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A friend of mine and I came up with a class we call the Spellblade, in response to a thread in the Pathfinder Alpha 3 forums talking about fighter/mage combination base classes. Of course, people seemed more intent on arguing back and forth than actually posting a comment or even acknowledging that I posted it, so I felt it would do better in its own thread. Here's the most recent version, so please let me know what you think and keep the comments constructive. Thanks! ((Note: The formatting wound up a bit wonky, but I think it's easy to figure out. If not, the formatted version can be found here.)) Spoiler: Spellblade
Hit Die: d8
Level B.A.B. Fort Save Ref Save Will Save Special
Spells Per Day
Proficiencies: The Spellblade is proficient with light armor (but not with shields) and with all simple weapons, as well as all light and one-handed martial weapons. Spells: Spellblades cast arcane spells from the spellblade spell list (shown below). They must prepare spells ahead of time and keeps spellbooks, just as a wizard does. To cast any spell on their list, a spellblade must have an Intelligence score of at least 10 + the level of the spell. Their spellbooks contain 4 0-level spells and 2 1st-level spells at 1st level, and they add 2 spells of any level they can cast upon gaining each new level. TO add additional spells beyond these, they must pay to scribe the spell into their spellbook, just as a wizard does. Armored Casting (Ex): When wearing light armor, and wielding a one-handed melee weapon in one hand, a Spellblade ignores arcane spell failure for the armor they are wearing. Cantrips: Spellblades can prepare a number of cantrips, or 0-level spells, each day. They can cast these spells at will as a spell-like ability. The number of cantrips a Spellblade can prepare is noted under “Spells Per Day”. Cantrips are treated like any other spell cast by the Spellblade in terms of duration and other variables based on level. Dance of Warding (Ex): Starting at 2nd level, when wielding a one-handed melee weapon in one hand and nothing in the other, and only when wearing light armor, the Spellblade adds a dodge bonus to his armor class based on his half his level, rounded down, up to a maximum of his int bonus. Eschew Materials: At 3rd level, the Spellblade gains Eschew Materials as a bonus feat. Weapon Attunement (Su): Starting at 4th level, a Spellblade can attune to their weapon of choice during a day-long process of meditation and training using the weapon to be bonded. Once complete, the Spellblade receives a +1 enhancement bonus to all attack and damage rolls with the bonded weapon. At every 4th level thereafter, the enhancement bonus increases by +1. Finally, at 20th level, they have become so attuned to their weapon that it gains a +5 enhancement bonus, and a simple, empathic intelligence. Wraith Step (Su): Starting at 5th level, the Spellblade can call upon their innate magic to teleport up to 30ft in any direction as a swift action, as long as the spot is within their line of sight, 1/day. At 9th level this increases to 2/day, at 13th 3/day, and at 17th 4/day. Summon Weapon (Su): At 6th level, the Spellblade can summon their attuned weapon to their hand as a swift action. Spell Channeling (Su): Starting at 7th level, a spellblade can channel touch or ray spells through his bonded weapon. He may choose to substitute a normal attack with his weapon for the touch attack required of the spell. This attack is resolved as a normal attack rather than a touch attack, and does damage as a normal attack in addition to the spell's effects. Evasion (Ex): At 9nd level and higher, a spellblade can avoid even magical and unusual attacks with great agility. If he makes a successful Reflex saving throw against an attack that normally deals half damage on a successful save, he instead takes no damage. Evasion can be used only if the spellblade is wearing light armor or no armor. A helpless spellblade does not gain the benefit of evasion. Altered Attunement (Su): Beginning at 11th level, a spellblade is able to adjust the form of his weapon attunement. Rather than an enhancement bonus, he may allocate his Weapon Attunement bonus to special abilities as he sees fit. The weapon's special abilities may be adjusted at the spellblade's desire with a ritual that takes one hour. The spellblade's bonded weapon must always possess at least a +1 enhancement, however, whether from the Weapon Attunement ability or from a normal enchantment Greater Spell Channeling (Su): Starting at 14th level, a spellblade's ability to channel his spells increases. He can now channel spells through his weapon as a swift action during a full attack. Improved Evasion (Ex): At 18th level, the spellblade's evasion improves. This ability works like evasion, except that while the spellblade still takes no damage on a successful Reflex saving throw against attacks henceforth he takes only half damage on a failed save. A helpless spellblade does not gain the benefit of improved evasion. Spellblade Spells 0-Level
1st-Level
2nd-Level
3rd-Level
4th-Level
5th-Level
6th-Level
Hehe. Remember, though, Lugh of the Long Hand is a god, so he sort of gets a lot of nifty powers not typical to mortal men ;) Also, I really did put my class forward for consideration, if anyone has anything to say about it. It's not what some were looking for, in the paladin or ranger area of spell advancement, but I rather like the feel of it and it honestly has worked well so far in my game, though there have been some revisions since my initial post.
Rough draft of the spell list, just for good measure. Again, not concrete yet.
Spoiler: Spellblade Spells
0-Level
1st-Level
2nd-Level
3rd-Level
4th-Level
5th-Level
6th-Level
Here's my attempt, keeping in mind that this is still a rough draft. The spell list isn't concrete, either, but they get their own spell list that takes a limited selection of spells from the sorc/wizard list that fit their play style. I based this class off of an idea in a freeform rp I played, with some elements of Bladesinger thrown in for flavor. This is a lighter, skirmisher-type fighter/mage, which is how I tend to play them. I'm actually playtesting this in my own campaign, and it's worked out well so far. ((Note: Things got kinda squished together, but I think it's fairly self explanatory)) Spoiler: Spellblade Hit Die: d8
Weapon and Armor Proficiencies: Spellblades are proficient with Light and medium armor, all simple weapons, and light and one-handed melee weapons Spellbook: Spellblades start at 1st level with 4 0-level spells and two 1st level spells, and an additional 0-level spell for every point of their int bonus. At every level thereafter, they can choose two more spells of any level they can cast. Level B.A.B. Fort Save Ref Save Will Save Special
Armored Casting: When wearing light armor, and weilding a one-handed melee weapon in one hand, a Spellblade ingores arcane spell failure for the armor they are wearing. Cantrips: Spellblades can prepare a number of cantrips, or 0-level spells, each day. They can cast these spells at will as a spell-like ability. The number of cantrips a Spellblade can prepare is noted under “Spells Per Day”. Cantrips are treated like any other spell cast by the Spellblade in terms of duration and other variables based on level. Dance of Warding: Starting at 2nd level, when wielding a one-handed melee weapon in one hand and nothing in the other, and only when wearing light armor, the Spellblade adds a dodge bonus to his armor class based on his half his level, rounded down, up to a maximum of his int bonus. Eschew Materials: At 3rd level, the Spellblade gains Eschew Materials as a bonus feat. Weapon Attunement: Starting at 4th level, a Spellblade can attune to their weapon of choice during a day-long process of meditation and training using the weapon to be bonded. Once complete, the Spellblade receives a +1 enhancement bonus to all attack and damage rolls with the bonded weapon. At every 4th level thereafter, the enhancement bonus increases by +1. Finally, at 20th level, they have become so attuned to their weapon that it gains a +5 enhancement bonus, and a simple, empathic intelligence. Wraith Step: Starting at 5th level, the Spellblade can call upon their innate magic to teleport up to 30ft in any direction as a swift action, as long as the spot is within their line of sight, 1/day. At 10th level this increases to 2/day, at 15th 3/day, and at 18th 4/day. Summon Weapon: At 9th level, the Spellblade can summon their attuned weapon to their hand as a swift action. Spell Channeling: Starting at 7th level, a spellblade can channel touch or ray spells through his bonded weapon. He may choose to substitute a normal attack with his weapon for the touch attack required of the spell. This attack is resolved as a normal attack rather than a touch attack, and does damage as a normal attack in addition to the spell's effects. Greater Spell Channeling: Starting at 14th level, a spellblade's ability to channel his spells increases. He can now channel spells through his weapon as a swift action during a full attack. Spells Per Day 0 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th
I was pretty much the same way. I love the Realms, but with all the changes they made (and their killing of my character's patron deity in a very, very stupid manner...and no, I'm not actually referring to Mystra, though that was equally stupid), I'm just not interested anymore. I looked over the Pathfinder adventures, though, and the background material, and decided I really, really want to play in this setting :)
Still, wait for the final product before making -any- sort of judgments about a game world they've spent so much time creating. Some of the influences are obvious, but in the end it seems to me like a vibrant game world that looks like a lot of fun to play in. Hell, I know quite a few people who are looking at Golarion as the successor to the Realms, since Wizards pretty much nuked that setting from orbit.
Honestly, though, I think you have to take flavor into account as well. Someone looking for a fighter/mage sort of character without multiclassing probably wouldn't go for the artsy, musical bard. I like bards, don't get me wrong, but it just doesn't have the right feel, on top of the other things that seperate it from your typical fighter/mage class.
The class I'm currently working on is going to be a bit lighter than the duskblade was. The concept of a fighter/mage in anything heavier than medium armor just seemed off, to me, so I'm going for similar abilities (with a few different ones thrown in, of course), with a lighter, more skirmisher feel. The point of the Fighter/mage isn't heavy combat, after all.
I suspect that when we fire up our Pathfinder fiction, we'll follow the same course we have with our game books—we'll be using established authors in the field at first, and perhaps eventually open things up to new writers. The fiction line decisions are still being made, though, so anything's possible! Awesome! I look forward to reading whatever's released, and hopefully I can get the chance to work on something myself :)
I, for one, can't wait to see the submission guidelines. I'll admit I'm relatively new, when it comes to the world of game design, but I'm working on a few things of my own that will, hopefully, get me noticed once I can get it out there. I do hope to write for Paizo, eventually, as I love their products and the very fact that they're continuing with and improving on 3.5
I admit, I had hoped to someday write for Forgotten Realms as well, but with the changes not only to D&D but to FR, I found my hopes slowly but inevitably fading. I have my own world in the works, of course, and my own novels...but, now, I hope to someday write a Pathfinder story if I can, either novel or short story. Of course, I want to wait for the campaign setting book and stuff like that, just to get a better idea of the world, but I have been reading the Gazetteer to get a better idea of how things work. Golarion is a rich and promising world, and maybe someday I can realize my dream of writing a story set within it :)
I forwarded the e-mail, so hopefully that should clear things up. And no worries, really, about the type of shipping. I was hoping to have it by my game this saturday, which is why I chose the quicker shipping, but I can run with something else until the adventure arrives.
I've encountered two problems with this one. First, i selected UPS Ground for my order, but when I received the confirmation e-mail it listed it as being shipped with Standard Postal Delivery, though the price was still listed as the same. For my second issue, my bank account was charged for 59.73, which is the final price of the Pathfinder Chronicles Campaign Setting book I preordered. The price of the products I ordered that are being shipped came to 30.31, and since it is those being shipped and not the campaign guide, which doesn't come out until sometime next month, I was hoping this could be fixed. Thank you :) |
