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View Full Version : [4E] Emergency Swordmage advice!



Zaeron
2009-04-21, 06:59 PM
Okay. Here's the deal, starting a new game, our first one at Paragon level. We're beginning as 10th level characters so we can get used to being higher than normal before we hit 11 and pick paragon paths.

I decided to play a swordmage. I like the Aegis of Shielding better than the Aegis of Assault, so I went that way. I chose to be a Githyanki, for the +2CON +2INT, and the 1/encounter fly effect.

Our stats were standard array, plus 4 points to assign where we wanted. So my stats looked like:

STR: 13 (+1 from level, total 14)
CON: 14 (+2 free points, +2 racial, total 18)

DEX 11 (+1 from level, total 12)
INT 16 (+2 'free' points, +2 racial, +2 from level, total 22)

WIS 12
CHA 10

Now, at 11th level, my stats jump enough for me to get Heavy Blade Opportunity, buuuut... That leads into my next issue: My at wills are Booming Blade and Sword Burst - Sword Burst can't be used w/ Heavy Blade Opportunity, and Booming Blade just isn't that good, cause of the wording. Is Heavy Blade Opportunity even worth it? I could jump my CON up to 20 instead.

Power choices follow:

At Wills - Booming Blade, Sword Burst
Encounter - Foesnare, Incendiary Sword (Dragon Magazine), Isolating Slam
Daily - Dimensional Thunder (Dragon Magazine), Shielding Fire (Dragon Magazine), Glamor Blade
Utilities - Dimensional Warp, Armathor's Step, Impenetrable Warding

Basically, my concern is this - I've got wicked defenses, lowest non-ac defense is 21 and my AC ends up around 28 or 29. Impenetrable Warding is another +3 to all non-ac defenses 1/day, which is crazy good. But... how do I make anybody hit me? Shielding Fire gives a second mark, but it's daily. Glamor Blade makes it harder to get around me, but also daily. My encounter and at wills are generally annoying to my opponents, but... are they enough to draw fire onto me? Or is my DM just going to say "Why hit an AC 28 when I could swing at an AC 21 or 22?"

Any advice, guys? Also appreciate more general advice - feats worth taking, etc. If I should really be using the aegis of assault instead, tell me! I've never optimized a swordmage before.

Starbuck_II
2009-04-21, 07:21 PM
The ability Aegis of Shielding is made so even if they don't hit you; you get to lower damage caused.

That said I don't have the book with Swordmage so I can't really help.

NecroRebel
2009-04-21, 07:21 PM
Well, keep in mind that you're reducing the damage your marked enemy does by 9 per round, or 14 next level. This at a level where most enemies deal about 10 on a hit. Your marked enemy will attack you because if they attack you they can hurt you, while if they don't attack you they can't do squat.

Wait... Heavy Blade Opportunity requires 15 Dex, which you can't possibly have by 11 with that stat array at 10. So it's a moot point. Just pick up Intelligent Blademaster and call it done; you lose relatively little anyway, since the way its worded, even with the errata, is such that the extra damage will never trigger if used on an OA. So no, HBO isn't worth it.

Edit: Also, there's a paragon-tier feat that lets you mark 2 targets with your Aegis, called Double Aegis, appropriately enough. Also, just marking a target arguably doesn't let you use your Aegis interrupt on it; mark is a seperate status condition from Aegis of Shielding.

EditEdit: Further, you should consider the actual math of marks. While I haven't done it for any level 10+ monsters, I have done it for a level 1, and showed that the monsters are better off following the mark if the squishy's defense is within 12 of the Defender's. You should be attacked unless your party is intentionally nerfing their own defenses, in other words.

ninja_penguin
2009-04-21, 07:22 PM
Marks are technically supposed to be a compulsion. Me and the co-DM of our group have generally played marks where an enemy will attack its marker, unless it has a incredibly easy shot at somebody who has hurt it or is causing mischief. Also, we follow the 'tactics' blocks that they list in the MM as much as possible.

Unfortunately, I don't happen to have the books with me, or ability to read Dragon magazine, so not much advice other then this for defenders: If you can mess with your opponent so that they can't get to the striker's and leaders, its just about as effective as being able to do a ton of damage on your own.

Break
2009-04-21, 07:24 PM
Ditch Heavy Blade Opportunity - a shielding swordmage would have to give up too much to get at it, and doesn't have much of a use for it anyway.

If you can actually take Shielding Fire, then also take Frigid Blade instead of Booming Blade for your second at-will; with the CON you'll get from not taking HBO, Frigid Blade should slow people down enough such that they're forced to engage with you. It's even better than the actual slow condition if your CON gets high enough.

Mando Knight
2009-04-21, 07:56 PM
Dump Dex. It's useless to a Shielding Swordmage, as HBO is too much of a point investment into both the tertiary stat and into a stat which has a defense already covered by your attack stat. If your initiative falls short, take Improved Initiative instead. Don't fret about missing Heavy Blade Mastery, either (requires 21 Str, 17 Dex).

Instead, pump your Con and Wis (primarily Con, Wis/Cha depending on whether or not your PP gains benefits from the stat or if your Will drops too low) alongside your Int.