Raumathari Battlemage: Is it any good?

[Rossebay]

It's in UE. It gains 9/10 CL, .75 BAB, and some nifty channel spell abilities.

I'm throwing it into a Gish build of mine, but I'm wondering if it's any good, or if I'm wasting my time?

Here's the houserules we're using:
I took Imbued Staff as the Obtain Familiar feat, so it operates at caster level. This allows me to channel spells as a Standard Action. Note the issue there. Nice, sure.
If you only move 1/2 your speed, you may still Full Attack that round. I wear Full Plate, but it's Medium armor and my base speed is 40'. So, I can move 15' per round and still hit.
I'm a Power Attack user, as well as Arcane Strike. No Leap Attack, though, we're not trying to clobber everything.

Raumathari Battlemage allows me to channel spells (in the levels listed in the class) as a free action, but it's a slow progression. Still, this allows me to throw down a Shocking Grasp into my Heavy Metal Bastard Sword, Arcane Strike, and still move 15' and Full Attack.

Or, are there better options?

[kardar233]

I'm currently using it in a Persistomancer build, as I've got several spells with expensive material components and don't want to have to keep track of the cost of casting them every day. Don't know how useful it is otherwise.

[Bonzai]

It's an Ok class for a Gish build, and has great flavor. However I think Duskblade stepped all over it's toes.

[Rossebay]

It's an Ok class for a Gish build, and has great flavor. However I think Duskblade stepped all over it's toes.

Well, it may have, but it takes to level 13 Duskblade to get it.

Think about this: Gish it with Wizard, and you've got 5 levels of spells from the class itself. That's all the Duskblade gets. Combine that with Imbued Weapon, and at least 7 spell levels, if not 8, and it ends up being more powerful (I think) than Duskblade.

[eggs]

It was a gish staple early in 3e. Now, there's a lot more competition, and Battlemage doesn't fare well - its prerequisites are rough, its hit dice are fragile, its BA is low enough that it can be replicated with a Skillful weapon and its abilities are weak, late and limited-use.

The first 4 levels are still nifty filler if you have the prerequisites already, for whatever reason. But from an optimization standpoint, they're not worth going out of your way to take the prerequisites to get in.

Overall, it's not going to stand up next to the likes of Abjurant Champion, War Weaver, Recaster or Incantatrix in a gish build. And it's not going to come clearly ahead of Knight Phantom, Jade Phoenix Mage or Eldritch Knight. Even Spellsword 5 or Havoc Mage might give it a run for its money.

But Battlemage still has a few useful abilities and only loses one casting level, so if you want to make a strong melee build with it, it's certainly possible (just not the most efficient method) and it might be a bit of a change of pace.