Duskblade + spellsword?

[Aurosman]

So I am starting a new campain as a Duskblade, and I am wondering if Spellsword would be a fun 4 level PRC to take.

My plan is going to be Duskblade 5/ Crusader 1/ Spellsword 4/ Jade Pheonix Mage 10

My Charater is a Warforged with Adamantite body, going to be the frontline control guy with trip/disarm/standstill stuff. I dont really plan on doing tons of damage just there to help give targets to everyone else.

Is Spellsword worth it with my limited spell list? or should I just go something like Abjurant Champion?

This is 3.5 and most books are ok with approval from the DM.

[flappeercraft]

The thing about spellsword is that generally it is no good for more than a 1 level dip, as a duskblade you already have limited spells, with JPM you also lose CL. Generally the good thing about spellsword is being able to use armor but since you are a duskblade already then the loss to ASF is nearly useless to you. As a duskblade you already have something similar to the Channel Spell from the spellsword which I am guessing is what you are going after due to it being acquired at level 4. If you really want to channel like a spellsword I would reccomend just getting the Smiting spell feat from PHB2, the onlyh downside is that it is lost after 1 minute instead of 8 hours but you can solve that with quintessence.

[DEMON]

So I am starting a new campain as a Duskblade, and I am wondering if Spellsword would be a fun 4 level PRC to take.

My plan is going to be Duskblade 5/ Crusader 1/ Spellsword 4/ Jade Pheonix Mage 10

My Charater is a Warforged with Adamantite body, going to be the frontline control guy with trip/disarm/standstill stuff. I dont really plan on doing tons of damage just there to help give targets to everyone else.

Is Spellsword worth it with my limited spell list? or should I just go something like Abjurant Champion?

This is 3.5 and most books are ok with approval from the DM.

That's a rather mis-matched combination.

Adamantine body is a heavy armor with 35% arcane spell failure, so even with the Battle Caster feat taken at 3rd level, you're failing to cast every 3rd spell untill your 4th level in Duskblade.

I guess you're after some Devoted Spirit maneuvers, since otherwise a Warblade is probably a better fit over a Crusader for a Duskblade as far as initiating classes go.

Spellsword 4 doesn't give you anything that's worth 2 lost caster levels. You can already channel spells with Duskblade 3, the ASF reduction is worthless when you can ignore it completely with a feat (or mithral heavy armor) and the bonus feat alone doesn't cut it.
You might as well just skip that PrC altogether and go straight JPM after Duskblade 5 / Initiator 1, since you already qualify at that point.

[Aurosman]

That's a rather mis-matched combination.

Adamantine body is a heavy armor with 35% arcane spell failure, so even with the Battle Caster feat taken at 3rd level, you're failing to cast every 3rd spell untill your 4th level in Duskblade.

Yeah, it will be annoying until level 4, but since you cant channel until level 3 I figured it wouldn't pose too much of an annoyance.


I guess you're after some Devoted Spirit maneuvers, since otherwise a Warblade is probably a better fit over a Crusader for a Duskblade as far as initiating classes go.

I honestly dont know why every guide suggests warblade. To me a 1 level crusader dip is better. What is the reasoning for warblade?


Spellsword 4 doesn't give you anything that's worth 2 lost caster levels. You can already channel spells with Duskblade 3, the ASF reduction is worthless when you can ignore it completely with a feat (or mithral heavy armor) and the bonus feat alone doesn't cut it.
You might as well just skip that PrC altogether and go straight JPM after Duskblade 5 / Initiator 1, since you already qualify at that point.

The main reasons I thought it might be good is that with a spellsword the spell doesnt have to be a touch spell. Second you can use both since 1 is a move and the other is a standard action, so you could cast 2 spells with 1 attack.

I honestly did miss that I would lose 5 casting levels in this build, for some reason I thought it still gave 5th level spells.

Lastly you need 9 ranks in concentration for JPM, and according to the PHB, you have to choose class before you get skill points. So the earliest you will have the 9 required ranks to choose that class is when you level up to 8.

[Hellpyre]

I honestly dont know why every guide suggests warblade. To me a 1 level crusader dip is better. What is the reasoning for warblade?


Warblade is a better dip class because a lot of the features are frontloaded, it has non-random manuveurs available in a fight at any given round, and it has a recovery method that you control if you want to use a given manuveur multiple times in a row. With feat investment Crusader can provide a better chassis, but investing feats into putting your dip class online is generally a bad thing.




Lastly you need 9 ranks in concentration for JPM, and according to the PHB, you have to choose class before you get skill points. So the earliest you will have the 9 required ranks to choose that class is when you level up to 8.

You can have up to 3+CL ranks invested i a skill, thus 9 at level 6. That's why they recommended Duskblade 5 / Initiator 1 as the entry, so you get in at ECL 7.

[DEMON]

I honestly dont know why every guide suggests warblade. To me a 1 level crusader dip is better. What is the reasoning for warblade?

+1 HP, INT to reflex saves, access to more schools and I prefer to have full control over my available maneuvers.


Lastly you need 9 ranks in concentration for JPM, and according to the PHB, you have to choose class before you get skill points. So the earliest you will have the 9 required ranks to choose that class is when you level up to 8.

You can get 9 ranks in a class skill at level 6. So Duskblade 5 / Warblade (or Crusader) 1 qualifies you for JPM at 7th.