Sword-wielding Arcanists

[Hassassin]

Out of those? Bard.

 

[Yora]

The swordwielding arcanist.

Here's the problem. A wizard with a sword. If you are a wizard, while waste your time using the sword when you could cast spells?

To get the concept right, you need to think of it as a warrior with magic boosts. If you want to be an arcane fighter, than make your magic suplement your fighting.
A sword never is a supplement for spellcasting.

 

[El Mahdi]

I voted for just Multiclassing.

But I have to admit, I absolutely LOVED the 2E Bladesinger! Something about it really caught my imagination. Mechanically it really wasn't all that more lethal over and above a standard multiclassed Fighter/Mage, but being able to take different stances (whether defensive, full attack, etc.) were really cool. And it had an incredible roleplaying theme to it (singing while attacking, requiring singing and dance as non-weapon proficiencies, etc.). It was just Mucho Cool!

The 3E version (prestige class) just didn't grab my imagination the way the 2E one did. For me, it's traits really didn't support it very well from a roleplaying aspect, contradicted a lot of the theme established in 2E, and was really not all that mechanically interesting. I found one could make an Elven Fighter/Wizard through multiclassing that worked just as well or better theme-wise.

 

[El Mahdi]

Here's the problem. A wizard with a sword. If you are a wizard, while waste your time using the sword when you could cast spells?

To get the concept right, you need to think of it as a warrior with magic boosts. If you want to be an arcane fighter, than make your magic suplement your fighting.
A sword never is a supplement for spellcasting.

Mostly true - in standard, straight up D&D. But I've found a sword-wielding wizard to be very useful in a low-magic campaign. Not all D&D campaigns are the same on everybodies seperate table-tops. And one of 5E's goals is to better be able to support this variability.

Sword wielding arcanists are an iconic fantasy figure from fiction. Being able to support that archetype is a necessary thing simply because of that. There are plenty of gamers that want to emulate in their games what they read in their fiction.

They need to find a way for this to work in D&D Next...if not through core, then at least through modules.

This sounds like a case for a better multiclass system, not a whole other class. If a multi-classed fighter/wizard can't perform the "magical warrior" function adequately, what the heck is the point of a fighter/wizard?

Exactly! I couldn't agree more.

 

[Plane Sailing]

My vote isn't on that list - it is essentials warlock. I think they really nailed an iconic, sword wielding arcanist.

 

[the Jester]

Good multiclassing rules should be able to handle it.

Dausuul nailed it:

If a multi-classed fighter/wizard can't perform the "magical warrior" function adequately, what the heck is the point of a fighter/wizard?

 

[GMforPowergamers]

My vote isn't on that list - it is essentials warlock. I think they really nailed an iconic, sword wielding arcanist.

Hex blade is there...

 

[the Jester]

Hex blade is there...

But it existed in a VERY different form in 3e, too.

 

[Plane Sailing]

I thought that was the 3e hexblade (didn't sound like the essentials one)

 

[Mengu]

I voted swordmage for the simple fact that it is the most generic of the terminology. Bladesinger, Duskblade, and Hexblade are all specific applications (or builds, or themes or whatever floats your boat) of a guy with a sword that uses magic. I'd even go so far as to look for a different name for the class, so it doesn't appear limited to swords. I see no reason why a goliath with a hammer tossing around close burst earthquakes, conjuring icy terrain around himself, and using magic to bolster his strength or endurance, couldn't be the same archetype, mixing weapon and magic, though hammermage doesn't quite have the same ring.

I think the flavor of such a build can be better captured with a class built from scratch using its features and spells/powers as design tools, rather than trying to create it from a multiclass/hybrid concept.