D&D 5E Swordmage! (+thread)

[Ancalagon]

So, having had a long time away from it, I love the basic structure and ideas, it’s a complex Spellcasting monk, mechanically.

It lacks fluff ribbons, and it needs more “esoterica”.

I’m also not sure about where I wanted to go with the subclasses.

I think the subclasses want to be Schools in an almost anime sense of “the guys from the Cat School are fast and hard to hit, and they hit hard, but they aren’t nearly as tough as the Bear School” type stuff.

The School of The White Lotus gets a Fighting Style choice between Dueling and Defensive, and a protective buff when they have a hand free. They’re the most Martial School, the most focused on direct weapon mastery.

The School of The Goetic Circle are Binders, who gain extra spells from Tasha’s Summon X line of spells, and special buffs and abilities that revolve around interacting with a willing ally. They also get Magic Circle, Dispel Magic, Glyph of Warding.

The School of The Sohei focuses on polearms and simple weapons, and on fighting supernatural evil. The closest to divine we get.

The Hermeticist is a mystic alchemist first and foremost. A hermetic philosopher with a sword.

So a sword mage or a sword sage? (there was a 3e blade dancer class I liked)

 

[doctorbadwolf]

So a sword mage or a sword sage? (there was a 3e blade dancer class I liked)

I’ll look at the sword sage and consider stealing its stuff!

but seriously, I don’t love the name, and it is a scholarly class. The current draft, while I will try to post this week, gets expertise on one tool and one Int skill, and later gets to spend an Aether to add Int mod to any one ability check.

They also get ritual casting at level 1, though I need to make that clearer in the text of the class (it’s under Manual Esoterica).

I am thinking of giving it an ability to use magic items that require attunement by a Wizard...or maybe just the new spell books.

Might even specify some bonus to fighting with a Spellcasting focus in your second hand...

 

[Garthanos]

I have a homebrew class that is meant to fill the role of the martial arcane half-caster in 5e. It's called the Arcknight, just to have a generic name that fits the theme, but is meant to be a swordmage/duskblade. There are subclasses of the same name in the class. Just wanted to share it in the case that you wanted to look at it for inspiration or any reason. Here's the link:

Arcknight Class (feedback would be nice) - Homebrew & House Rules - Dungeons & Dragons Discussion - D&D Beyond Forums - D&D Beyond

Okay, I have been building a gish class. I have never played a TTRPG with an arcane Gish class before, and have been mostly going off what I think would fit ...

www.dndbeyond.com

I made up Arcadian Knights an edition ago or so their in story concept was like Arcane Paladins ...

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

I made up Arcadian Knights an edition ago or so their in story concept was like Arcane Paladins ...

That's kind of what this is. It's just meant to be an arcane equivalent of the paladins and rangers of 5e, giving them half-casting and unique abilities. Just to make them different from both paladins and rangers, they can use thrown weapons just as well as melee weapons.

 

[Garthanos]

That's kind of what this is. It's just meant to be an arcane equivalent of the paladins and rangers of 5e, giving them half-casting and unique abilities. Just to make them different from both paladins and rangers, they can use thrown weapons just as well as melee weapons.

These guys were philosophically primarily paladins but they treat the Wizard/Scientistic Approach to Magic as though they were Holy and consider themselves the protectors there of... with general caveat of being about improving the lot of sentient life by sharing the magic. Some of the members are not careful about it all the time (AND a few pf the less noble probably hold the contrary concept of humanity not being careful with the power of the arts are getting what they deserve)

 

[Garthanos]

Actually when I made up the organization 2e was probably thriving.

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

These guys were philosophically primarily paladins but they treat the Wizard/Scientistic Approach to Magic as though they were Holy and consider themselves the protectors there of... with general caveat of being about improving the lot of sentient life by sharing the magic. Some of the members are not careful about it all the time (AND a few pf the less noble probably hold the contrary concept of humanity not being careful with the power of the arts are getting what they deserve)

That sounds like a homebrew paladin subclass I made: Oath of the Arcane (Basically devoted to arcane powers, swearing to be bodyguards for wizards and other arcane casters).

 

[Garthanos]

There is a movement? in my game world called the "reconstructionists" anyone might promote this but basically the idea is humanity in story were once extremely magically capable with extraordinary grades of techno-magic and reconstructionists want to restore that former status. You do not have to be an Arcadian Knight or one of the Leading Wizards to be part of it but many AK are..