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Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*Dungeons & Dragons
why do we not have an arcane half caster?
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<blockquote data-quote="Aldarc" data-source="post: 8199828" data-attributes="member: 5142"><p>I do think it's popular and it's reiterated quite often in the game,* but D&D has often resorted to multiclassing as the solution. But IMO, I don't think that it's a good one, since it doesn't address the often conflict between physical and magical combat action efficiency, and multiclassing often involves a reduced efficiency in spell and attack progression.</p><p></p><p>* Elf Class, the "Gish," the Spellsword, the 4e Swordmage, the Duskblade, the Eldritch Knight, etc. Over in Pathfinder land, the Magus is a fairly popular class. The Mageblade was a popular class in AU/AE. This was arguably what the Bard was: the half-caster and jack-of-all-trades. </p><p></p><p></p><p>I don't think that it's terribly difficult really, and Defcon's reductionism doesn't help matters either. What makes the ranger's story compelling when we could likewise just say that it's a fighter in the woods or that the paladin is just a fighter/cleric multiclass? But what is the story of a fighter? The person who fights? What is the story of a mage? The person who does magic? In the case of the swordmage, I would consider why such a relatively obvious combination of skillsets would possibly emerge or be needed in the context of D&D's presumed fiction. </p><p></p><p>I would possibly propose building the swordmage, ironically enough, as an anti-mage or spellbreaker. Magic and mages in the world of D&D are dangerous, and the swordmage is equipped with both the swords and the sorcery to shut mages down, bypass spells and arcane wards, and resist magical monsters. </p><p></p><p></p><p>Likely spells practical for in-combat usage, whether through melee or ranged weapons.</p><p></p><p></p><p>The Jedi Knights say "hello," and you obviously allude to the Red Mage of Final Fantasy.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Aldarc, post: 8199828, member: 5142"] I do think it's popular and it's reiterated quite often in the game,* but D&D has often resorted to multiclassing as the solution. But IMO, I don't think that it's a good one, since it doesn't address the often conflict between physical and magical combat action efficiency, and multiclassing often involves a reduced efficiency in spell and attack progression. * Elf Class, the "Gish," the Spellsword, the 4e Swordmage, the Duskblade, the Eldritch Knight, etc. Over in Pathfinder land, the Magus is a fairly popular class. The Mageblade was a popular class in AU/AE. This was arguably what the Bard was: the half-caster and jack-of-all-trades. I don't think that it's terribly difficult really, and Defcon's reductionism doesn't help matters either. What makes the ranger's story compelling when we could likewise just say that it's a fighter in the woods or that the paladin is just a fighter/cleric multiclass? But what is the story of a fighter? The person who fights? What is the story of a mage? The person who does magic? In the case of the swordmage, I would consider why such a relatively obvious combination of skillsets would possibly emerge or be needed in the context of D&D's presumed fiction. I would possibly propose building the swordmage, ironically enough, as an anti-mage or spellbreaker. Magic and mages in the world of D&D are dangerous, and the swordmage is equipped with both the swords and the sorcery to shut mages down, bypass spells and arcane wards, and resist magical monsters. Likely spells practical for in-combat usage, whether through melee or ranged weapons. The Jedi Knights say "hello," and you obviously allude to the Red Mage of Final Fantasy. [/QUOTE]
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why do we not have an arcane half caster?
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