D&D 5E (2014) Giving the arcane gish an identity.

[Garthanos]

Certainly for Assault Swordmages it was, yes. And to a lesser extent for others types too.

I think a teleport every turn build is just a little faster via the Assault Flavor ...

 

[Garthanos]

Most of those are spells on another class' list.

LOL touche!

Very often the problem ends up being getting the elements as they are strewn in various parts of the system are prohibitively difficult (want to be a shield your allies defender and intelligence based sword guy) you might get close around level 16 (and probably still using some 3rd party elements and missing elements) or higher and will still never achieved even a halfway decent amount of that tactical teleport/blink ability. The system is strongly bent against you.

 

[Mind of tempest]

What should the identity be?
So the big ones from this thread that I've liked so far are
The Sentinel (designed to protect a specific place, person, or object) which has a specific story, possibly at the Paladin level of required backstory. Some might like that because it intrinsically must tie the character to the world but I worry that would restrict players who have an idea they want to do.
The Order of Monstrosities (don't remember the name, but the one that had stuff like "Order of the Gorgon" which focused on paralysis and poison and the "Order of the Displacer" which focused on illusion and teleportation) which has a theoretical story to it but is vague enough that you could expect a setting would at least have the beast you were talking about. This seems best in-line with the WOTC style of having specific references to things but not nailing anything down and would probably receive very few complaints.
The Mystical Warrior (your powers come from training hard enough with a weapon that the natural course of magic found its way into your fighting style) which is the most generic but tends to be my favorite flavor-wise (though I am a fan of things being super-generic so I can make them fit my world easier whereas I realize some people want the story of the character to come from the class).

If I may make up a fourth one I'd go with "The Wanderer" where the class is based off the wandering ronin for hire tropes (of course cleaned up to not be accused of using a real-world culture), have the powers come from their learning off the land (knowledge picked up in their travels, could be INT or WIS), and have the personal flavor from subclasses come in the form of an environment that they learned from (an Underdark Wanderer could be a Shadowblade, an Astral Plane Wanderer would be the Gish-style Psychic-Warrior, a Wilderness Wanderer could be the Monster Hunter, a City Guard subclass could be the Mage Knight, a Wizard's Courier Wanderer could be the Spellsword, etc.)

How many variations on the theme are there? As many as there need to be. Drop it with four subclasses and everyone's gonna have their own Wanderer idea for a different environment or plane.

I think the base class could fit for the ideas people have agreed on here and then the more specific stuff can fit pretty easy for subclasses. The only worry I'd have is people comparing it to the Ranger because they have a favored terrain so I'd want to really word the story of it in a way that focuses on the Wanderer being a story about the travel where the Ranger is the story about the environment to make sure its toes don't get stepped on.

well, what are the basic archetypes for the subclasses both mechanically and thematically then we work backwards?

 

[TheOneGargoyle]

well, what are the basic archetypes for the subclasses both mechanically and thematically then we work backwards?

That's what I was starting the conversation with the post here

 

[Tinker-TDC]

That's what I was starting the conversation with the post here

Are you sure this is the thread you meant to post?
If so, what page?

 

[Cap'n Kobold]

OK. Continuing the "Swordmage artificer" line:

Spells:
3rd: Thunderwave, Searing Smite, Thunderous Smite, Wrathful Smite, Ensnaring Strike, Hail of Thorns, Magic Missile
5th: Ice Knife, Zephyr Strike, Aganazzar's scorcher, Misty Step, Branding Smite
9th: Lightning bolt, Thunder Step, Blinding Smite, Counterspell,
13th: Dimension Door, Staggering Smite
15th: Steel Wind Strike, Far step, Banishing Smite, Destructive Wave.

Remove: ?

Battle Ready: 3rd level feature.
Gain proficency in Martial Weapons. May use Intelligence bonus for attack and damage rolls when you attack with a magic weapon.

Layered enchantments: 3rd level feature
When applying infusions to weapons or shields, the object does not have to be nonmagical, and you may apply more than one of your infusions to it.
Each infusion that requires attunement on the object requires an attunement slot.
You may use your The Right Tool for the Job ability to reshape a weapon into another weapon that you are proficient with. If magical, the weapon retains any special properties valid for its new weapon type.
At 11th level, if using a weapon as your Spell Storing Item, you may choose to store a spell that requires a Bonus Action to cast in it. If doing so, using it to produce the spell's effect takes a Bonus Action.


Arcane conductance: 5th level feature.
When casting a spell or producing a spell effect using a weapon as your spellcasting focus, you may designate one target of the spell that is within the range or reach of your weapon. You may make a single attack against this target as part of the spell's effect. If you hit, you deal your attack damage, and the target is considered to have been hit by or to have failed its first save against the spell.


Flow with the magic: 9th level feature
When casting a spell that affects a specific number of targets, you may make your arcane conductance attack against each of the targets even if not within the range or reach of your weapon. You may then choose to teleport to an unoccupied space adjacent to one of these targets.
When casting a spell with a Line effect, you may make an Arcane Conductance attack against each target affected by the spell and then choose to teleport to a space adjacent to the last target affected by the spell, or to the end of the line effect.

Infusions:

Blinkstrike weapon (Requires attunement)
This infusion has 5 charges. As a bonus action you may choose to spend a charge to teleport up to 120 feet to the location of this weapon, or to a piece of ammunition shot from it since the end of your last round. If the weapon usually returns, or its ammunition disappears, you may choose to make this teleport before it does so.
If teleporting to the weapon after it struck a creature, you may appear in any space adjacent to the creature.
The infusion regains d4+1 charges each dawn.

Fencer's defence: (Weapon or shield)
Whilst wielding this item and not incapacitated, you may calculate your AC as 10 + proficiency bonus + your Strength, Dexterity or Intelligence score modifier. The bonus for using a shield applies to this calculation.

Spellward: (Weapon or shield)
Whilst wielding this item and not incapacitated, you may add any bonus it grants to attack rolls or AC to your saving throws. As a reaction you may apply this bonus to an adjacent ally's saving throw.

Boots of the Defender: (Boots)
When an ally within 30ft is attacked or takes damage, the wearer of these boots may teleport to an unoccupied space adjacent to them as a reaction. The wearer may use any ability or spell that requires a Reaction as part of the same reaction used to activate this infusion.

So: Suggestions please as to what is missing from the "Swordmage" concept, potential abuses etc.
Also need a 15th level ability.

 

[Minigiant]

Main question posed by this thread though is : what should the identity of this character concept (presume both mechanically & thematically unless OP says otherwise?) be, given how strong the demand for this type of playstyle is, and how many variations on the theme there are. And how do we strike a middle ground between too specific that restricts individual character stories and not enough story background to give it its own identity distinct from other classes. And how do we ensure that mechanical aspects sufficiently reinforce the thematic identity.

Here's an idea:

Who created Hunter's Mark?

Rangers aren't known to be scholars or researchers notdo they have the veneration of nature of druids. So a druid or wizard invented it.

What does that mean?

It means spellcasters can invent spells that they themselves wont use and overtime forget such spells.

This could be the lore behind the arcane warrior. Warriors who use "wizard spells" of divergent VSM components that scholarly wizards don't or can't use anymore. Ancient spells recently discovered, ignored or held secret by old races.

 

[Mind of tempest]

Here's an idea:

Who created Hunter's Mark?

Rangers aren't known to be scholars or researchers notdo they have the veneration of nature of druids. So a druid or wizard invented it.

What does that mean?

It means spellcasters can invent spells that they themselves wont use and overtime forget such spells.

This could be the lore behind the arcane warrior. Warriors who use "wizard spells" of divergent VSM components that scholarly wizards don't or can't use anymore. Ancient spells recently discovered, ignored or held secret by old races.

perhaps it goes it to how they get their magic which is really the basics of the class story.

 

[Garthanos]

Here's an idea:

Who created Hunter's Mark?

Rangers aren't known to be scholars or researchers notdo they have the veneration of nature of druids. So a druid or wizard invented it.

What does that mean?

It means spellcasters can invent spells that they themselves wont use and overtime forget such spells.

This could be the lore behind the arcane warrior. Warriors who use "wizard spells" of divergent VSM components that scholarly wizards don't or can't use anymore. Ancient spells recently discovered, ignored or held secret by old races.

Many warriors in history (*including european knights) were highly educated for their era, and had elaborate books lots of diagrams describing forms and methods of what they did the maneuvers were often very poetically named. The idea that warriors cannot be scholarly seems very much a form of bigotry (a zero impact one admittedly). One of the most famous and frightening branches of fencing was a martial science featuring math and medicine as components (look up la Destreza).

My 4e character Alec Cor Deran an Intelligent Blademaster Swordmage similarly scribed his craft in books describing the spells of form and function he was born with a native talent to use predictive intelligence and quick thinking to fight. (Gained in a feat)

 

[Minigiant]

Many warriors in history (*including european knights) were highly educated for their era, and had elaborate books lots of diagrams describing forms and methods of what they did the maneuvers were often very poetically named. The idea that warriors cannot be scholarly seems very much a form of bigotry. One of the most famous and frightening branches of fencing was a martial science featuring math and medicine as components (look up la Distreza).

My 4e character Alec Cor Deran an Intelligent Blademaster Swordmage similarly scribed his craft in books describing the spells of form and function he was born with a native talent to use predictive intelligence and quick thinking to fight. (Gained in a feat)

I'm not about to suggest warriors could be mentally strong and use their smarts to increase their effectiveness in battle. Fighting the anti-warrior bigotry is tough and I don't feel like being burned at the stake today.

So a wizard did it.