Swordmage 4e Your Experiences?
- Thread starter MacMathan
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Kralin Thornberry
Explorer
Hey Mac,
I currently play a human swordmage in LFR. I choose the Aegis of Defense, because, IMO, as a defender role, the ability to decrease the chance to hit AND damage my allies is much better than being able to go to the opponent and hit them.
As for suggestions, I would suggest the intelligent swordmage (so you can keep STR lower) so that you get your INT on basic melee attacks, and I have found that student of swordmagic gives me a nice choice of dailies to choose from.
You do want to have at least a 12 STR if you choose to use Greenflame Blade, as then you can be a "minion killer", because you'll get the +1 fire damage from STR.
I personally took chain armor prof (to get a higher AC), but will probably dump it once I get up to where I can get higher magic armors (and as my INT increases to also help bump my AC).
Weapons are an important choice too, as they are also your implement.
I took a scimitar (but it was more for flavor, as I am playing an "Al-Qadim" based swordmage), but for damage, there are some better choices (broadsword and khopesh - if only for the brutal 1 propery) come to mind.
Anything "versatile" property is an ok choice, because, if you so choose, you can switch back and forth w/ a free action for the +1 damage (but that's a little much of a munchkin/min-max for me).
All I can think of off the top of my head at this moment.
I am currently playing a level 3 shielding swordmage and its great fun.
Some good feats early on include intelligent blade master, and hide armor; I also like Bastard sword prof.
Make sure you choose swordburst as one of your at wills, it is great when adjacent to multiple opponents. booming blade can also give you a little extra stickeyness. Flame cyclone is a great encounter power that gives you a little bit of controller in your defender. When considering dailies I favor frost backlash simply for the advantage it gives in context of 4Es economy of actions.
When marking, shielding swordmages can be somewhat counter intuitive as far as defending. I say this because as a defender you often feel like you’re supposed to take all the damage you can. With aegis of shielding it is often better to mark an opponent that is not in a position to attack you. This allows you to tie up other opponents while drastically nerfing the target of you mark’s ability to hurt your comrades.
Have fun, it’s a great class!
Some good feats early on include intelligent blade master, and hide armor; I also like Bastard sword prof.
Make sure you choose swordburst as one of your at wills, it is great when adjacent to multiple opponents. booming blade can also give you a little extra stickeyness. Flame cyclone is a great encounter power that gives you a little bit of controller in your defender. When considering dailies I favor frost backlash simply for the advantage it gives in context of 4Es economy of actions.
When marking, shielding swordmages can be somewhat counter intuitive as far as defending. I say this because as a defender you often feel like you’re supposed to take all the damage you can. With aegis of shielding it is often better to mark an opponent that is not in a position to attack you. This allows you to tie up other opponents while drastically nerfing the target of you mark’s ability to hurt your comrades.
Have fun, it’s a great class!
catsclaw227
First Post
We've got a level 2 Eladrin Assault Swordmage running in my Scales of War campaign. He's having a blast, using his longsword two-handed. We'll see what he does feat-wise as he gets higher level.
thecasualoblivion
First Post
Swordmage Builds:
I prefer Aegis of Shielding for both mechanical and stat-distribution reasons. Mechanically, preventing damage is better than attacking enemies as a mark effect. As a Defender, you need Constitution in any case, so being able to ignore Strength allows for better stat flexibility.
For the class itself, it doesn't hit as hard as Fighter and Paladin, and doesn't have the survival increasing powers they have. Swordmages have more area and ranged effects though, and most importantly teleportation which is unbelievably useful on a Defender.
I prefer using Fullblade or Bastard Sword. Swordmages can function with a 2hd Weapon and less AC better than people give them credit for.
Races:
I like Genasi and Eladrin for Assault Swordmages. Genasi have the perfect stats, and Eladrin can start the game with 16Str, 15Dex, and 18Int for the good Heavy Blade feats later on. For Shielding Swordmages, I'm a big fan of Tieflings, and I think the new Deva race will be fantastic being set up perfectly for Wandering Swordmage, the best Swordmage Paragon Path. An innovative choice is Warforged, as they can go either way and still start with 18Int from point buy, and the Warforged racial abilities/feats that make them hard to kill are nice to have on a Defender class that is otherwise short on them.
I prefer Aegis of Shielding for both mechanical and stat-distribution reasons. Mechanically, preventing damage is better than attacking enemies as a mark effect. As a Defender, you need Constitution in any case, so being able to ignore Strength allows for better stat flexibility.
For the class itself, it doesn't hit as hard as Fighter and Paladin, and doesn't have the survival increasing powers they have. Swordmages have more area and ranged effects though, and most importantly teleportation which is unbelievably useful on a Defender.
I prefer using Fullblade or Bastard Sword. Swordmages can function with a 2hd Weapon and less AC better than people give them credit for.
Races:
I like Genasi and Eladrin for Assault Swordmages. Genasi have the perfect stats, and Eladrin can start the game with 16Str, 15Dex, and 18Int for the good Heavy Blade feats later on. For Shielding Swordmages, I'm a big fan of Tieflings, and I think the new Deva race will be fantastic being set up perfectly for Wandering Swordmage, the best Swordmage Paragon Path. An innovative choice is Warforged, as they can go either way and still start with 18Int from point buy, and the Warforged racial abilities/feats that make them hard to kill are nice to have on a Defender class that is otherwise short on them.
Ktulu
First Post
Had a guy in my group use it as a "martially focused" warlock. Basically he got all the arcane power from a pact with a devil. Thematically changed the look of powers to reflect more 9-hellsish stuff.
He used aegis of assault with longsword and a high intelligence.
I have to say, Swordmage jumped from "meh" to HOLYCRAPTHAT'SFULLOFWINANDGUMDROPS after seeing it in play. He played the aggressive defender VERY well. I think Aegis of Defense would work better, as he often missed with the basic attack and halving damage would have been better.
Swordmage is up there with one of the more intriguing new classes of 4e and I think it fits the "gish" idea better than any multiclassing or prestige class in previous editions. You really, really feel like a magic shooting swordsman with this class. Multiclass to wizard for a few powers and he's a very effective controller/defender.
He used aegis of assault with longsword and a high intelligence.
I have to say, Swordmage jumped from "meh" to HOLYCRAPTHAT'SFULLOFWINANDGUMDROPS after seeing it in play. He played the aggressive defender VERY well. I think Aegis of Defense would work better, as he often missed with the basic attack and halving damage would have been better.
Swordmage is up there with one of the more intriguing new classes of 4e and I think it fits the "gish" idea better than any multiclassing or prestige class in previous editions. You really, really feel like a magic shooting swordsman with this class. Multiclass to wizard for a few powers and he's a very effective controller/defender.
chaotix42
First Post
thecasualoblivion said:
Agreed. With 1 point of AC higher than the fighter in my group, 2-handing a sword would make me 1 less than him. Not bad at all.
Playing a stormsoul genasi assaultmage and it's great fun. Sometimes I wonder what it would've been like to go eladrin for even more teleporty goodness, but I love my current character all the same.
A fun combo - the fighter uses Come And Get It to suck in a bunch of enemies. I use Dimension Swap and nail the same group with a close burst power of my own. Tag team!
Last edited:
Obryn
Hero
There is an 8th-level Genasi (Firesoul/Windsoul) Swordmage in my game. He took the Aegis of Shielding, though he hasn't neglected Strength. He's kind of a hybrid between the two main builds.
He doesn't control the battlefield as well as a fighter does, but his shielding abilities mean he might as well. Seriously, a foe marked by him basically can't do any damage to anybody else. And he, himself, has the highest AC in the party, by several points, at 27 (14 + 5 Int + 3 hide + 2 enhancement + 3 Aegis). If they attack someone else, they do 8 less damage in addition to the -2 to-hit.
So, basically, a single enemy is rendered completely useless except against the Swordmage. He did a real number on an Ettin last session.
As for offense... well, he's not great. He has both Greenflame Blade for short-range and Lightning Lure for somewhat-long-range. He picked up Bastard Sword, which helps, but the most damaging attack he has is an immediate reaction upon being hit - which doesn't always happen. Otherwise, he's looking at 2[w] max with few ranged attacks.
OTOH, he can move all around the field almost at will. His Utility powers are generally teleport-related, and he has Serpentskin Hide to really twist the knife.
My player really enjoys running him. It's a very weird class - lower on offense than you'd expect, but almost insanely good on defense. Very much a defender/controller. He can clear out minions, or lock down solos & elites, but is ironically weakest against normal enemies.
A few notes that are easy to overlook:
(1) Don't get knocked unconscious. This will nuke your AC bonus.
(2) The damage reduction aegis is an immediate action. Keep in mind you can only do it 1/turn.
(3) Try and mark an enemy, then get the heck away from them. You have almost no reason to actually attack the guy you marked. On the DM side of the screen, it's kinda irritating.
-O
He doesn't control the battlefield as well as a fighter does, but his shielding abilities mean he might as well. Seriously, a foe marked by him basically can't do any damage to anybody else. And he, himself, has the highest AC in the party, by several points, at 27 (14 + 5 Int + 3 hide + 2 enhancement + 3 Aegis). If they attack someone else, they do 8 less damage in addition to the -2 to-hit.
So, basically, a single enemy is rendered completely useless except against the Swordmage. He did a real number on an Ettin last session.
As for offense... well, he's not great. He has both Greenflame Blade for short-range and Lightning Lure for somewhat-long-range. He picked up Bastard Sword, which helps, but the most damaging attack he has is an immediate reaction upon being hit - which doesn't always happen. Otherwise, he's looking at 2[w] max with few ranged attacks.
OTOH, he can move all around the field almost at will. His Utility powers are generally teleport-related, and he has Serpentskin Hide to really twist the knife.
My player really enjoys running him. It's a very weird class - lower on offense than you'd expect, but almost insanely good on defense. Very much a defender/controller. He can clear out minions, or lock down solos & elites, but is ironically weakest against normal enemies.
A few notes that are easy to overlook:
(1) Don't get knocked unconscious. This will nuke your AC bonus.
(2) The damage reduction aegis is an immediate action. Keep in mind you can only do it 1/turn.
(3) Try and mark an enemy, then get the heck away from them. You have almost no reason to actually attack the guy you marked. On the DM side of the screen, it's kinda irritating.
-O
As a DM, I hate that the swordmage can nerf opponents taht much. I also hate it whan the SM in my group marks an enemy and then gets to teleport next to him and hit him when he attacks someone else. It completely negates my ability to have the monsters also control the battlefield. Hate, hate, hate the class ability that allows that.
