Swordmage

SWORDMAGES ARE warriors who wield ancient magic to supplement their martial skills. A swordmage channels magic through his or her sword, enhancing attacks, bolstering defenses, and aiding allies. Each time a swordmage presses the attack, a foe must contend not only with the bite of steel, but also with arcs of searing fire, dazzling discharges of lightning, and cold as chilling as any blizzard.

As a swordmage, you share a bond with your sword. When you and your sword are separated, you can call the weapon to hand with a mere thought. Developing this powerful relationship with your blade is the first step to becoming a swordmage, and calling the weapon is the first lesson you mastered.

Swordmages are consummate tacticians, and they recognize the value of teamwork. As a result, you focus your arcane talents on preserving allies against foes’ attacks. You have learned to create an arcane link between yourself and your enemy. This ancient magic is the swordmage’s aegis, and it allows you to punish a foe that dares to attack your allies.

This chapter includes the following material…

• New Class Feature: Using aegis of ensnarement, you can compel a foe to move to you just when the creature thinks itself safe.

• New Build: Foil your foes with cunning footwork, entangling spells, and dazzling swordplay as an ensnaring swordmage.

• New Swordmage Powers: Capture your enemies with entrapping powers, glide effortlessly across the battlefield, or unleash bursts of elemental magic. Customize your arcane arsenal for control or damage.

• New Paragon Paths: This chapter introduces six new swordmage paragon paths. Inscribe sigils in the air that punish your foes, or capitalize on an enemy’s greatest weaknesses. Stalk the ether between planes, or bend your Swordmage Warding into a powerful weapon.

Instead of selecting the aegis of shielding or the aegis of assault as your Swordmage Aegis, you can select the aegis of ensnarement power.

The swordmage class is featured in the Forgotten Realms Player’s Guide. This chapter presents an additional swordmage build, the ensnaring swordmage. The ensnaring swordmage focuses on battlefield control and on immobilizing, slowing, and knocking prone enemies. The build is also associated with a new aegis, the aegis of ensnarement, which allows you to teleport a marked enemy to you.

Ensnaring Swordmage

You are a sly hunter who closes in on your prey, punishing an enemy for any missteps, and hounding it until it is vanquished. As an ensnaring swordmage, you are a clever defender who gains the tactically advantageous ground in a fight. You circle opponents and entrap them with careful swordplay, entangling spells, and cunning feints. You might also charge a foe to try to gain the advantage or to keep the creature from your allies.

Your use of spells to ensnare opponents requires physical and mental endurance. Intelligence should be your primary ability score, because it determines the accuracy and potency of your spells. You should also have a high Constitution score to strengthen your ensnaring spells.

• Suggested Class Feature: aegis of ensnarement

• Suggested Feat: Grasping Ensnarement*

• Suggested Skills: Arcana, Athletics, Endurance, Insight

• Suggested At-Will Powers: foe snare†, stalker’s strike*

• Suggested Encounter Power: fox’s feint*

• Suggested Daily Power: dragon’s teeth*

**New option presented in this book. †Presented in the Forgotten Realms Player’s Guide.*

The Marked Condition

When you mark a creature, you force it to engage you or suffer the consequences. While that creature is marked by you, it takes a –2 penalty to attack rolls for any attack that doesn’t include you as a target. In addition, powers, class features, magic item properties, and feats might have effects that trigger when the creature takes certain actions.

A creature can be subject to only one mark at a time, and a new mark supersedes a mark that was already in place. The effect you use to mark a creature determines how long the creature remains marked by you. Regardless of the mark’s duration, it ends if someone else marks that creature, unless an effect says otherwise.

A swordmage must use a variety of spells to assault enemies and protect allies. The swordmage relies on aegis of shielding, aegis of assault, or aegis of ensnarement as the core of his or her defense. Many powers become more potent depending on a swordmage’s aegis. An ensnaring swordmage relies on the aegis of ensnarement to bring an enemy close, but he or she also uses powers that immobilize, slow, or otherwise inhibit the movement of a foe. The powers in this chapter give the swordmage a more wide-ranging suite of options, allowing him or her to focus on specific damage types or attack ranges.

Level 1 At-Will Spells

Level 1 Encounter Spells

Half-Elf Swordmages

Half-elves are accomplished diplomats. They naturally learn a gamut of skills, and so half-elves viscerally appreciate the fusion of magic and swordplay that swordmages employ. They have the physical resilience to make capable ensnaring swordmages or shielding swordmages. Many half-elves take up blade and magic to defend themselves when traveling through hostile lands.

Level 1 Daily Spells

Level 2 Utility Spells

Field of Stone

Dhal stopped. The trail ahead twisted into a field of weathered boulders. The great pale stones lay scattered around a fey crossing, a place where the world is warped by the proximity of the Feywild.

The location was a nightly destination for Dhal. Here, his instructor tutored him in the ways of blade and spell. Why the eladrin had selected Dhal as her sole student, he had never learned. The question seemed irrelevant now. She was a swordmage, and she said she was passing her craft to him. That was enough for Dhal.

In the span of a year, he had learned secrets that would have turned his parents’ hair white, had they still been alive to care. He had developed his sword bond, mastered the ancient mysteries of the aegis, and discovered the power of combining sword and sorcery.

This night, something seemed different about the boulder field. A low wind breathed through the stones, whispering warnings. The shadows played against the moonlight, casting bleary silhouettes of things that weren’t there.

“Teacher?” Dhal called.

A chill gust was his only answer.

Dhal pulled his sword from its sheath and advanced. He conjured his arcane warding with his free hand, erecting the invisible magical field as a guard against some unseen menace.

He came close to the base of the mound that marked the fey crossing. The eladrin swordmage stood on its top, outlined by the full moon.

“Dhal,” she said in a solemn voice, “are you ready for your final test?”

He swallowed nervously, but raised his sword in salute. “Yes, Teacher.”

“Then prepare yourself.”

The wind turned colder yet. For a moment, all was silent. Then the boulders around the mound began to tremble. All at once, they leapt together like joints on a closing fist. Dhal cried out in surprise, but his voice was blanketed by the thunder of grinding stone.

A troll of animate rock emerged from the collision of boulders and, without a moment’s hesitation, charged Dhal.

Dhal responded instinctively to the attack. Arcane power swirled around his blade and outward toward the charging troll, engulfing it in an inferno.

The test had begun.

Level 3 Encounter Spells

Gods and Swordmages

Kord, Corellon, and Ioun are popular deities among swordmages because of these gods’ influence over war, magic, and knowledge, respectively. Avandra is favored by some swordmages who travel the world. Vecna seduces a few swordmages because of his influence over magic and secrets. Those swordmages see worshiping Vecna as a gateway to power.

The Raven Queen counts a handful of swordmages among her followers, for some view her control over destiny as a path to glory and legend. A few swordmages prefer to pursue their own fortunes, favoring Sehanine’s doctrine of personal destiny.

Genasi Swordmages

Their combination of mental and physical prowess makes genasi perfectly suited to become swordmages. Genasi are also ideal swordmages from an aesthetic standpoint. Swordmages can deal a variety of types of damage, and a genasi’s ability to manifest elements means that both body and blade can crackle with lightning or burn with fire.

Genasi have a long tradition of becoming swordmages. Many genasi repudiate the claim that eladrin invented the swordmage style. Genasi allege that their earliest ancestors were responsible for the combination of magic and blade, though no evidence exists to confirm either race’s assertion.

Level 5 Daily Spells

Level 6 Utility Spells

Level 7 Encounter Spells

Halfling Swordmages

Nimble and quick, halflings rely on agility instead of size. Although the art of the swordmage is favored chiefly by eladrin and genasi, the knowledge has percolated through the world, and even a few halflings have picked it up. A halfling who takes up blade and magic uses size and luck to great advantage when defending. Rarely a battle goes by in which a halfling swordmage does not find use for his or her second chance racial trait. A halfling who becomes a swordmage is likely to be a shielding swordmage. Upon reaching the paragon tier, a halfling swordmage might choose the ghost blade paragon path because of its increased mobility and evasiveness.

Level 9 Daily Spells

Human Swordmages

Like half-elves, humans are able learners and capable of taking quickly to the skills of the swordmage. Among the many humans inhabiting the world, a few learn this ancient practice. Often, human swordmages are foundlings who were raised by eladrin or genasi and taught the ancient art. These swordmages are proud of their heritage, and they can become as accomplished as any eladrin swordmage. Humans do not favor a particular style of swordmage fighting, instead leaning toward whatever technique their attributes fit.

Level 10 Utility Spells

Swordmages in the World

The lone traveler walking along a distant, borderland road; a hero described in epic poems by bards; an eladrin with wild hair and glyphs for tattoos; a human youth trained in the Feywild with a skill that few understand—any of these individuals might be a swordmage. Swordmages are more unusual than your average warrior. The combination of mental and physical skills makes a swordmage a rare find. In the tavern, a swordmage tends to draw curious glances at the least; more often, a swordmage is regarded with fear or respect.

Level 13 Encounter Spells

Level 15 Daily Spells

Dragonborn Swordmages

Although a dragonborn’s high Strength seems ideal as a foundation for swordmage training, dragonborn rarely take up the cerebral art of combining sword and sorcery. However, a few dragonborn do rise to the intellectual challenge. The heritage of dragonborn promotes a strong bond with one’s weapon, which encourages a few dragonborn warriors to pursue this vocation. Natural strength and dedicated study of the arcane arts can make a dragonborn suited to be an assault swordmage (described in the Forgotten Realms Player’s Guide). A dragonborn who perseveres and continues his or her studies might then follow the sword of assault paragon path. By taking this path, a dragonborn swordmage can enhance his or her aegis of assault and use his or her Strength to add extra potency to already devastating magical attacks.

Level 16 Utility Spells

Level 17 Encounter Spells

Level 19 Daily Spells

Level 22 Utility Spells

Level 23 Encounter Spells

Eladrin Swordmages

For eladrin, swordplay is a skill as valued as the arcane arts. In fact, many believe that eladrin were the first to combine blade and magic. As a race that promotes study and mental achievement, eladrin are perfectly suited to be any type of swordmage. Their cunning in battle helps them evade physical blows while wearing the light armor typical of a swordmage. Eladrin swordmages often learn wizard powers that allow them to better control the battlefield, favoring such spells as ray of frost.

Tiefling Swordmages

Although tieflings are not as disposed to becoming swordmages as eladrin or genasi are, their high Intelligence scores make them skilled swordmages when they do pursue the art. A tiefling’s bloodhunt racial trait means that most tieflings favor the assault swordmage style (described in the Forgotten Realms Player’s Guide). Similarly, the tiefling’s infernal wrath power makes a tiefling swordmage tend to be more offense-oriented.

Level 25 Daily Spells

Level 27 Encounter Spells

Level 29 Daily Spells

Dwarf Swordmages

Few dwarves choose to take up the arcane sword and learn the secret spells of the aegis. Many dwarves don’t have the patience for the blade, instead favoring hammers and axes in combat. Others simply disdain spellcasting, preferring to rely on martial exploits and divine prayers.

Dwarves are not entirely unreceptive to the art, though, for their physical endurance makes them able defenders. In addition, the resilience required to channel magic through one’s body and into the blade makes dwarves capable swordmages when they focus on shielding allies or ensnaring foes. Unlike assault swordmages (described in the Forgotten Realms Player’s Guide), dwarf swordmages focus on control and defense. Dwarves who excel as swordmages might consider the ward guardian paragon path, which further extends a swordmage’s ability to defend allies.

New Paragon Paths

Arcane Hunter

“Every creature is vulnerable to my blade, for any resistance can be overcome.”

You are adroit at spotting chinks in your enemies’ defenses and taking advantage of those weaknesses to inflict debilitating blows. Your arcane senses give you the upper hand when you face creatures that rely on natural resistances.

As an arcane hunter, you might have been trained at an early age to visually recognize the physical weaknesses of creatures. Since then, your magical education has further refined those skills, allowing you to extend tendrils of unseen energy to feel out a foe’s flaws.

In your studies and adventures, you have learned that adaptability is one of the best qualities when facing a variety of foes. Instead of specializing in one damage type or one type of attack, you prefer to have options.

Arcane Hunter Path Features

When you spend an action point to make an attack, that attack ignores all resistances and the insubstantial quality.

Whenever you score a critical hit, your attack deals extra damage equal to the target’s highest vulnerability.

Whenever you attack a creature that has one or more resistances, you treat those resistances as 10 lower than they are (minimum 0).

Arcane Hunter Spells

Ghost Blade

“From the space between worlds I come, my killing blow as soft as a whisper.”

Like many swordmages, you can effortlessly travel the roads behind the world. Those arcane pathways offer you more than they do your fellows, though, for you have actually learned to slip through the space between planes.

Your travels through the weave of reality have transformed your knowledge and skills. As you bend space with a cunning stroke of your sword, you can be in two places at once, splitting your physical body between the dimensions. You might briefly take on the seeming of a ghostly spirit, but this appearance is only a temporary transformation. Even when you step between worlds, your blade doesn’t fade—remaining a very real threat to your enemies.

Your eerie form has gained you the moniker of “ghost” in some circles. You smile to hear such nicknames, although they are untrue, because you know that fear is a valuable weapon.

Ghost Blade Path Features

When you spend an action point to take an extra action, you become insubstantial until the end of your next turn.

Whenever you use a teleportation power, you gain combat advantage against one target of the next weapon attack you make before the end of your next turn.

While you are insubstantial or have phasing, each creature marked by you grants combat advantage to you, and you add 2 squares to the distance your teleportation powers allow you to teleport.

Ghost Blade Spells

Sage of Fate’s Bonds

“Every combat creates bonds between attacker and defender, bonds between allies. I see these bonds.”

You can see the invisible bonds that connect creatures to the things around them. Your ability to recognize where these bonds are strongest and weakest gives you the power to strengthen or sever a bond when necessary. Your unique sight lets you see the paths that lie behind the world, and thus by cutting a creature’s bond to the world you can send a foe or an ally hurtling along a hidden path.

You are a master of gaining tactically advantageous positions in combat. You look for a central position on the battlefield from which you can utilize all your powers and abilities to send creatures careening through extradimensional space. You are concerned with terrains and obstacles only insofar as you can use them to your advantage.

Using your aegis of ensnarement, you thwart your foes’ movements and leave them reeling. You can unleash a vicious jolt of magical feedback that shocks your foes. As a sage of fate’s bonds, you want powers that allow you to mark as many foes as possible with your aegis of ensnarement, thereby giving you control of the battlefield and the power to dole out numerous jolts of lightning.

Sage of Fate’s Bonds Path Features

When you spend an action point to take an extra action, you can teleport one creature that is adjacent to you 5 squares, or you can teleport one creature that is marked by your aegis of ensnarement 5 squares.

When a creature marked by your aegis of ensnarement hits with an attack that does not include you as a target, you can deal 2d8 + your Intelligence modifier lightning damage to the creature as an immediate reaction. At 21st level, this damage increases to 3d8 + your Intelligence modifier.

When a creature marked by your aegis of ensnarement hits an ally with an attack that does not include you as a target, you can teleport the ally 5 squares as an immediate reaction.

Sage of Fate’s Bonds Spells

Sigil Carver

“By carving sigils of strength and power into the air, I support my allies and foretell the doom of my foes.”

Bereg-amadh is the ancient eladrin art of drawing calligraphy with a blade. Bodyguards of the legendary eladrin queen Suiradrun were the first to use bereg-amadh, and the practice has since become more widespread. Practitioners of this arcane tradition inscribe magical, glowing characters of Reilanic script into the air with their blades. These hovering runes are charged with arcane power from the calligrapher. The sigils hover for a short time, emitting a lambent radiance that evokes protection for allies or enmity toward foes.

Your mastery of the flying sword makes you an ideal practitioner of bereg-amadh. Whether you studied texts to learn the art yourself, or you earned the right to study under a master of bereg-amadh, you have gained the ability to wield the arcane art on the battlefield. On the tip of your blade, you sculpt runes, the mere sight of which strikes fear into your adversaries.

Sigil Carver Path Features

When you spend an action point to take an extra action, one ally within 5 squares of you can roll a saving throw against each effect on him or her that a save can end.

Any allies adjacent to you gain a +2 power bonus to all defenses.

Whenever an enemy marked by you within 5 squares of you hits an ally who is adjacent to you, you can make a melee basic attack against that enemy as an opportunity action. You can make the attack even if the creature is beyond your normal reach.

Sigil Carver Spells

Sword of Assault

“The best defense is beating your foe into submission.”

Although arcane finesse and delicate sword work are fine for others, you believe that better ways exist to subdue your enemies. You wonder why you should use subtlety when you can more quickly defeat your foe with a powerful sword strike combined with a blast of arcane energy.

As a sword of assault, you are interested in fusing magic with blade to create the most powerful attack you can. You have little tolerance for rigorous arcane training, preferring to use magic in a blast of raw elemental energy instead of a carefully crafted spell.

Similarly, you never saw the point of the refined swordplay of your counterparts, instead favoring strength over finesse. You believe that displaying your skill through elaborate parries and flourishes is an expression of a swordmaster’s ego, rather than of skill. In your mind, such displays only slow battle. On the other hand, you make sure that all of your movements and arcane utterances contribute to the most devastating attack you can possibly deliver with a single swing of your blade.

Sword of Assault Path Features

When you spend an action point to charge, you can use a melee at-will attack power or a melee encounter attack power in place of the charge’s melee basic attack.

When you use your aegis of assault to teleport and make an attack, you can use a swordmage melee at-will attack power in place of the melee basic attack.

Whenever you roll initiative, choose one of your at-will attack powers. Once before the end of the encounter, you can use that power as a minor action after hitting with a melee attack.

Sword of Assault Spells

Ward Guardian

“My warding protects me, but it is more than just a shield. By my will and magic, it can become a deadly force, or a sheltering fortification.”

In your earliest arcane training you learned to sheathe yourself in a layer of magical protection. This protection is your Swordmage Warding, and it represents an extension of your arcane mastery. Unlike other swordmages, though, you have taken this talent to the next level.

You have long studied the secrets of the Swordmage Warding, and you have learned that the magical field is more flexible than most swordmages assume it to be. You have discovered that you can shape and sculpt your warding. Through careful study, you have learned to transform the warding into a protective barrier for your allies and into a dangerous weapon to distract or strike foes.

Ward Guardian Path Features

When you spend an action point to make an attack, any allies you can see gain the benefit of your Swordmage Warding until the end of your next turn.

When you become bloodied, choose a defense other than AC. Until you are no longer bloodied, your Swordmage Warding grants a bonus to the chosen defense as well as to AC.

Any allies within 5 squares of you gain the benefit of your Swordmage Warding against opportunity attacks.

Ward Guardian Spells