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

[Shades of Eternity]

I think that would let the base class fit archetypes like:

• Thor.
• Death Knight, heavy armour and a focus on necromantic abilities.
• The teleporting sword mage, marking enemies and punishing them by unleashing the power of their aegis.
• The bladesinger, pretty much the wizard subclass, lightly armoured skirmishers.

Plenty more options out there in sure, but I think the class could fit multiple expressions, much like the domain changes the cleric and focuses them on melee or cantrip attacks.

ooh I like these, but I'd also include the following

• Dwavern Rune defender. basically take the dwavern defender and have them use the power of ancient dwavern magic. give it an elemental earthy feel.
• Gnome montebank - aka a skirmisher that combines force of arms with illusions and psychic attacks.
• Chaos warrior - aka random chaos affects while fighting.
• This is also a great place to place the Warden as an option: Nature's defender.

 

[Aldarc]

I agree with a point that @DEFCON 1 made before on similar topics that creating any gish or swordmage requires answering an important question: What is the Swordmage's conceptual or archetypical niche in the implied worlds of D&D beyond being a fighter/mage?

 

[GMforPowergamers]

What is the Swordmage's conceptual or archetypical niche in the implied worlds of D&D beyond being a fighter/mage?

to me the answer is "I don't want class/classes that can fight or spell, I want a class that fights with weapon based spells."
the weapon cantrips are a great start... but I want at least some of these to be ONLY for this class (maybe some will cross over 1 way or another with other classes)

Spoiler: Here are some ideas

Dimension Charge
5th level Transmutation

Casting Time: 1 action
Range: self/200ft
Components: S, M (a melee weapon worth at least 1 sp)
Duration: Instant (1 minute)

You brandish the weapon used in the spell’s casting and teleport up to 200ft if you end adjacent to an enemy you can make a melee attack with the weapon brandished. If that attack hits you deal 1d6 + you spell casting stat modifier force damage. If it misses you can teleport again up to 200ft and attack a different target.

For the next minute all melee attacks done with the brandished weapon deals +1d6 force damage.

Mark of the Hound
3rd level Evocation

Casting Time: 1 action
Range: touch
Components: S, M (a melee weapon worth at least 1 sp)
Duration: 1 hour

With a wicked flourish, you carve your mark into the flesh of your foe, enabling you to find the creature wherever it goes.

Make a melee spell attack with your melee weapon, if you hit you deal double the weapons normal damage dice. If you miss you deal your caster stat modifier as a type of damage the weapon normally deals.

A mystic mark appears on the target, for the duration you can pinpoint the targets location even out of line of sight within 1 mile of you. You also can gain advantage on any attack against the creature if you have 1 or more allies adjacent to it when you attack.

 

[Shades of Eternity]

honestly, multiclassing should be eliminated. It reeks of Skill Mastery something 5e been trying to get rid of in it's edition.

I'd rather have a dedicated gish class and the 4e sword mage showed what it should be done as a base.

 

[GMforPowergamers]

honestly, multiclassing should be eliminated. It reeks of Skill Mastery something 5e been trying to get rid of in it's edition.

I'd rather have a dedicated gish class and the 4e sword mage showed what it should be done as a base.

I wish that 5e kept the idea of 4e multi classing where you take feats to get abilities... like "Multiclass Rogue" gives you training in stealth and 1d4 sneak attack per half prof

 

[CreamCloud0]

I agree with a point that @DEFCON 1 made before on similar topics that creating any gish or swordmage requires answering an important question: What is the Swordmage's conceptual or archetypical niche in the implied worlds of D&D beyond being a fighter/mage?

swordmage to me has always been the witcher-esc supernatural/monster hunter role, they combine martial and arcane powers together seamlessly to produce something that neither is separately.
I know people will say that monster hunter is the ranger's concept but i disagree, well maybe it was at some point, maybe it wasn't, but right now i see the ranger as a survivalist and an explorer, i think there's a little bit of swordmage bleeding into the current ranger but it's not what it is as a core concept.
Also, why isn't being a fighter-mage enough of a core concept niche for a class by itself?

 

[Frozen_Heart]

I agree with a point that @DEFCON 1 made before on similar topics that creating any gish or swordmage requires answering an important question: What is the Swordmage's conceptual or archetypical niche in the implied worlds of D&D beyond being a fighter/mage?

That's one of the main problems with the class. It's got a strong mechanical identity, but not a strong narrative one. The fact that the class has had a different name in every single edition hasn't helped.

There was a thread a while ago about working on a 'class story' for a swordmage class: D&D 5E - Giving the arcane gish an identity.

And the problem in 5e is that in not having a narrative identity, it no longer has access to its mechanical identity.

 

[Scribe]

What is the Swordmage's conceptual or archetypical niche in the implied worlds of D&D beyond being a fighter/mage?

Good question, and one I think I'll write up a comparison on the 'we have a gish at home already' type options vs what I think we need.

I'm 99% sure that what already exists IS just a Fighter/Mage, and the 'magic' of the class is not rolled into the 'martial' of the class, in a holistic way, which prevents it from being a gish.

 

[Voadam]

I'm 99% sure that what already exists IS just a Fighter/Mage, and the 'magic' of the class is not rolled into the 'martial' of the class, in a holistic way, which prevents it from being a gish.

I think that can be a perfectly fine gish model. Being a Fighter Mage who uses fighter stuff for melee fighting with a little magic and magic mostly for utility and ranged attacks is fine and a model I have used when doing a 3e/Pathfinder eldritch knight. You are a little behind the power curve of a dedicated focus either way at your level (in 3e down some BAB and caster level), but you generally have a bunch of flexibility including being sturdier than a normal mage.

 

[Scribe]

I think that can be a perfectly fine gish model. Being a Fighter Mage who uses fighter stuff for melee fighting with a little magic and magic mostly for utility and ranged attacks is fine and a model I have used when doing a 3e/Pathfinder eldritch knight. You are a little behind the power curve of a dedicated focus either way at your level (in 3e down some BAB and caster level), but you generally have a bunch of flexibility including being sturdier than a normal mage.

And thats fair, its clearly a popular approach, as 5e has multiple versions (7, at a glance based on my arbitrary choices) doing essentially that. I just think it somewhat misses the mark, at least for me.