Community

I play a Swordmage (Shadar-kai, Shielding, Sigil Carver) myself, and I have to say that it is hands-down my favorite class in any class-based RPG I've ever played. I love the combination of mobility and highly tactical play, and I find that it makes the 'tank' role a very involved an interesting game for me.

Flavor is easily king at our table, and we all make an effort to describe and embellish the effect of our abilities and actions in a character-appropriate way.

Rhen (short for Anasharhen) has a very shadow-themed set of abilities. All of her teleportations are visually expressed with swirling shadow that flows, ebbs, and erupts near-instantaneously. If you've seen the later Harrry Potter films, the Death Eater rapid apparation effects (particularly as seen in Order of the Phoenix in the Veil room at the Ministry of Magic) is what this aspect of the theme was based on - As Rhen moves around the field, she flickers from point to point constantly.

Rhen's Aegis and marking take the form of glowing ancient Shadar-kai runes and script that blaze in rings and scrolling lines through the air when she is actively channeling their power. If you are familiar with the Iron Kingdoms (Warmachine and Hordes) setting from Privateer Press, the glowing rune effects that accompany arcane magic in use is a good source for the visualization of the effect.

The sword Rhen wields is an important part of her theme as well. She uses a single-edged Blackshroud Longsword that has a sort of sharp 'hook' on the backside of the blade. The hook allows her to pull and rip at her enemies' shadows as part of her various powers and effects.

The two core visual themes and concepts at work in Rhen's arsenal are (1) arcane runes, and (2) shadow.

Going through her powers one at a time:

Shadow Jaunt (Shadar-kai racial power): With the Devious Jaunt feat, this nets me Teleport 9 and Insubstantial for a turn 1/encounter as a move action. Visually, it's a shadowy teleport as described above, but instead of fully reappearing at the end of the teleport, she remains indistinct and shadowy for a few moments longer.

Aegis of Shielding: When enemies are marked by Rhen, a few glowing runes appear and float in the air around them. The runes that 'mark' each enemy are the key runes and symbols that form the core of an arcane seal of warding. When the Aegis is activated to prevent damage dealt by enemy attacks, the runes around the offending enemy flare very bright, and a series of runic circles (which complete the warding begun by the runes around the enemy) suddenly appear between the enemy and Rhen's ally to block the attack. When particularly potent attacks do a vast amount of damage (in game terms, when a lot of damage gets through the Aegis' prevention), the runic circle that appears can shatter, burn away, or some other suitable effect to convey how potent the attack is by contrast to the defense.

Luring Strike: Rhen lashes out with a quick attack, giving her the chance to use the hook of her blade to snare the enemy's shadow, pulling them where she wants.

Sword Burst: Rhen conjures a circle of runes in a ring around her while creating an antithetical series of runes around her sword, then she twirls her sword around her to shatter the ring which explodes outward, sending blazing runes scattering in all directions.

Sword of Sigils: Runes of marking appear around all of the enemies caught in the attack, and Rhen 'tugs' hard on her Aegis causing the runes to tighten and constrict - like an arcane net of force that restricts and crushes the enemies.

Frost Backlash: The runes for Winter, Ice, Punishment, and Vengeance appear along the blade of Rhen's sword in a frigid bluish-white. The temperature in the air drops rapidly and the sword is rimed in frost as Rhen lashes out with it. When the blade strikes home, the runes expel their power and the enemy struck is hit with a shock of arcane power that flows around them and flash freezes the moisture in the air before quickly shattering.

Dimensional Warp: The targets are both wreathed in shadows, disappearing and reappearing in each others' place.

Transposing Lunge: I don't think I've ever used this power as a standard action, only as a part of my Aegis of Shielding Immediate Reaction, so the flavor is based on that usage - See Aegis of Shielding for that portion of the description.

As the Aegis warding flares, Rhen alters the markings subtly, linking the warding to runes that appear around her blade. Rhen strikes out with her blade, and the linked runes allow her to attack through space (like attacking through a small linked portal in the air) at her foe. If the attack hits, Rhen snares the shadow of the enemy and rips them through the linked runes, bringing them to her.

Swordmage Shielding Fire: Blazing runes of Fire appear on the skin (or scales, or whatever else is appropriate) of the enemy and burn them. As the mark lingers, the fire of the runes dim to embers, but if the mark is tested, the runes flare to an inferno.

Armathor's Step: Shadowy teleport as described above. As Rhen appears near her target(s), she gathers a small fragment of their shadow(s) and tunes her sword to them. The fragments seek to rejoin their greater whole, and in their need to do so they help to guide Rhen's sword.

Rejuvenating Strike: Rhen strikes out with her sword, and as she withdraws the blade, she tears off a piece of her victim's shadow, which she uses as substance and sustenance to bind her wounds and revitalize her spirit.

Be Gone!: Hooking the shadow of her enemy with her sword, Rhen hurls them to another location. The teleport effect looks like the others, but it is accompanied by swirling streams of runes that batter the victim, as well as prevent them from breaking free of the attack.

Like a Feather: With a quick flicker of her trademark shadowy teleporting effects, Rhen rights herself at the last second just before she hits the ground.

Shadow Step (Acolyte of the Veil, Multiclass Assassin): Just another shadowy teleport, but in this case the shadow never flows from point to point, instead, Rhen 'dives' into or out of the shadow of other creatures.

Aegis Sigil: Rhen's blade is wreathed in runes of warding as she strikes, causing terrible damage to her foe and leaving the after image of her mark upon them.

###Other notable effects that are not powers, but theme-appropriate bits for other mechanics###

Blackshroud Longsword: On a critical hit, the effect is to gain temporary hp equal to 1d8 per enhancement. This is represented by Rhen taking a piece of the victim's shadow and using it to bolster her defenses against future attack.

When reducing enemies to 0 HP, the sword has a property that confers concealment for a turn. When this happens, Rhen is hooking the dead creature's shadow and wrapping it around herself in a shroud, making her shadowy and indistinct.

Energizing Sigil: As Rhen pushes herself to the limits of heroic action, her Aegis flares around her and her allies, causing a spiral of runes to appear around one of her allies and draw off the power of any negative effects that are hindering them.

Swordbond: When Rhen calls her sword to her (or has to repair it), it dissolves into shadow wherever it currently is, and the ambient shadows where she is flow to her hand and reform the blade.

Swordmage Warding: In battle, Rhen always maintains a number of protective runes that circle around her, and she guides them to her defense. As the hovering runes block attacks, they may falter or fail, but Rhen is able to re-draw them with her open hand and keep her Warding strong.

Bolstering Sigil: Rhen's ability to turn aside or blunt the attacks of her enemies has been refined to the point where she can extend her personal Warding to allies that are close to her.

Sep 26, 2010 -- 2:12PM, Garthanos wrote:

There seems some definite Shadow Themed Swordmage stuff going on is this related to the Shadow Power source?

Not at all actually. People merely reflavor the thematics of their characters' powers. I think it is fine as long as you don't make the reflavored theme and the power source incompatible.

ie, my swordmage's power was tied to his racial connection with darkness (being a drow).

A shadar-kai is a race infused with shadowstuff, so it stands to reason any class they choose could be tied to shadows.

Also, keep in mind that the shadow power source is not the same as shadows cast by people. Food for thought.

Sep 26, 2010 -- 3:17PM, Garthanos wrote:

Sure there is shadow Dark related to shadow Illusion and shadow Death.. interlocking symbology in some ways since if life is the grand illusion so must be death.

That's totally up to you. Player's prerogative.

Sep 26, 2010 -- 1:51PM, angelus_obscura wrote:

I've actually started a thread on this last year, but it didn't take off like it did with my warlock thread. 

Link? to Warlock one

Also was there any others you know of?