D&D 5E How would you do the sword mage in 5e?

[CleverNickName]

What spells involve throwing your weapon and it exploding and then coming back to you?

No reflavoring shatter or whatever.

Seems like reflavoring the Shatter spell would be perfect for that style of effect. Why not allow it?

 

[doctorbadwolf]

Seems like reflavoring the Shatter spell would be perfect for that style of effect. Why not allow it?

In a game, I’d allow it without hesitation, though I’d rather it deal slashing damage. Reflavoring doesn’t mean something is in the game when it actually isn’t, however.

 

[Slit518]

I would do a d10 arcane up to level 5 and access to Cantrips.

Their magic would fuel from the Constitution perhaps, they would be Str/Con based Class.

Choose 3 skills from a combination of Fighter and Wizard Skills.

All armor and weapons, and of course Extra Attack at 5th level.

They can infuse Cantrips into their weapon as a Bonus Action a number of times equal to their Proficiency modifier, regaining all spent uses on a Short or Long Rest.

They would have their own Spell List much like a Ranger or a Paladin does.

Their Magic is very simple, only really requiring Verbal components in most Spells, and most Spells costing no more than a Bonus Acton to cast.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

Fighter level 4
Abjurer level 6
Sentinel feat.
Misty step spell.
Probably magic initiate arcane as first level feat.

 

[Frozen_Heart]

Not having their own spell list is one of the reasons eldritch knight and bladesinger fall flat as a swordmage.

Paladin and Ranger get all these fancy 'cast spell on your weapon then hit with it' type spells. Like Thunderous smite, ensnaring strike, and lightning arrow. The two 'classic gish' subclasses lack any of that.

 

[Weiley31]

I think Mage Hand Press, Warmage is the best rendition because it actually offers something unique outside of basically being a Paladin with Wizard Spells.

It handles the concept of a Swordmage by making it a Cantrip only focused caster, where you can flexible make the concepts around various aspects of cantrips, from spellblade cantrips, to just being a simple cantrip blasters, to straight up being a magical knight where you evoke your own sword and shields of magic, also has straight up support cantrip casting abilities.

This is actually new design space and unlike any other class in the game.

I always LOVED how its subclasses were all chess piece named.

 

[Weiley31]

I wouldn't, I'd resurrect Duskblade instead. Gimme them on weapon hit touch spells.

The ORIGINAL version of the Mercer Blood Hunter straight up had a 5E version of that feature for one of its subclasses: The Profane Soul.

Unfortunately, after the Blood Hunter was updated, the Profane Soul subclass lost that feature. But you can probably still find it somewhere online.

 

[Flamestrike]

What spells involve throwing your weapon and it exploding and then coming back to you?

No reflavoring shatter or whatever.

Anything with re-flavoring.

If I was playing a Swordmage in 4E I could pretty easily convert it to 5E with it doing basically the same stuff.

Using magic and weapons to kill things.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

Anything with re-flavoring.

If I was playing a Swordmage in 4E I could pretty easily convert it to 5E with it doing basically the same stuff.

Using magic and weapons to kill things.

By that logic the Bladesinger and the Echo Knight are the same thing.

If you see things that way, great for you. Everyone who isn't satisfied with making an angry fighter and calling it a barbarian is gonna keep on having useful discussions on the topic, however.

 

[Frozen_Heart]

I mean if reflavoring can do anything, why even have classes beyond magic user, fighting man, and thief?

We still have ranger, despite scout rogue and ancients paladin existing as nature themed gishes. We still have paladin, despite heavy armour and melee clerics being a thing. And yet arcane gish is apparently not enough of a design space.

Hell, in DnDone we're not getting a single arcane half caster at all, despite paladin and ranger still being in.