Who mugged the Sword Sage?

[lukelightning]

Although with the new gish being called "swordmage" for some damn reason, I guess "swordsage" wouldn't really fly either.

I dislike swordsage as a regular character class, it should be a PrC. A swordsage is someone who has become a supreme swordfighter. I'd say you can't be a first level swordsage any more than you can be a first level archmage.

 

[ZappoHisbane]

I dislike swordsage as a regular character class, it should be a PrC. A swordsage is someone who has become a supreme swordfighter. I'd say you can't be a first level swordsage any more than you can be a first level archmage.

Sure you can. As long as you've got 13-odd levels of Wizard under your belt/pointy hat first.

 

[TwinBahamut]

The name "monk" in an Asian/Oriental context makes perfect sense for the class.

Too many of us Western dogs think of Friar Tuck…

Nonsense. It only makes sense if you are referring to something like Shaolin monks, a single temple from a sect of a single religion in one eastern country. And for that temple, the martial arts are secondary to the general ideas of being a monk: religion devotion and ascetic rules.

Those two elements of religious devotion and ascetic ideals are the important part of the word monk, no matter the context. That is what I meant when I said above that monk has a single clear definition. It is true when talking about both east and west, and everywhere else. Even in the Shaolin Temple, martial arts are just a means to an end in that regard.

Also, for the most part, in China and Japan most martial arts were handed down through peasants and professional soldier classes, that had nothing to do with the religious monks.

In fact, there are more stories of skilled warriors who retire from battle to become monks, than there are stories of monks fighting anybody.

 

[cignus_pfaccari]

Too many of us Western dogs think of Friar Tuck…

IIRC, Friar Tuck spun a mean quarterstaff if he needed to.

Brad

 

[Kobold Avenger]

Whenever I think of a monk, I've always thought of some guy or girl with a shaved head, who wears orange robes. Never associated them with fighting until a lot later on.

 

[Irda Ranger]

So who ganked the Swordsage? He had some petty sweet stuff and I'd like to see it going forward.

No one, yet. I forget who, but one of the designers said there was no way (yet) to recreate the Swordsage using the current mix of 4E classes. That means the swordsage still has his stuff.

I'd rather they made a swordsage with unarmed combat as a Talent/career path, but other options too; and didn't rely on the monk and try to tack some swordsage abilities on it. The SS is a much more flexible and flavorful class than the monk ever was, and fulfilled a lot of the same roles.

I still want to play one in a campaign, and can't decide if I prefer Desert Wind or Shadowhand.

 

[Gloombunny]

I still want to play one in a campaign, and can't decide if I prefer Desert Wind or Shadowhand.

You're a swordsage, not a warblade. Take both!

 

[Crashy75]

No one, yet. I forget who, but one of the designers said there was no way (yet) to recreate the Swordsage using the current mix of 4E classes. That means the swordsage still has his stuff.

I think it was the warblade they were talking about in the Castle Smoulderthorn playtest reports though perhaps you are referring to something different. Either way, I haven't heard anything about the swordsage losing his stuff. Yet.

I'd rather they made a swordsage with unarmed combat as a Talent/career path, but other options too; and didn't rely on the monk and try to tack some swordsage abilities on it. The SS is a much more flexible and flavorful class than the monk ever was, and fulfilled a lot of the same roles.

I agree completely!

I still want to play one in a campaign, and can't decide if I prefer Desert Wind or Shadowhand.

Desert wind was my least favorite but it had a few maneuvers I liked. Shadowhand, on the other hand, is the spit!

 

[TarionzCousin]

Sword Saint? [the literal translation of Kensai I believe]

Nice.

 

[Gloombunny]

You can't name a base class swordsaint. The whole point of that term is that it's applied to warriors of legendary skill as a way of honoring them. A level one swordsaint is even more absurd than a level one archmage.