DuskBlades and Prestige Classes

[BadMojo]

This is *not* a "the Duskblade is too powerful" thread (I hope), but I was wondering if anyone noticed that there seems to be a lack of synergy between the Duskblade class and a lot of the popular gish prestige classes.

Bladesinger doesn't work well with the Duskblades armored mage ability and the shield usage.

Spellsword seems to be a duplication of abilities too (reduction in ASF)

The only one I can think of that would work fairly well is Raumathari Battlemage - near full spellcaster level progression, ability to use a bastard sword in place of a material component and get a benefit to spell DC for it.

Other than that, I can't really think of any Prestige Classes that fit the Duskblade and still provide some kind of caster level progression.

Am I missing something or does this class not seem to work really well with all the existing "gish-type" prestige classes?

 

[Caliban]

Duskblade is basically a 20 level prestige class.

 

[IanB]

I'm not sure it needs to. The duskblade fills that role pretty well on its own. The other prestige classes were designed with a particular multiclassing path in mind and still work well for that.

To put it another way - why would it be a problem if it doesn't?

 

[BadMojo]

To put it another way - why would it be a problem if it doesn't?

I don't necessarily think it's a problem, but it certainly seems to be a shift in design philosophy.

Perhaps the new Complete Mage book will have some PRCs that would work well with the Duskblade.

Edit: Perhaps a better title for this thread would be "Duskblade builds". Can you do a lightly armored finesse fighter as well as a tank using the Duskblade? The class seems more like a 20 level version of the Spellsword than something like the Bladesinger.

 

[dagger]

Oh really:Harm spell anyone?

duskblade 13 ur priest 2 mystic theurge5
+16 BAB 5th level duskblade spells 7th level cleric spells.
rings of wizardry are your friends.

EWP spiked chain
iron will
spell focus evil
extra spell wraith strike
extra spell shivering touch
power attack
cleave
great cleave

Duskblade 10/Ur-Priest 4/Mystic Theurge 6. Sure, I only get 4th level Duskblade spells, but I nab 9th level cleric spells and my saves are better. I suppose you could go Duskblade 11/Ur-Priest 3/Mystic Theurge 6 if you really wanted 5th level Duskblade spells. I just don't think Arcane Channeling is so fantastic the whole character should be built around just that, not to mention that the wording is a little fuzzy on whether or not a target can be affect more than once by the 13th level version.

Something cool about the class abilities though; Arcane Channeling, Quick Cast and Spell Power work with any spell you cast. I rather like the idea of this fellow as the leader of a group of villians. He's been holding back the entire fight while the heroes lay on a beating, then he suddenly summons a Balor through a Gate spell, casts a Quickened Mass Heal on himself and all his allies. Next turn, he slams on the party meatshield with an Arcane Channeled Harm with Arcane Strike added in, then follows it up with a Quickened Blasphemy.

DB:13 Bardd: 1 SC: 6 Caster Level: 19

The sublime chord (SC) works best with a human taking able learner (because of skill requirements) with a dip into bard it is reachable at 11th lvl

 

[Sejs]

Duskblade is basically a 20 level prestige class.

Similar in style to how the Spellthief is a rogue/sorcerer-with-PrC rolled into a base class. *nod*

The Duskblade is the Bladesinger concept done right, no dipping into Spellsword, Eldritch Knight, or whatever to fill out your character, just a straight idea in a single class.

 

[epicycloid]

Is there any other base class or Prestige Class (that doesn't have arcane caster as a requirement) that can cast Arcane spells and gets a full BAB?

 

[RigaMortus2]

What about Havoc Mage from MiniHandbook? Might work well with the Duskblade...

 

[Mistwell]

"extra spell wraith strike"

Say what now? Wraith strike not on spell list.

 

[Mouseferatu]

Something cool about the class abilities though; Arcane Channeling, Quick Cast and Spell Power work with any spell you cast.

I'm not convinced of this. I have no inside knowledge, but I think of the duskblade entry as simply having accidentally failed to specify "These abilities work only with spells you cast as a duskblade," as opposed to intending to allow them to work with spells cast via levels in some other class. That would make it more consistent with precedent, as well as keeping the class from being blatantly overpowered in multiclassing situations.