Revamping the Duskblade

[Draco18s]

This is mostly a collection of thoughts and ideas, looking for suggestions and more thoughts and ideas.

The duskblade is described thus:
"My blade and my magic are one and the same."
--Yele, elf Duskblade

The Duskblade blurs the line between spellcaster and warrior, marrying the power of magic with hand-to-hand combat prowess.
A student of ancient elven spellcasting techniques the duskblade combines arcane spellcasting with the combat skills of a fighter.
...
Combining the arcane magic with melee prowess, you're prepared in any situation. Enemies who underestimate you never get a second chance, since you don't even have to switch back and forth between hands-on combat and spellcasting; you can do both simultaneously.

And I'd like to take a look at what this means and how to build a class that a player can look at his options available and not make a wrong choice. Give him different paths to "specialize" in or retain a more generic stance. One of the issues with the PHB2 design is that the Duskblade's spell list:
Spells a duskblade can learn fall into one of four categories:

1: Worthless

Example: Kelgore's Firebolt

2: Against the concept

Example: Bigby's Tripping Hand (almost a worthless spell too)

3: Concept good, but limited use spell

Example: Dispelling Touch

4: Amazing

Example: Disintigrate

Feats for a duskblade are similarly hard to figure out. Looking at the Duskblade Handbook, of the 33 suggested feats 6 are considered "Spellcasting/Metamagic Feats" and none of those 6 are actually a metamagic feat. Of the remaining 27, 17 of them are combat orriented (3 of which deal with being a caster, and 4 of the remaining 10 are caster related).

What I'd like to attempt is re-working what spells a Duskblade has. Leave their spells known and their spells per day alone. They get a lot of spells per day, but very few known. They shouldn't need to know many spells, but the spells they have should be generally usefull all the time (take Seeking Ray for example: it's not a bad spell by itself--you hit a target ignoring concealment and do average damage (the bonus to the next couple of rays being icing)--and could be used in any combat). More specific spells should be available to give the player the option of being able to do certain utility things dependant on the campaign or the personal character concept (example: dispelling touch).

Class features will also be unaltered with the exception of discrepencies, such as a Duskblades ability to use or not use heavy sheilds.

[Draco18s]

{table=head]Level|Base Attack<br>Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special

1st|

+1

|

+2

|

+0

|

+2

|Arcane attunement, Armored mage (light)

2nd|

+2

|

+3

|

+0

|

+3

|Combat Casting

3rd|

+3

|

+3

|

+1

|

+3

|Arcane channeling

4th|

+4

|

+4

|

+1

|

+4

|Armored mage (medium)

5th|

+5

|

+4

|

+1

|

+4

|Quick cast 1/day

6th|

+6

|

+5

|

+2

|

+5

|Spell Power +2

7th|

+7

|

+5

|

+2

|

+5

|Armored mage (heavy shield)

8th|

+8

|

+6

|

+2

|

+6

|

9th|

+9

|

+6

|

+3

|

+6

|

10th|

+10

|

+7

|

+3

|

+7

|Quick cast 2/day

11th|

+11

|

+7

|

+3

|

+7

|Spell power +3

12th|

+12

|

+8

|

+4

|

+8

|

13th|

+13

|

+8

|

+4

|

+8

|Arcane channeling (full attack)

14th|

+14

|

+9

|

+4

|

+9

|

15th|

+15

|

+9

|

+5

|

+9

|Quick cast 3/day

16th|

+16

|

+10

|

+5

|

+10

|Spell power +4

17th|

+17

|

+10

|

+5

|

+10

|

18th|

+18

|

+11

|

+6

|

+11

|Rays as Touch

19th|

+19

|

+11

|

+6

|

+11

|

20th|

+20

|

+12

|

+6

|

+12

|Quick cast 4/day[/table]

Spells per day
{table=head]Level|0th|1st|2nd|3rd|4th|5th
1st|3|2|--|--|--|--
2nd|4|3|--|--|--|--
3rd|5|4|--|--|--|--
4th|6|5|--|--|--|--
5th|6|5|2|--|--|--
6th|6|6|3|--|--|--
7th|6|6|5|--|--|--
8th|6|7|6|--|--|--
9th|6|7|6|2|--|--
10th|6|8|7|3|--|--
11th|6|8|7|5|--|--
12th|6|8|8|6|--|--
13th|6|9|8|6|2|--
14th|6|9|8|7|3|--
15th|6|9|8|7|5|--
16th|6|9|9|8|6|--
17th|6|10|9|8|6|2
18th|6|10|9|8|7|3
19th|6|10|10|9|7|5
20th|6|10|10|10|8|6
[/table]

Spell list
Spells in GREEN are additions to the list
Spells in RED are removals
Spells in ORANGE are possible removals

• 0th:Acid Splash, Arcane Mark, Disrupt Undead, Ray of Frost, Presidigitation, Touch of Fatigue
• 1st:Bigby's Tripping Hand, Blade of Blood, Burning Hands, Cause Fear, Chill Touch, Color Spray, Jump, Kelgore'sFire Bolt, Lesser Deflect, Magic Weapon, Obscuring Mist, Ray of Enfeeblement, Resist Energy, Rouse, Shocking Grasp, Sheild Bearer, Stand, Swift Expedious Retreat, True Strike
• 2nd:Animalistic Power, Bear's Endurance, Bigby's Striking Fist, Bladeweave, Blindsight, Bull's Strength, Cat's Grace, Darkvission, Deflect, Dimmention Hop, Ghoul Touch, Greater Disrupt Undead, Melf's Acid Arrow, Scorching Ray, See Invisible, Seeking Ray, Rainbow Beam, Spider Climb, Stretch Weapon, Sure Strike, Swift Fly, Swift Invisibility, Touch of Idiocy, Wracking Touch (make 1st level?)
• 3rd:Crown of Might, Crown of Protection, Crushing Despair, Dispelling Touch, Doom Scarabs, Energy Aegis, Energy Surge, Greater Magic Weapon, Halt, Keen Edge, Protection from Energy, Ray of Exhaustion, Regroup, Vampiric Touch
• 4th:Bigby's Interposing Hand, Channeled Pyroburst, Dimmention Door, Energy Surge, Dispel Magic, Enervate, Dimmentional Anchor, Phantasmal Killer, Rusting Grasp, Shout, Toxic Weapon
• 5th:Bigby's Clenched Fist, Chain Lightning, Disintigrate, Hold Monster, Polar Ray, Slashing Dispel, Sonic Sheild, Waves of Fatigue

Class ability descriptions (changes)
Acane Attunement:

Add the Light spell to the list of "free" 0ths.

Armored Mage:

Once a duskblade can ignore the spell failure chance on a sheild, he gains the ability to cast spells requiring somatic components even while weilding a sheild.

[HarmlessPenguin]

I've never understood why the Duskblade doesn't have Dimensional Anchor. It seems like one of the perfect spells for it since it's both a ray and prevents things from getting away from the Duskblade, I mean he already has Hold Monster and Dimensional Door so it doesn't seem like that big of a jump as far as design goes.

[Draco18s]

Done.

I haven't yet hit the books to find "new" duskblade spells, I was hacking out the initial design specs and getting the tables together. Prestidigitation is the only addition I'd had because it's the only spell I've argued onto my character's known spell list so far.

[Ioth]

Interesting...

Personally I think the Dusk blade needs more touch spells so it can focus more around the Channel spell ability.

Something that remains unclear to me about the dusk blade is if his arcane channeling ability, does it covers all touch spells or just melee touch attack spells. If it can cover both Melee and ranged then Kelgores fire bolt is extremely useful especially around 5th level when you get its full potential, Kelgores fire bolt on a great sword when you have 18 strength mean 7d6 damage plus 6 which is extremely useful at such low levels because lets face most characters are only gonna have 100 hp tops around then and 13-48 is extremely good, which in about 3 or 4 rounds can easily take down most enemies.
I think the Dusk blade is a tad overpowered personally due to the fact of arcane channeling full attack at 13th level. Raising the level of that ability would be the first thing I would do if I edited this class mostly due to Vampiric touch+this ability + Arcane thesis Vampiric touch and a spell storing weapon can easily add up to 34d6 damage to them and healing you're self 28d6 in the process.

If you continue working on this project Please try adding some more touch spells into it.

[Draco18s]

I'm doing my best. I scanned through the PHB and the Crystal Keep arcane spell list for touch spells and only found a few to grant to the duskblade. The only other one I noted down was Prysmatic Ray (as another ray option), but really it's an either/or with Disintigrate. Having both would be too much.

I'll try and get through the Spell Compendium in the next couple of days.

As for the full-attack option...it's something I want changed too, but I'm not sure how to change it so that it retains the functionality without granting it the insane bonuses (17 dusk 3 dervish = 7 attacks of disintigrate).

I'm leaning towards a "effects no more than one target, but effects it on all hits" type deal. If limited to one weapon you'd see no more than 4 disintigrates hitting in a single round. The downside is the inability to buff all of your comrads with Bull Strength in one casting.

I'm open to suggestions on this one.

[Draco18s]

I'm thinking of Substituting the Blindsight spell from Spell compendium instead of Darkvission.

Possibilities to add: Greater Disrupt Undead (2nd), Rainbow Beam (2nd), Bladeweave (2nd), Sheild Bearer (1st).

[Draco18s]

does [arcane channeling] cover all touch spells or just melee touch attack spells. If it can cover both Melee and ranged then Kelgores fire bolt is extremely useful especially around 5th level when you get its full potential...

Regarding touch/ranged touch:
I don't know if the original class was designed to take advantage of both, the book is unclear on this fact and it has not been errata'd. On the one hand all touch seems like that's the idea for the class build. On the other hand, you get some pretty sick combos that can be built up (Disintegrate + Whirling Dervish). Based on the wording and the spell descriptions I believe that Ray (requiring a ranged touch attack) is not the same as a Touch spell. I believe I have seen somewhe someone saying that Ranged Touch spells don't exist.

Regarding Kelgor's Fire Bolt:
The spell is NOT a touch spell. Nor is it a Ray. Nor does it effect an area. The spell is quite simply a "reflex for half" spell, spell resistence applies. You can't sheath your blade in it with Arcane Channeling. It targets a single creature up to Medium range.

Possible alteration to Arcane Channeling:

Beginning at 3rd level you can use a standard action to cast any Touch spell you know and deliver it with a melee attack. Casting a spell in this manner doesn't provoke attacks of opportunities. The spell must have a casting time of one standard action or less. If the melee attack is successful, the attack deals damage normally; then the effect of the spell is resolved.

At 8th level, you can cast any touch spell as part of a full round action, however the spell is discharged on the first successful attack with either your primary weapon or your secondary weapon (chosen at the time of casting), resolving its effects then. The spell is lost if it is not discharged before the caster's next action.

At 13th level, you can cast any touch spell as part of a full round action, and the spell effects each target hit that round up to a maximum number of targets equal to the bonus granted by Spell Power. Doing so discharges the spell at the end of the round, in the case of a touch spell that would normally last longer than one round. A spell can only effect each target once. Spells that cause a duration on the target of the spell are not ended (such as Bull's Strength).

At 18th level, you can....??? Someone help me out. I'd like to see Duskblade fleshed out at the end, instead of making the levels dry since 13th or so. Cast Rays of N level or lower as Touch spells where N is the number of times per day you can quick cast?

Possibilities for the Epic Progression (Spell Power)
Either: Every 5th level after 18th
Or: Move Spell Power to 4th/9th/14th/19th and have it be every 5th after that. Any problems forseen doing it this way?

Vampiric touch+this ability + Arcane thesis Vampiric touch and a spell storing weapon can easily add up to 34d6 damage to them and healing you're self 28d6 in the process.

Temporary hit points don't stack. You'd get the as much as the damage dealt to one target who took the most damage from only the spell (7d6). Also remember that even Arcane Channeling as written in PHB2 effects each target hit only once (so 3 attacks on one guy is only 1 casting + spell stored).

[Draco18s]

Ah hah. Figured out the last issue.

First off, just let Spell Power +5 be the epic ability at 21.

18th:
Arcane Channeling:
Spend a use of Quick Cast to turn any ray spell you can cast it as if it was a touch spell for the use of Arcane Channeling.