Spellsword: The father class

[Zaphling]

why did WotC make a Spellsword. Because swordmages, hexblades, and bladesingers are Spellswords. plus, spellswords can wear heavy armor! mage knights style!

 

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

There have been dozens if not hundreds of "spellsword" classes over the years and editions. I wonder if there's a resource/collection of them somewhere?

 

[I'm A Banana]

Spellsword? The only "spellsword" I can find is a reference in an Epic Destiny from Arcane Power (one called "Arcane Sword," and targeted at Swordmages).

More broadly, I think the reason that there's a lot of "sword-using magic" characters is because people want different things from their melee spellcasters. Some want to use wizard spells while fighting (blade dancer), some want to use lightsabers (hexblade), some want to be mighty abjurers with blinking and fire (swordmage), some want to have more flexibility (multiclass and hybrid). It's kind of the same reason you have both Mages and Wizards, or the same reason you have 4 or 5 different ways to be a vampire. Not everyone's conception of what it should be fits a monolithic vision.

 

[Phaezen]

There have been dozens if not hundreds of "spellsword" classes over the years and editions. I wonder if there's a resource/collection of them somewhere?

One of the first would be the elf class from the Basic set

 

[DracoSuave]

First there were people complaining you couldn't be a gish, and now there are people complaining there's too many ways to be a gish.

There's just no pleasing some people.

 

[Marshall]

First there were people complaining you couldn't be a gish, and now there are people complaining there's too many ways to be a gish.

There's just no pleasing some people.

When you consider that all those classes are mutually exclusive and undersupported I dont think its that surprising.