Excerpts: Swordmage

[That One Guy]

The thing I find odd is this wording

Suggested Feat: Retributive Shield (Human feat: Student of Sword Magic)

The first part is obviously a feat for sword mages or something. Cool. The Student of Sword Magic feat is odd to me because a lot of "Student of..." feats indicate multi-classing. It sounds as if the swordmage is multiclassing into swordmage. It is probably a feat that improves the functionality of swordmages (maybe adding int-mod w/ Basic attacks instead of str-mod?) - but the wording made alarms go off in my mind.

 

[Cadfan]

Greenfire is a burst which is in all ways better than cleave (save for the times you have two enemies adjecent to you but not themselves adjecent) and only effects enemies. To get a similar effect you need to be a cleric with an encounter power or a wizard's at-will (but it effects friends).

There are other ways it isn't better than cleave.

1. You've already mentioned the part about enemies who aren't adjacent to one another. This is a big one.

2. But additionally, it does damage equal to your strength modifier, and is an ability for a class that uses strength as a secondary ability score rather than a primary one. A fighter frequently cleaves for four points of damage. A swordmage will probably only be getting two points of damage out of this ability.

 

[Drakhar]

Also keep in mind that Cleave doesn't deal elemental damage and thus very few enemies can resist it.

 

[RangerWickett]

I am cool with the stats, but I do want to suggest WotC give its artists at least a rudimentary primer in fashion and armor design. Not only is the genasi (I assume that's what she is) nigh-unprotected in that get-up, she also has some hideous fashion sense.

In fact, I generally think WotC's rules for 4e are all good, but I think their aesthetic choices leave a lot to be desired.

 

[theredrobedwizard]

I'm still trying to figure out why they get 15+Con Mod HP at first level instead of X+Con Score like everyone else.

-TRRW

 

[Nahat Anoj]

Okay, so I always try to use descriptions in game that make some sort of sense when spoken aloud. The Aegis of Shielding is (in my mind) more of an extension of the Swordmage's warding ability (which I sort of describe in a weirdly jedi-like fashion). [Ninja'd by WOTC_Logan] Booming blade is more of a curse or a follow up attack due to the enemy giving ground. I think that the ally warding thing is used differently. When one uses that feature on oneself, it's more of a deflection from straight on. When it is used as the Aegis, it is more like an attempt to deflect the attack from hitting anything vital and dampening the blow.

Good explanations!

Greenfire is a burst which is in all ways better than cleave (save for the times you have two enemies adjecent to you but not themselves adjecent) and only effects enemies. To get a similar effect you need to be a cleric with an encounter power or a wizard's at-will (but it effects friends).

It is a nice power and I do believe it's probably a little more powerful than Cleave, but as has been mentioned the Fighter isn't limited to monsters adjacent to each other.

I also don't think we can compare how Swordmages do their job with how Fighters do their job on a purely power-by-power basis. Fighters get a raft of benefits that Swordmages don't get (Combat Challenge, bonus to OAs, +1 bonus with a weapon) that in my opinion make up the difference for this one power.

With the close burst 1 power, you give the swordmage dire wolverine strike of the ranger encounter fame as an at-will against reflex.

Regarding Swordburst (the "close burst 1 power"), I think it's just because Swordmages make better Controllers than Rangers do. It's just the theme of the class. Rangers seem pretty twinked out for the Striker role, so they have to expend more resources (in this case, an encounter power) to act as a Controller.

But in both cases I do see where you are coming from. Greenfire in particular made me pause and think things through.

I'm still trying to figure out why they get 15+Con Mod HP at first level instead of X+Con Score like everyone else.

It's just a typo - old habits die hard, even for Wizards' staff. I wonder if it was corrected when the book went to print.

 

[Scribble]

But, but...

D'Karr- I know he's a defender, I'm just feeling a mismatch between his defender powers and the logic behind them. Its like if the Fighter had the Paladin's challenge ability- it wouldn't make sense without the explanation of the divine power of the challenge punishing the person who rejected it

Cad- try this:

You have the ability to blast him with magic, or magic up some kind of defence, but at the moment not enough power to concentrate on doing it. (You're using most of your concentration to attack your foe, and defend against his attacks.) The moment that foe steps away from attacking you, however, you can spare some concentration on magicing up something.

Workable?

 

[A. Malkov]

The LFR Character Creation Guide has all the information necessary for playing a SwordMage for LFR. The information might change once the Player's Guide is published but if you want to play right now, you can.

Character Creation Guidelines on the RPGA site.

Thanks for this info! I have been trying to find this in the incorrect place.

I have already play and swordmage dwarf in the intro adventure Death in the Skyfire Wastes, and it was and easy to play character. I don't know to much about statistics and feats because it was my very first D&D game, but i want to give another try since the begining.

 

[Klaus]

Its odd that the only character that's giving me a meaningful disconnect of mechanics and flavor is a magical character class.

Booming Blade: it hits them, then blasts them with magic if they try to leave? Why not just blast them with magic automatically if you have the ability to blast them with magic?

Aegis of Shielding: It reduces damage dealt by the enemies attacks, but only if they aren't attacking you. Why? If you have the ability to reduce damage dealt, why not do it when they attack you as well?

I know, I know, "a wizard did it." But at least the other markings and quarry type abilities in the game make sense to me. If a fighter has your number, you'd better pay attention to him or he'll beat you senseless. If a paladin challenges you, you'd better accept the challenge or his god will scorch you where you stand. Once a ranger picks his target, he always gets his man. Once a warlock curses you, you're vulnerable to his magics.

Ok, I get those. But these I don't get. I guess I don't have to, really, because they're arcane. But still.

Booming Blade: you tether your opponent to your weapon magically, and if he moves away from you that tether is severed, causing a sonic blast that damages your opponent.

Aegis of Shielding: You wield it as a shield, but you can, at a moment's notice, send the shield away to take the brunt of an enemy's attack against an ally. Since the ally isn't wielding the aegis, it can't help with the AC, but it can absorb some of the damage.

 

[pemerton]

With the close burst 1 power, you give the swordmage dire wolverine strike of the ranger encounter fame as an at-will against reflex.

The swordmage's power is implement vs reflex rather than the ranger's weapon vs AC - that should be roughly balanced.

The swordmage's power does 1d6 force damage compared to the ranger's W, which should be 1d8 or 1d10 with the possibility of weapon focus. The ranger damage is therefore clearly better. Whether it's sufficiently better to justify the difference between at-will and encounter I don't know.