Author Topic: Swordsage (adaptations)  (Read 1966 times)

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SorO_Lost

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Swordsage (adaptations)
« on: July 30, 2009, 09:00:48 PM »
I always hear about the unarmed variant on the forums but never the spellcasting alternative. Why is that?
Quick Reference
[spoiler]Unarmed
Lose light armor proficiency in exchange for a monk's unarmed strike advancement.
No chain shirt for a 2d6 weapon you cannot lose.

Spellcasting
Lose light armor proficiency and reduce your HD to a d6 and in exchange to learn arcane spells instead of maneuvers.
Even less spells known and yet even more casting per day than a sorcerer, but more importantly, IL = CL.
[/spoiler]

Now take for example a Warblade 6 / Swordsage 2 build. The IL of the 2nd level of the Swordsage is 5, meaning 3rd level spell access. Without the annoying 5 levels in glasscannon for your gish. Your trading in a wider spell selection for faster progression level wise. Very useful for gishes.

Taking it up a notch, Marital PrCs advance ALL ILs you have meaning every ToB PrC is now a theurge of it's own style.
Take for example a Cleric 3 / Crusader 1 / Swordsage 1 / Ruby Knight Vindicator 10 / Contemplative 1 / Fist of Razial 3 / Swordsage +2.
You'll net 8th level divine spells, 7th level maneuvers, and nine 3rd level+ arcane spells, one of which is 9th level and you can cast it every encounter.
Add runestaffs and abuse DMM while your at it.

Discuss.
Tiers explained in 8 sentences. With examples!
[spoiler]Tiers break down into who has spellcasting more than anything else due to spells being better than anything else in the game.
6: Skill based. Commoner, Expert, Samurai.
5: Mundane warrior. Barbarian, Fighter, Monk.
4: Partial casters. Adapt, Hexblade, Paladin, Ranger, Spelltheif.
3: Focused casters. Bard, Beguiler, Dread Necromancer, Martial Adapts, Warmage.
2: Full casters. Favored Soul, Psion, Sorcerer, Wu Jen.
1: Elitists. Artificer, Cleric, Druid, Wizard.
0: Gods. StP Erudite, Illthid Savant, Pun-Pun, Rocks fall & you die.
[/spoiler]

Gods_Trick

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Re: Swordsage (adaptations)
« Reply #1 on: July 30, 2009, 09:10:27 PM »

Now take for example a Warblade 6 / Swordsage 2 build. The IL of the 2nd level of the Swordsage is 5, meaning 3rd level spell access. Without the annoying 5 levels in glasscannon for your gish. Your trading in a wider spell selection for faster progression level wise. Very useful for gishes.


Discuss.

  Thats exactly the problem right there. Applying the IL mechanic to spell aquisition is so powerful that its, dare I say, TO? Beatiful find, but I can't imagine the types of game that would use it.

RobbyPants

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Re: Swordsage (adaptations)
« Reply #2 on: July 30, 2009, 11:49:25 PM »
It might not be so bad in a system that didn't have dual-class progression PrCs.  It's still quite potent getting all of those spells per encounter, not being limited in what level they are (you simply have "spells known" as opposed to "spells known per spell level"), and when you swap them, they can be a higher level.
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Ferret

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Re: Swordsage (adaptations)
« Reply #3 on: August 06, 2009, 02:46:57 PM »
bwha, so how exactly would that work in conjunction with Adaptive Style?

Change out your "known" spells in-combat?  :blink:

archangel.arcanis

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Re: Swordsage (adaptations)
« Reply #4 on: August 06, 2009, 02:53:41 PM »
nope you don't change spells/maneuvers known except at certain levels. You can change what you have prepared and recharge them all though.

Am i the only one who sees the inevitable 9th lvl spell, White Raven Tactics, 9th level spell, run away to Adaptive style them back and repeat loop happening.
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Ferret

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Re: Swordsage (adaptations)
« Reply #5 on: August 06, 2009, 04:31:50 PM »
Right right. Checked my books out when I went home for lunch and realized I was misremembering the swordsage.

And yeah, you're not the only one seeing that happen, not at all. Celerity&Timestop cheese with 4th - 8th level spells, white raven tactics once Timestop is out, retreat and adaptive style, mop up the leftovers.

Ouch.