Swiftblade for Duskblade

[liquidformat]

So with the Celerity Domain chosen using Arcane Disciple feat it is pretty straightforward to take Swiftblade at level 14 after picking up Arcane channeling (full attack) at level 13 with duskblade. My question is if people think it is worthwhile taking swiftblade for dusky and if so how many levels would you suggest and what other PRCs might be worth grabbing aswell?

[Wildstag]

In my opinion, going for 7 levels doesn't really do much for you. Spring Attack and Bounding Assault don't work with Arcane Channeling, and the seventh level only gets you Bounding Assault and the +1 to attack rolls and dodge bonus to AC and Reflex.

With the lack of spellcasting increase and with a feat that doesn't work with Duskblade's core feature, it really isn't worth taking all the way to 7. Still, it's a feature, and Duskblade 14 is a dead level...

If there was a way to get Haste as a third-level spell, it still wouldn't be as great on Duskblade just because it's impossible to get Arcane Channeling as a full-attack in conjunction with Perpetual Options (assuming you're not going to hit level 22).

[Darg]

Why the celerity domain? Time domain seems overall more useful and fits the swiftblade theme. Not to mention actually letting you cast haste in a third level slot. This would also require using a domain staff to empty your 3rd level slots.

You might be better off going 1 level bard and taking sublime chord to get access to more spells and higher level touch spells. Storm touch is a really good 5th level touch spell you would have access to at level 17.

A Stalwart battle sorcerer would probably satisfy your need for a melee combatant without screwing you over as the double spells known penalty only hurts for level 3 and level 20

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

Swiftblade only gets really good at the 8th-9th levels: 8th for Freedom of Movement (but only for magic effects) and 9th for the 3.0 version of Haste that gets you an extra standard action from it. If you're taking less than nine levels of it, it's not even worth taking.

[Kurald Galain]

Duskblade/13 is overrated (because it's much nicer in theory than in actual practice). I'd go with dusk/3, more levels of swiftblade, and fill up with a third class.

[Elkad]

Duskblade/13 is overrated (because it's much nicer in theory than in actual practice). I'd go with dusk/3, more levels of swiftblade, and fill up with a third class.

Out of curiosity, what's your problem with it? By L13 you should have plenty of ways to make sure you get full attacks - possibly quite a lot of attacks. Swift Dimension Hop (on the duskblade list even), various magic items, Sudden Leap, and other things (like a fast moving familiar with a wand of benign transposition).

[Gruftzwerg]

imho dipping Swiftblade ain't worth it. 3 lvls maybe if you insist of having Haste as swift action. The class becomes better at the later lvls. But the class is designed with full casters in mind and the Duskblade has already a slow progression as caster, that's why I dislike the combination.

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here some suggestions from my Arcane Channeling optimization build (https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?528541-Shivering-Tornado-of-Death-Arcane-Channeling-optimization):

Wyrm Wizard: (or Recaster if you can choose a Changeling as race)
2 lvl dip lets you take a spell from another classes spell list. Shivering Touch is the non-plus-ultra here.

Whirlwind:
is mandatory for optimal Full Attack Arcane Channeling abuse. Either invest in the feat chain or buy a Whirlwind 3/day weapon enhancement.

Bloodstorm Blade:
Allows your throw any melee weapon and let it count as meele attack back again. This allows you to use Whirlwind and hit all enemies in 50ft reach (you have the extended reach only in your "turn", doesn't count for AoO).
If you only use it in combination with Whirlwind, 2 lvl in BSB are enough. But if you want to use it together with a normal full attack you would need to dip 4 lvls. I would recommend the Whirlwind and 2 lvl dip option.

[Kurald Galain]

Out of curiosity, what's your problem with it? By L13 you should have plenty of ways to make sure you get full attacks
Because making something die if you get a full attack off, that's a pretty normal ability at that level even without channeling.

My issue is that it costs you ten levels, and dusky gets preciously little else for those ten levels. Its spell progression is very slow, and its spell list is seriously anemic. Like, no crowd control or utility; and not even Fly on its list.

[Hish]

IMO there's some anti-synergy between Swiftblade and Duskblade. Swiftblade supports the buff style of gish, but Duskblade is a blasty gish. Also, Swiftblade wants you to have a good spell progression and a big spell list, and it gives you a better chassis. Duskblade has a slow progression and a one-dimensional spell list, but an excellent chassis. A Duskblade/Swiftblade would still be good, but both classes can do better combined with other things.

[Thurbane]

Not Swiftblade related, but there was a Duskblade build floating around that got full attack channelling and 9th level spells using Nar Demonbinder and Fey Bloodline feat.

Here we go: https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?286800-Merry-Gishmas!-19-BAB-9th-level-spells-and-full-attack-channeling

[Wildstag]

The whole Duskblade/Swiftblade route would be a hell of a lot better if there was a simple way to make Arcane Channeling work with rays, but the only way I know of to make a ray channel into a melee attack works only with one attack and with an unarmed strike.

Duskblade would be a lot more fun if you could put its almost exclusively ray-casting higher level spell slots to use like that.

Like HisHighestMinio says, there's kinda some anti-synergy going on between the two classes.

[Darg]

Duskblade 13/enlightened fist 7 would work at 20th level. Enlightened Fist's Hold Ray ability allows you to cast any ray spell as a touch spell instead. Arcane Channeling would let you cast it as part of a full attack action with it's special rules.