My main question here is what spells are best channeled through the spellsword's Channel Spell ability, or the duskblade's Arcane Channeling ability? With the duskblade, let's pretend the ability is limited to offensive spells (including touch spells), and the duskblade can learn any sorcerer/wizard spell or shadow mystery.
Before I get any answers, there are a couple circumstantial things you should know about the question.
A player in a campaign of mine is currently playing a modified variation of the duskblade called the Rune Knight that allows a player to cast spells through his weapon, but can only cast spells that he has inscribed on his actual weapon. So the first circumstantial thing you should know is how the ability works:
4th level, spells are limited to touch spells only, and only part of a standard melee attack.
11th level, spells are limited to offensive (any spell which deals hp-damage, negative status effects, or any other attack that directly harms or hinders an enemy) and touch. touch spells can be done in a full-attack. non-touch offensive spells can only be done as a standard melee attack.
17th level, spells are no longer limited; offensive and touch spells can be done in full-attack, any non-offensive spell is limited to a standard attack only.
The number of inscribed spells on any weapon is limited to the weapon's enhancement mod (max 10), but a feat increases this number by an additional amount equal to 1/2 your int mod. An optimized rune knight should have about 16 inscribed spells on its weapon by level 20, which he can trigger as part of an attack action (or full attack if it's any offensive/touch spell).
The second thing is the spell list. The class has a much more expanded spell list, based mostly on necromancy and shadow magic. The list is below. However, the class also has the ability to learn, essentially, any spell in the game, but only if the spell is in the form of a "spellglyph". In otherwords, a Rune Knight only type of spell.
If a Rune Knight is learning a new spell from an external source, they can't just say, pick up a scroll and learn it (unless they take a feat, and it's still difficult). They can learn spells only from spellglyphs. Really, it's completely flavour and circumstanctal.
So, again the question. Based on the ability, and the spell list, what spells would be the best for this class to inscribe onto their weapon?
I've been looking for Spellsword/Havok Mage guides to spells for the Channel Spell ability, and I can't seem to find much on the subject. Any ideas?
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Here is the spell list that a Rune Knight may select from. Keep in mind if they find Spellglyphs of any school, they can add them to their list of spellglyphs known.
1st: absorb weapon, black light, blade of blood, carpet of shadow, caul of shadow, chill touch, comprehend languages, corrosive grasp, critical strike, detect secret doors, erase, magic weapon, mesmerizing shadow, ray of enfeeblement, shocking grasp, steel shadows, true strike
2nd: alter self, black fire, blindness/deafness, blur, bull's strength, burning sword, death armor, deflect, detect thoughts, flesh fails, ghost touch armor, ghoul touch, invisibility, knock, piercing sight, scorching ray, spectral hand, stretch weapon, thoughts of shadow, touch of idiocy, wracking touch
3rd: nondetection, arcane sight, blade of pain and fear, blink, dancing shadows, dispelling touch, displacement, false life, flicker, greater magic weapon, haste, illusory script, non-detection, ray of exhaustion, shadowphase, sharp shadows, spectral weapon,, tongues, umbral touch, vampiric touch, wraithstrike
4th: arcane eye, aura of shade, bestow curse, bolster, bloodstar, burning blood, crushing despair, cursed blade, enervation, fear, fire sheild, greater invisibility, heart ripper, remove curse, shadow vision, step into shadow, stoneskin, toxic weapon, translocation trick, warp spell
5th: break enchantment, curtain of shadows, dismissal, duelward, feeblemind, feign life, languor, lesser planar binding, night's caress, pass into shadow, passwall, permanency, shadowform, slashing dispel, telekinesis, teleport
