Swordmage Class

[Klaus]

I just hope that the rework multiclassing so that it REALLY is worthwhile.

So that with EIGHT base classes, including the FOUR staple fantasy/D&D, I can make of all kinds of sword-using-spellcaster, mage-thief, god-blessed-fighter and everything else I want without having to resort to OTHER published base classed.

The publication of all the 3-new-base-classes-per-book splatbooks (of which there are some I really like, I have to admit) are IMHO the clead admission of the total FAILURE of 3.x multiclassing system...

And I think the 3 new base classes introduced in the Complete series were really good additions to the game.


... well, except the Samurai.

 

[Lonely Tylenol]

I hope that the swordmage concept won't cause them to give up on making a viable multiclassing system that can handle a fighter/wizard. I'd like it if a fighter/wizard were a martial guy who backs his fighting up with battlefield control, while the swordmage is a guy who enhances his fighting ability with magic.

 

[CleverNickName]

I wonder if the "swordmage" and the Warlord are one and the same...

 

[Charwoman Gene]

small enough to fit into somebody's ear.

I am a bad bad bad man. I thought that said rear.

 

[lukelightning]

It's actually the S-Word Mage, with an ability to cast blasphemy and curses.

 

[olshanski]

Is that like the S*Mart mage who fights with a boom-stick?

 

[Glyfair]

Rich has updated his blog and posted a bunch on the Swordmage:

Good morning, everybody! Today, I can talk a little bit about the swordmage.

First, let me say a few words about the origin of the class. Some of you have already observed that the "grid" created by lining up power sources on one axis and character role on another axis is a natural first place to look for class ideas. We don't intend to meticulously fill in each possible combination, or even limit ourselves to one class per cubbyhole, but it's an interesting place to start. The swordmage appeared about 15 months ago when we asked ourselves, "Say, what would an arcane defender look like?"

We liked the idea well enough that at one point the swordmage was well on his way to being included in the Player's Handbook. But for various reasons we decided to go with a slightly different mix of character classes, and so the swordmage is going to wait for a while. It's a class we are going to design and publish someday, but it probably won't be in 2008... with one key exception: I'm featuring a swordmage named Geran Hulmaster as the protagonist in my upcoming Forgotten Realms trilogy, beginning with the aptly-titled novel "Swordmage." It'll be out in May.

Naturally, I needed to know a lot about how the class ticks in order to write about one. Since I don't have a mechanical design to base my Geran's abilities on, I've thought long and hard about what the swordmage class should do, how it looks, and how it feels. So here are a few things I know about the swordmage, based on what I've done for my novel:

* Swordmages aren't "gishes" or bladesingers. Someone over on EN World made an uncannily accurate prediction about the class, which I can confirm here: A swordmage is a warrior who uses magic to fight better.
* Swordmages use spells of armorning and protection instead of wearing heavy armor. At the most basic level, it's something along the lines of an always-on mage armor spell, renewed each morning. Since they're defenders, they need hit points and AC comparable to fighters, and swordmages get there by using persistent magic effects.I think there are other persistent wards in play too, spells that provide some energy resistance, mental defense, things of that sort.
* Swordmages have lots of room for fun, combat-focused "immediate" spells and "move" spells. For example, my character Geran makes use of a few short-range teleports and transpositions, as well as instant shield-like effects. The movement effects will work great for a defender--what better way to get the troll to stop beating on the wizard than to simply trade places with your unarmored friend?
* Swordmages have room for fun attack powers, too. For example, I have Geran make use of a short-duration, self-only strength spell, as well as another one that wreathes his sword in magical flames. There are a few others I touched on in my novel, but I don't want to give any more away 'cause I don't want to spoil things.

Anyway, there you go! Someday you'll be able to play a character like that if you've got the inclination to.

 

[F4NBOY]

Good morning, everybody! Today, I can talk a little bit about the swordmage.

http://forums.gleemax.com/showthread.php?t=906386

1 minute late

 

[Rechan]

Sounds like the Swordmage killed the Psychic Warrior, took his stuff, and called it "magic".

 

[Ruin Explorer]

And I think the 3 new base classes introduced in the Complete series were really good additions to the game.

... well, except the Samurai.

Some of them were good additions to the game.

Because 3E multiclassing is pretty much crap*.

It completely failed to replicate even the basic "style" of multiclassing from previous games, and was used more as a tool for munchkinism and quickly picking up X, Y and Z, more than actually playing a character who is a hybrid of more than one class. With PrCs it could become overpowered, and without them, it could often be wildly underpowered.

Dozens of 3E Base Classes added in Complete books, in Dragon, and on WotC's website were attempts to create viable "multiclass" classes, which were almost universally significantly more powerful and practical than actual multiclassing.

This is the problem, and why we're so keen to see multiclassing for 4E that works well for the commonest multiclass combos, and doesn't leave characters who are mediocre at one thing and crap at the other, but who are, at the very least, mediocre at two things, like in previous editions. I suspect that with a autoscaling abilities and so on, 4E will be fine at this, or at least a lot more interesting, but it's my number one hope for the new rules.

Sounds like the Swordmage killed the Psychic Warrior, took his stuff, and called it "magic".

I do hope not, the Psychic Warrior was much cooler than a lame old "swordmage" (jeez), and will hopefully return in the new Psionics book which we have been told will arrive eventually.

* - This is an opinion, not a fact, if it was a fact, I would use the word "fact". If this is too hard for you, please stay away from internet messageboards. Everything I post is opinion unless I specifically state that it's fact.