Sword Mage, 2nd Variant (5e Class)

Sword Mage

One after one swords fly up from the ground, piercing the air as a human chains her foe and flicks her wrist, one of the swords penetrating a doubled-over foe as death is brought down upon it by her ally without her unsheathing her own sword.

Raising his sword towards the elemental planes as his swords take on bright flames and another becoming quick with the wind, a tiefling burns his enemies to ashes when his team is down.

Chanting words as daggers appear in the air circling around a horde of imps, an elf sways his arm as daggers converge upon and stab the horde down, quickly ending their attack.

Swords Mages are the swordsmen and women amongst the mages and can call upon the many elemental planes to make their swords more powerful. Varying from the arts they follow they can get up close and personal dealing deadly damage down on foes and take out giants from their sheer power or they can stay back and deal all sorts of support as they help their allies take out hordes of enemies.

Telekinetic Abilities

Those that train in the ways of telekinesis found it was hard moving unfamiliar items; though possible for day to day tasks, it was not efficient enough to use in combat. They soon learned that if they bonded with them and knew their history by taking the time and studying it, they could become spellbound and share emotions, fighting alongside their owners. Knowledge and understanding are what these mages go through so they can get a feel of their sword's emotions and effectiveness during combat. Outmaneuvering their opponents with their intellect and techniques, they have become great fighters as well as mages to help cities defend or lead charges in many armies. They use their telekinesis smartly and always look for the most efficient way to end their opponents with their spells and weapons. Some have taken out giants from sheer skill and others have slain kings with their telekinetic abilities. They instill shock and awe just from the amount of weapons they can control without a drop of sweat. They trust their weapons as their weapons trust them, an important bond with weapons is what they value at all costs.

Valuable and Passionate Fighters

As they grow and become stronger, their passionate bond with their weapons give out to the rest of the world. They fight for a righteous cause and are trained very well to keep the bonds they have with their swords a very special one, but sometimes it can go too far and follow whatever the swords say. Their communication and friendship with their swords allies can only envy, but the results of their battles says otherwise. Very valuable and efficient, they bond with others to see if they can grow even stronger as they try to understand them. Teams and and guilds appreciate their company until they let their swords talk first. They are trained to use their abilities to be a valued member and through contacts with other planes, their value skyrockets as their bonds with their swords become greater and support allies on the field. Some wield legendary weapons to slay dragons or clear out entire hordes in no time at all. Truly some valuable fighters indeed.

Creating a Sword Mage

By Thanh Tuấn

When creating a Sword Mage it is important to remember that they are not meant to lift heavy objects with their brawn but rather their brain. They bond with their weapons by seeing their history and believe that they should be legendary for what they have done. Maybe one tells you a story of how they were used to slay a Red Dragon that saved their city, but the hero was only recognized. Another would tell you a story of how they were used to kill thousands of people by an evil man and are looking for redemption or revenge. How did you begin to uncover the secrets of weapon telekinesis and bonding? Were you chosen by the army or did you learn them by yourself? Were you a fighter before you discovered these arcane arts or were you a scholar first? Weapons have their own emotions as they tell you how they feel through telepathy and it's your job to help them complete their mission or complete your own mission with their help. Just like the swords have their own stories, you can share your tales and wishes as you study them. Communication is key to this class. So what motivates you to fight and continue your studies? Why was a specific weapon your first? How can you achieve your own goals and help these weapons become known for great things?

Quick Build

You can make a Sword Mage quickly by following these suggestions. First, Intelligence should be your highest ability score, followed by Dexterity or Strength depending on the archetype. Second, choose the Courtier or Sage background.

Class Features

As a Sword Mage you gain the following class features.

Hit Points

Hit Dice: 1d8 per Sword Mage level
Hit Points at 1st Level: 8 + Constitution modifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d8 (or 5) + Constitution modifier per Sword Mage level after 1st

Proficiencies

Armor: Light armor, medium armor, shields
Weapons: Simple and Martial Weapons
Tools: Tinker's Tools
Saving Throws: Intelligence, Wisdom
Skills: Pick 2 from Arcana, Acrobatics, Deception, Investigation, Insight, Intimidation, History, Perception.

Equipment

You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:

• (a) a short sword or (b) a long sword
• (a) a shield or (b) any simple ranged weapon
• (a) an explorer's pack or (b) a dungeoneer's pack or (c) a scholar's pack
• (a) Leather armor and two daggers or (b) Leather armor and one martial melee weapon
• If you are using starting wealth, you have 5d4 x10 in funds.

Table: The Sword Mage

Level	Proficiency Bonus	Features	Cantrips	Enhancements Learned	—Spell Slots per Spell Level—
					1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	6th	7th	8th	9th
1st	+2	Armory, Bound Weapon	0	0	2	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
2nd	+2	Techniques of the Blade, Spellcasting	2	2	3	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
3rd	+2	Arts of Swordsmanship Archetype	2	2	4	2	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
4th	+2	Ability Score Improvement	2	2	4	3	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
5th	+3	Telekinetic Mastery, Blade Vault, Extra Attack	2	3	4	3	2	—	—	—	—	—	—
6th	+3	Sword Art Feature	2	3	4	3	3	—	—	—	—	—	—
7th	+3	—	2	4	4	3	3	1	—	—	—	—	—
8th	+3	Ability Score Improvement	3	4	4	3	3	2	—	—	—	—	—
9th	+4	Sword Art Feature	3	5	4	3	3	3	1	—	—	—	—
10th	+4	—	3	5	4	3	3	3	2	—	—	—	—
11th	+4	Sword Art Feature, Extra Attack	3	5	4	3	3	3	2	1	—	—	—
12th	+4	Ability Score Improvement	3	6	4	3	3	3	2	1	—	—	—
13th	+5	Sword Art Feature	3	6	4	3	3	3	2	1	1	—	—
14th	+5	Ability Score Improvement	4	6	4	3	3	3	2	1	1	—	—
15th	+5	—	4	7	4	3	3	3	2	1	1	1	—
16th	+5	Ability Score Improvement	4	7	4	3	3	3	2	1	1	1	—
17th	+6	Sword Art Feature	4	7	4	3	3	3	2	1	1	1	1
18th	+6	Last Attempt	4	8	4	3	3	3	3	1	1	1	1
19th	+6	Ability Score Improvement	4	8	4	3	3	3	3	2	1	1	1
20th	+6	Sword Mage Archetype Feature, Extra Attack	4	8	4	3	3	3	3	2	2	1	1

Armory

At 1st level, you are able to focus your concentration onto a weapon, wielding it telekinetically like one might normally. As a bonus action, you can imbue a number of one-handed nonmagical weapons up to your Intelligence modifier that are not being worn or carried by a creature other than you and are within 15 feet. These weapons use your intelligence modifier for attack and damage rolls.

The imbued weapons float in the air around you and do not occupy a space. You can order them to move up to 30 feet, or 60 feet if they have the light property, on your turn (no action required by you). You can use your Action to order them to attack on your turn. You may only attack with as many swords as you have available attacks as listed in the extra attack feature. When you order your imbued weapons to attack, decide whether they attack simultaneously or separately.

When you order the weapons to attack simultaneously, they must all be within reach of the same target and attack the same target, dealing their damage on a hit.

When you order the weapons to attack separately, they must make attacks against separate creatures, dealing their damage on a hit.

When a creature leaves the range of one of your imbued weapons, you can use your reaction to make an attack of opportunity against the creature using the imbued weapon.

Lastly, you have a pool of hit points divided evenly amongst your currently imbued weapons, equal to five times your Sword Mage level, and your imbued weapons have an armor class equal to your spell save DC, though they are immune to psychic and poison damage. When an imbued weapons takes damage, any hit points lost are subtracted from your pool, though any excess damage is not. If an nonmagical imbued weapon is reduced to 0 hit points, it is destroyed.

You can expend hit dice to restore hit points to this pool instead of yourself as a part of a short rest, and your pool regains all of its hit points upon finishing a long rest. If your pool reaches 0, you cannot imbue weapons again until you finish a long rest.

If your imbued weapons are ever more than 100 feet away from you, they fall to the ground and lose their imbued status, returning their current hit points to your pool.

Bound Weapon

Your curiosity grows as you use your magic to bond with your weapons, allowing you to learn more about the weapons you come into contact with. Also at 1st level, you can perform a ritual over the course of an hour to invest a portion of your power into a one-handed melee weapon, which you must remain in contact with over the course of the ritual. Afterwards, you become bonded with the weapon, allowing you to use your Intelligence modifier for its attack and damage rolls, and it counts as magical for the purposes of bypassing immunity and resistance if it didn't already. If you use this feature on another weapon, your bond with the original weapon is broken. You are also proficient in your Bound Weapon.

Once per round, when you deal damage with the bound weapon, you can deal an additional 1d8 damage. This increases to 2d8 at 9th level, and 3d8 at 17th level.

This weapon can also be imbued as per your Armory feature, even if it is a magical weapon.

Spellcasting

By the time you reach 2nd level, you've extended your telekinetic ability beyond controlling your blades, gaining the ability to cast spells. Your imbued weapon can be used as your arcane focus when casting spells, though your other hand must be free to perform somatic components. See chapter 10 of the Player's Handbook for the general rules of spellcasting and chapter 11 for the wizard spell list.

Preparing and Casting Spells

The Sword Mage 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.

You prepare the list of sword mage spells that are available for you to cast, choosing from the wizard spell list. When you do so, choose a number of wizard spells equal to your Intelligence modifier + half your sword mage level, rounded down (minimum of one spell). The spells must be of a level for which you have spell slots.

For example, if you are a 5th-level sword mage, you have four 1st-level and two 2nd-level spell slots. With an Intelligence of 14, your list of prepared spells can include four spells of 1st or 2nd-level, in any combination. If you prepare the 1st-level spell magic missile, you can cast it using a 1st-level or a 2nd-level slot. Casting the spell doesn't remove it from your list of prepared spells.

You can change your list of prepared spells when you finish a long rest. Preparing a new list of sword mage spells requires time spent drawing in psionic energy: at least 1 minute per spell level for each spell on your list.

Spellcasting Ability

Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for your spells, since your magic comes from your mind. 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 sword mage 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

Armory Enhancements

Practicing with your weapons on your adventures has lead you to learning new techniques to decimate enemies when they least expect it. When you reach 2nd, you learn 2 Enhancements of your choice shown in the enhancements detailed at the end of the class description. When you gain certain sword mage levels, you gain additional enhancements of your choice, as shown in the enhancements column of the Sword Mage table.

Arts of Swordsmanship

At 3rd level, your constant practice and concentration in sword handling and use, advances your techniques in the Arts of Swordsmanship. Your combat prowess and intellect helps you as you choose a unique style of battle from two different arts: The Art of the Duelist and The Art of the Mage, detailed at the end of the class description. Your decision grants you a feature at 3rd level, and again at 9th level, 13th level, and at your 17th level.

Ability Score Increase

When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two Ability Scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can't increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.

Extra Attack

Beginning at 5th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.

The number of attacks increases to three when you reach 11th level in this class and to four when you reach 20th level in this class.

Telekinetic Mastery

Starting at 5th level, you can manipulate small objects within 30 feet with your mind as if using your hand to interact with it. You can use this power to manipulate an object, open an unlocked door or container, stow or retrieve an item from an open container, or pour the contents out of a vial. You cannot Attack, activate magical items, or carry more than 10 pounds in this manner. You can move an item you are controlling in this way up to 30 feet during your turn.

Blade Vault

Also at 5th level, you master bonding your magic to your swords. You can use your Bound Weapon feature to bind a number of weapons up to your Intelligence modifier (minimum of two), teleporting them to a harmless demiplane. You can summon or dismiss your bound weapons to your hands as an action. Each time you summon a bound weapon, the previous one is dismissed, you can immediately end your attunement to any of your other bound weapons, and can immediately attune to the weapon summoned (if it requires attunement).

Last Attempt

As you gain more weapons your arsenal, you can fuse them together and fire them off as a last resort. Starting at 15th level, you can, as an action, fuse your armory together into an amalgamation of their best qualities. A creature you can see within 100 feet of you can have its head cut off. Die if you can't survive without the lost head. This always happens at the beginning of your turn.

The Art of the Duelist

Duelists don't like to stay back and watch the fight unfold from afar. These mages want to join in on the fight along with their other swords to get the enemy down faster. Learning the Art of the Duelist means you are responsible for your swords and what you do with them. You have accepted that learning this art means a great responsibility is placed upon you as a Sword Mage. Your swords aren't just your own, but also for your allies to help take down any foe you encounter.

Fighting Style

At 3rd level, You adopt a particular style of fighting as your specialty. Choose one of the following options. You may choose an additional Fighting style of your choice, at 5th, 9th, 13th, and 17th levels. You can't take the same Fighting Style option more than once, even if you get to choose again.

Archery: You gain a +2 bonus to attack rolls you make with ranged weapons.

Defense: While you are wearing armor, you gain a +1 bonus to AC.

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.

Protection: When a creature you can see attacks a target other than you that is within 5 feet of you, you can use your reaction to impose disadvantage on the attack roll. You must be wielding a shield.

Two-Weapon Fighting: When you engage in two-weapon fighting, you can add your ability modifier to the damage of the second attack.

One With The Weapons

At 3rd level, you are able to attack personally along with your imbued weapons and get ahead in the fight. You gain proficiency with heavy armor, and when you attack with your imbued weapons, you can attack with your bound weapon as a bonus action.

Magical Sharpness

At 6th level you learn to imbue your weapons with your spellcasting capabilities. One time each round, when you hit a creature with an attack with a bound weapon, you can expend one spell slot to deal additional damage. The extra damage is 2d8 for a 1st-level spell slot, plus 1d8 for each spell level higher than 1st, to a maximum of 5d8.

Countermeasure

At 9th level, you can use your telekinetic abilities to deflect an attack. When you take damage, you can use your reaction to expend one spell slot and reduce that damage to you by an amount equal to five times the spell slot's level.

Level the Playing Field

Starting at 11th level, you become a force in battle to be reckoned with. The damage die of your bound weapons increases to 1d10 if it was lower, and when you hit a creature with an attack, you do not provoke opportunity attacks from them for the rest of your turn.

Bladestorm

At 13th level, you can surround yourself in a whirl of blades. By using both your action and bonus action you cause your imbued blades to spin around you. When a creature moves to a space within 10 feet of you or starts its turn there, you can force them to make a Dexterity saving throw or deal 2d8 + your proficiency bonus in slashing damage to the creature. The DC for this ability is equal to your spell save DC.

Almighty Duelist

At 17th level, you've mastered fighting alongside your imbued weaponry. When you attack with your bound weapons as a bonus action, you can attack twice, instead of once.

Blade of Death

At 20th level, you can use your action to summon a massive ethereal weapon to a spot you can see within 120 feet of you. It counts as an imbued weapon, and you can order it as a part of ordering your other imbued weapons, though it can not make a simultaneous attack. When it hits, it deals 6d8 bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing damage plus 6d8 thunder damage. It lasts for 1 minute, or until you are incapacitated. It is immune to all damage. You can summon the blade of death once per long rest.

The Art of the Mage

More often, mages like to keep their hands clean from afar, torturing their enemies as they get struck down by the swords they wield. You learn that you can multi-task dealing damage with your swords as well as casting spells that help support your allies or deal massive damage to multiple foes. You use your spells to your advantage whenever you are in battle.

Mage Spells

You gain access to the following spells at the sword mage levels listed bellow. Once you gain access to these spells, you always have them prepared. They don't count against the number of spells you can prepare each day.

Spells

Sword Mage level	Spells
3rd	inflict wounds, zephyr strike
5th	heat metal, branding smite
9th	lightning arrow, elemental weapon
13th	staggering smite, death ward
17th	banishing smite, destructive wave

War Blade

At 3rd level, you gain proficiency in heavy armor, and when you hit a creature with one of your imbued weapons, you can cast a cantrip with a range of touch or one that requires a melee weapon attack as a bonus action on the same creature. In addition, your imbued weapons count as melee weapon attacks for the purposes of the zephyr strike, branding smite, staggering smite, and similar spells.

Strike True

At 6th level, your way with the Weave of magic allows you to affect weapons in an enchanting way. When a creature within 60 feet of you makes a weapon attack and hits, you can use your reaction to increase the damage it deals by your bound weapon damage.

Bound Armor

At 9th level, you can use your Bound Weapon feature on a set of armor or a shield instead. It takes up one of your Blade Vault slots, you can don, doff, attune, and unattune to the armor as an action, and while you live, the armor cannot be removed from you against your will.

Overwatch

At 11th level, imbuing your weapons with the semblance of a conscience allows you to see and feel the area around them. You can perceive the area in a 15-foot radius around your imbued weapons as if you had blindsight. In addition, your imbued weapons can be up to a mile away before unimbuing.

Seeking

At 13th level, when a creature you can see within 60 feet of you misses with a weapon attack, you can use your reaction to allow them to reroll the attack at advantage. You can do this a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and regain all uses upon finishing a long rest.

Spell Storing Weapon

At 17th level, you've imbued your weapons with your magical essence, making them an extension of yourself. During a long rest, you can imbue your imbued weapons with spells, holding them until they are ready to burst. You cast the spell as normal when imbuing it in this way, though it is instead held by your imbued weapons. Your imbued weapons can only store up to 10 levels worth of spells at a time. The level of the spell slot used to cast the spell determines how much space it uses. If your weapons cannot hold the spell, the spell is expended without effect. While stored, you can cast a stored spell from the position of one of your imbued weapons.

In addition, your bound weapon feature's bonus damage increases to 4d8, and you can reroll any number of the damage dice. You must use the new rolls.

Whirling Death

At 20th level, you can cast the Blade of Disaster spell once without expending a spell slot. Once you do so, you cannot do so again until you finish a long rest.

Enhancements

As you grow and understand your playing style, you learn techniques that help give you advantages in battle and can help allies if need be. Sword Mages have always had these for generations and generations, it be wise to use them.

Ranged Weapon Imbuer

You can imbue ranged weapons without the heavy or two-handed properties as a part of your Armory feature, and can bond with them as a part of your Bound Weapon feature. When attacking with an imbued weapon, you make ranged spell attacks, and can only fire at creatures within half the weapon's short range. When you order your imbued weapons to attack, you must decide whether your ranged imbued weapons or your melee imbued weapons attack. You can't make attacks of opportunity with ranged imbued weapons.

Heavy Weapon Imbuer

You can imbue weapons with the heavy or two-handed properties as a part of your Armory and Bound Weapon features, though they count as two weapons for your Armory and Blade Vault features.

Shield Imbuer

You realize that the best defensive is a floating shield. You can imbue a shield as a part of your Armory feature. It cannot be attacked with, but you can grant its bonus to a creature of your choice while it hovers within 5 feet of them. You can designate a creature for the shield to follow as an action, and it will keep up with the creature to continue granting its bonus. You can use an action to stop it from following, or to designate it to follow another creature.

Telekinetic Armor

You've learned how to use your telekinetic abilities to defend yourself. While you aren't wearing armor or wielding a shield, your Armor Class equals 10 + your Dexterity modifier + your Intelligence modifier.

Daggers Drawn

Prerequisite: 5th level

You can cast the Cloud of Daggers spell without expending a spell slot a number of times equal to half your proficiency bonus. The level of this spell is equal to the level of your highest sword mage spell slot.

Retaliation

Prerequisite: 5th level

When a creature within range of one of your imbued weapons damages you, you can attack the creature with your imbued weapon as a reaction.

Crouching Mage Hidden Blade

Prerequisite: 5th level

Once per turn, when you and one of your imbued weapons are within 5 feet of a creature and you hit it with the weapon, you can force it to make a Strength saving throw against your Spell Save DC, or be knocked prone.

Extensive Reach

Prerequisite: 5th level

The reach of all your imbued weapons is increased by 5 feet.

Hamstring

Prerequisite: 9th level

When you hit a creature with an attack of opportunity using an imbued weapon, the creature's speed is reduced by half, and they take 2d4 damage for every 5 feet they travel.

Disarm

Prerequisite: 9th level, Art of the Duelist

When you reduce the damage of a weapon attack with your Countermeasure feature to 0, you can force the attacker to make a Strength saving throw. On a failure, they are pushed 10 feet back and lose hold of their weapon, which is flung 10 feet in the opposite direction of the attacker.

Energy Blades

Prerequisite: 9th level, Art of the Mage

You gain the Magic Weapon or Elemental Weapon as prepared spells, which do not count against your maximum, and when cast you can target all of your imbued weapons at once with the spell, giving them the attack and damage bonus. In addition, you can cast the Elemental Weapon spell once without expending a spell slot. Once you do so, you cannot do so again until you finish a long rest.

Room of Swords

Prerequisite: 15th level, Art of the Mage

You gain the Banishment spell as a prepared spell, which does not count against your maximum, and when you successfully banish a creature, they take 6d6 slashing damage at the start of their turns until the spell ends.

Coup De Grace

Prerequisite: 15th level, Art of the Duelist

Once per turn when you make an attack against an incapacitated creature, the attack is a critical hit.

Multiclassing

Prerequisites. To qualify for multiclassing into the Sword Mage class, you must meet these prerequisites: Intelligence score of 13

Proficiencies. When you multiclass into the Sword Mage class, you gain the following proficiencies: History and Arcana

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