D&D General why do we not have an arcane half caster?

[Frozen_Heart]

Hexblade's in the game because they determined their Warlock's 'Pact of the Blade' wasn't good enough apparently, so they combed through old 3E content and brought this class forward into a subclass (and even then they made sure to add story and fluff of the patron being a sentient weapon of some type, usually from the Raven Queen.) And the EK is in the game because it was an arcane warrior whose story was no different than the Swordmage. After all... here is what the 4E Forgotten Realms Player's Guide said a Swordmage was in their opening paragraphs of the class write-up:

Swordmages apply the arcane arts to melee combat. The combat skills they possess are enhanced by the magic they wield. The flourish of a swordmage’s blade not only bites with steel, but also with fire, lightning, or other powerful forces. You studied and practiced for years to master your skills. You mastered the fundamentals of arcane magic and combined this academic study with endless hours of physical training. You might be a young eladrin in search of your fortune, a stranger to the wider world outside the seclusion of your homeland; a self-trained genasi sellsword, gifted with an affinity for elemental magic; the scion of a disgraced noble human family, taught by the finest tutors in youth but now a footloose expatriate; or a half-elf arcane champion, rigorously trained in a war magic academy to serve in the armies of your homeland. Magical barriers of force swirl around you, protecting you from harm. The blade you carry is an extension of your being, both body and mind. It pulses with eldritch energy as you prepare to defend your allies and unleash magical fury against your foes.

The story of this class is "you add arcane magic to your melee combat". That's it. This brand new class added to D&D and this was the extent of it. That's all their fluff is. A warrior who casts wizard spells. Which is the exact same story the Eldritch Knight has. So why does the Swordmage need to be a full class? The only reason people give is because they want special game mechanics to exist for this class... which is never the sole reason why a new class would get made. Heck... the designers have gone out of their way NOT to find reasons to create an entire Psion class for the simple reason they don't see enough of a story reason for it beyond what they already gave with their 3 subclasses. And heck they tried to squeeze the Artificer into the Wizard at one point so they wouldn't have to make a new class just for engineering and magic item creation. But at least the Artificer has enough story and legs to justify 3 to 4 different "engineering" types of subclasses that could come out of it so they finally gave in.

As we've said above... if anyone can't give an in-world job or reason for the existence of a specialized class of arcane warrior that is necessary above and beyond the Pact of the Blade Warlock, the Hexblade Warlock, the Bladesinger Wizard, the Eldritch Knight Fighter, and the College of Sword Bard... the class will not get made by WotC to appear in an eventual book. Now you all can create all manner of your own versions (just like the Warlord has been attempted again and again and again)... but that's going to have to suffice. Because WotC has shown over all these years that they just don't see the necessity of making one themselves.

I mean that's what the people in here are doing now. There has been a lot of talk about what the story of the class should be, and it seems to be coming down repeatedly on 'augmented' magic warriors who deal with threats who ordinary people cannot. Mage hunters, dealing with extraplanar excursions, confiscating powerful artefacts to stop them falling into the wrong hands. As well as the guardians of important individuals or artefacts as well.

Which also happens to fall perfectly into reasons they would be adventuring.

 

[Undrave]

Lore...

• Class Name? (Swordmage? Magus?)
• Class Story? (Monster hunter/Binder? Planar Defender? Magic Enforcer? Dangerous Artefact/Lore stewardship? Magic given artificially?)
• Subclasses? (Wizard school based? More sorcerer focus? Focus on specific planes or enemies? Blood/Death Knights?)

A type of Binder who forces minor extra-planer beings to empower their attacks could be a cool concept. Each type of enslaved/partner being could be its own subclass, with the possibility that this partner (bonded to their very SOUL) could be imposed by an outside force as well. Like

"This powerful Lich forced a creature from the Shadowfell into my soul so I would obey him. I found a way to stop the Shadow from tearing my soul to ribbon... for now... but it still hungers for life force, and thus I've become a mercenary to feed its appetite while I look for a way to free myself of this chain. I can tap into the Shadow's power at times, letting it off the leash a little, so that it can strike at my enemies."

"I've learned how to dominate this minor Wind Spirit, a tradition in the desert land I come from. It's power grants me incredible agility and speed while on the battlefield. People like me are able to do battle in the heart of sandstorms and act as shock trooper for the Califf."

That sort of thing?

The story of this class is "you add arcane magic to your melee combat". That's it. This brand new class added to D&D and this was the extent of it. That's all their fluff is. A warrior who casts wizard spells. Which is the exact same story the Eldritch Knight has. So why does the Swordmage need to be a full class? The only reason people give is because they want special game mechanics to exist for this class... which is never the sole reason why a new class would get made. Heck... the designers have gone out of their way NOT to find reasons to create an entire Psion class for the simple reason they don't see enough of a story reason for it beyond what they already gave with their 3 subclasses. And heck they tried to squeeze the Artificer into the Wizard at one point so they wouldn't have to make a new class just for engineering and magic item creation. But at least the Artificer has enough story and legs to justify 3 to 4 different "engineering" types of subclasses that could come out of it so they finally gave in.

More than the 'mechanics' I think it's the VISION of the Swordmage that's missing. The vision of this lightly armoured hero, with a sword ablaze with arcane energy, who is battling at one end of the battlefield, only to blink out and strike at a foe who is about to assault their allies. There's more but I wasn't a Swordmage player myself so I don't know all the things they could do. Yeah, you can call that a mechanic, but it's a pretty specific application of magic that the current Gish class don't really get to do? Regardless of how the mechanics shake up.

 

[Scribe]

The mention of Psion is good, it should be a basic class, with its own sub system, and subclasses, but..then we lose on some fighter, or rogue subclasses? Maybe, maybe not.

I also don't see why a spellblade needs any more back story than Wizard or Fighter, Monk or Paladin.

It's a class that is half martial, and half arcane.

That's it. It doesn't mean an Eldritch Knight cannot exist, or a Hexblade, it's just similar flavour of a trope.

 

[Tales and Chronicles]

As for the ''job'' of a swordmage, I quite like the idea behind the Malec-Keth Janissary paragon path from 4e, in which you were a bodyguard for elemental lord (mostly genies).

I modified the text a little to fit more general swordmages, I kept the term Janissary, since it sounds to me a nice equivalent to the Paladin:

''Janissaries are products of the elite arcane and military practices and experimentations taught in the war-magic academies in the City of Brass, Abeir, lost Netherese enclaves or other planar metropolises. Highly disciplined and rigorously trained, Janissaries have a fighting style demonstrative of their mastery of mind and body. They learn offensive and defensive techniques to protect their wards, and they also study music, art, and language.

Many Janissaries are servants to powerful masters, both humanoid and elemental, fey and undead. Proud and loyal, janissaries are single-minded in defense of their allies and masters. They favor a modest appearance; the only distinguishing mark a janissary bears is the tattoo of single blue flame on the brow that declares him or her a graduate of a planar academies. Those who wear the mark of janissaries are known far and wide among the elemental or other planar realms for their determination and deadly skill with spell and blade.

Many powerful lords and ladies favor janissaries as bodyguards for their defensive abilities and courtly grace. Other janissaries owe allegiance to no clear master, preferring to use their training to further their own ambitions.''

 

[Mind of tempest]

As for the ''job'' of a swordmage, I quite like the idea behind the Malec-Keth Janissary paragon path from 4e, in which you were a bodyguard for elemental lord (mostly genies).

I modified the text a little to fit more general swordmages, I kept the term Janissary, since it sounds to me a nice equivalent to the Paladin:

''Janissaries are products of the elite arcane and military practices and experimentations taught in the war-magic academies in the City of Brass, Abeir, lost Netherese enclaves or other planar metropolises. Highly disciplined and rigorously trained, Janissaries have a fighting style demonstrative of their mastery of mind and body. They learn offensive and defensive techniques to protect their wards, and they also study music, art, and language.

Many Janissaries are servants to powerful masters, both humanoid and elemental, fey and undead. Proud and loyal, janissaries are single-minded in defense of their allies and masters. They favor a modest appearance; the only distinguishing mark a janissary bears is the tattoo of single blue flame on the brow that declares him or her a graduate of a planar academies. Those who wear the mark of janissaries are known far and wide among the elemental or other planar realms for their determination and deadly skill with spell and blade.

Many powerful lords and ladies favor janissaries as bodyguards for their defensive abilities and courtly grace. Other janissaries owe allegiance to no clear master, preferring to use their training to further their own ambitions.''

too specialised for a non-subclass.

 

[Tales and Chronicles]

too specialised for a non-subclass.

Well I disagree. Its no more specific than Paladin, Warlock or Monk, in my opinion.

 

[Frozen_Heart]

The Janissaries do sound a little specialised in focus for the entire class, but sound like an absolutely perfect subclass (and the one I would pick if the class was official). Elemental themed spellstriking swordmages are my ideal character concept.

 

[Chaosmancer]

A type of Binder who forces minor extra-planer beings to empower their attacks could be a cool concept. Each type of enslaved/partner being could be its own subclass, with the possibility that this partner (bonded to their very SOUL) could be imposed by an outside force as well. Like

"This powerful Lich forced a creature from the Shadowfell into my soul so I would obey him. I found a way to stop the Shadow from tearing my soul to ribbon... for now... but it still hungers for life force, and thus I've become a mercenary to feed its appetite while I look for a way to free myself of this chain. I can tap into the Shadow's power at times, letting it off the leash a little, so that it can strike at my enemies."

"I've learned how to dominate this minor Wind Spirit, a tradition in the desert land I come from. It's power grants me incredible agility and speed while on the battlefield. People like me are able to do battle in the heart of sandstorms and act as shock trooper for the Califf."

That sort of thing?

Yeah, and then add into that same skill set letting them bind enemies too.

See, killing a demon like a Paladin does just sends it back to the abyss to come back and attack the world again, but if you bind a demon, then they can't return. Especially if you can draw on their energy and "kill them" by sucking them dry.

I think it is a powerful response to some of the threats in the DnD multiverse that is currently unexplored, while also offering a ton of great plot hooks as a new method for dealing with an old problem. One that it just as likely to end with terrible things happening as the good results they want.

 

[Tales and Chronicles]

The Janissaries do sound a little specialised in focus for the entire class, but sound like an absolutely perfect subclass (and the one I would pick if the class was official). Elemental themed spellstriking swordmages are my ideal character concept.

The idea was more ''bodyguard and agent of a planar lord'', like, a mix of paladin's and warlock's theme. No need to be Elemental; they can be the Thayan Knights from Faerun, they can be the Bone Knight of the Emerald Claw of Eberron! They can be admirals or marines from the Imperial Elven Spelljammer Fleet or they can be elite assassins of the Cult of Elemental Evil!

 

[doctorbadwolf]

Hexblade's in the game because they determined their Warlock's 'Pact of the Blade' wasn't good enough apparently, so they combed through old 3E content and brought this class forward into a subclass (and even then they made sure to add story and fluff of the patron being a sentient weapon of some type, usually from the Raven Queen.) And the EK is in the game because it was an arcane warrior whose story was no different than the Swordmage. After all... here is what the 4E Forgotten Realms Player's Guide said a Swordmage was in their opening paragraphs of the class write-up:

Swordmages apply the arcane arts to melee combat. The combat skills they possess are enhanced by the magic they wield. The flourish of a swordmage’s blade not only bites with steel, but also with fire, lightning, or other powerful forces. You studied and practiced for years to master your skills. You mastered the fundamentals of arcane magic and combined this academic study with endless hours of physical training. You might be a young eladrin in search of your fortune, a stranger to the wider world outside the seclusion of your homeland; a self-trained genasi sellsword, gifted with an affinity for elemental magic; the scion of a disgraced noble human family, taught by the finest tutors in youth but now a footloose expatriate; or a half-elf arcane champion, rigorously trained in a war magic academy to serve in the armies of your homeland. Magical barriers of force swirl around you, protecting you from harm. The blade you carry is an extension of your being, both body and mind. It pulses with eldritch energy as you prepare to defend your allies and unleash magical fury against your foes.

The story of this class is "you add arcane magic to your melee combat". That's it. This brand new class added to D&D and this was the extent of it. That's all their fluff is. A warrior who casts wizard spells. Which is the exact same story the Eldritch Knight has. So why does the Swordmage need to be a full class? The only reason people give is because they want special game mechanics to exist for this class... which is never the sole reason why a new class would get made. Heck... the designers have gone out of their way NOT to find reasons to create an entire Psion class for the simple reason they don't see enough of a story reason for it beyond what they already gave with their 3 subclasses. And heck they tried to squeeze the Artificer into the Wizard at one point so they wouldn't have to make a new class just for engineering and magic item creation. But at least the Artificer has enough story and legs to justify 3 to 4 different "engineering" types of subclasses that could come out of it so they finally gave in.

As we've said above... if anyone can't give an in-world job or reason for the existence of a specialized class of arcane warrior that is necessary above and beyond the Pact of the Blade Warlock, the Hexblade Warlock, the Bladesinger Wizard, the Eldritch Knight Fighter, and the College of Sword Bard... the class will not get made by WotC to appear in an eventual book. Now you all can create all manner of your own versions (just like the Warlord has been attempted again and again and again)... but that's going to have to suffice. Because WotC has shown over all these years that they just don't see the necessity of making one themselves.

That’s a lot of words to agree with me that the EK is there to try (and fail) to be the Swordmage for 5e. Because the class has plenty of traction. It’s exactly the same thing they did with the Battlemaster, except even less satisfying.

But the Hexblade is there because the Pact of the Blade failed to be satisfying...as a Swordmage. So they added an option to allow you to put basically the entire class to work to be an arcane warrior.

And the Hexblade still only gets a bit of the concept, because it only has one story, outside of directly reflavoring things. Also, the Hexblade was a Warlock in 4e, they didn’t go back to 3.5, it’s a pretty direct port from 4e.