Quote Originally Posted by Nifft View Post
Not really, because a Swordsage knows so few spells, even relative to a Sorcerer, even if you trade every maneuver for a spell.

You can't get much use from the usual spells-known hacks either, because even if you break the spells-known limit you've done nothing to expand your spells-readied limit. You can't use Runestaves because you don't have spell-slots.

The character I saw ended up with a handful of perennials like Alter Self, which was quite playable and interesting, but it wasn't game-breaking.
If you break the spells known limit, depending on which spells you have as spells known, an Arcane Swordsage can break things out of combat. Without doing so, however, an Arcane Swordsage probably won't have enough spells known to try to both break things out of combat while still being effective in combat.


Though an Arcane Swordsage can more or less effectively Nova in every combat, unlike a regular Sorcerer. Basically, an Arcane Swordsage has to either nova or have a sustained effect combat booster that they can rely on for pretty much everything.


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As for the ToB-Valk stat-pumping ... sure, you can get rather good Strength and Dex; even getting both to damage with the right feats, your bonus damage is still going to be on the light side of what's nominally expected for TWF; and most maneuvers are incompatible with TWF.
However, there are also practical limitations on how much pumping of Dex you can realistically benefit from. At least, if you also want to be able to benefit from armor special abilities without paying through the nose to get those armor abilities on Bracers of Armor (and giving up the bracer slot).


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And since we're both done with ToB, and about to need a new thread ...

Perhaps starting the MM2 with the next thread?