted and it doesn't have any control elements. [b][COLOR=#800080]Corrosive Ruin[/COLOR] (FRPG)[/b] - This power was ok when it was Flame Cyclone, but this does less damage and targets Fortitude. Making the damage acid is a minor benefit, but powers are also supposed to be better as you level up, not equal. [b][COLOR=#00ccff]Dimensional Vortex[/COLOR] (AP)[/b] - The existence of Dimensional Vortex is the only reason that Transposing Lunge isn't gold for shielding swordmages. You don't need to have the target marked (making it especially useful in the early rounds of combat), and it's an attack against Will. You can reverse an attack that could have dropped one of your allies. It's slightly better for shielding swordmages, but any flavor of swordmage makes use of it effectively. [b][COLOR=#0000ff]Dual Lightning Strike[/COLOR] (AP)[/b] - Two attacks against two distant enemies is good, and marking them means that they'll try to come after you. The power also has teleportation built in as an effect, which means it can be used to get you into a flank for the second attack (or just let you move if you were immobilized). [b]Incendiary Sword (D367) [/b] - This is the swordmage's sole area burst against Will. It's a strange power, but its low range and inability to discriminate between allies and enemies means that it's not of as much use as it first appears. If your DM tries hard to avoid the extra damage, it works better as a little soft control. [b][COLOR=#ff0000]Shadow Snake Lunge[/COLOR] (AP)[/b] - If I wanted to immobilize a creature, I'd use a power that did it directly. If I wanted to use a power that did more damage if the target moved away, I'd use Booming Blade. [b][COLOR=#800080]Sloth Strike[/COLOR] (FRPG)[/b] - Would you do an extra 1[W] damage and change immobilized into slowed? That's basically what this power does when compared to Foesnare. I'd rather have the strong lockdown than the extra ~5 damage. [b]Transposing Lunge (FRPG)[/b] - This power is only average for two of the swordmage builds (teleporting your target adjacent to you helps positioning and sometimes with terrain), but the kicker for shielding swordmages makes it [COLOR=#00ccff][b]light blue[/b][/COLOR] for them. It is used as part of your aegis activation, so even if you don't hit (and potentially pull the target to where its attack fizzles), you'll still prevent some damage. For a good shielding swordmage, this is close to a free action. [b]Unseen Gauntlet (AP)[/b] - Speaking of movement denial, Unseen Gauntlet does a good job of immobilizing a target at range. Against a melee-based enemy, this is nearly as good as a stun. If it didn't target Fortitude (the best defense for brutes, who are also the most melee-based), it'd be blue. [b]Level 5, Daily[/b] [b]Deep Freeze (FRPG)[/b] - This power forces enemies to keep away from the creature that you've attacked. The initial attack itself is somewhat underwhelming, but this means that a stronger use of the power is to hit yourself or an ally with it. Yeah, it's harder for swordmages to get Rain of Steel, but the damage is just as nice. [b][COLOR=#800080]Dimensional Bond[/COLOR] (AP)[/b] - I'm not sure who's supposed to use this power. I guess it's shielding swordmages who want to follow their aegis target - assault and ensnaring swordmages have their own ways of keeping up with the enemies they have marked. [b]Elemental Foible (FRPG)[/b] - Ignore the attack and hit line of this power. Giving an enemy vulnerability to elemental damage is the main shtick, and if the party can take advantage, then this power is huge. If they can't, it isn't. [b]Energy Theft (AP)[/b] - Like Elemental Foible, this power's attack and hit don't matter. By making the vulnerability (save ends), you give your party a minor resistance to that energy type. Against creatures doing typed damage (e.g. the undead with necrotic, or a variety of elementals), this resistance can turn a hard combat into an easy one. It's unfortunate that it acts more like a utility power when you use it this way. If your DM regularly uses encounters with a "theme" type of damage, then this power increases to [b][COLOR=#0000ff]blue[/COLOR][/b]. [b][COLOR=#ff0000]Enervating Slash[/COLOR] (AP)[/b] - So it's like weakened in almost every way, but with a different name. The creatures it hurts the most are the ones most likely to save against it. Pass. [b]Lingering Lightning (FRPG)[/b] - Nice visual, but the low range hurts it. Still, the chance for hitting three targets around you with ongoing damage keeps it from dropping to purple. [b][COLOR=#800080]Mark of the Hound[/COLOR] (AP)[/b] - The effect isn't that great. The damage is good for a swordmage (which is mediocre for most other classes). You have better options. [b][COLOR=#ff0000]Purifying Wound[/COLOR] (AP)[/b] - This power is worse than Dimensional Thunder, and it comes at a higher level. Pass on it. [b][COLOR=#0000ff](Swordmage) Shielding Fire[/COLOR] (D367)[/b] - This power has a different name in the compendium than in the Dragon article. Shielding Fire's damage is almost besides the point (though its damage is on the high side if you hit). Permanently marking an enemy from across the battlefield (with your aegis, no less) is very useful, and it doesn't prevent you from using your aegis normally. For a shielding swordmage, this makes the aegis of shielding into a decent offense. Your mark's much less likely to be ignored now. This power is [b][COLOR=#00ccff]light blue[/COLOR][/b] for a shielding swordmage. [b]Theft of Alacrity (D382)[/b] - As a plus, this is an attack against Will, which is nice. The ability to teleport after the enemy is situationally useful for repositioning, but you probably won't need it to pursue the enemy (unlike what the flavor text would suggest). Enemies that are immobilized or slowed tend to have trouble getting away from you... [b]Level 6, Utility[/b] [b][COLOR=#00ccff]Armanthor's Step[/COLOR] (FRPG)[/b] - Now any race can gain the same sort of mobility as eladrin, shadar-kai, and shardminds. This power is [b][COLOR=#0000ff]less useful[/COLOR][/b] for those races who already have a racial encounter teleport, but they still benefit from the power bonus that comes after the teleportation (into a flank, hopefully). It can also help a great deal outside of combat. There's a reason that eladrin buildings don't have ground floor windows... [b][COLOR=#800080]Dimensional Warding[/COLOR] (FRPG)[/b] - Enemies can't teleport around you while this stance is active. For most of them, this is no change from the usual. There are some times where this can be vital, however, so it's not all the way down to red. As you go higher in paragon and epic tiers and are more likely to face teleporting enemies, this power goes up to [b]black[/b]. [b]Eldritch Quagmire (D405) [/b] - You get to be a warden with Winter's Herald. For ensnaring swordmages, it can negate an opponent's turn once, making it [COLOR=#0000ff][b]stronger[/b][/COLOR]. [b][COLOR=#800080]Fate-Spurned Foe[/COLOR] (FRPG)[/b] - You don't have that many (save ends) effects, and those you have aren't that bad. This power is nice for a wizard which multiclasses into swordmage, though. [b][COLOR=#800080]Nimbus of Shielding[/COLOR] (D382)[/b] - Nimbus of Shielding competes with a lot of good utility powers at level 6. The basic effect (+1 to AC to adjacent allies) is very limited. With the shielding swordmage kicker, it also helps with non-AC defenses, which is a bit more useful (protecting against burst effects, which typically target non-AC defenses). That said, it's still very positioning dependent, and I have a bias against powers which constrain your ability to move freely around the battlefield. [b][COLOR=#ff0000]Quickling Stride[/COLOR] (AP)[/b] - Double move as a single move action. Too bad that in most battlefields, teleporting 5 is better than moving 12. [b]Silversteel Veil (FRPG)[/b] - Not a bad power. It protects you and your nearby allies (with an untyped bonus, even), and it has the Force keyword, so it can trigger your Solid Sound later. The only stain against it is that it can be hard to tell when it's best to use it. [b]Stride of the Gallant (D382)[/b] - Encounter-long teleport is very nice, but the restrictions on destination and the fact that it was made a daily stance rather than an encounter stance (as it was originally) keep it from being a very strong choice. If you've got things which increase your teleportation distance, then you can get more use out of the stance, and it's accordingly higher rated. [b][COLOR=#0000ff]Swordmage's Decree[/COLOR] (AP)[/b] - You get a double mark each encounter, or a super-mark once in a day. The utility of this utility power goes down in paragon and epic when you have access to Double Aegis and Total Aegis, but this power still works even then to mark more targets than you'd otherwise be able to. [b][COLOR=#ff0000]Unicorn's Touch[/COLOR] (AP)[/b] - After the errata, it's garbage. Alas, we hardly knew ye. [b][COLOR=#ff0000]Variable Defense[/COLOR] (D367)[/b] - The damage resistance is limited to elemental types, it's of a low magnitude, and the ability to change it won't come in handy often enough to justify it over Fear No Elements. [b]Zephyr of the Barren Sands (AP)[/b] - While teleportation is still usually more useful than flight, flight still gets around difficult terrain and many enemies, and you don't need line of sight to your final destination. That keeps this power in the black. [b]Level 7, Encounter[/b] [b][COLOR=#ff0000]Dazing Rebuke[/COLOR] (AP)[/b] - This power's timing is all sorts of messed up, and it uses up your immediate action. Save that for something better. [b][COLOR=#0000ff]Echoes of Sword Magic[/COLOR] (D382)[/b] - The first blue power of level 7. This power has the same advantages as Blades of Fiery Wrath back at level 3, but it also does thunder damage (harder to resist, and works with Resounding Thunder) and marks the targets you hit for a turn (with your aegis, no less). [b]Evoker's Summoning (D385)[/b] - The power wants to be good. It's against Will (which makes the force damage somewhat puzzling), but its effect is basically the equivalent of the fighter's Come and Get It, but against a single enemy that only moves the target if you hit (and with lower damage). I know they're different classes, but they're the same role, and if anything, the swordmage should have more battlefield control than the fighter. [b][COLOR=#ff0000]Electrified Lash[/COLOR] (FRPG)[/b] - It's more damaging than Sword Burst, but that's the only good thing that can be said of it. Too bad Sword Burst is an at-will attack. [b]Fettering Aegis (D405) [/b] - Major downside is the action type. It won't provoke from the mover (assuming it's his turn), but any other enemies can smack you. It's ok for non-ensnaring, and [COLOR=#0000ff][b]much stronger[/b][/COLOR] for ensnaring swordmages who force enemies to remain there. You're like a fighter! [b]Flamewall Strike (FRPG)[/b] - It's got interesting flavor, and is the closest thing that the swordmage has here to auto-damage. It could be worse. [b][COLOR=#800080]Isolating Slam[/COLOR] (FRPG)[/b] - Knock those enemies apart! Of course, if you miss with the primary attack (which is an MBA using Intelligence), you don't do anything. Even given that swordmages don't do much damage and this is only an encounter power, that's a little underwhelming. [b]Rejuvenating Strike (AP)[/b] - Rejuvenating Strike can keep you going through a tough fight, and is especially valuable if your leader hasn't focused on healing. The kicker for the ensnaring swordmage is nice, but minor. [b][COLOR=#ff0000]Shatterblade[/COLOR] (AP)[/b] - This is a larger Greenflame Blade, but at least it does Int damage to those adjacent foes. Wait, it also hits allies? This is a bit too dangerous to get good use out of it. [b]Sleet Strike (D367)[/b] - Despite my personal distaste for the flavor (moving doesn't make you fall prone, but shifting does?), the power is fairly effective at keeping enemies attacking you. If they don't, they'll either move away (provoking OAs) or shift and fall prone (no, I don't know why they'd do that either). [b][COLOR=#800080]Spikes of Agony[/COLOR] (FRPG)[/b] - This power is a larger Booming Blade. Sensing a pattern here? Since the extra damage isn't rolled, it doesn't benefit from any modifiers you have from enhancement bonuses, item bonuses, etc. That said, for assault swordmages, this power improves to [b]black[/b], as it helps to pin a mark who was already ignoring you. [b]Thunderclap Strike (AP)[/b] - Simple, but effective. This could be considered an improvement on Sword Burst, but there are enough differences to distinguish between them. This hits allies and targets Fortitude, but does twice as much damage and knocks targets prone. [b][COLOR=#ff0000]Watchful Strike[/COLOR] (AP)[/b] - The flavor text is only true for the assault swordmage. For them, this power is black. For everyone else, this power's less effective than Dual Lightning Strike back at level 3. [b]Level 9, Daily[/b] [b]Arcane Deflection (AP)[/b] - This daily gives you a stance which you can use to protect your adjacent allies. That said, using that stance requires you to use an immediate action, so you can't use your aegis. Be aware of whether getting allies adjacent to you will be a help - there are plenty of nasty bursts by this level, and being able to block one of the attacks isn't so great if it means someone else gets hit. You're best at blocking NAD attacks against allies with weak NADs, since you're getting your proficiency bonus and the monster is taking a -2 to -4 penalty over an AC attack. Improves slightly for the Sigil Carver paragon path, which is going to have clustered allies anyway. [b]Be Gone (FRPG)[/b] - If this power only teleported an enemy away, it'd be ok, but not great. Thankfully, it's also Reliable, so it'll always hit, eventually. Very straight-forward, if a little dull. [b][COLOR=#800080]Beacon Blade[/COLOR] (FRPG)[/b] - Blinding is a very nice status condition. On the downside, the damage is low, and the effect won't come in handy against most enemies. [b][COLOR=#0000ff]Blade Bolt[/COLOR] (AP)[/b] - Another "throw your blade" power. It allows for a double mark (though it will disappear if you use your aegis again), and can slow a foe so that it might not be able to reach you. The weapon attack against a NAD is icing on the cake. [b]Dimensional Echoes (D382)[/b] - Dimensional Echoes is a weapon attack against Fortitude, which is nice. I wish that the damage were higher - it's equivalent to a level 1 encounter power from most classes, or a level 3 encounter power for the swordmage. The effect is good, but I don't know that it's enough to convince me to take the power. Single square teleportation is awful close to shifting, and the other half is nearly equal to sliding the enemy one square. If I had enough other teleporting goodness to justify taking Extended Teleportation, Dimensional Echoes looks a whole lot more inviting and improves to [COLOR=#0000ff][b]blue[/b][/COLOR]. [b] [COLOR=#0000ff]Forceful Dismissal[/COLOR] (AP)[/b] - Push and prone is a nice combination, and it still pushes with half damage on a miss. If you don't have many close blast powers thus far, this is a good one. [b][COLOR=#ff0000]Glamor Blade[/COLOR] (FRPG)[/b] - You can be in two places at once, as long as those two places are within 5 squares of one another. Battlefields are large enough in 4e that this won't help much with OAs. The damage is low to boot. Skip this power. [b][COLOR=#0000ff]Hellspike Assault[/COLOR] (AP)[/b] - Hellspike Assault gives you two weapon attacks against a NAD, as well as the movement to get to your second target. The damage on the second attack is pretty good for a swordmage to boot.[b] [/b][b] [COLOR=#ff0000]Icy Sweep[/COLOR] (D367)[/b] - The damage is off a secondary attribute, and sliding around you isn't nearly as good as teleporting anywhere within 5 squares. Take Be Gone if you like this sort of thing. [b][COLOR=#ff0000] Isolating Aegis[/COLOR] (D405) [/b] - Confusingly phrased for its effect (it is no one's ally, and no one is its ally). Unfortunately, an anti-leader effect is too rarely useful to justify this power. [b][COLOR=#ff0000]Leaping Flames[/COLOR] (D367)[/b] - If I could go lower than red, I would. If this attack misses, you've done half of 1d10 + Intelligence damage. Whoop-de-do. Even if you hit, the "traveling flames" move so slowly that you'll probably not catch another enemy with it. [b][COLOR=#800080]Lightning Strider[/COLOR] (D367)[/b] - High mobility, low damage. It helps you cross the field, but it doesn't do much to the enemies that were in your way. [b][COLOR=#0000ff]Troll Rampage[/COLOR] (AP)[/b] - Regeneration all combat (while bloodied) is nice. Charge for that extra +1 attack. If you miss, you'll still get a few hit points back, so keep that in mind when healing at the end of encounters. It might not be worth a surge if you think you'll start the next combat with this power. This power is normally best used around the middle of the combat, when you've got a better idea of how much benefit you'll get from bloodied regeneration. [b]Level 10, Utility[/b] [b][COLOR=#800080]Arcane Awareness[/COLOR] (FRPG)[/b] - You don't grant CA for a turn. Wait until paragon, then take a feat which gets most of this benefit all the time. [b][COLOR=#ff0000]Armor of Assault[/COLOR] (AP)[/b] - Armor of Assault doesn't compare favorably to Host of Shields, a level 2 stance from Arcane Power. Host of Shields doesn't help with Fortitude or Will, but it also doesn't require you to hit with a melee weapon attack every round to get the benefit. There's also the level 10 vs. level 2 issue. Overall, stick with Host of Shields or Impenetrable Warding to improve your defenses. [b]Dimensional Dodge (FRPG)[/b] - Depending on how your DM rules on the timing, this may allow you to take an OA against a target trying to hit you with a ranged attack. Otherwise, it at least gets you in the target's face. Rated black assuming you get the OA, or [b][COLOR=#800080]purple[/COLOR][/b] if you don't. [b]Feywild Grace (AP)[/b] - Another stance to help you move around. The power bonuses to skills are nice, but the meat of the power is ignoring difficult terrain and an extra 2 speed. The value of this stance is dependent on how much the DM uses difficult terrain. [b][COLOR=#0000ff]Impenetrable Warding[/COLOR] (FRPG)[/b] - Your NADs are going to be lower than your AC, probably by quite a bit. Some of the nastier attacks from enemies target your NADs. This stance gives +3 to those NADs for most swordmages, and up to +5 for people who improve their warding to the utmost. This makes for a powerful stance. [b]Like a Feather (AP)[/b] - It's like Feather Fall, only more useful. Protecting against prone helps during combat more often than preventing falling damage. It's just unfortunate that it has such competition here. For those swordmages in campaigns set in Sharn, this power becomes [b][COLOR=#ffd700]gold[/COLOR][/b]. [b][COLOR=#800080]Spider's Leap[/COLOR] (AP)[/b] - If Like a Feather is about things going down, Spider's Leap is about those things going up, or at least side-to-side. You can jump quite a ways... but being able to fly six squares, as you could do through level 6's Zephyr of the Barren Sands, is almost always more useful, even for the ensnaring swordmage. [b][COLOR=#ff0000]Unerring Vision[/COLOR] (AP)[/b] - It's sort of like truesight mixed with blindsight, but since the targets still have total concealment, concealment, or cover, it's like knowing that you're going to be ambushed, but you don't know exactly when or how. There's also the question of "when do I need to know to use this?" [/QUOTE]
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Masters of Blade Magic: A Swordmage Handbook (By Herid_Fel)
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