Is Aegis of Assault the worst mark?

[killbydeath]

Having only three in the party can be tough too. I'm guessing your third was a striker.

It was a Paladin, a barbarian and a swordmage

 

[Bolongo]

all the adventures took part in a dungeon, about 10 creature in a 4x4 terrain to fight.

Oh, so it's all your DM's fault then.

 

[Starfox]

If monsters keep attacking you because you mark them, then the mark is doing its job.

 

[KarinsDad]

If monsters keep attacking you because you mark them, then the mark is doing its job.

I agree.

The purpose of a mark is not so that the SwordMage can teleport around the place or so that a Fighter can Opportunity Attack.

It's to keep that enemy focused on the Defender and not on someone else.

 

[DracoSuave]

The Swordmage mark doesn't have the ability of multitargeting at heroic level that the fighter's mark potentially does, but it -does- have range and the potential for higher damage through the Aegis of Assault-specific powers.

Without looking at the AoA-specific powers, a study of the AoA itself is somewhat incomplete.

 

[Iron Sky]

One way to make a Swordmage far more effective is to couple them with a Bard. Since the Swordmage mark effect is not "special" like the paladins or melee-only like a Fighter, the Bard's At-Will that lets the Bard create a mark for another member of their party is really nice with Swordmages.

I have a campaign I'm getting ready to run and it looks like I'm going to be faced with that combo... I have the feeling the Swordmage will be getting his shtick alot.

 

[WalterKovacs]

One way to make a Swordmage far more effective is to couple them with a Bard. Since the Swordmage mark effect is not "special" like the paladins or melee-only like a Fighter, the Bard's At-Will that lets the Bard create a mark for another member of their party is really nice with Swordmages.

I have a campaign I'm getting ready to run and it looks like I'm going to be faced with that combo... I have the feeling the Swordmage will be getting his shtick alot.

Actually, the swordmage's aegis is like the paladin's challenge; only those marked using that feature suffer the extra effect. The warden, on the other hand, has class features that apply against anyone marked by them, regardless of how the mark was received. So the warden benefits the most from the bard's misdirected mark, followed by the fighter (if the fighter is in melee with the target). The paladin and swordmage don't get their challenge or aegis on the target, (although the paladin does have attacks that trigger off enemies being marked). The swordmage actually has the least benefit, since they don't have any powers, other than ones related to their aegis, that cares who is marked.

 

[DracoSuave]

Actually, the swordmage's aegis is like the paladin's challenge; only those marked using that feature suffer the extra effect. The warden, on the other hand, has class features that apply against anyone marked by them, regardless of how the mark was received. So the warden benefits the most from the bard's misdirected mark, followed by the fighter (if the fighter is in melee with the target). The paladin and swordmage don't get their challenge or aegis on the target, (although the paladin does have attacks that trigger off enemies being marked). The swordmage actually has the least benefit, since they don't have any powers, other than ones related to their aegis, that cares who is marked.

On the other hand, swordmages DO have powers that allow them to teleport in when triggered and unleash a larger hit of damage than a basic attack or the warden's pull.

The ability to be automaticly flanking and striking at the same time -no matter where you were before- IS not something to be ignored, fighters don't get an automagic +2 to hit with their CC. That's an advantage that is -strictly- a Swordmage's. And if they aren't flanking, they just teleported beside a ranged attacker, and that is its own flavor of delicious.

 

[Nail]

FWIW, I've not been at all impressed with swordmages.

I currently play a fighter, and time and again my mark does more "stuff" that hurts the enemy than the swordmage does. Put another way: it seems like the swordmage is getting less out of his mark than my fighter is.

 

[Obryn]

FWIW, I've not been at all impressed with swordmages.

I currently play a fighter, and time and again my mark does more "stuff" that hurts the enemy than the swordmage does. Put another way: it seems like the swordmage is getting loess out of his mark than my fighter is.

Is that an assault or shielding swordmage?

In my own game, I have a Fighter and a Shielding Swordmage... As a DM, I have found the Shielding Swordmage to be far, far more annoying. The fighter's good at preventing movement, but the Shielding Swordmage basically entirely hoses one creature, without a save.

-O