Fighting Evil, Spellblade Style?

[Powerdork]

I'm looking to play a "paladin lite" that can "cast spells" and swing a shining sword (horse-riding optional). Cleric (and classes that cast from same list), paladin and inquisitor aside, which classes, feats and non-core spells/powers/etc. are worth considering?

Pathfinder and 3.5 content on the table, including Dragon and other 3pp. Pathfinder as a base, Concentration doesn't exist, Fly and Iaijutsu Focus do.
Explicitly going counter to most soft-errata Pathfinder FAQ responses, per GM instruction. This may enable such overpowered shenanigans as "add an ability score to damage rolls". FAQ answers that actually fill in an information gap (such as damage die scaling or the spell level of domain powers (http://paizo.com/paizo/faq/v5748nruor1fm#v5748eaic9o6x)) are left untouched.

Mechanically, races allowed are whatever, so long as it's easy for the common man to confuse for human (i.e. Medium size, no "monstrous abilities"; though monster abilities may be fine, natural attacks and shapeshifting are not). Slight cosmetic adjustments are assumed. This information may disqualify classes such as Beholder Mage, as well as many other racial/monster classes like DSP's hound archons, true dragons, and deathless ghost.

[Karl Aegis]

You haven't given me enough information on what you actually want to do with this character. It sounds to me like you want to be an artificer with a magic sword. Do you want to be an artificer with a magic sword?

[TheifofZ]

Alternative suggestion: Factotum.
Could be fluffed right pretty easily.
Downside is that Factotum is kind of meh as a stand-alone class.

[Powerdork]

You haven't given me enough information on what you actually want to do with this character. It sounds to me like you want to be an artificer with a magic sword. Do you want to be an artificer with a magic sword?

I'm looking for content that helps meet the goals of "casting spells" (using magical abilities of any variety, including actual spells) and "swinging a sword" (fighting better than a same-level commoner), or doing either of those things with extra effectiveness against evil creatures. I hope that suffices for explanation. If not, I'll need you to be more clear with your requests for clarification.

If an artificer could add the holy ability to a magic sword without increasing the gold value of the sword (or without paying for the effect), for instance, then that would be strictly better than item crafting (which it's possible for a member of many other classes to pay someone else to handle). Not that I'm looking for just ways to add holy to a sword.

I want to be able to beat up bad guys, and do a better job of it than of beating up good guys. I'm asking for a list of options to explore after I've checked out the obvious ones.




Alternative suggestion: Factotum.
Could be fluffed right pretty easily.
Downside is that Factotum is kind of meh as a stand-alone class.

Thanks.

[Khedrac]

In which case probably your starting point should be a duskblade. If it doesn't fit what you are after, and you can say why, that should enable people to suggest appropriate alternatives.

[Powerdork]

While the duskblade class doesn't have any specifically evil-hating class features or spells, I can slip in a variant multiclass or handful of feats (if any such exist) that provide some of those benefits. It is a workable suggestion, thank you.

[Xerlith]

Pathfinder Warpriest deserves a mention. The Dawnflower Dervish Bard (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/core-classes/bard/archetypes/paizo---bard-archetypes/dawnflower-dervish) also fits the bill, more or less.

Jade Phoenix Mage is a class whose schtick is basically "Continuous rebirth to keep evil in check by spellswordish badassery". The class directly supplements your evil-vanquishing skills by the virtue of Devoted Spirit being heavily alignment-coded.

The DSP Zealot with proper discipline choice (Silver Crane, Shattered Mirror, Sleeping Goddess) can feel magic-y enough to be considered a spellblade.

A Mystic Ranger 6/Stalker of Kharash2 with the Nemesis feat and Favored Enemy optimisation (Favored Power Attack!) is something I've been eyeing lately myself.

[Psyren]

Explicitly going counter to most soft-errata Pathfinder FAQ responses, per GM instruction. This may enable such overpowered shenanigans as "add an ability score to damage rolls".

Er, you can do this pretty easily even following RAW, and it's not overpowered at all :smalltongue:

Anyway, how much "paladin" do you want? Are divine casting and full BAB mandatory? What about heavy armor? What level of spells do you want to stop at?

[Red Fel]

ToB's Crusader is an easy option. ToB is referred to as "blade magic" anyway, and Crusader happens to have one of the most efficient healing mechanics in the game. He also gives easy access to the Ruby Knight Vindicator class, which is basically a Church Assassin Knight with semi-magical murder powers.

Another option is to go with a standard class, like Fighter, and then PrC into the Hellreaver class (Fiendish Codex II). Hellreaver is basically a PrC built onto any combat-ready chassis that adds Paladin-style powers that use a point-fueled system. When combat begins, your attacks become Good-aligned and you become immune to fear, and you gain a number of Holy Fury points to spend on class abilities. These abilities include a scaling Smite, a scaling Lay on Hands, bonuses on saves and AC, Dimensional Anchor, and the ability to make Evil Outsiders explode with blinding murder-light. Lighter on the spells, but great on the "slaying Evil with a magical weapon" angle.

[Powerdork]

how much "paladin" do you want? Are divine casting and full BAB mandatory? What about heavy armor? What level of spells do you want to stop at?

Just a touch or two. No, no. No. Spells aren't mandatory, nor are they prohibited, but 8ths and 9ths are a bit much.



The rest of you: Thanks for the list.

[Elder_Basilisk]

Since it's a Pathfinder base, you have a ton of options that do what you want, right out of the box without house-ruling, mixing in 3.5 or really bizarre multiclassing.

1. Warpriest. Cast spells. Swing sword. In the same round. Take an archetype if you want a smite ability. Heck, you can even get a horse if you archetype correctly.
2. Inquisitor. Cast spells. Swing sword. Make your sword bane against whatever as a swift action. Use judgments as a swift action... And have a bunch of skills for rangery or roguey things.
3. Magus. Cast arcane spells. Swing sword. In the same round. Take the devoted blade feat to add holy to your weapon as a swift action.
4. Bard. Cast spells. Swing sword. Inspire Courage. Arcane Duelist or Dawnflower dervish archetype.
5. Skald. Cast spells. Swings sword. Get angry and make everyone else angry too.
6. Bloodrager. Swing sword. Cast spells. Get angry.
7. Cleric/Holy Vindicator or Hellknight or whatever. Cast spells. Swing sword. Take quicken spell to do both at once.
8. Wizard or arcanist/Fighter (or whatever)/Eldritch Knight/Hellknight. Cast arcane spells. Swing a sword. Take Quicken Spell to do both at once.

There are probably more options, but from what you wrote, I would think that Warpriest (perhaps with the arsenal chaplain or champion archetype) or Magus (with devoted blade arcana) is probably the way to go.

[the_archduke]

DSP Warlord with the Silver Crane school fits a paladin very well. If you think of maneuvers and stances as "spells".

Warlord has "auras" in things called Tactical Presences. Basically group buffs to things like saves vs fear. You also get to add CHA to will saves, flanking bonuses, and several other things through gambits.

Silver Crane does evil smiting, healing, detect evil, add holy to the weapon you use, angelic wings, and more.

I also like Golden Lion school for more ally buffing, Primal Fury for sheer "beat the enemy's face in" and Scarlet Throne for, well more "beat the enemy's face in".

[Powerdork]

Scarlet Throne for, well more "beat the enemy's face in".

Don't forget the pseudo-mind-affecting action denial of many of its abilities. Dazing Attack/Riddle of Iron/Riddle of Steel, Royal Blade, Heavenly Blade of the Scarlet Throne, Sanguine Proclamation (actually mind-affecting) and the Scarlet Majesty Stance (same).

[Eisfalken]

Never seen anyone dance around wanting a gish before, but... okay.

Duskblade, take Obtain Familiar and Improved Familiar, look in Complete Warrior for some combat-worthy familiar choices there. Hell hounds and winter wolves seem clutch there. Maybe dip into Dragon Mag for some of those weird uber-mount feats? Can't remember which issue, though.

First alternate choice, take bard instead. Lower BAB, but lots of "aura" like abilities similar to a paladin. It's a matter of if you want to be in melee way more, or drop lots of buffs for the whole party. Heck, bards can even take healing spells to simulate that whole lay on hands thing.

[Endarire]

Cloistered Cleric3/Church Inquisitor3/Crusader1/Ruby Knight Vindicator10/X3

That gets you Cleric casting, martial maneuvers, and lots of options.

[ExLibrisMortis]

If allowed, take a paladin dip, with the UA p. 58 paladin ACF (gets you Favoured Enemy), and take FE (evil outsiders). You lose Turn Undead, remove disease and Lay On Hands, which isn't that problematic, considering you're only taking two paladin levels.

After that, take sorcerer 4/spellsword 1/sacred exorcist 1/silver pyromancer 5. The key fun bits here include the SP's ability to cast paladin spells as arcane spells, and the ability to cast smiting spells and purge undead. Together with your FE, that gives you significant anti-evil abilities, and additional levels of exorcist will add more, but you still have beefy spellcasting and acceptable melee ability.

There may be superior PF alternatives to the spellsword/sacred exorcist combo (one is to provide bab+casting, the other to provide turn undead without losing casting).