Menu
News
All News
Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
Pathfinder
Starfinder
Warhammer
2d20 System
Year Zero Engine
Industry News
Reviews
Dragon Reflections
Columns
Weekly Digests
Weekly News Digest
Freebies, Sales & Bundles
RPG Print News
RPG Crowdfunding News
Game Content
ENterplanetary DimENsions
Mythological Figures
Opinion
Worlds of Design
Peregrine's Next
RPG Evolution
Other Columns
From the Freelancing Frontline
Monster ENcyclopedia
WotC/TSR Alumni Look Back
4 Hours w/RSD (Ryan Dancey)
The Road to 3E (Jonathan Tweet)
Greenwood's Realms (Ed Greenwood)
Drawmij's TSR (Jim Ward)
Community
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Resources
Wiki
Pages
Latest activity
Media
New media
New comments
Search media
Downloads
Latest reviews
Search resources
EN Publishing
Store
EN5ider
Adventures in ZEITGEIST
Awfully Cheerful Engine
What's OLD is NEW
Judge Dredd & The Worlds Of 2000AD
War of the Burning Sky
Level Up: Advanced 5E
Events & Releases
Upcoming Events
Private Events
Featured Events
Socials!
Twitch
YouTube
Facebook (EN Publishing)
Facebook (EN World)
Twitter
Instagram
TikTok
Podcast
Features
Top 5 RPGs Compiled Charts 2004-Present
Adventure Game Industry Market Research Summary (RPGs) V1.0
Ryan Dancey: Acquiring TSR
Q&A With Gary Gygax
D&D Rules FAQs
TSR, WotC, & Paizo: A Comparative History
D&D Pronunciation Guide
Million Dollar TTRPG Kickstarters
Tabletop RPG Podcast Hall of Fame
Eric Noah's Unofficial D&D 3rd Edition News
D&D in the Mainstream
D&D & RPG History
About Morrus
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*Dungeons & Dragons
Masters of Sword and Spell: The Bladesinger's Handbook (By Adamclare)
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="Veep" data-source="post: 6708022" data-attributes="member: 6793297"><p>Native Wizard, Bladesinger, and Arcane Paragon Paths are pretty lackluster. You will likely be looking to your multiclass or race for a paragon path.</p><p></p><p><strong>Native Paragon Paths</strong></p><p> </p><p></p><p><span style="color: #ff00ff"><strong>Sorcerous Sword (NCG): </strong></span>The only (so far) Bladesinger specific path. It's pretty bad, so you'll probably want to take something else. The action point feature can be replaced with Feral Hide Armor and requires giving up the extra action. Shifting your speed as a move action under Bladesong is good, as is a free teleport once per encounter, but unlike most paths, this gives you another encounter-as-daily power instead of a proper encounter power. </p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #ff0000">Academy Master (D374):</span></strong> Normally very good, but absolutely useless for Bladesingers. No arcane at-will attacks powers that hit mean that literally the only thing this the arcana boost and a reroll on action point. Everything else is non-functional. <span style="color: #0000ff"><strong>Improves</strong></span> for Eldritch Strike users.</p><p></p><p><strong>Arcane Wayfarer (AP):</strong> The powers are all decent and the only wasted feature is the ability to teleport on a critical hit with wizard powers since you only have 3 per day. Really, the reason to take this is the teleport speed it offers at level 16. </p><p></p><p><strong>Battle Mage (PHB):</strong> +4 to attacks during your action point (and presumably Bladesong) turn is fantastic. The free melee basic attack on becoming bloodied is ok, as you should have a good one, but the fact that it can't trigger Bladespells prevents it from being better. The opportunity attack feature is comicly underpowered compared to where your melee basic should be, but the powers are ok.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #0000ff"><strong>Blood Mage (PHB): </strong></span>One of the better Wizard paths for Bladesingers. If you took Area attacks as your Bladesinger dailies, the Bolstering Blood feature can add some significant damage. The powers are all large party friendly bursts, and the utility power lets you recharge Bladesong once per day. The level 16 feature is actually pretty good for CON builds and multiclass fighters with Striking Resurgence. </p><p></p><p><span style="color: #ff0000"><strong>Bonded Summoner (AP):</strong></span> You don't do summons. Nothing to see here. </p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #ff0000">Draconic Antithesis (D369):</span></strong> Highly campaign dependent, but mostly useless. The damage resistance could be useful, but scales poorly, it doesn't compare with other options.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #ff0000">Hermetic Sabateur (AP):</span></strong> You don't get enough Wizard powers for the features to be worth it, and they wouldn't even make this path worth taking if you did.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #ff0000">Master of Flame (D388):</span></strong> The two features that make this path good for other Wizards (expanded blast/burst size and Burning Transformation) are essentially nonfunctional. At most, they work with 4 powers per day, which is not nearly enough to base your path on.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #ff00ff">Master Preserver (DSCS):</span></strong> Pseudo-leaderish in its features. The encounter power is useless unless you're a Half-Elf but it can add some healing and damage prevention to a fragile party. </p><p></p><p><span style="color: #ff00ff"><strong>Planeshifter (MotP): </strong></span>Sequester is very good as is the action point feature, but the rest of the features are more flavorful than powerful. </p><p></p><p><span style="color: #ff0000"><strong>Rimetongue Caller (AP):</strong></span> Another summoning focused path, which makes it useless. </p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #ff0000">Shadow Shaper (HoS): </span></strong>Night Terror doesn't require an attack roll, so it's ok for non-Int builds, but if you dumped Int, there will be better options in your multiclass. The rest of the features are useless. </p><p></p><p><strong>Simbarch of Aglarond (FRPG):</strong> A good increase in durability and some healing options. If your party is leader-lite, it might be worth considering. Silverfire can add a huge amount of damage over the course of an encounter against a solo. </p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #ff00ff">Spellguard Wizard (FRPG):</span></strong> The draws here are the Immediate Interrupt encounter power and the Dex mod to close attacks on an action point. The extra surges are appreciated, but if you really need them, pick another path and take Durable. </p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #0000ff">Spellstorm Wizard (PHB):</span></strong> One of the few wizard paths without wasted features. Extra Damage Action will power up your Bladesong nova round, but it's limited to standard action attacks, so it's limited to two attacks. Storm Spell recharges Bladesong once per day and auto damage on becoming bloodied will clear the field of minions. Overall, very solid if you want to stay with a Wizard path.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #ff0000">Unseen Mage (AP): </span></strong>Extremely weak. Your utility powers and daily powers would need to be dedicated to invisibility to make it even functional and the benefits are too weak to justify that.</p><p></p><p><strong>War Wizard of Cormyr (FRPG): </strong>Arcane Fundamentals opens up a greater range of potential Dilettante powers. There might be something world shattering hidden among the arcane at-will powers, but I haven't found it yet. The powers are all ok, but it's value really hinges on what you can do with Arcane Fundamentals. </p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #ff0000">Weaver of Chance (AP): </span></strong>Purely a flavor path. Entropy is inherently impossible to optimize around which is why we spend so many resources reducing the effects of die rolls. </p><p></p><p><strong>Wizard of the Spiral Tower (PHB):</strong> It provides Int based weapon attacks, which is nice. You can trade an action point to recover Bladesong instead of taking the extra action, which makes this worth considering as it's one of the few ways to recover Bladesong more than once per day.</p><p> </p><p></p><p>Multiclassing opens up a whole new range of options for your paragon path. Paths which rate <strong>Black </strong>or higher have been rated. Paths are rated based on their power for the builds likely to use them. Fighter, Rogue and Swordmage paths are currently rated. If you think I've neglected anything, let me know. Other multiclass paths to follow soon.</p><p><strong>Multiclass Paragon Paths</strong></p><p> </p><p><strong>Fighter</strong></p><p> </p><p><strong>Dreadnaught (MP): </strong>The extra hit points and ability to end effects as a minor action (and some damage) will go a long way in improving your survivability. If you found yourself dazed or unconscious more than you thought was acceptable through most of heroic, this is worth considering. </p><p></p><p><span style="color: #0000ff"><strong>Gladiator Champion (DSCS):</strong></span> The best path to turn yourself into a defender. Note: You can take gladiator as your theme to qualify for this path and use a different multiclass. Whirlwind of Destruction is a powerful stickiness tool and your OA should be a serious deterrent to monsters attempting to escape. The powers using Primary Stat makes this an incredibly flexible path and the action point feature is good, if unexciting.</p><p></p><p><strong>Iron Vanguard (PHB): </strong>If you can't take Mark of Storm, this is a good path for Con builds. Regaining Con mod HP on kills is good (assuming Con is your primary score) but it's the ability to deal Con mod extra damage on proning that makes this worth looking at. You can prone at-will, so it's extra damage based off your primary modifier for those builds. Lyrander Wind-Rider is almost always better, but is often not allowed because it requires a Dragonmark.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #0000ff"><strong>Kensei (PHB):</strong></span> The most generic default path there is. +1 to hit, +4 to damage. The powers and action point feature are very mediocre, but the path remains solid.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: #ff9900"><strong>Kulkor Arms Master (MP): </strong></span>Requires Kulkor Battlearm Student feat. The new Flail Expertise feat makes this trivially easy to trigger. Lashing Flail gives you the slide you need on all your basic attacks. You waste a feat and use a weapon you can't use as an implement, but the pay-off is well worth it. A free melee basic each round is about the best thing you could get from a paragon path. It's pretty clearly the best path, but that's true for almost every class. </p><p></p><p><span style="color: #0000ff"><strong>Shock Trooper (MP): </strong></span>Dex mod extra damage once per round to a target granting your combat advantage. Your dexterity should be good enough for that to be a big deal and at level 16, combat advantage should be trivially easy to get. </p><p> </p><p><strong>Rogue</strong></p><p> </p><p><strong>Arcane Trickster (MP2):</strong> There may be something you can do with Dagger Spell, but I haven't seen anything yet. The powers are good enough to give this a quick glance, but unless you have some special build in mind, you can get better features from other paths. </p><p></p><p><strong>Blade Bravo (MP2):</strong> Another off-defender path. It lacks the stickiness of Gladiator Champion but does have an at-will mark (although no way to punish violation). </p><p></p><p><strong>Poison Master (MP2):</strong> Int mod to damage is great if you went Int/Dex, although it does limit your weapon choice and poison is commonly resisted. </p><p></p><p><strong>Shadow Assassin (PHB):</strong> Dex mod damage when missed can add up quickly. Bladesong's defense bonus will help you get maximum value out of this feature and creates a no-win situation combined with Steely Retort. </p><p> </p><p><strong>Swordmage</strong></p><p> </p><p><strong><span style="color: #0000ff">Malec-Keth Jannisary (MotP):</span></strong> All of the powers are solid and the ability to ignore resistances can be situationally useful. The reason you'd take this path is the 1d4 extra damage on all attacks. This includes melee basic attacks and Bladespells and lets you add an elemental keyword to both. This will let you apply cold vulnerability with your basic attack and then immediately trigger in on your Bladespell, regardless of which one you use. It allows you to pick a weapon that grants minor or free action attacks while still using Lasting Frost/Wintertouched or any number of other elemental keyed abilities. Note: This is extra damage, so it does not add a damage roll to your Bladespells. </p><p> </p><p></p><p> </p><p></p><p>Racial Paragon Paths, including paths that require a specific race and multiclass will be listed here. Only paths rated <strong>Black </strong>or higher will be included. </p><p><strong>Racial Paragon Paths</strong></p><p> </p><p><strong>Eladrin</strong></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #0000ff"><strong>Bralani Wintersoul:</strong></span> Overall a very strong path for both controllers and strikers. If you can reliably damage yourself (or more likely have your party do it for you), Winter's Touch can add a huge amount of damage to your melee basic attacks and Bladespells. The powers are fairly good and the level 16 feature is a powerful control tool.</p><p><strong>Shiere Knight:</strong> Not as good as Bralani Wintersoul. The primary draw is the defense bonus on teleports, which is pretty decent for Feychargers.</p><p><strong>Azure Guard:</strong> Requires worship of Correllion. Offers similar defensive bonuses on teleports as the Shiere Knight, but generally better powers and features. </p><p> </p><p><strong>Elf</strong></p><p> </p><p><strong>Twilight Guardian: </strong>Ignoring difficult terrain is pretty good for a melee class. Rerolls on action points are generically good, and a restraining encounter power will help your control. </p><p> </p><p><strong>Human</strong></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #00ffff"><strong>Adroit Explorer: </strong></span>So if you read Ambitious Effort like I do, this is pretty amazing. Getting two proper encounter powers will significantly improve your control. Even if your DM disagrees on how Ambitious Effort works, the utility and daily powers are both strong, the extra action point, attack bonus on becoming bloodied, and the damage resistance make this a very attractive path.</p><p> </p><p><strong>Tiefling</strong></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #0000ff"><strong>Turathi Highborn: </strong></span>A potentially very large bonus to damage rolls against bloodied targets if you went CHA-based. It's powers are usable by both CHA and INT builds which is a plus, as is a good upgrade to Infernal Wrath. The powers are all good, so it's certainly worth your consideration.</p><p><span style="color: #0000ff"><strong>Lost Soul:</strong></span> DM dependent, but if you find yourself facing ongoing damage frequently, this offers strong retribution. It's a temporary hit point generating machine if you direct your Bladespells at minions, which will boost your durability. </p><p><strong>Hell's Keeper:</strong> Requires a divine multiclass. The powers are CHA based, but on action points you get to turn Slow into Restrain, which is a massive upgrade. The bonus to saving throws against most of the worst status effect is good, and restraining on critical hits is a nice bonus. </p><p><strong>Turathi Hell-Kite: </strong>Requires a martial multiclass. A powerful durability upgrade and a minor action daze make it worth a look. </p><p> </p><p><strong>Gnome</strong></p><p> </p><p><strong>Fey Beguilder: </strong>A wide selection of utility powers, a skill training and rolling twice on stealth checks. Not great but it's better than most of the Wizard paths.</p><p> </p><p><strong>Githzerai</strong></p><p> </p><p><strong>Storvakal: </strong>You get to ignore cover and concealment (effectively) and can use your action point to grant saves against all your conditions. Nothing special in the powers, but ok.</p><p><span style="color: #0000ff"><strong>Rrathmal:</strong></span> Psychic resistance has variable value, but rolling twice on initiative is strong, as is the pursuit utility power. The daily power's zone can guarantee your allies hit for an entire encounter, which is just silly. The encounter power basically trades one standard action attack for a crit on your next one, which is a feature potentially worth building around. Using a Rending Khoposh, you can get a free melee basic out of the crit which reduces the action cost of using the power.</p><p> </p><p><strong>Shardmind</strong></p><p> </p><p><strong>Shard Disciple: </strong>A bigger Shard Sward makes it a better set up for Area attacks and with Buffeting Shard Swarm, you can pull enemies close for a big Feral Armor attack. A second use of Shard Swarm each encounter makes feats that improve it significantly better.</p><p> </p><p><strong>Dragonborn</strong></p><p> </p><p><strong>Mitheral Arm: </strong>A proper Wizard encounter power is a welcome addition, although you'll have to retrain out of your best encounter-as-daily to take it. Your action point/Bladesong turns get a good accuracy boost and a teleport speed is a powerful tool.</p><p><strong>Ninefold Master: </strong>Requires Draconic Spellcaster. A big upgrade to your Dragon Breath damage and the ability to use it for free on action points make this worth a look, even if the powers are likely wasted. Damage resistance is a nice bonus, but you're taking the path for the dragon breath upgrades.</p><p><span style="color: #0000ff"><strong>Honorable Blade:</strong></span> Requires martial multiclass. Adds an elemental keyword to your melee basic attacks which frees up your weapon choice for enhancements that grant free or minor action melee basic attacks. It grants a free use of Dragon Breath on an action point and it's encounter power grants yet another Dragon Breath use. </p><p><strong>Inner Dragon:</strong> Requires fighter multiclass. Adds ongoing damage to your Dragon Breath and a free use on action points. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p></p><p>Other Paragon Paths: This includes Dragonmark, Deity, and skill paragon paths. Only paths rated <strong>Black </strong>or higher will be included.</p><p><strong>Miscellaneous Paragon Paths</strong></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #00ffff"><strong>Lyrander Wind-Rider (EPG): </strong></span>Requires Mark of Storm. Very strong. Con mod bonus to damage (not limited to rolls, as I read it) is amazing. Arcane Admixture will let you get the damage on one of the better Bladespells and either a Lightning Weapon or Eldritch Strike and Arcane Admixture will let you get it (as well as +1 to hit) on your melee basic attacks, too. A Con build not going for Polearm Momentum can't do much better.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: #00ffff">Traveler's Harliquin (D382): </span></strong>Requires training in Bluff, a multiclass feat, and worshiping the Traveler. Simply fantastic. Grants access to multiple multiclasses and gives you a free multiclass feat, too. It opens up otherwise unavailable combinations like Roundabout Charge and Fey Charge, Deft Blade and Eladrin Swordmage Advance, and innumerable others. Training in Bluff will either come from your multiclass feat or your background, so that isn't a serious impediment to anyone who wants to take the path.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Veep, post: 6708022, member: 6793297"] Native Wizard, Bladesinger, and Arcane Paragon Paths are pretty lackluster. You will likely be looking to your multiclass or race for a paragon path. [b]Native Paragon Paths[/b] [COLOR=#ff00ff][b]Sorcerous Sword (NCG): [/b][/COLOR]The only (so far) Bladesinger specific path. It's pretty bad, so you'll probably want to take something else. The action point feature can be replaced with Feral Hide Armor and requires giving up the extra action. Shifting your speed as a move action under Bladesong is good, as is a free teleport once per encounter, but unlike most paths, this gives you another encounter-as-daily power instead of a proper encounter power. [b][COLOR=#ff0000]Academy Master (D374):[/COLOR][/b] Normally very good, but absolutely useless for Bladesingers. No arcane at-will attacks powers that hit mean that literally the only thing this the arcana boost and a reroll on action point. Everything else is non-functional. [COLOR=#0000ff][b]Improves[/b][/COLOR] for Eldritch Strike users. [b]Arcane Wayfarer (AP):[/b] The powers are all decent and the only wasted feature is the ability to teleport on a critical hit with wizard powers since you only have 3 per day. Really, the reason to take this is the teleport speed it offers at level 16. [b]Battle Mage (PHB):[/b] +4 to attacks during your action point (and presumably Bladesong) turn is fantastic. The free melee basic attack on becoming bloodied is ok, as you should have a good one, but the fact that it can't trigger Bladespells prevents it from being better. The opportunity attack feature is comicly underpowered compared to where your melee basic should be, but the powers are ok. [COLOR=#0000ff][b]Blood Mage (PHB): [/b][/COLOR]One of the better Wizard paths for Bladesingers. If you took Area attacks as your Bladesinger dailies, the Bolstering Blood feature can add some significant damage. The powers are all large party friendly bursts, and the utility power lets you recharge Bladesong once per day. The level 16 feature is actually pretty good for CON builds and multiclass fighters with Striking Resurgence. [COLOR=#ff0000][b]Bonded Summoner (AP):[/b][/COLOR] You don't do summons. Nothing to see here. [b][COLOR=#ff0000]Draconic Antithesis (D369):[/COLOR][/b] Highly campaign dependent, but mostly useless. The damage resistance could be useful, but scales poorly, it doesn't compare with other options. [b][COLOR=#ff0000]Hermetic Sabateur (AP):[/COLOR][/b] You don't get enough Wizard powers for the features to be worth it, and they wouldn't even make this path worth taking if you did. [b][COLOR=#ff0000]Master of Flame (D388):[/COLOR][/b] The two features that make this path good for other Wizards (expanded blast/burst size and Burning Transformation) are essentially nonfunctional. At most, they work with 4 powers per day, which is not nearly enough to base your path on. [b][COLOR=#ff00ff]Master Preserver (DSCS):[/COLOR][/b] Pseudo-leaderish in its features. The encounter power is useless unless you're a Half-Elf but it can add some healing and damage prevention to a fragile party. [COLOR=#ff00ff][b]Planeshifter (MotP): [/b][/COLOR]Sequester is very good as is the action point feature, but the rest of the features are more flavorful than powerful. [COLOR=#ff0000][b]Rimetongue Caller (AP):[/b][/COLOR] Another summoning focused path, which makes it useless. [b][COLOR=#ff0000]Shadow Shaper (HoS): [/COLOR][/b]Night Terror doesn't require an attack roll, so it's ok for non-Int builds, but if you dumped Int, there will be better options in your multiclass. The rest of the features are useless. [b]Simbarch of Aglarond (FRPG):[/b] A good increase in durability and some healing options. If your party is leader-lite, it might be worth considering. Silverfire can add a huge amount of damage over the course of an encounter against a solo. [b][COLOR=#ff00ff]Spellguard Wizard (FRPG):[/COLOR][/b] The draws here are the Immediate Interrupt encounter power and the Dex mod to close attacks on an action point. The extra surges are appreciated, but if you really need them, pick another path and take Durable. [b][COLOR=#0000ff]Spellstorm Wizard (PHB):[/COLOR][/b] One of the few wizard paths without wasted features. Extra Damage Action will power up your Bladesong nova round, but it's limited to standard action attacks, so it's limited to two attacks. Storm Spell recharges Bladesong once per day and auto damage on becoming bloodied will clear the field of minions. Overall, very solid if you want to stay with a Wizard path. [b][COLOR=#ff0000]Unseen Mage (AP): [/COLOR][/b]Extremely weak. Your utility powers and daily powers would need to be dedicated to invisibility to make it even functional and the benefits are too weak to justify that. [b]War Wizard of Cormyr (FRPG): [/b]Arcane Fundamentals opens up a greater range of potential Dilettante powers. There might be something world shattering hidden among the arcane at-will powers, but I haven't found it yet. The powers are all ok, but it's value really hinges on what you can do with Arcane Fundamentals. [b][COLOR=#ff0000]Weaver of Chance (AP): [/COLOR][/b]Purely a flavor path. Entropy is inherently impossible to optimize around which is why we spend so many resources reducing the effects of die rolls. [b]Wizard of the Spiral Tower (PHB):[/b] It provides Int based weapon attacks, which is nice. You can trade an action point to recover Bladesong instead of taking the extra action, which makes this worth considering as it's one of the few ways to recover Bladesong more than once per day. Multiclassing opens up a whole new range of options for your paragon path. Paths which rate [b]Black [/b]or higher have been rated. Paths are rated based on their power for the builds likely to use them. Fighter, Rogue and Swordmage paths are currently rated. If you think I've neglected anything, let me know. Other multiclass paths to follow soon. [b]Multiclass Paragon Paths[/b] [b]Fighter[/b] [b]Dreadnaught (MP): [/b]The extra hit points and ability to end effects as a minor action (and some damage) will go a long way in improving your survivability. If you found yourself dazed or unconscious more than you thought was acceptable through most of heroic, this is worth considering. [COLOR=#0000ff][b]Gladiator Champion (DSCS):[/b][/COLOR] The best path to turn yourself into a defender. Note: You can take gladiator as your theme to qualify for this path and use a different multiclass. Whirlwind of Destruction is a powerful stickiness tool and your OA should be a serious deterrent to monsters attempting to escape. The powers using Primary Stat makes this an incredibly flexible path and the action point feature is good, if unexciting. [b]Iron Vanguard (PHB): [/b]If you can't take Mark of Storm, this is a good path for Con builds. Regaining Con mod HP on kills is good (assuming Con is your primary score) but it's the ability to deal Con mod extra damage on proning that makes this worth looking at. You can prone at-will, so it's extra damage based off your primary modifier for those builds. Lyrander Wind-Rider is almost always better, but is often not allowed because it requires a Dragonmark. [COLOR=#0000ff][b]Kensei (PHB):[/b][/COLOR] The most generic default path there is. +1 to hit, +4 to damage. The powers and action point feature are very mediocre, but the path remains solid. [COLOR=#ff9900][b]Kulkor Arms Master (MP): [/b][/COLOR]Requires Kulkor Battlearm Student feat. The new Flail Expertise feat makes this trivially easy to trigger. Lashing Flail gives you the slide you need on all your basic attacks. You waste a feat and use a weapon you can't use as an implement, but the pay-off is well worth it. A free melee basic each round is about the best thing you could get from a paragon path. It's pretty clearly the best path, but that's true for almost every class. [COLOR=#0000ff][b]Shock Trooper (MP): [/b][/COLOR]Dex mod extra damage once per round to a target granting your combat advantage. Your dexterity should be good enough for that to be a big deal and at level 16, combat advantage should be trivially easy to get. [b]Rogue[/b] [b]Arcane Trickster (MP2):[/b] There may be something you can do with Dagger Spell, but I haven't seen anything yet. The powers are good enough to give this a quick glance, but unless you have some special build in mind, you can get better features from other paths. [b]Blade Bravo (MP2):[/b] Another off-defender path. It lacks the stickiness of Gladiator Champion but does have an at-will mark (although no way to punish violation). [b]Poison Master (MP2):[/b] Int mod to damage is great if you went Int/Dex, although it does limit your weapon choice and poison is commonly resisted. [b]Shadow Assassin (PHB):[/b] Dex mod damage when missed can add up quickly. Bladesong's defense bonus will help you get maximum value out of this feature and creates a no-win situation combined with Steely Retort. [b]Swordmage[/b] [b][COLOR=#0000ff]Malec-Keth Jannisary (MotP):[/COLOR][/b] All of the powers are solid and the ability to ignore resistances can be situationally useful. The reason you'd take this path is the 1d4 extra damage on all attacks. This includes melee basic attacks and Bladespells and lets you add an elemental keyword to both. This will let you apply cold vulnerability with your basic attack and then immediately trigger in on your Bladespell, regardless of which one you use. It allows you to pick a weapon that grants minor or free action attacks while still using Lasting Frost/Wintertouched or any number of other elemental keyed abilities. Note: This is extra damage, so it does not add a damage roll to your Bladespells. Racial Paragon Paths, including paths that require a specific race and multiclass will be listed here. Only paths rated [b]Black [/b]or higher will be included. [b]Racial Paragon Paths[/b] [b]Eladrin[/b] [COLOR=#0000ff][b]Bralani Wintersoul:[/b][/COLOR] Overall a very strong path for both controllers and strikers. If you can reliably damage yourself (or more likely have your party do it for you), Winter's Touch can add a huge amount of damage to your melee basic attacks and Bladespells. The powers are fairly good and the level 16 feature is a powerful control tool. [b]Shiere Knight:[/b] Not as good as Bralani Wintersoul. The primary draw is the defense bonus on teleports, which is pretty decent for Feychargers. [b]Azure Guard:[/b] Requires worship of Correllion. Offers similar defensive bonuses on teleports as the Shiere Knight, but generally better powers and features. [b]Elf[/b] [b]Twilight Guardian: [/b]Ignoring difficult terrain is pretty good for a melee class. Rerolls on action points are generically good, and a restraining encounter power will help your control. [b]Human[/b] [COLOR=#00ffff][b]Adroit Explorer: [/b][/COLOR]So if you read Ambitious Effort like I do, this is pretty amazing. Getting two proper encounter powers will significantly improve your control. Even if your DM disagrees on how Ambitious Effort works, the utility and daily powers are both strong, the extra action point, attack bonus on becoming bloodied, and the damage resistance make this a very attractive path. [b]Tiefling[/b] [COLOR=#0000ff][b]Turathi Highborn: [/b][/COLOR]A potentially very large bonus to damage rolls against bloodied targets if you went CHA-based. It's powers are usable by both CHA and INT builds which is a plus, as is a good upgrade to Infernal Wrath. The powers are all good, so it's certainly worth your consideration. [COLOR=#0000ff][b]Lost Soul:[/b][/COLOR] DM dependent, but if you find yourself facing ongoing damage frequently, this offers strong retribution. It's a temporary hit point generating machine if you direct your Bladespells at minions, which will boost your durability. [b]Hell's Keeper:[/b] Requires a divine multiclass. The powers are CHA based, but on action points you get to turn Slow into Restrain, which is a massive upgrade. The bonus to saving throws against most of the worst status effect is good, and restraining on critical hits is a nice bonus. [b]Turathi Hell-Kite: [/b]Requires a martial multiclass. A powerful durability upgrade and a minor action daze make it worth a look. [b]Gnome[/b] [b]Fey Beguilder: [/b]A wide selection of utility powers, a skill training and rolling twice on stealth checks. Not great but it's better than most of the Wizard paths. [b]Githzerai[/b] [b]Storvakal: [/b]You get to ignore cover and concealment (effectively) and can use your action point to grant saves against all your conditions. Nothing special in the powers, but ok. [COLOR=#0000ff][b]Rrathmal:[/b][/COLOR] Psychic resistance has variable value, but rolling twice on initiative is strong, as is the pursuit utility power. The daily power's zone can guarantee your allies hit for an entire encounter, which is just silly. The encounter power basically trades one standard action attack for a crit on your next one, which is a feature potentially worth building around. Using a Rending Khoposh, you can get a free melee basic out of the crit which reduces the action cost of using the power. [b]Shardmind[/b] [b][/b] [b]Shard Disciple: [/b]A bigger Shard Sward makes it a better set up for Area attacks and with Buffeting Shard Swarm, you can pull enemies close for a big Feral Armor attack. A second use of Shard Swarm each encounter makes feats that improve it significantly better. [b]Dragonborn[/b] [b]Mitheral Arm: [/b]A proper Wizard encounter power is a welcome addition, although you'll have to retrain out of your best encounter-as-daily to take it. Your action point/Bladesong turns get a good accuracy boost and a teleport speed is a powerful tool. [b]Ninefold Master: [/b]Requires Draconic Spellcaster. A big upgrade to your Dragon Breath damage and the ability to use it for free on action points make this worth a look, even if the powers are likely wasted. Damage resistance is a nice bonus, but you're taking the path for the dragon breath upgrades. [COLOR=#0000ff][b]Honorable Blade:[/b][/COLOR] Requires martial multiclass. Adds an elemental keyword to your melee basic attacks which frees up your weapon choice for enhancements that grant free or minor action melee basic attacks. It grants a free use of Dragon Breath on an action point and it's encounter power grants yet another Dragon Breath use. [b]Inner Dragon:[/b] Requires fighter multiclass. Adds ongoing damage to your Dragon Breath and a free use on action points. Other Paragon Paths: This includes Dragonmark, Deity, and skill paragon paths. Only paths rated [b]Black [/b]or higher will be included. [b]Miscellaneous Paragon Paths[/b] [COLOR=#00ffff][b]Lyrander Wind-Rider (EPG): [/b][/COLOR]Requires Mark of Storm. Very strong. Con mod bonus to damage (not limited to rolls, as I read it) is amazing. Arcane Admixture will let you get the damage on one of the better Bladespells and either a Lightning Weapon or Eldritch Strike and Arcane Admixture will let you get it (as well as +1 to hit) on your melee basic attacks, too. A Con build not going for Polearm Momentum can't do much better. [b][COLOR=#00ffff]Traveler's Harliquin (D382): [/COLOR][/b]Requires training in Bluff, a multiclass feat, and worshiping the Traveler. Simply fantastic. Grants access to multiple multiclasses and gives you a free multiclass feat, too. It opens up otherwise unavailable combinations like Roundabout Charge and Fey Charge, Deft Blade and Eladrin Swordmage Advance, and innumerable others. Training in Bluff will either come from your multiclass feat or your background, so that isn't a serious impediment to anyone who wants to take the path. [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*Dungeons & Dragons
Masters of Sword and Spell: The Bladesinger's Handbook (By Adamclare)
Top