Swordmage

[GawainBS]

I got my Player's Guide to Forgotten Realms today. Probably the first and last 4E book I'll buy.

Anyway, I'm trying to cook up a Swordmage. I'll probably go for a Genasi (assault) or Githyanki (shielding). I think that Guisarme is the best weapon for an assaulter, and bastard sword for the shielder.

Let's assume I'll make a shielder, since they seem to be the most appropriate at the Defender Role.
I'll go for a Human, at the moment, since I'm not sure wether Githyanki would be allowed in the game, should I ever join one.
I was thinking about these stats: STR 11 DEX 8 CON 14 INT 20 WIS 14 CHA 8. Probably mistaken, since I don't know the 4E stat allocation by heart yet. Sue me. 
No reason to have less than 20 INT, I think, while CON is pretty important. STR is 11 to qualify for Hide Armour - Spec at lvl 20 or beyond. WIS is semi decent to accomodate for Will Defense and one of the Paragon paths.
Skills: Arcana, Endurance, Insight, Athletics, Acrobatics. (Added to list via Regional qualities in FR).
Feats: Bastard Sword, Improved Initiative?
Powers: Greenflame Blade and the one with Thunder damage. I'm AFB, and I can't remember any other, sorry.

So what do you think? Thanks in advance!

Edit: Apparently, I misposted. Should belong in Mixmax 4E. If one of the mods could be so kind as to move it? Thanks.

[PhoenixInferno]

If you are Human, you want Greenflame Blade, Booming Blade and Sword Burst.  Burst 1 at will for a Defender?  Yes please.

My Swordmage is almost 3rd level now and I can say that having that at-will Close attack is very nice.

Talk to me about the Paragon Paths in FRPG!  And is Intelligent Blademaster as awesome as the table blurb says it is?

[GawainBS]

I'll get back to you about the Paragon Paths tomorrow, ok? It's 23h here and I can say that there are at least 4 paragon paths specificly for Swordmages, and at least one for "Arcane Classes". Paragon Paths are probably this generation's PrCs.

Intelligent Blademaster lets you use your INT for attack for... *basic* melee attacks. Jay. Maybe marginally useful for an Assaulter, but they probably have great STR anyway. If you would care about AoO's, you'd  go for Heavy Blade Opportunist.

[PhoenixInferno]

OK.

RE: Intelligent Blademaster - there's still charging and free basic attacks that Warlords offer.  Heavy Blade Opportunity doesn't let you use your at-wills for those.

[GawainBS]

Int. Blademaster sounds pretty party dependant then, since there's at least one higher level manouvre power that can be used instead of a basic melee attack at the end of a charge.

[PhoenixInferno]

Well, that's if you want to use Blastback Swipe.  I'm a Shielding Swordmage, so Transposing Lunge is far superior.  I mean, if you're an Assault Swordmage, then there's really no reason to not use Blastback Swipe.  But then there's also no reason not to have Intelligent Blademaster because the Aegis of Assault only grants basic melee attacks (unless you use Blastback Swipe - in which case, you can't use it for charging for the duration of the encounter )

[GawainBS]

Oh, but there are also Powers that can be used instead of a basic attack for Assaulters.

Personally, I'd prefer the Shielder as well.

[PhoenixInferno]

OOOOOHHH!!!  Nice.  I don't have the FR Player's Guide yes, so I'm mining you for info.

[ImperiousLeader]

I still have to do a more indepth look at the Swordmage's powers. So let's talk Swordmage Feats.

Intelligent Swordmage, using INT as a basic attack? Depends on the STR score and your party composition.

Student of Sword Magic isn't as awesome as I'd hoped it to be. The feat gives swordmages a spellbook, like the wizard's, but it only works on Daily Attack spells, and it's the Utilities I'd prefer to be able to do some swapping about.

Escalating Assault is ... okay. It depends on how frequently you can trigger the aegis of assault. The +3 cap will either annoy me, or be unreachable anyway. I do like that it lingers throughout the encounter and affects any target, so this feat will be significantly stronger in Paragon, when you can double mark.

Retributive Shield not too shabby. It's limited duration makes

Improved Swordbond. Gah. Only a handful of situations I could see this being useful.

Paragon Feats:

Double Aegis is the Alpha and Omega of Swordmage feats. You will take it, and love it.

Distant Swordbond aka, Improved Improved Swordbond. Waste of a feat, but if you bothered to take Improved Swordbond, you might as well upgrade to this one.

Epic Feat:

Total Aegis. Retrain Double Aegis to this as soon as you hit epic. Then laugh at the Fighter and Paladin's troubles maintaining marks.

[X-Codes]

Please tell me about the Swordmage's Multiclass feat.  As a soon-to-be Wizard/WotST I'm looking to use that with Intelligent Swordmage to really start something.

[GawainBS]

So... Paragon Paths.

Anarch of Shyr: (Swordmage, Aegis of Assault)

Blade Flurry Action (11): Action point -> also basic melee attack after that extra action.
Empowered Aegis of Assault (11): +2 on attack roll when using this.
Extended Aegis (16): Range of Aegis becomes 20 squares.

Spells:
An encounter one that does 2[W] damage and gives you an extra mark.
An encounter stance that gives -2 to hit, but +1d12 extra elemental damage.
A daily close blast 5, 5d8 several elements damage.


Coronal Guard (Swordmage)

Swordshield Action (11): Action Point -> one round +2 to all defenses.
Improved Silver Shield (11): Aegis of Shielding interrupt used -> 10 + CON mod temp HP. (15 at lvl 21).
Improved Swordmage Armour (16): Swordmage Warding increases by +1.

Spells:
Encounter immidiate interrupt, close burst 5: you can push an attacker away and if he's out of reach, attack fails.
A Daily that gives you +2 AC for encounter.
Another daily that does 5[W] + INT mod damage and teleport foes away.

There are two other swordmage paths, and one arcane which seems good. I'll post info about them later.


Multiclass feat:

Blade Initiate:
Prerequisite: 13 INT
Benefit: Training in the Arcana Skill.
1/day, gain use of Swordmage Warding untill end of encounter.

[X-Codes]

Humm... another crappy Multiclass feat and more PP's that don't work at all with multiclassed characters.

Oh well, WotST is still good, and I can still likely get some decent Swordmage powers.

[Alpha]

Humm... another crappy Multiclass feat and more PP's that don't work at all with multiclassed characters.

Oh well, WotST is still good, and I can still likely get some decent Swordmage powers.

Yes, the multiclass feat is fail(though I'm glad it's an encounter duration daily instead of a 1rd/encounter).

However, as you say you can still get decent swordmage powers, and don't forget how many teleportation Swordmage powers we've seen so far...any of which would be ideal for the mobility-craving WotST.

[edit]I just got my copy, and looking through so far I just want to say:  SWORDMAGE.  LEVEL 22.  UTILITIES.
I mean seriously.  Consider the second 2:
Giant's Might: increase your size category by one for the rest of the encounter, gaining +2 to melee attacks and +5 to melee damage.  If your size increases to Large or greater, increase the space you take up and increase your reach by 1.  Can anyone say "onehanded glaive with reach 2"?
Shackled Warding: zone, stance.  Close burst 5: create a zone centered on you in which: 1. Enemies can not teleport.  2. Enemies outside can't teleport in.  3. Enemies who begin their turn in the zone are slowed until the end of their turn.  And the zone moves with you.
I know slow becomes less important at higher levels, but seriously:  every enemy within a burst 5 distance of you is down to move 2?  Fighters, eat your heart out, for one encounter a day my Swordmage is the stickiest man alive!

[PhoenixInferno]

NO WAY!  SIZE INCREASES?

EDIT: How does the stance interact with Dispel Magic?  Do you lose the stance or does it automatically regenerate?

[X-Codes]

DAAAAAAAAMN Shackled Warding is mean.

[Alpha]

Shackled Warding+Come and Get it.

[GawainBS]

NO WAY!  SIZE INCREASES?

EDIT: How does the stance interact with Dispel Magic?  Do you lose the stance or does it automatically regenerate?

Dispel Magic destroys a zone, so I think it ends.

[tsuyoshikentsu]

I'm assuming Giant's Thingamabob is a Daily?

[ImperiousLeader]

NO WAY!  SIZE INCREASES?

EDIT: How does the stance interact with Dispel Magic?  Do you lose the stance or does it automatically regenerate?

Giant's Might is not a stance. Dispel magic only disrupts zones and conjurations, Giant's Might is neither. Welcome to the era on undispellable buffs.

[Alpha]

I'm assuming Giant's Thingamabob is a Daily?

Yeah.