Spellsword

Classes

Character Creation
Characters on Arelith:
Race - Alignment
Deity - Class
Gifts - Backgrounds
Mark of Destiny
Epic Sacrifice
Customization
Head List

Spellsword is a custom base class with Arelith specific changes.

Introduction

The dream of melding magic and weaponplay is fulfilled in the person of the spellsword. A student of both arcane rituals and martial techniques, the spellsword is able to cast spells in armor with reduced chance of failure. Moreover, she can imbue her equipment with unique elemental properties, making her a daunting opponent. Mechanics are included in the #Class Mechanics on this page and explained in the #Arelith Changes section. The #Roleplay Tips section provides suggestions for character development.

Class Mechanics

Requirements

Alignment restrictions: none

Class Features

Hit die: d8

Proficiencies: armor (light, medium), weapons (martial, simple), and Shields

Skill points: 3 + int modifier ((3 + int modifier) * 4 at 1st level)

Class Skills: concentration, craft mastery, discipline, heal, leadership, listen, lore, parry, ride, sail, spellcraft, spot

Unavailable feats: weapon specialization, Whirlwind Attack, Improved Whirlwind Attack

Bonus feats: Abjurant Champion, Arcane Defense, Bladesong Style, Brew Potion, Combat Casting, Craft Wand, Greater Spell Focus, Greater Spell Penetration, Metamagic, Spell Focus, and Spell Penetration

Primary saving throw(s): Fortitude', Will

Base attack bonus: +3/4 level

Spellcasting: Arcane (spell failure from armor is a factor), intelligence-based requiring a base (Hard) intelligence score of 10 + the spell's level to cast a spell, bonus spells are based on modified (Soft) intelligence and The intelligence modifier affects spell DCs. Spells require preparation and Spellswords can learn new spells from scrolls like Wizards.

• Note: The Spellsword class is not eligible for 9th level spells. Which also means that it is not eligible for Epic Spell Foci and Epic Spells. Partial access can be gained via #Spellsword_Path_Feats.

• Note: Unlike the old Spellsword Path, Spellsword are not restricted from casting summoning spells, however there are none available in the Spellsword spell list.

Level Progression

Hit points rolls on Arelith are always maximum.

											Base spells per day
Level	BAB	Fort	Ref	Will	Feats	HP	Mage Armor	Bonus AB	Weave AC (Dodge)		0th	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	6th	7th	8th
1st	+0	+2	+0	+2	Summon Familiar, Scribe Scroll, Imbue Weapon, Weave Affinity	8	-	-	-		3	2	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
2nd	+1	+3	+0	+3		16	-	-	-		4	4	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
3rd	+2	+3	+1	+3		24	-	-	-		4	4	2	—	—	—	—	—	—
4th	+3	+4	+1	+4		32	-	-	-		4	6	4	—	—	—	—	—	—
5th	+3	+4	+1	+4		40	-	-	-		4	6	4	2	—	—	—	—	—
6th	+4	+5	+2	+5	Arcane Bonus Feat, Elemental Strike	48	-	-	-		4	6	6	4	—	—	—	—	—
7th	+5	+5	+2	+5		56	-	+1	+1		4	6	6	4	2	—	—	—	—
8th	+6/+1	+6	+2	+6		64	x2	+1	+1		4	6	6	6	4	—	—	—	—
9th	+6/+1	+6	+3	+6		72	x2	+1	+1		4	6	6	6	4	—	—	—	—
10th	+7/+2	+7	+3	+7	Uncanny Dodge I	80	x2	+1	+1		4	6	6	6	6	1	—	—	—
11th	+8/+3	+7	+3	+7	Imbue Armor	88	x2	+1	+1		4	6	6	6	6	2	—	—	—
12th	+9/+4	+8	+4	+8	Arcane Bonus Feat	96	x2	+1	+1		4	6	6	6	6	2	—	—	—
13th	+9/+4	+8	+4	+8		104	x2	+1	+1		4	6	6	6	6	3	1	—	—
14th	+10/+5	+9	+4	+9		112	x2	+2	+2		4	6	6	6	6	3	2	—	—
15th	+11/+6/+1	+9	+5	+9		120	x3	+2	+2		4	6	6	6	6	4	2	—	—
16th	+12/+7/+2	+10	+5	+10	Greater Elemental Strike	128	x3	+2	+2		4	6	6	6	6	4	3	1	—
17th	+12/+7/+2	+10	+5	+10		136	x3	+2	+2		4	6	6	6	6	5	3	2	—
18th	+13/+8/+3	+11	+6	+11	Arcane Bonus Feat	144	x3	+2	+2		4	6	6	6	6	5	4	2	—
19th	+14/+9/+4	+11	+6	+11		152	x3	+2	+2		4	6	6	6	6	5	4	3	1
20th	+15/+10/+5	+12	+6	+12		160	x3	+2	+2		4	6	6	6	6	5	5	3	2
21st	+16/+11/+6	+12	+6	+12		168	x3	+3	+3	4	6	6	6	6	5	5	4	2
22nd	+16/+11/+6	+13	+7	+13		176	x3	+3	+3	4	6	6	6	6	5	5	4	3
23rd	+17/+12/+7	+13	+7	+13		184	x3	+3	+3	4	6	6	6	6	5	5	4	3
24th	+17/+12/+7	+14	+8	+14	Epic Arcane Bonus Feat	172	x3	+3	+3	4	6	6	6	6	5	5	4	4
25th	+18/+13/+8	+14	+8	+14		200	x3	+3	+3	4	6	6	6	6	5	5	4	4
26th	+18/+13/+8	+15	+9	+15	Greater Armor Imbue, Elemental Maelstrom	208	x3	+3	+3	4	6	6	6	6	5	5	4	4
27th	+19/+14/+9	+15	+9	+15		216	x3	+3	+3	4	6	6	6	6	5	5	4	4
28th	+19/+14/+9	+16	+10	+16	Epic Arcane Bonus Feat, Bonus Attack	224	x3	+4	+4	4	6	6	6	6	5	5	4	4
29th	+20/+15/+10	+16	+10	+16		232	x3	+4	+4	4	6	6	6	6	5	5	4	4
30th	+20/+15/+10	+17	+10	+17		240	x3	+4	+4	4	6	6	6	6	5	5	4	4

Epic Spellsword

Bonus feats: The epic Spellsword gains a bonus feat every four levels after 20th. In other words, at levels 24, 28.

Epic bonus feats: All Arcane Bonus Feats, as well as Armor Skin, Epic Prowess, Epic Spell Penetration, Epic Toughness, Epic Weapon Focus, Great Intelligence, Improved Combat Casting, and Overwhelming Critical.

Unavailable epic feats: epic weapon specialization, outsider shape, construct shape, dragon shape, undead shape, epic spell: dragon knight, epic spell: greater ruin, epic spell: hellball, epic spell: mummy dust

Spells

Cantrips		1st level spells		2nd level spells		3rd level spells		4th level spells
- Acid Splash - Daze - Electric Jolt - Flare - Light - Ray of Frost - Resistance		- Burning Hands - Charm Person - Chromatic Orb - Color Spray - Detect Poison - Endure Elements - Entropic Shield - Expeditious Retreat - Faerie Fire - Grease - Horizikaul's Boom - Ice Dagger - Ironguts - Mage Armor - Magic Missile - Magic Weapon - Negative Energy Ray - Protection From Alignment - Ray of Enfeeblement - Scare - Shield - Sleep - True Strike - Ultravision		- Bear's Endurance - Blindness/Deafness - Bull's Strength - Cat's Grace - Cloud of Bewilderment - Combust - Continual Flame - Darkness - Eagle's Splendor - Elemental Weapon - Fox's Cunning - Gedlee's Electric Loop - Ghostly Visage - Ghoul Touch - Gust of Wind - Hold Person - Invisibility - Knock - Melf's Acid Arrow - Owl's Wisdom - Resist Elements - Scorching Ray - See Invisibility - Web		- Charm monster - Clarity - Death Armor - Displacement - Find Traps - Fireball - Flame Arrow - Greater Magic Weapon - Halt Undead - Haste - Hold Monster - Invisibility Sphere - Keen Edge - Lesser Dispel - Lightning Bolt - Magic Circle Against Alignment - Mestil's Acid Breath - Negative Energy Burst - Protection From Elements - Scintillating Sphere - Slow - Stoneskin - Sound Lance - Water Breathing		- Bestow Curse - Confusion - Contagion - Crushing Despair - Dismissal - Flame Shield - Fear - Finger of Agony - Frost Shield - Ice Storm - Improved Invisibility - Lesser Spell Breach - Minor Globe of Invulnerability - Remove Blindness/Deafness - Remove Curse

5th level spells		6th level spells		7th level spells		8th level spells
- Ball of Lightning - Cone of Cold - Dispel Magic - Energy Buffer - Evil Blight - Firebrand - Globe of Invulnerability - Greater Stoneskin - Isaac's Lesser Missile Storm - Lightning Shield - Mind Fog - Nightmare - Vampiric Touch - Wall of Fire - Wall of Ice		- Acid Fog - Chain Lightning - Darkbolt - Disintigrate - Ethereal Visage - Eyebite - Flesh to Stone - Freeze - Greater Spell Breach - Lesser Mind Blank - Lesser Spell Mantle - Mass Haste - Mestil's Acid Sheath - Stone to Flesh - True Seeing		- Abi-Dalzim's Horrid Wilting - Blackstaff - Burst of Glacial Wrath - Cloudkill - Delayed Blast Fireball - Greater Dispelling - Greater Sanctuary - Great Thunderclap - Isaac's Greater Missile Storm - Premonition - Prismatic Spray - Protection from Spells - Shadow Shield* - Spell Mantle - War Cry		- Avascular Mass - Banishment - Greater Spell Mantle - Incendiary Cloud - Mass Blindness/Deafness - Mass Charm - Mass Hold Monster - Maze - Meteor Swarm - Mind Blank - Mordenkainen's Disjunction - Shadow Plague - Sunburst - Tenser's Transformation* - Timestop

• If over 80% of your current character levels are in Spellsword, the duration of Shadow Shield is altered to hours/level
• Spellsword counts as Wizard/Sorcerer levels for the 80% requirement needed for Tenser's Transformation

Arelith Changes

Change	Level	Description
Proficiencies	-	Gain Simple and Martial Weapon proficiency and Light and Medium Armor proficiency, and Shields.
Arcane Spell Failure reduction	-	Arcane Spell Failure is reduced by 20% for pure-classed Spellswords and multi-classed characters with 6+ Spellswords levels. This ASF reduction is automatically applied to equipped armors and shields.. This is convenient for entirely removing the arcane spell failure chance for Greensteel Chain and Greensteel Breastplate.
Weave Affinity	-	A Spellsword can manipulate the weave to gain +1 AB and dodge AC per 7 class levels, limited to her base (Hard) intelligence modifier. Weave Affinity is disabled for all characters with Monk levels.
Imbue Weapon	-	Gains the ability to Imbue Weapon. See #Imbue Weapon for more details.
Mage Armor	-	At level 8, Mage Armor (spell) gives the spellsword x2 as much AC. At 15, it gives x3 as much. Note that multiclass characters need the majority of their levels in spellsword to receive any bonus. For example, a character with 8 spellsword/4 fighter/4 rogue, would not receive any bonus to mage armor, whereas an 8 spellsword/4 fighter/3 rogue would get the initial double bonus.
True Strike	-	With a majority of levels in Spellsword, for the short duration True Strike is active, the Spellsword's attacks per round goes up by 1. This benefit cannot be from potions, wands or scrolls; only cast from the Spellsword's spellbook.
Bonus Language	-	Draconic same as Wizard.
Spell changes	-	For specifics on all spells, see Spell changes.
Spellbook	-	Can save and load Spellbooks through the Crafting Skills menu. Special Abilities > Crafting Skills > Choose "Spellbooks" from the menu.
Spell components	-	Requires spell components (made with Alchemy or Art Crafting) to cast spells greater than level 6. Level 7 spells cost 1. Level 8 spells cost 2. Level 9 spells cost 3.
New spells	-	Same as Wizard#Spells.
Familiar	-	Familiar changes and notes.
Uncanny dodge	10	Gain Uncanny Dodge I.
Elemental Strike	6	Gains the ability to Elemental Strike. See #Elemental Strike for more details.
Armor Imbue	11	Gains the ability to Imbue your Armor. See #Imbue Armor for more details.
Greater Elemental Strike	16	Upgrade to Elemental Strike. See #Elemental Strike for more details.
Elemental Maelstrom	26	This ability allows the spellsword to perform an instant whirlwind attack. See #Elemental Maelstrom for more details.
Greater Armor Imbue	26	Upgrade to Imbue Armor. See #Imbue Armor for more details.

Imbue Weapon

This ability allows the Spellsword to empower her weapon with elemental properties, increasing its Attack Bonus to +1 per 6 class levels and adding elemental bonus damage.

The Attack Bonus is applied as a weapon enhancement increase effect, allowing it to pierce damage resistance and immunity.

The Imbue Weapon lasts for 24 real life hours. Server switches, server resets, resting, and other shenanigans are known to interfere with imbue. Check with -weapon (or -wp) if in doubt.

Imbue Elemental Damage Scaling

Damage increases with class levels and intelligence:

• Class level 1-5 & base (Hard) INT 13+: 1d4 + 1 damage
• Class level 6-10 & base (Hard) INT 14+: 1d6 + 1 damage
• Class level 11-15 & base (Hard) INT 15+: 1d8 + 1 damage
• Class level 16-20 & base (Hard) INT 16+: 2d4 + 2 damage
• Class level 21-25 & base (Hard) INT 17+: 2d6 + 2 damage
• Class level 26-30 & base (Hard) INT 18+: 2d8 + 2 damage

Weapons can only be imbued once per rest, and active imbues cannot be replaced.

Imbue Elemental Damage Types

• Imbue Weapon: Cold
• Imbue Weapon: Fire
• Imbue Weapon: Acid
• Imbue Weapon: Electrical
• Imbue Weapon: Negative
• Imbue Weapon: Magic

Limitations

• You can only imbue melee weapons.
• You cannot imbue gloves.
• The imbue can stack with nearly any weapon buff. Restrictive weapon buffs (those that require the weapon to be blank) must be cast BEFORE imbuing.
• Permanent weapon essences to not interfere with Imbue, but any shared damage types will only choose the highest damage and disregard the lowest; they do not stack.
  • Temporary essences do not work with Imbues.
  • The Flame Weapon spell can be used with Imbue as well as the -stream ability for different elements besides fire.
  • Arelith's Custom Poisons needs further testing. Default poisons can stack.
  • Assassin's assassinate ability does stack.
  • Barbarian passive and rage damage do stack.
  • Swashbuckler's Insightful Strike does stack, but may require that you re-equip for the IS bonus damage.
  • Hexblade curse weapon does not work with imbue.
  • Blackguard's inflict wounds negative weapon damage does not work with imbue.

Elemental Strike

This ability allows the character to perform an instant melee attack, adding their base (Hard) intelligence modifier to the attack roll and empowering the attack with elemental properties. Elemental Strike can only be activated once per round.

Strike Damage Scaling

Damage increases with class levels and intelligence:

• Level 6-10 & base (Hard) INT 14+: +2d2 elemental damage
• Level 11-15 & base (Hard) INT 15+: +2d4 elemental damage
• Level 16-20 & base (Hard) INT 16+: +2d6 elemental damage
• Level 21-25 & base (Hard) INT 17+: +2d8 elemental damage
• Level 26-30 & base (Hard) INT 18+: +2d10 elemental damage
  • The above damage is empowered (+50%) when combined with a Weapon Imbue that matches the Strike's element.

Elemental Strike Damage Type

• Icethorn Strike: Cold
• Incendiary Strike: Fire
• Vitriolic Strike: Acid
• Lightning Strike: Electrical
• Necrosis Strike: Negative

Greater Elemental Strike

At Spellsword level 16, Elemental Strike becomes Greater Elemental Strike and inflicts additional element-specific penalties to the target. Once again the effects are empowered when using a matching Weapon Imbue:

• Acid: 20% Acid Vulnerability and -2 AC for 1 round (2 rounds with Acid Imbue). These penalties are halved by a successful reflex saving throw.
• Cold: -1 attack per round and -20% movement speed for 1 round (-2 attacks per round and -40% movement speed with Cold Imbue). These penalties are halved by a successful fortitude saving throw.
• Electrical: Lightning arcs at up to 3 nearby targets, inflicting twice the above bonus damage (up to 6 targets and empowered damage with Electrical Imbue). This damage is halved by a successful reflex saving throw.
• Fire: The target catches fire for 1 round, taking twice the above bonus damage twice per round (double duration and empowered damage with Fire Imbue). This damage is halved by a successful initial reflex saving throw.
• Negative: Vampiric Regeneration equal to the above bonus damage. The effect is halved by a successful will saving throw. (No saving throw when using Negative Imbue.)
  • The DC for saving throws is 10 + class level / 2 + INT modifier.
  • If the Weapon Imbue matches the Elemental Strike's element, the DC increases by 5.
  • The ability can also be activated with the chat command "-elestrike [acid/cold/fire/elec/negative]". If no element is specified, it will default to the last used one.

Auto Elemental Strike

Autostrike Mode:

• Use -elestrike auto to toggle this mode on or off.
• While the mode is enabled, characters will automatically repeat the same Elemental Strike every 6 seconds and cooldown messages are less obtrusive.
• Targeting opponents with a different Elemental Strike in between those intervals causes it to be queued and activated once the cooldown is over. Afterwards, the character will keep using this new element.
• Targeting opponents with Elemental Maelstrom will automatically queue that ability in the same way, but will only be used once. The character will then resume activating the Elemental Strike variant they used prior.

Imbue Armor

Once per rest, this ability allows the Spellsword to empower her armor with elemental properties, increasing its AC bonus to +1 per 6 class levels and granting additional elemental protection as follows:

• Class level 10-14 & base (Hard) INT 15+: 5% immunity and 2/- resistance against the chosen element
• Class level 15-19 & base (Hard) INT 16+: 10% immunity and 5/- resistance against the chosen element
• Class level 20-24 & base (Hard) INT 17+: 20% immunity and 10/- resistance against the chosen element
• Class level 25-30 & base (Hard) INT 18+: 30% immunity and 15/- resistance against the chosen element

Greater Imbue Armor

Imbue Armor improves to Greater Imbue Armor at class level 26, causing attackers to take 1 elemental damage per base (Hard) intelligence modifier. Additionally, the Spellsword gains element-specific bonuses:

• Acid: The above retaliation damage increases by 1d8.
• Cold: Spellsword armor class increases by 1.
• Electrical: Spellsword movement speed increases by 20%.
• Fire: Spellsword attack bonus increases by 1.
• Negative: Spellsword gains regeneration equal to her base (Hard) intelligence modifier, up to a maximum of +5.

Elemental Maelstrom:

This ability allows the spellsword to perform an instant whirlwind attack, adding their base (Hard) intelligence modifier to the attack roll and empowering the attack with elemental properties corresponding to their active Weapon Imbue in their main hand. Elemental Maelstrom can only be activated once per minute instead of a regular Elemental Strike.

In addition to the weapon damage, nearby enemies take damage scaling with the Spellsword's intelligence:

• Base (Hard) INT 14: 3d2 elemental damage
• Base (Hard) INT 15: 3d4 elemental damage
• Base (Hard) INT 16: 3d6 elemental damage
• Base (Hard) INT 17: 3d8 elemental damage
• Base (Hard) INT 18+: 3d10 elemental damage

Elemental Maelstrom inflicts additional element-specific penalties to affected targets:

• Acid: 20% Acid Vulnerability and -2 AC for 2 rounds, halved by a successful reflex saving throw.
• Cold: -2 attacks per round and -40% movement speed for 1 round, halved by a successful fortitude saving throw.
• Electrical: Lightning arcs between up to 6 nearby targets, inflicting twice the above bonus damage per target, halved by a successful reflex saving throw.
• Fire: Affected creatures catch fire for 2 rounds, taking twice the above bonus damage twice per round. This damage is halved by a successful initial reflex saving throw.
• Negative: Vampiric Regeneration equal to the above bonus damage. No saving throw.
• Magic: One breached spell effect.
  • The DC for saving throws is 15 + class level / 2 + (Soft) INT modifier.

Spellsword Path Feats

Bladesong Style

• Prerequisites:

• Elf or Half-Elf (Not Drow)
• Spellsword 12+
• Dodge Feat
• Base (Hard) Dexterity: 13+

• Specifics: Bladesingers are elves who have blended art, swordplay, and arcane magic into a harmonious whole. In battle, a bladesinger's lithe movements and subtle tactics are beautiful, belying their deadly martial efficiency.
• Passive Bonuses: A lightly armored Bladesinger wielding a longsword or rapier with an empty offhand gains a 10% bonus to movement speed and Shield AC equal to 2 + base (Hard) intelligence modifier (up to +1 per 7 class levels). The maximum bonus is +6. For balance reasons, this AC bonus is also disabled for characters with Monk levels.
• Active Bonuses: None
• Bonus feats:

• Spellsword Level 14: Automatic Quicken Spell 1
• Spellsword Level 21: Automatic Quicken Spell 2
• Spellsword Level 28: Ki Critical, Weapon of Choice: Longsword & Rapier

• Limitations: The Spellsword's Arcane Spell Failure reduction is disabled while wearing medium or heavy armor or not wielding a rapier or longsword with an empty offhand.

Abjurant Champion

• Prerequisites:

• Spellsword 12+
• Armor Proficiency (Heavy) Feat
• Greater Spell Focus: Abjuration
• Base (Hard) Strength: 13+

• Specifics: N/A
• Passive Bonuses: None
• Active Bonuses:

• Shield Imbue: Can Imbue shields using the #Imbue Weapon ability

• Adding +1 per 7 class levels Shield AC Bonus (does not stack with existing Shield AC Bonus, the higher of the two is counted)
• Grants 5/+[base (Hard) INT modifier + 1] Damage Reduction (Caps at 5/+5)
• Grants Elemental Damage Immunity and Damage Reduction equal to to 1/2 the Spellsword's #Imbue Armor bonus

• Bonus feats:

• Spellsword Level 14: Automatic Still Spell 1
• Spellsword Level 21: Automatic Still Spell 2
• Spellsword Level 28: Epic Spell Focus: Abjuration

• Limitations: Cannot activate #Elemental Maelstrom ability
• Additional Notes:

• As this path nets Automatic Still Spell I and II, the requirements for the purchase of Automatic Still Spell III as an epic general or epic arcane bonus feat are considered met, allowing it to be purchased.
• Elemental Strike and Maelstrom are subject to Arcane Spell Failure (ASF).

Note: Automatic Still Spell III completely removes the ASF effect on Elemental Strike and Elemental Maelstrom.

Roleplay Tips

Spellswords, also known as spellblades, are arcane warriors; students of both might and magic that combine their arts to retain the massive array of abilities of the mage and the prowess of a martial fighter. Whilst their art is unique, they do not excel at neither form of their disciplines, often cutting edges to meet ends, not only having to sacrifice one whole school of magic, but for either code, ritual, choice or dogma, they are forced to forego the use of creation and summoning spells.

The following is a view on spellswords that may help you put the class in perspective. It is not the only way to play them or explain their abilities, at all.

Wizardry is often regarded as a highly intellectual study that takes many, many years to even become an initiate in. It is truly a feat and an achievement to become a proper wizard, and advance through the many echelons of magic. Spellswords, under this light, are a rare breed of mage, for not only they manage to keep up and pay the incredible mental toll that is the study of magic, but at the same time they prove capable fighters, apt in the use of either blade or staff as it personally suits them.

This doesn't mean that they favor one side more to the other. No, the true power of the spellsword is not merely setting things on fire and then stabbing them - from their two arts, their true power is born - the power known as imbuing. This unique characteristic allows them to reduce spells to their basic semantics and charge their equipment with different effects.

Their duality and versatility of trade, however, comes at a cost. They often find themselves taking shortcuts and cutting corners to meet ends and keep up with their studies. It is common for them to disregard a whole school of magic, and even more - all of them are completely cut off from summoning and creation magic, either by their choice to remain independent and mark the distinction from the cowardly wizard that hides behind their towering elementals, or simply as another price to pay for their uncanny versatility.

The greatest and most powerful spellswords realize, once the mysteries of the higher magic unfold to them, that they have cut too many corners on their journey to manage a true grasp on all epic magic. But where their grasp in magic is lacking, there is still the potential to become a true force to be reckoned, bearing enchanted blades and enough spells to worry both the dedicated mage and the martial master. After all, they know exactly what both worlds can offer - the spellsword carries them in each hand.

External Links

Neverwinter Nights wikia wizard article.