Ascetic Mage Redone for ToB

[ZhanStrider]

I'm running a Swordsage/Sorcerer, and want to know what you all thought would be a FAIR rework of the feat "Ascetic Mage" so that it benefits a Swordsage instead of a monk, keeping the Cha to AC is STILL a PLUS of course

Thanks!

[heavyfuel]

I'm running a Swordsage/Sorcerer, and want to know what you all thought would be a FAIR rework of the feat "Ascetic Mage" so that it benefits a Swordsage instead of a monk, keeping the Cha to AC is STILL a PLUS of course

Thanks!

Yeah, it's fair. Whatever you do that mixes a Tier 2 class (Sorcerer) with a Tier 3 one (Swordsage) will already bring down your power level anyway. So I say go for it... If I were DMing at your table I'd allow.

[ZhanStrider]

Yeah, it's fair. Whatever you do that mixes a Tier 2 class (Sorcerer) with a Tier 3 one (Swordsage) will already bring down your power level anyway. So I say go for it... If I were DMing at your table I'd allow.

I thought so. Any good ideas on what would work for the changes to fit a swordsage?

[heavyfuel]

I thought so. Any good ideas on what would work for the changes to fit a swordsage?

There really isn't much to fix. Maye give Cha instead Wis for damage with Discipline Focus. But porting it directly would also work.

[ZhanStrider]

There really isn't much to fix. Maye give Cha instead Wis for damage with Discipline Focus. But porting it directly would also work.

My thought is that the "sorcerer levels count towards monk bonus AC" should be replaced with a similar bit for SS.
I like Cha for Wis on Discipline Focus.
Would letting Sorcerer levels count towards getting more manuevers/discipline focus sooner be too broken?

[Adverb]

If I were DMing such a game, I'd let someone burn a swift and a spell slot to refresh any maneuver of a level lower than that spell. I'd probably give them the option during character creation of that or the existing burn-for-hit-and-damage rule. (Then I'd expect them to take that option and a level of JPM, probably.)

I might change that to "spend a swift or standard action to..." which would give them the option of making will/fort saves all encounter at the cost of doing very little else and burning all their slots to do it.

The AC bonus is nice but not especially relevant.

[FreakyCheeseMan]

I might consider something sort of odd, like "Your sorcerer levels and swordsage levels stack for determining what maneuvers you have access to, but you still only learn new maneuvers by taking levels in swordage.

So, if you did Swordsage 1/Sorcerer 15/Swordsage 2, you'd get access to a single 9th level maneuver.

[Grod_The_Giant]

I might consider something sort of odd, like "Your sorcerer levels and swordsage levels stack for determining what maneuvers you have access to, but you still only learn new maneuvers by taking levels in swordage.
Maybe each sorcerer level grants +1 initiator level, instead of the normal 1/2? That way a Swordsage 3/Sorcerer 3 (say) would have an IL of 6 instead of 4.

[Andion Isurand]

If you're of a chaotic alignment, a level of Battle Dancer will net you a full point of BAB, monk-like unarmed damage, and charisma to unarmored AC.... might save you a feat in the process that way.

[Piggy Knowles]

To some degree, Ascetic Mage DOES work with Swordsage:


If you would normally be allowed to add your Wisdom bonus to AC (such as for a unarmored, unencumbered monk), you instead add your Charisma bonus (if any) to your AC.

I see no reason why that wouldn't equally apply to a swordsage as a monk. The other aspects, of course, are more monk-specific, but you could at least use it on a swordsage to get Charisma to AC, which is something.