Swordmage: Help grasping the concept, please

[Patlin]

A couple of other questions, if I may:
1. What is damage like with a Swordmage?

My single target damage at levels 1 through 10 has been pretty bad, in part because I concentrate on AOE damage. If I'm attacking a few targets at a time, my overall damage is probably fine.

Wouldn't want to compare my numbers to the party ranger though. He's a tad insane in the damage department.

Your mileage may vary based on power selection.

 

[Ltheb Silverfrond]

Okay, so there are enough physical attacks with magical riders to give the feel of a master swordsman who knows some magic? That's good to know.

A couple of other questions, if I may:
1. What is damage like with a Swordmage? I am used to playing a Fighter with a bastard sword who does rather decent damage (and who is aiming at Pit Fighter to complete the rough-and-tumble story I have for him). Will I notice a significant drop in damage, as the powers seem to do less damage than comparable fighter powers?

2. Which aegis is generally recommended most?

1. FRPG Swordmages are pretty weak damage-wise, but they have lots of 'bad stuff' that they add to each of their powers; With Arcane Power, they get a few more damaging powers. It's usually the utility that makes the swordmage powers good, not just the damage.

2. Shielding; IMHO it's a bit overpowered, but your results may vary. Assault is good, but not great; and ensnaring only matters if your DM has dangerous terrain hazards to drop enemies into. As A DM who DMs for TWO swordmages (ensnaring and Assualt) I and my group agree they are much weaker than the Shielding Variant.

Also, the Mark-range for the Aegis is absurdly low; Our group, as a houserule, thinks the Assault and Ensnaring variants should be able to mark as a close burst 5 (vs burst 2 as normal) since they frequently are trivial in several kinds of encounters. (Assault is free damage against a solo, but contributes little; ensnaring does next to nothing if moving the foe doesn't matter)

So, I would recommend, if you want damage, take a bunch of X[W] Weapon powers, and go Assault Swordmage to pummel foes with a two-hander. The shielding Swordmage is really good, rendering one foe near-useless is nothing to sneeze at.

 

[Garthanos]

White Lotus Riposte... yummm.

 

[Obryn]

Okay, so there are enough physical attacks with magical riders to give the feel of a master swordsman who knows some magic? That's good to know.

Absolutely. At every level.

A couple of other questions, if I may:
1. What is damage like with a Swordmage? I am used to playing a Fighter with a bastard sword who does rather decent damage (and who is aiming at Pit Fighter to complete the rough-and-tumble story I have for him). Will I notice a significant drop in damage, as the powers seem to do less damage than comparable fighter powers?

Low. Quite possibly the lowest in 4e, IMO. Swordmages are more Defender/Controllers than Defender/Strikers. They do a lot of bad stuff to the enemies, but damage isn't one of them.

2. Which aegis is generally recommended most?

Shielding is insanely good. As a DM, my party's shielding swordmage messes me up more than any other character. It's an effect that looks kinda weak on paper, but when you see it in play, you realize it's an intensely strong debuff. I don't think it's overpowered at all - it's still single-target - but it's just that good. And when you consider it lasts an entire encounter, is effective up to 10 squares away, requires no attack roll, and allows no save, it's huge.

The one downside to a Shielding Swordmage is that you'll have a feat tax if you ignore your Strength. You will want Intelligent Blademaster (or Melee Training; it's the same effect either way). Assault Swordmages with decent Strength can get away without it.

-O

 

[renau1g]

I prefer Shielding myself, but don't expect to be DPR king. Only the pacifist cleric will likely be behind your damageo output. However, your damage prevention is awesome! Preventing 7-8 damage an attack is certainly nothing to sneeze at that's almost a surge for many PC's

 

[Obryn]

White Lotus Riposte... yummm.

Oh yeah! That's another great point.

Swordmages can pull a lot of interesting tricks. Some are broken and shouldn't be allowed (feychargers), and some are borderline, but can push your effectiveness way up (m/c to Wizard, pick up Enlarge Spell, fall in love with Sword Burst all over again).

The White Lotus feats are universally good for them, particularly White Lotus Riposte and White Lotus Master Riposte. I've heard good things about White Lotus Hindrance, too.

-O

 

[Herschel]

Assault Swordmages are also about aggregate damage, not single target attack damage as partially stated above. Extra attacks add up, area damage adds up, non-standard action damage adds up.....

I have a paragon Earthsoul/Causticsoul Elemental Tempest Assault Swordmage and play him like a rescue ranger rather than a hold-the-line defender. I have elemental resists out the wazoo and can access more just by using my action point to get in an extra action. From sucking the Warlord out of the Gelatinous Cube's belly then teleporting out to attack the cube's marked buddy to Lightning Luring the aura-wielding Wraith away from the 5 HP Mage to Dimensional Vortexing the Brute's Crit from my companion to his own artillery/controller to jumping in to the enemy backfield and taking the BBEG Necromancer's worst in-stride while the rest of the team focus fires on his support is very useful and a lot of fun. But I don't have a bunch of 3[W] and 4[W] attacks.

 

[Garthanos]

My Ghost Blade cant wait to decimate an army.

 

[deganawida]

Assault Swordmages are also about aggregate damage, not single target attack damage as partially stated above. Extra attacks add up, area damage adds up, non-standard action damage adds up.....

I have a paragon Earthsoul/Causticsoul Elemental Tempest Assault Swordmage and play him like a rescue ranger rather than a hold-the-line defender. I have elemental resists out the wazoo and can access more just by using my action point to get in an extra action. From sucking the Warlord out of the Gelatinous Cube's belly then teleporting out to attack the cube's marked buddy to Lightning Luring the aura-wielding Wraith away from the 5 HP Mage to Dimensional Vortexing the Brute's Crit from my companion to his own artillery/controller to jumping in to the enemy backfield and taking the BBEG Necromancer's worst in-stride while the rest of the team focus fires on his support is very useful and a lot of fun. But I don't have a bunch of 3[W] and 4[W] attacks.

Hmm, that actually sounds really cool when you put it like that. So, despite not having High[W] attacks, you still get in a lot of attacks and do more things in combat than just having to attack?

 

[Herschel]

Oh, heck yeah. I have no delusions about being a striker but it is rather funny to see a wizard get surrounded then I teleport, swapping places with him and burst attacking the lot of them.

One of the most problematic status effects on a melee character is imobilization, yet I have enough teleports to often get me where I need to go even if I have an imobilization status effect on me.

I can also be up in the balcony with enemy artillery in a flash, yet still have my mark to teleport out if it gets too bad. With shielding, you don't have the "free" teleport back but can royally hose the brute back below in to an over-sized speed bump while messing up the artillery's day in a major way.