Swordmage-> annoying...

[Sadrik]

Forgotten Realms Player's Guide (Forgotten Realms Supplement) (Hardcover)
Book Description
The complete guide for building Forgotten Realms characters!

Welcome to Faerûn, a land of amazing magic, terrifying monsters, ancient ruins, and hidden wonders. The world has changed since the Spellplague, and from this arcane crucible have emerged shining kingdoms, tyrannical empires, mighty heroes, and monster-infested dungeons.

The Forgotten Realms Player's Guide presents this changed world from the point of view of the adventurers exploring it. This product includes everything a player needs to create his character for a D&D campaign in the Forgotten Realms setting, including new feats, new character powers, new paragon paths and epic destinies, and even a brand-new character class never before seen in D&D: the swordmage!
MSRP $29.99

I am not an FR player and don't want to pick this up, but I know I will want to play a Swordmage is there any chance this class will get re-published in the "Arcane Power" book? I will be highly disappointed if this is an FR only class.

 

[AZRogue]

I have no idea. I would HOPE that it would be included in the Arcane Power sourcebook, or at least put up on the DDI.

 

[keterys]

I'm really confused about why the swordmage is a FR specific class. I'll grant I don't know anything about the book, but... yeah, hopefully on DDI.

Well, I suppose _definitely_ on DDI, since the rules database will have everything in it.

 

[Dragonblade]

Even if you don't play the Realms, I'd say there are a lot of goodies in that book that would work for any campaign. The Genasi and Drow as races, all the new feats and paths and destinies and the Swordmage!

I don't know yet if I will be running 4e Realms, but I'm sure picking up this book.

 

[Zinovia]

Likewise. I have no use for Forgotten Realms, and will not be purchasing the books. Yet my son who plays in our current campaign really would like to make a swordmage for the 4th edition game we hope to start. I really hope that they provide the rules for this class someplace other than Forgotten Realms specific sourcebooks. I'm also not planning to subscribe to D&DI (I use Macs), but if it were part of a Dragon issue, I'd buy it. Or as a separate PDF for a few bucks.

 

[Zinovia]

Even if you don't play the Realms, I'd say there are a lot of goodies in that book that would work for any campaign. The Genasi and Drow as races, all the new feats and paths and destinies and the Swordmage!

I don't know yet if I will be running 4e Realms, but I'm sure picking up this book.

I'm not. Genasi? Isn't that a brand of beer? Honestly I have no clue what they are.

Drow? Ugh. I hate most of the baggage that goes along with drow; especially the FR drow. We don't have any drow or underdark stuff in our current game, and no one has complained about the lack. Im not sure we'll ever use them, so I won't buy FR just for one class that we want access to the rules for.

 

[Sadrik]

Even if you don't play the Realms, I'd say there are a lot of goodies in that book that would work for any campaign. The Genasi and Drow as races, all the new feats and paths and destinies and the Swordmage!

I don't know yet if I will be running 4e Realms, but I'm sure picking up this book.

Not interested in the Gensai, but again if finding the Drow only in a campaign specific player's guide -> highly annoying.

The Drow is supposed to be in the MM as a playable race.

 

[Grossout]

I am not an FR player and don't want to pick this up, but I know I will want to play a Swordmage is there any chance this class will get re-published in the "Arcane Power" book? I will be highly disappointed if this is an FR only class.

I agree that classes should only appear in the PHBs (not the FR versions). I would hate to have to buy a book, when the only use for it would be to play ONE new class. Couldn't they save the Swordmage for the PHBII?

 

[Dragonblade]

Not interested in the Gensai, but again if finding the Drow only in a campaign specific player's guide -> highly annoying.

The Drow is supposed to be in the MM as a playable race.

I believe it will be a playable race in the MM, along with the gnome, warforged and some others. But the full fluffy race write-up with additional racial feats will be in the FR book. So you don't need the FR book at all to play drow.

Additionally, if you are a DDI subscriber (like I will be) then all of this is moot, since you will get access to everything. And not to sound selfish but if the Swordmage is in the Realms book, I hope its not reprinted in the Arcane sourcebook because I'd rather the page count go towards new stuff, like the Bard perhaps.

 

[Brian Compton]

In some of the preview material for FR, swordmages play a prominent role in Cormyr; these are essentially War Wizards who, not having sufficiently relearned magic, learn from the Purple Dragons a little bit about arms and armor.

However, all the discussion from the developers seemed (and I stress that word) to indicate that this was a generic class, not world-specific. I would guess that you would see it in the Martial Power book, being that it comes out first. If not, then this could be a sign of a shift in philosophy- maybe it was meant to be generic, but in working on FR they decided it fit best there, having a story and all.