What is a "gish"?

[Raith5]

Definitely githyanki specific for me. I really dont like the use of gish for general fighter- mages. However, I am not sure if there is any more support for other terms like swordmage etc. I prefer the term arcane warrior FWIW.

 

[Serendipity]

To me, it's a Smashing Pumpkins album. I've never encountered the term anywhere but the internets.

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

NI!!!

I refuse to acknowledge any use but #1 regardless of how the poll turns out.

 

[TwoSix]

I have never seen it used as a general in-game term. People in a tavern in the game world don't say, "Gee, that gish who walked by was an idiot," or anything. I've only seen it used by players outside the game (as in, "I want to optimize my gish, should I take spell X or feat Y...")

Wait, wait, wait. People think we're talking about in-game use? I assumed this discussion was purely about out-of-game use. I don't use the term "gish" in game at all, no more than I use the term "fighter-mage."

 

[Remathilis]

A berserk button for grognards.

 

[Ahnehnois]

I figure "gish" is a better in-universe term than "fighter/mage".

Personally, I rather like Pathfinder's term: "magus".

 

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

I like the magus as a class, but in-universe, it's easy to mistake a magus for an eldritch/knight or other type of ... "gish". It's a bit like calling a sorcerer a "mage"; close but not exact.

 

[Ahnehnois]

I like the magus as a class, but in-universe, it's easy to mistake a magus for an eldritch/knight or other type of ... "gish". It's a bit like calling a sorcerer a "mage"; close but not exact.

True. But there really isn't an archetype for the fighting/magic types. The character concept is pretty much a D&D-ism, which means whatever word you use for it is pretty much a neologism.

I just think the term "magus", while vague, is a little less goofy.

 

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

I'm afraid we're turning this into a 2-person thread, but to me, magus is just another way of saying wizard, an old-fashioned term.

They're not common, but I've seen "magic knights" and the like in quite a few non-D&D settings, usually anime or Japanese RPGs, but also physical adepts in Shadowrun.

 

[Henry]

Blademage, Swordmage, Magus, Martial Arcanists -- anything but "gish". That's one of those "too silly to live" words. Might as well talk about using your toon to spam mad kites on those phat l00t dropperz.

Oh, and while you're at it, cut down that danged hippy-hop music and git offa my lawn!