New Free Prc on the WOTC site, the Swiftblade

[Ramza00]

I love it already <3

http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/prc/20070327

Note this is the redone version of the swiftblade.

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The original was posted on the wotc website and someone linked to it on the CO boards, it got badmouthed and eviscerated due to how it loss too many caster levels, is medium bab, and you didn't gain much besides a free quicken spell for your loss of 4 caster levels. The original creator of the class saw the thread and asked how CO would redo it. There were several redone builds by alot of people, and the original creator took what he liked from it, redid his prc, and sent it to WOTC and posted the new version on the website.

The thread which discussed the old version is here
http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=818086

They have since taken down the old version and replaced it with a new version at the same address.

An elf arcane 6/Swiftblade 10/Abjurant Champion 4 will be a very capable gish. BAB 17 Caster Level 16. It won't have as high as levels spells as a "pure gish" but the class abilities it gains allow it to still be capable.

[brian c]

Hm... well I like the abilities a lot better than the previous one. Still, casting Haste and having +3 BAB means that you need at beast Wizard 5/Fighter 1 (or any other full BAB) just to get in, and without being a full caster PrC it's best to have that Fighter or something else level. I love the flavor, but I still can't quite figure out what exactly this would do for a party...

Though recalling the "breaking the speed of sound" thread here a little while ago, I bet a swiftblade could move pretty fast if you optimized it that way.

[Rahdjan]

I see this PrC more for the bard that wants to be better at melee.

[Ramza00]

Wizard 6 has +3 bab
Sorcerer 6 has +3 bab.

They both qualify.

Most of the benefits are personal based, but one particular nice one for the party is you casting haste as a swift action starting lvl 3 (lvl 9 at the minimum)

But getting an extra standard/move action per round (not an extra attack like haste). Getting an ability that is effective timestop. 50% miss chance against melee, ranged, or targeted magic. Getting a boost to initiative equal to your int, cha, or relevant ability modifer. Plus Full BAB

Finally you gain bounding assault, a boost to ac and attack hit, and something like skirmish, these benefits though are relatively minor.

Also remember Abjurant Champion has a +5 BAB requirement, and only proficiency with 1 martial weapon. Most races have at least 1 martial weapon as a racial proficiency.

[Rad]

Is Haste in the duskblade spell list? You would miss the time stop ability, but extra action+swift spell+full round arcane channel has to hurt... And you get armor on top of it.

[Talya]

This PrC is...amazing.

Being able to take a single move action AND make a full attack rivals the dervish for melee flexibility.

[Person_Man]

Is Haste in the duskblade spell list? You would miss the time stop ability, but extra action+swift spell+full round arcane channel has to hurt... And you get armor on top of it.

Haste is not on the Duskblade or Hexblade spell list.


UPDATE: FULL BAB SWIFTBLADES!

Duskblade 5/Emissary of Barachiel 7/Swiftblade 8: Haste is on the Emissary of Barachiel list, though sadly they cast divine spells, and the Swiftblade only progresses arcane spells.

Full BAB Class 6/Corrupt Avenger 5/Swiftblade 9: Corrupt Avenger gets arcane spells off of a short list that includes Haste. Sadly, Corrupt Avenger requires +6 BAB, making 10th level Swiftblade unattainable for this build.

Cleric 5/Wizard or Sorcerer 1/Swiftblade 10/Mystic Theurge 4: Haste from Time domain, cast Divine Power for full BAB. Buff spells+Zen Archery+Diligent Rapidity+Rapidshot+Manyshot+Innervated Speed=insanity

Wizard 5/War Weaver 5/Swiftblade 10: Cast Tensor's Transformation for full BAB. Combining War Weaver with Swiftblade is particularly interesting, because it focuses on casting buff spells.

[Ramza00]

While this isn't the best way to do things for lets be honest spells kick everybody's ass. But you can focus on being a fighter and not a mage with this build.

Fighter 4/Wizard 2/Abjurant Champion 4/Swift Blade 10
19 BAB, casts as 12th lvl wizard, and for your first 4 lvls you are a fighter and not a mage unlike a typical gish.

This above build far better than a fighter 20 and some similar builds.


Also Paladin 4/Sorcerer 2/Abjurant Champion 4/Swift Blade 10
Cha to saves, and with turn Undead Cha to Damage

[Ramza00]

Turn Undead+Divine Might I meant to say

[Ramza00]

Beguiler also gets haste :) And the class has 4 skill points per level (a reduction of 6 to 4).

Beguiler 6/Swiftblade 10/Abjurant Champion 4

[Talya]

So a pure wizard (or sorceror) who takes this class has at most a caster level of 16 at level 20...no 9th level spells.

However, at level 8 swiftblade, she can conceivably cast 4 spells in a round (three for a sorceror). (Haste, quickened anything, standard action1, standard action2) as well as take a move action.

Even discounting the martial prowess...that's a pretty powerful ability. Worth the loss of caster levels? I don't know...

[Talya]

Taken further, for epic builds, the wizard who takes this class loses almost nothing other than a few feats...and damn do they get things to make up for it.

A level 24 character who went 6 wizard, 10 swiftblade, 8 wizard, and took the "practiced spellcaster" feat, is a full level 24 wizard with all the spell slots of any other level 24 wizard. The loss of epic feats will hurt, but the ability to take 3 actions per round is worth quite a few epic feats.

[Ramza00]

Don't forget Tayla he also gets timestop effectively thus while it isn't 9th lvl spells it is a 9th lvl spell he gets.
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With the Battle Belt Item in the Magic Item Compedium (gets 3 charges per day, swift action activation, use 1 charge get move action, 2 charges standard action, 3 charges full round action.) or a rod of quicken

• Standard Action spell
• Standard Action 2 (from Swiftblade 8)
• Standard Action 3 via Battlbelt/Metamagic Rod/Quicken Spell/Some other swift action spell.
• Item Familar casting a spell, Item familiars located here http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/ma...mFamiliars.htm
• Familiar casting a spell due to "imbue familiar with spell ability" spell.

That is a total of 5 spells cast per round this is before you break out arcane fusion (allowing the sorcerer to cast even more spells)

[Ramza00]

Taken further, for epic builds, the wizard who takes this class loses almost nothing other than a few feats...and damn do they get things to make up for it.

A level 24 character who went 6 wizard, 10 swiftblade, 8 wizard, and took the "practiced spellcaster" feat, is a full level 24 wizard with all the spell slots of any other level 24 wizard. The loss of epic feats will hurt, but the ability to take 3 actions per round is worth quite a few epic feats.

You should make an epic prc of swiftblade, and that epic prc should have epic bonus feats or abilities that are worth the price of epic bonus feats.

If that is too much work for you though, you can compare it to other epic prcs. An epic eldrtich knight is also d6 hit points, (2 skill points vs 4) and similar flavor, thus if I didn't make an epic custom prc I would just use the epic eldritch knight and say it is the epic swiftblade.

[Talya]

I thought about continuing Swiftblade as epic, but you'd continue at slow caster level progression, which would be bad for epic Spell Resistance. You're better to go with another epic PrC, as you suggest.

You know, for all the melee potential this gives (and it's a lot of melee potential), this does more for their casting capabilities and defense. There is a price to be paid with regard to slowed acquisition of new spells and sub-optimal feat selection, but the end result is rather powerful...you end up with a superior wizard who is extra-hard to kill and is ALSO very good at melee in the unlikely event that he feels the need to engage in it.

[Ramza00]

I thought about continuing Swiftblade as epic, but you'd continue at slow caster level progression, which would be bad for epic Spell Resistance. You're better to go with another epic PrC, as you suggest. You know, for all the melee potential this gives (and it's a lot of melee potential), this does more for their casting capabilities and defense. There is a price to be paid with regard to slowed acquisition of new spells and sub-optimal feat selection, but the end result is rather powerful...you end up with a superior wizard who is extra-hard to kill and is ALSO very good at melee in the unlikely event that he feels the need to engage in it.

Not all epic classes have the same progression as the non epic progression. Case in point, just to name a few the eldritch knight (full caster epic), elemental savant (full caster epic), metamind (full manifester epic), crystal master (full manifester epic), etc.

[Dausuul]

Heh... permanent Freedom of Movement + Bounding Assault + Solid Fog = Win.

[Emperor Tippy]

This would be great in a gestalt game.

[TSGames]

Ramza00, you have a big problem with triple and double posting.

Anyway, I like the new changes, and I would actually consider playing one.

[Merlin the Tuna]

Taken further, for epic builds...

What's that you say? Things get stupid at epic levels? Shocking. Shocking I say.

I like the overhaul that the class has received. Spring Attack and Bounding assault are no-brainers that should've been in there in the first place, as is the full BAB. Losing 4 caster levels still hurts hard no matter who you are, but at least there's reasonable payoff now.

[AtomicKitKat]

3.0 Haste as its 9th level ability, and Time-Stop with lower slots(or essentially maximised in 9th level slots) as its 10th. Were it not for the loss of 9th level spells, this would be almost obscene. :)

[Greendevilman]

I like the new version. Not something you'd necessarily take if you wanted to strictly optimize but its a very cool class and something that I can see enjoying playing as a reasonably good gish in a non-optimized party a lot. A real improvement over the first iteration.

[Roland St. Jude]

Sheriff: Okay people, please just edit your posts, rather than double and triple posting. Thanks.

[Viscount Einstrauss]

I am totally in love with this class and have a huge hankering to play it immediately. It's... it's beautiful.

[Everyman]

I just want to see someone QUALIFY for this class. Having to prepare/spont. cast NOTHING but Haste spells for one whole level is just funny to think about.
...
Also, why do I feel like a member of this class would have an appreciation for espresso?

[AmoDman]

This would be great in a gestalt game.

Great? Great? It would own.

[Everyman]

Paticularly if you gestalt a double caster combo (like Wizard/Archivist). Then you can REALLY put those double caster levels to work.

[Viscount Einstrauss]

Double caster? Nah, go with caster//martial adept. He'll be the baddest dude that ever did live.

Don't forget Jade Phoenix Mage for maximum "JESUS CHRIST!"-age.

[AmoDman]

Paticularly if you gestalt a double caster combo (like Wizard/Archivist). Then you can REALLY put those double caster levels to work.

That's what I was thinking. Still need meat shields at levels...but come on!

[Rakeesh]

Not to mention the fifty percent failure chance you get vs. individually targeted spells, and melee attacks, when under your own haste spell (and since you can cast it as a free action without having to use Quicken, that's going to be a majority of your encounter time I imagine)!