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Which options for an EK bladesinger?
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<blockquote data-quote="DEFCON 1" data-source="post: 6415464" data-attributes="member: 7006"><p>Thanks for all the suggestions, folks. Opinions look like it really comes down to preferring either "full offense" or "full defense", which I have to say does make a lot of sense. Especially considering that I'll have all my spells to shore up the other side of the equation (using more <em>Shields</em> on a "full offense" build, or more spell damage with a "full defense" one.) Many other good points were made, so let me just expound a bit on some of them and why I probably would or would not go in those directions.</p><p></p><p> </p><p>On a normal EK this would make a lot of sense, but with my high elf DEX build, I'm not going to have the STR score required to wear the heavy armors. So I'm pretty much stuck with light armor all the way.</p><p></p><p></p><p>Thought about it, actually... but knowing that I most likely wouldn't take Warcaster as my initial feat (because I don't expect to have any spells right away that will require concentration), I'd need one hand free to cast the spells I did have. So it was either dual-wield *and* Warcaster, or single wield and cast spells without worrying about drawing/sheathing. And truth be told... fluff-wise the bladesinger always struck me more as a kensai type of concept, where it's the elf and his blade as one being... which to me feels like dual-wielding kinda goes against that. But I did definitely have that option in my head at one point.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>These are both very valid points. I think fluff-wise the reason why I kept thinking "no armor" was because traditionally the fighter/made wasn't *allowed* to wear armor in order to cast, at least until a set of elven chain could be found. Once he got the elven chain though... wearing armor was fine. So using any armor that is allowable to cast in really shouldn't be an issue if I really thought about it. And going the SL route does save me the spell slot.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Egads, I forgot about that. Yeah, I'm definitely in the camp that says <em>Mage Armor</em> isn't armor in the traditional sense, and thus something like Defense not being allowed with MA is a ruling I'd agree with. Which means the really high AC 18 build doesn't fly. Another reason to go with the Studded Leather option.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>In both these cases, my adhering-to-fluff biases shine through and make me not want to multi-class into those two just for the mechanical benefit. This is just one of my particular picadillos-- both the warlock and the sorcerer have very specific fluff to them and I'd hate to white-wash that fluff away just to gain <em>Mage Armor</em>. Their fluff is just too cool to ignore (since it doesn't really fit my character's fluff concept). I wouldn't mind re-fluffing the Core Four occasionally (since they're the baseline classes wherein its kind of expected)... but to take warlock without doing anything with the pact or sorcerer and completely ignoring the draconic origin just makes me go 'blech'. But that's just my own biases being highlighted.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Yeah... I really do like the idea of Magic Initiate because having 5 cantrips allows me more utility spell options. I can take a pair of combat spells-- one ranged like Ray of Frost, one close-quarters like Shocking Grasp, then still have space to take things like Blade Ward for defense, and Mage Hand and Mending (or whatever) for utility. The big conundrum though is the 1st level spell-- since that is one I never get to change out of, and only gets cast once per long rest... I'd ideally not want to use it for something like <em>Shield</em> because I'd still have to take <em>Shield</em> as one of my EK spells (cause I know I'd need to probably use it more than once.) But that just seems like a waste of known spells, doubling up like that. <em>Mage Armor</em> at least was a full eight hours, so using that once per day in that slot seemed to make the most sense. I'd really need to comb through the 1st level Wizard spell list to find a spell that I wouldn't want to use more than once (because I'd rather use an EK known spell slot for that) but at the same time would use it often enough to actually make that known spell useful. Ugh.</p><p></p><p>I almost feel like I should take Resilient as my feat just to save myself the agony of making that irrevocable choice now, before I've had a chance to play the character. Maybe at 6th level, once I've seen the character in action and I get a better sense of what spell I find myself only needing/using once per long rest... then I can pick that up with Magic Initiate and swap out the EK known version to another spell at that point. Because at least I *know* that Resilient is 100% useful to me right at the top.</p><p></p><p>Decisions, decisions. Thanks folks for your input!</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="DEFCON 1, post: 6415464, member: 7006"] Thanks for all the suggestions, folks. Opinions look like it really comes down to preferring either "full offense" or "full defense", which I have to say does make a lot of sense. Especially considering that I'll have all my spells to shore up the other side of the equation (using more [i]Shields[/i] on a "full offense" build, or more spell damage with a "full defense" one.) Many other good points were made, so let me just expound a bit on some of them and why I probably would or would not go in those directions. On a normal EK this would make a lot of sense, but with my high elf DEX build, I'm not going to have the STR score required to wear the heavy armors. So I'm pretty much stuck with light armor all the way. Thought about it, actually... but knowing that I most likely wouldn't take Warcaster as my initial feat (because I don't expect to have any spells right away that will require concentration), I'd need one hand free to cast the spells I did have. So it was either dual-wield *and* Warcaster, or single wield and cast spells without worrying about drawing/sheathing. And truth be told... fluff-wise the bladesinger always struck me more as a kensai type of concept, where it's the elf and his blade as one being... which to me feels like dual-wielding kinda goes against that. But I did definitely have that option in my head at one point. These are both very valid points. I think fluff-wise the reason why I kept thinking "no armor" was because traditionally the fighter/made wasn't *allowed* to wear armor in order to cast, at least until a set of elven chain could be found. Once he got the elven chain though... wearing armor was fine. So using any armor that is allowable to cast in really shouldn't be an issue if I really thought about it. And going the SL route does save me the spell slot. Egads, I forgot about that. Yeah, I'm definitely in the camp that says [i]Mage Armor[/i] isn't armor in the traditional sense, and thus something like Defense not being allowed with MA is a ruling I'd agree with. Which means the really high AC 18 build doesn't fly. Another reason to go with the Studded Leather option. In both these cases, my adhering-to-fluff biases shine through and make me not want to multi-class into those two just for the mechanical benefit. This is just one of my particular picadillos-- both the warlock and the sorcerer have very specific fluff to them and I'd hate to white-wash that fluff away just to gain [i]Mage Armor[/i]. Their fluff is just too cool to ignore (since it doesn't really fit my character's fluff concept). I wouldn't mind re-fluffing the Core Four occasionally (since they're the baseline classes wherein its kind of expected)... but to take warlock without doing anything with the pact or sorcerer and completely ignoring the draconic origin just makes me go 'blech'. But that's just my own biases being highlighted. Yeah... I really do like the idea of Magic Initiate because having 5 cantrips allows me more utility spell options. I can take a pair of combat spells-- one ranged like Ray of Frost, one close-quarters like Shocking Grasp, then still have space to take things like Blade Ward for defense, and Mage Hand and Mending (or whatever) for utility. The big conundrum though is the 1st level spell-- since that is one I never get to change out of, and only gets cast once per long rest... I'd ideally not want to use it for something like [i]Shield[/i] because I'd still have to take [i]Shield[/i] as one of my EK spells (cause I know I'd need to probably use it more than once.) But that just seems like a waste of known spells, doubling up like that. [i]Mage Armor[/i] at least was a full eight hours, so using that once per day in that slot seemed to make the most sense. I'd really need to comb through the 1st level Wizard spell list to find a spell that I wouldn't want to use more than once (because I'd rather use an EK known spell slot for that) but at the same time would use it often enough to actually make that known spell useful. Ugh. I almost feel like I should take Resilient as my feat just to save myself the agony of making that irrevocable choice now, before I've had a chance to play the character. Maybe at 6th level, once I've seen the character in action and I get a better sense of what spell I find myself only needing/using once per long rest... then I can pick that up with Magic Initiate and swap out the EK known version to another spell at that point. Because at least I *know* that Resilient is 100% useful to me right at the top. Decisions, decisions. Thanks folks for your input! [/QUOTE]
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