Sicarius Victis
2017-02-07, 02:37 AM
This is intended to be another "Gish" option, but of a different syle than most. While a Bladesinger is a typical Wizard who can do decently in melee for a few minutes, and an Eldritch Knight is a typical Fighter who can do a bit of blasting as well, this Steelspell Vanguard is intended to intertwine blasting and fighting to reliably be used together. Thus, their abilities are focused around combining weapon attacks and spells, using spells in melee, and enough survivability to actually be able to use spells in melee.
Thus...
Steelspell Vanguard
(Insert fluff here)
Martial Training
Steelspell Vanguards are trained to fight as much as to sling spells. Beginning when you choose this tradition at second level, you become proficient with light armour, medium armour, simple weapons, and martial melee weapons. In addition, you gain 2 hit points, and gain one additional hit point for every Wizard level you take.
Adds some martial proficiency, as well as some durability. I'm not sure if this is too much, not enough, or just fine.
Steelspell Strike
By sixth level, you have begun to fully understand the mingling of steel and spell. When you cast a spell, you may use a bonus action to make a melee weapon attack against a target within reach of whatever weapon you're currently wielding. This attack happens before the spell is cast. If the spell you cast has a single target, it must target the opponent you made the attack against. If the spell required a spell attack roll and you hit with the weapon attack, the spell attack is considered to have hit as well. Either way, if you miss with the weapon attack, the spell fails to affect the target. If the spell instead had an area of effect, the target instead suffers disadvantage on their save against it if you hit with the weapon attack. The spell's area of effect is considered to either be centered on the target or originating from you, as appropriate. This feature cannot be used with any spells that require a successful melee weapon attack.
Their main method of combining their blasting and fighting. Earlier than War Magic, and can be used with higher-level spells than War Magic, but there are two reasons for that. The first is that it can also be a lot weaker, as any single-target spells cast using this are entirely dependent on whether or not the weapon attack hits, and save-based spells would still require a failed saving throw even after that. The second is that the Eldritch Knight isn't much of a spellcaster, and so can afford to get abilities that let them martially buff their spellcasting later. This, though, is still mainly a spellcaster, and so needs to be able to martially buff their spellcasting sooner than the EK does.
I'm currently not allowing it to work with GFB/BB because they're cantrips that already do exactly what this does, and so are simply quite redundant.
Eye of the Storm
Beginning at tenth level, you have learned how to weave your magic to flow around yourself. Whenever you cast an area-of-effect spell requiring a saving throw and you are in the area of effect, you may use this ability to automatically succeed on your first save against the spell. If the spell still had partial effect on a target on a successful save, it instead has no effect on you then. If the spell requires multiple saves, and has a partial effect on a successful save, it still does on the rest of your saves against it. You may use this ability twice per short or long rest.
Fireball yourself and come out unscathed! This allows them to use AoE spells decently in melee without being suicide bombers. It's still limited, though, to prevent it from being overabused.
Steelspell Aegis
Beginning at fourteenth level, you are able to deter your opponents from taking their attention off of you. When a hostile creature within 30 feet of you that you can see makes an attack against an ally within 30 feet of you, you may use your reaction to teleport next to that enemy. If you do so, you become the target of the attack rather than your ally, and you may make a melee attack with a currently-held weapon against the hostile creature.
Shamelessly stolen from the UA Stone Sorcerer. This one doesn't require marking an ally beforehand, which I feel is somewhat justified as this is a 14th-level ability. In addition, instead of reducing the damage your ally would take, it instead makes you take that damage. So, yeah. I may allow them to spend a spell slot for a minor version of Smite on that attack, but I'm not sure if that would be too much.
Also, I might not stick with this option anyways. Doesn't quite fit with the theme of the rest of the subclass.
So, how does it look so far?
Thus...
Steelspell Vanguard
(Insert fluff here)
Martial Training
Steelspell Vanguards are trained to fight as much as to sling spells. Beginning when you choose this tradition at second level, you become proficient with light armour, medium armour, simple weapons, and martial melee weapons. In addition, you gain 2 hit points, and gain one additional hit point for every Wizard level you take.
Adds some martial proficiency, as well as some durability. I'm not sure if this is too much, not enough, or just fine.
Steelspell Strike
By sixth level, you have begun to fully understand the mingling of steel and spell. When you cast a spell, you may use a bonus action to make a melee weapon attack against a target within reach of whatever weapon you're currently wielding. This attack happens before the spell is cast. If the spell you cast has a single target, it must target the opponent you made the attack against. If the spell required a spell attack roll and you hit with the weapon attack, the spell attack is considered to have hit as well. Either way, if you miss with the weapon attack, the spell fails to affect the target. If the spell instead had an area of effect, the target instead suffers disadvantage on their save against it if you hit with the weapon attack. The spell's area of effect is considered to either be centered on the target or originating from you, as appropriate. This feature cannot be used with any spells that require a successful melee weapon attack.
Their main method of combining their blasting and fighting. Earlier than War Magic, and can be used with higher-level spells than War Magic, but there are two reasons for that. The first is that it can also be a lot weaker, as any single-target spells cast using this are entirely dependent on whether or not the weapon attack hits, and save-based spells would still require a failed saving throw even after that. The second is that the Eldritch Knight isn't much of a spellcaster, and so can afford to get abilities that let them martially buff their spellcasting later. This, though, is still mainly a spellcaster, and so needs to be able to martially buff their spellcasting sooner than the EK does.
I'm currently not allowing it to work with GFB/BB because they're cantrips that already do exactly what this does, and so are simply quite redundant.
Eye of the Storm
Beginning at tenth level, you have learned how to weave your magic to flow around yourself. Whenever you cast an area-of-effect spell requiring a saving throw and you are in the area of effect, you may use this ability to automatically succeed on your first save against the spell. If the spell still had partial effect on a target on a successful save, it instead has no effect on you then. If the spell requires multiple saves, and has a partial effect on a successful save, it still does on the rest of your saves against it. You may use this ability twice per short or long rest.
Fireball yourself and come out unscathed! This allows them to use AoE spells decently in melee without being suicide bombers. It's still limited, though, to prevent it from being overabused.
Steelspell Aegis
Beginning at fourteenth level, you are able to deter your opponents from taking their attention off of you. When a hostile creature within 30 feet of you that you can see makes an attack against an ally within 30 feet of you, you may use your reaction to teleport next to that enemy. If you do so, you become the target of the attack rather than your ally, and you may make a melee attack with a currently-held weapon against the hostile creature.
Shamelessly stolen from the UA Stone Sorcerer. This one doesn't require marking an ally beforehand, which I feel is somewhat justified as this is a 14th-level ability. In addition, instead of reducing the damage your ally would take, it instead makes you take that damage. So, yeah. I may allow them to spend a spell slot for a minor version of Smite on that attack, but I'm not sure if that would be too much.
Also, I might not stick with this option anyways. Doesn't quite fit with the theme of the rest of the subclass.
So, how does it look so far?