Nuptup
2024-04-10, 10:25 PM
Bladesinger Tweaks
This is my attempt at making the Bladesinger have a more viable place among groups by shifting it from a Controller to a Striker and giving it the tools it needs to do appropriate amounts of damage. Notable take-aways from my efforts are the change to having swordmage daily powers instead of wizard encounter powers as dailies, giving their bladespells a damage roll, allowing them to wield 2-handed weapons, and making their melee basic attacks have the arcane keyword. As you read through, look for the Bolded text as I used it to denote the changes that were made.
Role: Striker.
Power Source: Arcane.
Key Abilities: Intelligence, Dexterity
Armor Proficiencies: Cloth, leather.
Weapon Proficiencies: Simple melee, military melee, simple ranged, military ranged.
Implement: Orbs, staffs, wands
Bonus to Defense: +2 Will.
Hit Points at 1st Level : 12+ Constitution Score.
Hit Points per Level Gained : 5
Healing Surges per Day : 7+ Constitution Modifier.
Trained Skills : Arcana. From the class skills list below, choose 3 more trained skills at 1st level.
Class Skills : Acrobatics (Dex), Arcana (Int), Athletics (Str), Diplomacy (Cha), History (Int), Intimidate (Cha), Nature (Wis), Perception (Wis).
Class features: Blade Magic, Bladesinger Cantrips, Bladesinger Daily Powers, Bladesinger's Spell Repertoire, Bladesong, Bladespells, Guarded Flourish, Instinctive Attack, Magic Missile.
BLADESINGER CLASS FEATURES
Blade Magic
Choose a one handed or two handed melee weapon with which you have proficiency, and that is a light blade or a heavy blade. You gain proficiency with that weapon as an implement, meaning you can use your implement powers through it. The weapon also counts as a wand for you, although it can be enchanted only as a weapon.
Like all bladesingers, you can channel magic through your chosen blade, treating it as an implement. When you use the weapon as an implement, it works like a normal implement, but you gain neither the weapon's proficiency bonus nor its nonmagical properties, such as high crit or versatile. A weapon's range and damage dice are usually irrelevant to implement powers, since such powers tend to specify their range and damage.
If your chosen blade is magical and you use it as an implement, you can also use its enhancement bonus, critical hit effect, properties, and powers. However, some magic weapons have properties and powers that function only with weapon powers.
Bladesinger Cantrips
You gain three cantrips of your choice: Ghost Sound, Light, Mage Hand, Prestidigitation, Suggestion, Disrupt Undead, or Spook.
Bladesinger's Spell Repertoire (Changed Significantly)
Each time you would learn a new Daily or Utility power from this class, you choose two powers of that type from either the Swordmage or Wizard classes and add them to your repertoire.
At the end of each of your short or extended rests, you choose a number of Swordmage or Wizard Utility powers from your repertoire to memorize. The number you can memorize is determined by your level.
The utility powers that you memorize are the Swordmage or Wizard powers that you can use until you spend time memorizing a different set of powers, in addition to your at-will attack powers and powers from another source, such as racial powers. If you do not memorize new powers from your repertoire after a short or extended rest, you can use the same powers you had prepared before the rest. See the Bladesinger Powers Learned table for the levels at which you add Swordmage or Wizard powers to your repertoire.
In addition to the utility powers that you gain from either class, you also add two Swordmage Daily Powers to your repertoire which are always memorized. You still only gain one use of a daily power for each pair of Swordmage Daily Powers that you add to your repertoire, though this gives you the flexibility to choose which power to use expend spontaneously between your chosen two.
Find your level on the Bladesinger Powers Memorized per Rest table. The row corresponding to your level indicates how many Swordmage Daily attack powers and Swordmage or Wizard Utility powers you can memorize each rest. (The table does not account for powers that you might have from another source, such as a paragon path.) You cannot memorize more than one utility power of any given level on the same day.
Level
Swordmage Daily Powers
Swordmage or Wizard Utility Powers
1
2
-
2
-
2
5
2
-
6
-
2
9
2
-
10
-
2
15
2
-
16
-
2
19
2
-
22
-
2
25
2
-
29
2
-
Level
Swordmage Daily Power Uses per day
Swordmage or Wizard Utility Power uses per day
1
1
-
2-4
1
1
5
2
1
6-8
2
2
9
3
2
10-15
3
3
16-21
3
4
22-30
3
5
Bladesong
You gain the bladesong power. If a power damages more than one creature, choose one target to deal the bonus damage granted from this power's effect.
Bladespells
You gain three wizard at-will attack powers that have the bladespell keyword. (Each of these powers deals 1d4+Dex Mod damage instead of only Dex Mod damage.)
Guarded Flourish
Your ranged attacks and area attacks do not provoke opportunity attacks while you are holding a light blade or a heavy blade.
In addition, you gain a +2 shield bonus to AC while you are wearing light armor or no armor and are holding a light blade or a heavy blade.
Instinctive Attack
When you make a melee basic attack with the weapon you chose wtih your Blade Magic class feature, you can use Intelligence instead of Strength for the attack roll and the damage roll. Additionally, your Melee Basic Attacks you make with that weapon gain the Arcane Keyword.
Magic Missile
You gain the magic missile power.Level 2 Bladesinger Utility Powers
You add two 2nd-level swordmage or wizard utility powers of your choice to your repertoire.Arcane Strike
When you use a bladesinger daily attack power on your turn, you can make a melee basic attack as a minor action.Level 5 Bladesinger Daily Powers
You add two new swordmage daily attack powers to your repertoire.Level 6 Bladesinger Utility Powers
You add two new swordmage or wizard utility powers of your level or lower to your repertoire.Steely Retort
When an adjacent enemy hits you while your bladesong is active, you can make a melee basic attack against that enemy as an opportunity action. If the attack hits, you may use one of your Bladespells, ignoring the requirement that you must hit on your turn.Level 9 Bladesinger Daily Powers
You add two new swordmage daily attack powers to your repertoire.Level 10 Bladesinger Utility Powers
You add two new swordmage or wizard utility powers of your level or lower to your repertoire.Unerring Bladespell
When you make a melee basic attack while your bladesong is active, you can use a bladespell power even if the attack misses.Level 15 Bladesinger Daily Powers
You add two new swordmage daily attack powers to your repertoire.Level 16 Bladesinger Utility Powers
You add two new swordmage or wizard utility powers of your level or lower to your repertoire.Level 19 Bladesinger Daily Powers
You add two new swordmage daily attack powers to your repertoire.Level 22 Bladesinger Utility Powers
You add two new swordmage or wizard utility powers of your level or lower to your repertoire.Bladespell Burst
Once per day when you use a bladespell power against an adjacent enemy, you can use that power against each adjacent enemy.Level 25 Bladesinger Daily Powers
You add two new swordmage daily attack powers to your repertoire.Level 29 Bladesinger Daily Powers
You add two new swordmage daily attack powers to your repertoire.I am currently playtesting this homebrew through my dnd 4e pvp and dungeon delves server and a player in my campaign is also running it. Currently it feels fun to play and use, but I'd like some more feedback from others!
This is my attempt at making the Bladesinger have a more viable place among groups by shifting it from a Controller to a Striker and giving it the tools it needs to do appropriate amounts of damage. Notable take-aways from my efforts are the change to having swordmage daily powers instead of wizard encounter powers as dailies, giving their bladespells a damage roll, allowing them to wield 2-handed weapons, and making their melee basic attacks have the arcane keyword. As you read through, look for the Bolded text as I used it to denote the changes that were made.
Role: Striker.
Power Source: Arcane.
Key Abilities: Intelligence, Dexterity
Armor Proficiencies: Cloth, leather.
Weapon Proficiencies: Simple melee, military melee, simple ranged, military ranged.
Implement: Orbs, staffs, wands
Bonus to Defense: +2 Will.
Hit Points at 1st Level : 12+ Constitution Score.
Hit Points per Level Gained : 5
Healing Surges per Day : 7+ Constitution Modifier.
Trained Skills : Arcana. From the class skills list below, choose 3 more trained skills at 1st level.
Class Skills : Acrobatics (Dex), Arcana (Int), Athletics (Str), Diplomacy (Cha), History (Int), Intimidate (Cha), Nature (Wis), Perception (Wis).
Class features: Blade Magic, Bladesinger Cantrips, Bladesinger Daily Powers, Bladesinger's Spell Repertoire, Bladesong, Bladespells, Guarded Flourish, Instinctive Attack, Magic Missile.
BLADESINGER CLASS FEATURES
Blade Magic
Choose a one handed or two handed melee weapon with which you have proficiency, and that is a light blade or a heavy blade. You gain proficiency with that weapon as an implement, meaning you can use your implement powers through it. The weapon also counts as a wand for you, although it can be enchanted only as a weapon.
Like all bladesingers, you can channel magic through your chosen blade, treating it as an implement. When you use the weapon as an implement, it works like a normal implement, but you gain neither the weapon's proficiency bonus nor its nonmagical properties, such as high crit or versatile. A weapon's range and damage dice are usually irrelevant to implement powers, since such powers tend to specify their range and damage.
If your chosen blade is magical and you use it as an implement, you can also use its enhancement bonus, critical hit effect, properties, and powers. However, some magic weapons have properties and powers that function only with weapon powers.
Bladesinger Cantrips
You gain three cantrips of your choice: Ghost Sound, Light, Mage Hand, Prestidigitation, Suggestion, Disrupt Undead, or Spook.
Bladesinger's Spell Repertoire (Changed Significantly)
Each time you would learn a new Daily or Utility power from this class, you choose two powers of that type from either the Swordmage or Wizard classes and add them to your repertoire.
At the end of each of your short or extended rests, you choose a number of Swordmage or Wizard Utility powers from your repertoire to memorize. The number you can memorize is determined by your level.
The utility powers that you memorize are the Swordmage or Wizard powers that you can use until you spend time memorizing a different set of powers, in addition to your at-will attack powers and powers from another source, such as racial powers. If you do not memorize new powers from your repertoire after a short or extended rest, you can use the same powers you had prepared before the rest. See the Bladesinger Powers Learned table for the levels at which you add Swordmage or Wizard powers to your repertoire.
In addition to the utility powers that you gain from either class, you also add two Swordmage Daily Powers to your repertoire which are always memorized. You still only gain one use of a daily power for each pair of Swordmage Daily Powers that you add to your repertoire, though this gives you the flexibility to choose which power to use expend spontaneously between your chosen two.
Find your level on the Bladesinger Powers Memorized per Rest table. The row corresponding to your level indicates how many Swordmage Daily attack powers and Swordmage or Wizard Utility powers you can memorize each rest. (The table does not account for powers that you might have from another source, such as a paragon path.) You cannot memorize more than one utility power of any given level on the same day.
Level
Swordmage Daily Powers
Swordmage or Wizard Utility Powers
1
2
-
2
-
2
5
2
-
6
-
2
9
2
-
10
-
2
15
2
-
16
-
2
19
2
-
22
-
2
25
2
-
29
2
-
Level
Swordmage Daily Power Uses per day
Swordmage or Wizard Utility Power uses per day
1
1
-
2-4
1
1
5
2
1
6-8
2
2
9
3
2
10-15
3
3
16-21
3
4
22-30
3
5
Bladesong
You gain the bladesong power. If a power damages more than one creature, choose one target to deal the bonus damage granted from this power's effect.
Bladespells
You gain three wizard at-will attack powers that have the bladespell keyword. (Each of these powers deals 1d4+Dex Mod damage instead of only Dex Mod damage.)
Guarded Flourish
Your ranged attacks and area attacks do not provoke opportunity attacks while you are holding a light blade or a heavy blade.
In addition, you gain a +2 shield bonus to AC while you are wearing light armor or no armor and are holding a light blade or a heavy blade.
Instinctive Attack
When you make a melee basic attack with the weapon you chose wtih your Blade Magic class feature, you can use Intelligence instead of Strength for the attack roll and the damage roll. Additionally, your Melee Basic Attacks you make with that weapon gain the Arcane Keyword.
Magic Missile
You gain the magic missile power.Level 2 Bladesinger Utility Powers
You add two 2nd-level swordmage or wizard utility powers of your choice to your repertoire.Arcane Strike
When you use a bladesinger daily attack power on your turn, you can make a melee basic attack as a minor action.Level 5 Bladesinger Daily Powers
You add two new swordmage daily attack powers to your repertoire.Level 6 Bladesinger Utility Powers
You add two new swordmage or wizard utility powers of your level or lower to your repertoire.Steely Retort
When an adjacent enemy hits you while your bladesong is active, you can make a melee basic attack against that enemy as an opportunity action. If the attack hits, you may use one of your Bladespells, ignoring the requirement that you must hit on your turn.Level 9 Bladesinger Daily Powers
You add two new swordmage daily attack powers to your repertoire.Level 10 Bladesinger Utility Powers
You add two new swordmage or wizard utility powers of your level or lower to your repertoire.Unerring Bladespell
When you make a melee basic attack while your bladesong is active, you can use a bladespell power even if the attack misses.Level 15 Bladesinger Daily Powers
You add two new swordmage daily attack powers to your repertoire.Level 16 Bladesinger Utility Powers
You add two new swordmage or wizard utility powers of your level or lower to your repertoire.Level 19 Bladesinger Daily Powers
You add two new swordmage daily attack powers to your repertoire.Level 22 Bladesinger Utility Powers
You add two new swordmage or wizard utility powers of your level or lower to your repertoire.Bladespell Burst
Once per day when you use a bladespell power against an adjacent enemy, you can use that power against each adjacent enemy.Level 25 Bladesinger Daily Powers
You add two new swordmage daily attack powers to your repertoire.Level 29 Bladesinger Daily Powers
You add two new swordmage daily attack powers to your repertoire.I am currently playtesting this homebrew through my dnd 4e pvp and dungeon delves server and a player in my campaign is also running it. Currently it feels fun to play and use, but I'd like some more feedback from others!