Intelligent Blademaster Feat confused :)

[Sebby]

I find that feat extremely useful.

As a shielding swordmage, I find myself charging a lot more than I thought I would. I'll move close enough to an enemy (move action), mark it with the Aegis of Shielding (minor action) and then charge another enemy (standard action). This puts some distance between my mark and me, increasing the odds it will trigger, and allows me to influence two places on the battlefield at once.

Or if I'm in melee but I'm needed elsewhere, I'll shift away from the enemy I was just fighting, mark it and then charge away to another one.

We also have a warlord, who usually either gives the free attack to me or the ranger.

In this context, Intelligent Blademaster is seeing a lot of use.

 

[Sebby]

You get a benefit out of an adjacent enemy triggering Aegis of Assault. Many times when teleporting adjacent to an enemy you can come out flanking wiht the ally that triggered the aegis...

Remember, the point of a defender's mark (excluding the fighter, it seems) is to make sure the effect is never triggered. So threatening to flank up if the enemy engages the rogue or ranger standing next to you is pretty cool.

True. All marks do their intended job when not triggered.

I would add that the shielding swordmage's mark is currently the only one that defends even when triggered (by reducing damage dealt). All the others don't defend: they punish. This opens up new tactics for a shielding swordmage.

 

[Herschel]

I've seen it going off a lot more often than that - like multiple times a combat. May depend on your party composition though. Aegis of Assault swordmage seems to make a pretty hot second defender, or with melee strikers. May be less useful as the only defender in front of, for example, a ranger archer, a wizard, a warlock and a laser cleric.

I've found it VERY handy when in narrow (especially multiple) corridors and with a rogue. Tag whatever's in front of the rogue, move to attack something else, then get a free teleport, flank and basic attack. Sure, the rogue "takes one for the team" by maybe waiting to attack, but it was going to get attacked anyway and is now in a position to really dole out the damage.

Plus, by using Intelligent Blademaster and jackingthat stat, you help your defense when you then have more baddies showing up on your back side.