Soranar
2013-02-19, 11:52 AM
As the title implies, I'm trying to stat out what, exactly, can an arcane swordsage do.
What is an arcane swordsage?
First off, the swordsage has a feel somewhere between a sorcerer and a warlock.
Like a sorcerer he doesn't need a book but simplies knows his spells, albeit from a limited list.
Like a warlock he can, potentially, cast his spells all day long. Unlike a warlock he can run out of spells within an encounter although he has options to renew them.
Unlike either of those classes, a swordsage has no casting stat. He cannot gain more spells from a high stat nor can he increase the DC of his spells from a high stat since he casts spells as if they were maneuvers. Finally he can only have , at level 20, 12 spells readied at any given time and can only know 25 maneuvers total.
Unlike a normal spellcaster, he can add his WIS modifier to damage with spells from the chosen school of magic.
Unlike a normal spellcaster, an arcane swordsage has an initiator level, not a spellcaster level. Which means he won't qualify for any feat requiring a spellcasting level, like the feat obtain familiar.
In a similar vein an arcane swordsage does not qualify you for prestige classes requiring a spellcaster level and will not be progressed by those classes though he still gains the benefit of half an initiator level per level for any class. He also doesn't cast spells, he initiates them, which means he doesn't qualify for any classes requiring the ability to cast spells.
He cannot boost his spellcaster level with the feat practiced spellcaster either. Not can he apply metamagic feats to his spells as they are not cast like spells but initiated like maneuvers. He also does not provoke an AoO when initiating his spells and he doesn't suffer from arcane spell failure since, again, he initiates spells like maneuvers.
The arcane swordsage's spells
Finally, an arcane swordsage's spells must be from the following schools of magic:
Abjuration
Evocation
Transmutation
And their range must be touch or personal.
An arcane swordsage also has access to spells which he can cast as a swift action and last as long as he wishes, like stances. He may only have 1 such spell active at any given time unless a class ability says otherwise. The spell must be chosen from one of the allowed school of magic with the appropriate range and the spell must only affect him, again like a stance.
While the text suggests a nice DM would allow other spells, I find this spell list is already powerful enough.
Level 1: enlarge person, protection from x, shield, reduce person, shocking grasp
Level 2: alter self, owl's wisdom
Level 3: exploding runes, nondetection, blink, fly, greater magic weapon
While damaging spells are few and far in between , and save or suck spells seem mostly nonexistent, personal buffs are both powerful and numerous. You also have access to a few if the late game I win buttons namely:
-shapechange, timestop, etheralness
Other class features
BAB: as rogue
Save: High Ref and Will
Hit die: as rogue
Skills: x6 from a strong list
Proficiencies: all simple, all melee martial
Gameplay
How would playing an arcane swordsage feel like? Well, for one thing, you'd feel oddly similar to a cleric at low levels: having a medium BAB, few offensive spells and many buffs. You'd probably need to dip into a fighting class to obtain armor proficiencies or you could simply spend a feat to get them.
On the other hand a warforged character could simply wear his plating. He'd also have access to unlimited healing through the repair spells. Making him invaluable to a group entirely composed of warforged characters.
At medium levels you'd begin to gain access to a handful of gamebreakers but you'd still be strickly worse than a tier 1 class since your spells will never have a high DC even if you find some within the right school of magic and with the right range.
In conclusion, an arcane swordsage is a tier 2 character. While useful to have around he wouldn't shine as much unless the group had tier 1 roles covered: namely battlefield control. He also can't summon or benefit much from action economy and would get crushed by a dedicated spellcaster due to those failings.
What is an arcane swordsage?
First off, the swordsage has a feel somewhere between a sorcerer and a warlock.
Like a sorcerer he doesn't need a book but simplies knows his spells, albeit from a limited list.
Like a warlock he can, potentially, cast his spells all day long. Unlike a warlock he can run out of spells within an encounter although he has options to renew them.
Unlike either of those classes, a swordsage has no casting stat. He cannot gain more spells from a high stat nor can he increase the DC of his spells from a high stat since he casts spells as if they were maneuvers. Finally he can only have , at level 20, 12 spells readied at any given time and can only know 25 maneuvers total.
Unlike a normal spellcaster, he can add his WIS modifier to damage with spells from the chosen school of magic.
Unlike a normal spellcaster, an arcane swordsage has an initiator level, not a spellcaster level. Which means he won't qualify for any feat requiring a spellcasting level, like the feat obtain familiar.
In a similar vein an arcane swordsage does not qualify you for prestige classes requiring a spellcaster level and will not be progressed by those classes though he still gains the benefit of half an initiator level per level for any class. He also doesn't cast spells, he initiates them, which means he doesn't qualify for any classes requiring the ability to cast spells.
He cannot boost his spellcaster level with the feat practiced spellcaster either. Not can he apply metamagic feats to his spells as they are not cast like spells but initiated like maneuvers. He also does not provoke an AoO when initiating his spells and he doesn't suffer from arcane spell failure since, again, he initiates spells like maneuvers.
The arcane swordsage's spells
Finally, an arcane swordsage's spells must be from the following schools of magic:
Abjuration
Evocation
Transmutation
And their range must be touch or personal.
An arcane swordsage also has access to spells which he can cast as a swift action and last as long as he wishes, like stances. He may only have 1 such spell active at any given time unless a class ability says otherwise. The spell must be chosen from one of the allowed school of magic with the appropriate range and the spell must only affect him, again like a stance.
While the text suggests a nice DM would allow other spells, I find this spell list is already powerful enough.
Level 1: enlarge person, protection from x, shield, reduce person, shocking grasp
Level 2: alter self, owl's wisdom
Level 3: exploding runes, nondetection, blink, fly, greater magic weapon
While damaging spells are few and far in between , and save or suck spells seem mostly nonexistent, personal buffs are both powerful and numerous. You also have access to a few if the late game I win buttons namely:
-shapechange, timestop, etheralness
Other class features
BAB: as rogue
Save: High Ref and Will
Hit die: as rogue
Skills: x6 from a strong list
Proficiencies: all simple, all melee martial
Gameplay
How would playing an arcane swordsage feel like? Well, for one thing, you'd feel oddly similar to a cleric at low levels: having a medium BAB, few offensive spells and many buffs. You'd probably need to dip into a fighting class to obtain armor proficiencies or you could simply spend a feat to get them.
On the other hand a warforged character could simply wear his plating. He'd also have access to unlimited healing through the repair spells. Making him invaluable to a group entirely composed of warforged characters.
At medium levels you'd begin to gain access to a handful of gamebreakers but you'd still be strickly worse than a tier 1 class since your spells will never have a high DC even if you find some within the right school of magic and with the right range.
In conclusion, an arcane swordsage is a tier 2 character. While useful to have around he wouldn't shine as much unless the group had tier 1 roles covered: namely battlefield control. He also can't summon or benefit much from action economy and would get crushed by a dedicated spellcaster due to those failings.