The Swordmage

Swordmages apply the arcane arts to melee combat. The combat skills they possess are enhanced by the magic they wield. The flourish of a swordmage’s blade not only bites with steel, but also with fire, lightning, or other powerful forces. You studied and practiced for years to master your skills. You mastered the fundamentals of arcane magic and combined this academic study with endless hours of physical training. You might be a young elf in search of your fortune, a stranger to the wider world outside the seclusion of your homeland; the scion of a disgraced noble human family, taught by the finest tutors in your youth but now a footloose expatriate; or a half-elf arcane champion, rigorously trained in a war magic academy to serve in the armies of your homeland. Magical barriers of force swirl around you, protecting you from harm. The weapon you carry is an extension of your being, both body and mind.

Class Features

As a swordmage you have the following class features.

Hit Points

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• Hit dice: 1d10 per swordmage level
• Hit points at 1st level: 10 + your constitution modifier
• Hit points at higher levels: 1d10 (or 6) + your Constitution modifier per swordmage level after 1st

Proficiencies

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• Armors: Light armor
• Weapons: Simple weapons, martial weapons
• Tools: none
• Saving throws: Constitution, Intelligence
• Skills: Choose two from Arcana, Athletics, History, Insight , Intimidation, Investigation, Perception, Persuasion.

Warding

Beginning at 1st level you can effortlessly weave defensive magic into your fighting.

You gain +1 bonus to AC as long as you are wielding your bonded weapon. If you are weilding your bonded weapon in one hand and nothing in your other hand a this bonus increases to a +3 bonus to AC. You cannot gain this additional bonus while weilding a two-handed weapon.

Additionally, you may use your Intelligence modifier to calculate your AC instead of your Dexterity modifier.

Weapon Bond

At 1st level, you learn a ritual that creates a magical bond between yourself and one weapon. You perform the ritual over the course of 1 hour, which can be done during a short rest. The w eapon must be within your reach throughout the ritual, at the conclusion of which you touch the weapon and forge the bond. Once you have bonded a weapon to yourself, you can’t be disarmed of that w eapon unless you are incapacitated. If it is on the same plane of existence, you can summon that weapon as a bonus action on your turn, causing it to teleport instantly to your hand.

If your bonded weapon is broken or damaged, you can spend 1 hour of meditation to recreate the weapon from a fragment. This process automatically destroys any other fragments of the weapon in existence.

You can only have one bonded weapon at a time. If you attempt to bond with a second weapon you must break the bond with the previous one.

Spellcasting

When you reach 2rd level, you augment your martial prowess with the ability to cast spells. See chapter 10 for the general rules of spellcasting.

Spell Slots

The Swordmage table shows how many spell slots you have to cast your spells of 1st level and higher. To cast one of these spells, you must expend a slot of the spell's level or higher. you regain all expended spell slots when you finish a long rest.

Cantrips

You know two cantrips from the following list: Booming Blade, Greenflame Blade, Sword Burst, Lightning Lure or Thorn Whip.

Spells Known of First Level and Higher

You know two 1st-level spells of your choice from the Swordmage spell list.

The Spells Known column of the Swordmage table shows when you learn more ranger spells of your choice. Each of these spells must be of a level for which you have spell slots. For instance, when you reach 5th level in this class, you can learn one new spell of 1st or 2nd level. Additionally, when you gain a level in this class, you can choose one of the swordmage spells you know and replace it with another spell from the swordmage spell list, which also must be of a level for which you have spell slots.

Spellcasting Ability

lntelligenee is your spellcasting abilily for your swordmage spells, since you learn your spells through dedicated study and memorization. You use your Intelligence whenever a spell refers to your spellcasting ability. In addition, you use your Intelligence modifier when setting the saving throw DC for a swordmage spell you cast and when making an attack roll with one.

Spell save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence modifier

Spell attack modifier = your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence modifier

Fighting Style

Starting at 2nd level, you adopt a particular style of fighting as your specialty. Choose one of the following options. You can't take a Fighting Style option more than once, even if you later get to choose again.

Dueling

When you are wielding a melee weapon in one hand and no other weapons, you gain a +2 bonus to damage rolls with that weapon.

Great Weapon Fighting

When you roll a 1 or 2 on a damage die for an attack you make with a melee weapon that you are wielding with two hands, you can reroll the die and must use the new roll, even if the new roll is a 1 or a 2. The weapon must have the two-handed or versatile property for you to gain this benefit.

Defense

When are wearing armor you gain a +1 bonus to AC.

Aegis

Starting at 3rd level, you have learned to protect your allies with an arcane aegis.

As a bonus action you can place your aegis on an ally you can see within 30 feet. The aegis persists until you are incapacitated or you use this feature again.

While an ally is protected by your aegis, reduce all non-magical bludgeoning, piercing and slashing damage dealt to them by an amount equal to your Intelligence modifier plus half your swordmage level rounded down.

Swordmage Division

At 3rd level, you choose your Swordmage Division: Assault, Ensnarement or Shielding all are detailed at the end of the class description. Your choice grants you features at 3rd level and again at 7th, 11th, and 15th level.

Follow Through

Beginning at 5th level, when you miss with an attack with your bonded weapon, you can use a bonus action to take the attack action against the target that you missed.

Arcane Weapon

Beginning at 6th level, attacks with your bonded weapon count as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage.

Arcane Step

Beginning at 10th level, you have leared use your arcane prowess help you maneuver the battlefield, you can forego your movement on your turn to teleport up to half your movement speed to an unoccupied space that you can see.

Arcane Shielding

At 14th level the arcane energies coursing through your body grants you advantage on saving throws against spells. Additionally, when you are subjected to an effect that allows you to make a saving throw to take half damage you instead take no damage if you succeed.

Twinned Aegis

Beginning at 18th level, you may place your aegis on two allies at once.

Spellsword

At 20th level the arcane magics you have infused within your bonded weapon allow you to use it as a powerful defensive tool against enemy spellcasters.

When you suceed on a saving throw against a spell that targeted you, you may absorb the spell into your bonded weapon. If you do so, the spell has no effect and is stored within your weapon until you cast it or take a long rest. While the spell is stored within your weapon, you may cast it at the level it was cast as though it were a swordmage spell that you know, without using a spell slot.

Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a short or long rest.

Swordmage Divisions

Swordmage training is rigorous and challenging. All swordmages learn to unite magic and martial prowess to defend their allies and defeat thier foes. Swordmage training is split into divisions that focus on different aspects of arcane combat.

Assault Division

Swordmages of the assault division focus on harrying enemies with offensive magic and devastating attacks.

Aegis of Assault

At 3rd level you can punish your enemies for attacking your allies.

When an ally within 30 feet that is protected by your aegis is targeted by an attack, you may use your reaction to teleport to an unoccupied space within 5 feet of the attacker, you may then make an attack against the triggering enemy.

You can use this feature a number of times equal to your intelligence modifier. You regain any expended uses when you finish a long rest.

Reflexive Casting

At 7th level you have honed your reflexes to be able to react with a magical assault.

Whenever you use your reaction to make an attack, you may isntead cast a cantrip that you know.

Arcane Infusion

At 11th level you learn to use your bonded weapon to probe the magical energies flowing within your foes.

When you hit an enemy with an attack using your bonded weapon, you learn any weaknesses, resisitances or immunites that creature possesses.

Additionally, as a bonus action you can infuse your weapon with elemental magic. Choose fire, ice, lightning, necrotic, acid or poison. For the next minute attacks with your bonded weapon do the chosen type of damage instead of its normal damage. You must finish a short or long rest before you can use this feature again.

Recycled Energy

Beginning at 15th level you can make use of the latent energies left behind by spells you cast to empower your weapon attacks.

Whenever you cast a spell, the next attack that hits with your bonded weapon deals bonus damage equal to twice the spell's level, or equal to the spell's level if it was cast as a bonus action. If you cast another spell before the bonus damage is expended, the new spell's bonus damage replaces the old one.

Ensnarement Division

Swordmages of the ensnarement division focus on bewildering their foes with offensive teleportation and battlefield control techniques.

Aegis of Ensnarement

At third level you can protect your allies by teleporting enemies away from them.

When an ally within 30 feet that is protected by your aegis is targeted by an attack, you may use your reaction to teleport the attacking enemy to an unoccupied space withing 5 feet of you and the attack now targets you instead.

You can use this feature a number of times equal to your intelligence modifier. You regain any expended uses when you finish a long rest.

Eldritch Chains

At 7th level you have leared to reflexively summon eldritch chains to hinder your enemies.

Whenever you use a reaction, you may force one enemy you can see to make a constitution save. On a failed save the target's speed is reduced to 0 until the end of its next turn.

Disorienting Transposition

At 11th level your teleportation magic disorients your foes.

Whenever you teleport an enemy all attacks made against that enemy have advantage until the start of your next turn.

Additionally, as an action, you can swap places with one creature you can see within 30 feet, simultaneously teleporting each creature to the space the other occupied. If the creature is unwilling it can make an intelligence save to avoid this effect. You must finish a short or long rest before you can use this feature again.

Astral Prison

At 15th level you have learned to use your teleportation magic to banish enemies.

When you hit an enemy with an attack or swordmage cantrip, you can force that creature to make an intelligence save. On a failed save the target is banished for 1 minute. If the target is native to the plane o f existence you’re on, you banish the target to a harmless demiplane. While there, the target is incapacitated. The target remains there until the spell ends, at which point the target reappears in the space it left or in the nearest unoccupied space if that space is occupied. If the target is native to a different plane of existence than the one you’re on, the target is banished with a faint popping noise, returning to its home plane.

On a successful save, the target suffers disadvantage on all attacks and saving throws until the beginning of your next turn.

Once you use this feature you cannot use it again until you finish a long rest.

Shielding Division

Swordmages of the shielding division serve as a magical bulwark, protecting their allies with arcane techniques.

Aegis of Shielding

At 3rd level you can infuse your aegis with more potent defensive magic.

When an ally within 30 feet that is protected by your aegis is damaged by an attack you can use your reaction to grant that ally resistance to all damage dealt by the triggering attack.

You can use this feature a number of times equal to your intelligence modifier. You regain any expended uses when you finish a long rest.

Shielding Bond

Starting at 7th level you have leared to instinctively infuse protective magic into your aegis.

When you use a reaction, any ally protected by your aegis gains temporary hit points equal to half your swordmage level rounded down.

Elemental Bulwark

At 11th level you can steel yourself against the elements using your arcane prowess.

When you finish a long rest, choose one fire, ice, lightning, necrotic, acid or poison. Until you finish a long rest, you have resistance to that element and your aegis reduces damage of that type in addition to its normal damage reduction.

Mystic Barrier

Beginning at 15th level you have leared to create a shield of pure arcane energy.

You can cast Wall of Force as a 5th level spell without expending a spell slot.

Once you use this feature you cannot use it again until you finish a long rest.

Art Credit

• Lava Axe by Brian Snoddy
• Fiendslayer Paladin by Wesley Burt
• Anima: Claire by Wen-M
• Fearless Swordmage by Eeren
• Beginning description taken from Dungeons and Dragons 4th edition Forgotten Realms Player's Guide

Changelog