Spellsword!

[Tequilus]

Hello!

I've been toying an idea for a spellsword build, but as I generally don't play casters I'm unsure of a couple aspects and could use some advice.

1) Auto still spell vs 0% armour - is auto still spell necessary or is 0% armour readily accessible?
2) Sorc vs Wiz - wiz obviously has better skill pts but I'm leaning Sorc for RP reasons
3) Target caster level - to get 4 att per round it doesnt look possible to hit 21 caster levels with the level 30 cap. Is it better to have 4 atts or 21 caster levels?
4) Best melee classes? Was thinking Fighter/Rogue for obvious reasons, do any of the Amia specifics work better?

Any other tips, advice or build suggestions would be appreciated!

[Freaxxshow]

1) You can get yourself 0-ASF Armour easily enough, even more easy if you invest some DCs
2) Wizard. Wizard is better by a long shot.
3) 23 CL should be your target.
4) 23 Wizard / 6 Fighter / 1 Rogue is the usual go-to I think

Also, look up how we changed Tensers Transformation here. That's what your entire build will hinge on.

[The1Kobra]

To answer:

1: There's enough 0% ASF armor and shields out there that you shouldn't need Autostill. Most of the 0 ASF armor are chain shirts, which means you may need to buff your DEX some, but that should be manageable.
2: You can make a spellblade with either. Some combos work better with sorc because of the CHA synergy, actually. I actually prefer sorc spellblades myself, even if you can usually get a bit more STR (or DEX, if you're making a finesse spellblade).
3: You should probably go for 23 CL if you can. Getting 4 APR essentially caps your CL at 17, which at that level, isn't enough to be good at either field. Getting epic mage armor is crucial for a spellblade, as it makes your AC quite high, which is nice for a melee caster. Having an epic summon and offensive options for a pinch is helpful too.
4: Fighter/Rogue makes a decent 'bread and butter' spellblade. You might look at paladin or BG on a sorc, but divine might and shield are capped at paladin/BG level, which hampers this combo's utility to some extent, although it can be done.

For Amia specific classes, you might want to consider:
You might also want to consider 23/2/5 Wiz|Sorc/Fighter/Duelist, 14/2/4 pre-epic. Better AB here than on the usual fighter spellblade, and also can get good AC without having to worry about the shield. Duelist gets an AB/damage boost too, which makes up for skipping EWS.
Another combo you might want to look into, and one I've tried, is 24/5/1 Sorc/Knight Commander/Rogue. Now this one synnergizes better with Sorc because the KC auras operate off of your CHA score, and it can be quite nice. Stack barricade of swords with elemental shield and ordinance support and you have 50+ biteback damage whenever an enemy hits you on top of other benefits.

The last decision you'll want to make for your spellblade is what stat you want to focus on, STR, DEX, or your casting stat. Most builds suggest you go 20 in the casting stat and then focus on either your STR or DEX, though you can leave the STR/DEX at 14-16 and then focus on your casting stat.

[Tequilus]

Thanks to you both for the tips, that is quite helpful.

I had been considering the Sorc/KC build as well, glad to hear that it is viable and the auras stack. Do you think Sorc/KC would be overall more effective than Bard/KC? I realize that verges into a very different discussion, but would be curious to hear your thoughts.

[The1Kobra]

Bard/KC and Sorc/KC are very different builds, ultimately. I actually think Bard doesn't synnergize so well with KC, but bards still make very strong party buffers and meleers. They do very different things.

I think if it came down to 1v1 PvP, the Sorc/KC could win every time just with IGM spam or a Timestop+Hellball combo. The Sorc/KC has their summons to cover them. They both have high AC and good defenses. The main issue with the Sorc/KC is that their attacking power is not very great, they top out at about 44 AB, and that's with tensers, which isn't all that high. You may find that a lot of spellblade builds have trouble getting high AB, and with only 3 attacks per round (+1 with haste), their offenses aren't nearly as good as other melee classes, though the familiar and epic summon help to some extent. I took taunt on mine because it certainly helped with the hitting.

The bard/KC however has much more staying power. They aren't as reliant on offensive spells, has a higher innate AB, and can keep a whole party well buffed with their song for a whole adventure. The Sorc/KC can run into issues where on a long venture, they run out of spells. Naturally, this is one of the places where Sorcs beat Wizards, they get more spells/day so can go for longer.

Still, the synnergy with the damage shields makes the Sorc/KC a viable option. I find that oftentimes for my Sorc/KC I handled most things in melee but then broke out the spells when I ran into a tough fight.

[Freaxxshow]

I can say a lot about Bard/KC seeing as my main was one for roughly 2 years.

It's amazing. If you know what you're doing even PvP is not gonna be trouble for you, seeing as Peggy was never exactly a pushover - even when I went Bard/TWF/KC for swag purposes.

[Tequilus]

Thanks! That's all very helpful.

[phalanxyrian]

Used to run a wizard 24 bg 5 assassin 1 with auto still 3, could also go a good paladin/monk version. But yes heavy feat investment for somthing that can be fixed with gear.