Should Arcane Strike be a swift action?

[Doug McCrae]

Arcane Strike is a feat from Complete Warrior that allows a caster to use a free action to spend a spell slot of level X and get +X to hit and +Xd4 damage on all his attacks with one weapon for one round.

When CW was published, swift actions didn't exist. Nowadays all similar abilities, such as Razing Strike from Complete Adventurer, are swift actions so my feeling is that Arcane Strike should definitely require a swift action.

 

[Darklone]

I haven't seen a built yet where you use Arcane Strike in conjunction with another swift action thing that looked too strong since the feat itself isn't that tough... Or if it's useful, then you're burning through your spellslots like a psionic with 3 powers per round.

So no, I don't think it should be a Swift action.

Btw: MiniHB came out way before Complete warrior and introduced Swift actions.

 

[Henry]

Btw: MiniHB came out way before Complete warrior and introduced Swift actions.

On the other hand, The release Date for Complete Warrior was November of 2003 (I remember because Complete Arcane was early 2004), and Minis Handbook and Comp. Warrior were probably in parallel development, meaning that Swift and Immediate Actions weren't was common parlance at WotC at the time. I think whether you stuck it as Free Action or Swift Action, it wouldn't change the spell's current utility that much.

 

[Pazu]

I haven't seen a built yet where you use Arcane Strike in conjunction with another swift action thing that looked too strong since the feat itself isn't that tough... Or if it's useful, then you're burning through your spellslots like a psionic with 3 powers per round.

So no, I don't think it should be a Swift action.

Btw: MiniHB came out way before Complete warrior and introduced Swift actions.

Best thing I could come up with is a sorcerer/monk combo using Arcane Strike (immediate action) and Ascetic Mage (swift action) at the same time on a high-level flurry of blows, which would eat up spell slots like candy and might boost his attack bonus to an acceptable level. It would be a cool move to pull out at the climactic encounter with the BBEG, though.

 

[Caliban]

I houseruled it as a swift action for 2 specific reasons: The Wraithstrike spell and the Razing Strike feat (I think that's the name, it allows you to blow a spell slot as a swift action to do extra damage to golems).

Arcane Tricksters, Eldritch Knights, Spellswords, Arcane fists, or almost any other melee/arcane build can use Wraithstrike (or Razing Strike against golems), Arcane Strike, and Power Attack to do incredible amounts of damage.

Making Arcane Strike a swift action tends to reduces it to some thing more appropriate.

 

[Deset Gled]

On the other hand, The release Date for Complete Warrior was November of 2003 (I remember because Complete Arcane was early 2004), and Minis Handbook and Comp. Warrior were probably in parallel development...

IIRC, Arcane Strike actually first appeared in a Dragon magazine, and granted d6s instead of d4s.

Making AS a swift action makes it more like other similar effects, but is not necessary from a balance standpoint, IMO. The spells spent is meant to be the main cost, not the time.

Also, remember that AS only applies to one weapon. Making it a swift action removes an option for TWFers who may want to spend two slots to charge up both of their weapons.

 

[Darklone]

Best thing I could come up with is a sorcerer/monk combo using Arcane Strike (immediate action) and Ascetic Mage (swift action) at the same time on a high-level flurry of blows, which would eat up spell slots like candy and might boost his attack bonus to an acceptable level. It would be a cool move to pull out at the climactic encounter with the BBEG, though.

I would have thought about a bbn/sor going for Eldritch Knight with a twohanded weapon, hasty boots and the whirling frenzy variant and FPAATT!!!

But I guess you might get more attacks ...

 

[Caliban]

Best thing I could come up with is a sorcerer/monk combo using Arcane Strike (immediate action) and Ascetic Mage (swift action) at the same time on a high-level flurry of blows, which would eat up spell slots like candy and might boost his attack bonus to an acceptable level. It would be a cool move to pull out at the climactic encounter with the BBEG, though.

I actually played one of these, who went into Arcane Fist. At 10th level he averaged over 100+ points of damage a round as touch attacks (flurry, haste, monk belt, shocking grasp as part of flurry, wraithstrike, arcane strike, ascetic mage, flaming fists from arcane fist), and his AC was 30 to 40 depending on buffs. At 12th level his average damage increased to 120+ a round, and his AC increased due to polymorphing into an Annis Hag. Of course, after 6-10 rounds he was out of spells. (To be fair, this was in a high powered campaign where I had more stat points and magic than normal.)

A friend of mine played a 28 point buy halfling ftr/rogue/wizard/arcane trickster (character level 15 or 16) wielding a greatsword who routinely annihilated greater stone golems in 1-2 rounds using Arcane Strike and Razing Strike. Until Wraith Strike was banned from the campaign, he did much the same to everything else.

Really, the Wraith Strike spell is more of a problem than the Arcane Strike feat, but I found making Arcane strike a swift action killed 2 birds with one stone, and I didn't have to ban Wraith strike (yet).

 

[RigaMortus2]

Also, remember that AS only applies to one weapon. Making it a swift action removes an option for TWFers who may want to spend two slots to charge up both of their weapons.

If you allow "shifting hands" on a weapon as a free action, you could make an attack w/ the weapon in your primary hand, shift the weapon to your off hand (free), then attack w/ the off hand weapon.

 

[Jhaelen]

Arcane Strike is a feat from Complete Warrior that allows a caster to use a free action to spend a spell slot of level X and get +X to hit and +Xd4 damage on all his attacks with one weapon for one round.

When CW was published, swift actions didn't exist. Nowadays all similar abilities, such as Razing Strike from Complete Adventurer, are swift actions so my feeling is that Arcane Strike should definitely require a swift action.

I've turned everything that used to require a free action and was limited to be used once in a given round into requiring a swift action. Arcane Strike doesn't mention such a limitation so I haven't changed it.
Unless they simply forgot to add it to the description, it was intended that you could use it more than once per round or in addition to other free actions (and thus by extension in addition to a swift action).