Duskblade

The Pros and Cons of a Duskblade

Some Duskblades forget that they can fill two roles in an adventuring party and tend to favor either their martial or arcane sides. Such characters never quite achieve their full potential. Other Duskblades can lead the charge into battle and toss off a few spells to even the odds when things get tough. Such characters are deadly in battle thanks to the broad array of options they have available.

Duskblade Assets

The duskblade class offers excellent combat power and magical potential. Here's a look at what you get when you choose a duskblade.

• • Good Attack Bonus: A duskblade's base attack bonus is +1 per duskblade level -- the best in the game. As a duskblade, you can expect to hit what you attack.

• • Good Fortitude and Will Saves: Duskblades use the best progression for Fortitude saves and for Will saves (see Table 3-1 in the Player's Handbook). Duskblades are both physically and mentally resilient.

• • Arcane Spells: A duskblade learns arcane spells from the duskblade spell list, which, though short, includes spells for both offense and defense. The duskblade spell list also includes spells that enhance your physical fighting abilities.

• • Spontaneous Spellcasting: Duskblades don't use spellbooks. Like a sorcerer, a duskblade chooses a personal repertoire of spells that are ready to cast almost all the time. You have a daily limit on the number of spells you can cast, but you can freely cast any spell you know until your limit is reached. You can cast a particular spell several times in a day without needing to guess which spells to prepare ahead of time.

• • Good Weapon Selection: Duskblades are proficient with all simple and martial weapons, which gives them access to some of the best weapons in the game. You have plenty of combat options when your spells fail or when you feel the need to conserve your spells.

• • Good Skill Points: Though a duskblade receives only two skill points per class level, most duskblades have high Intelligence scores because Intelligence governs their spells (and other magical powers). High Intelligence brings extra skill points to spend.

• • Arcane Attunement: Starting at 1st level, a duskblade learns to use dancing lights, detect magic, flare, ghost sound, and read magic as spell-like abilities. You can use these powers a combined total of times each day equal to three plus your Intelligence modifier. These powers don't count against your number of spells known or against the spells you can cast each day.

• • Combat Casting: At 2nd level, a duskblade gains Combat Casting as a bonus feat.

• • Arcane Channeling: Starting at 3rd level, a duskblade can use a standard action to deliver touch-range spells he knows through his weapon as a melee attack, provided that the spell has a casting time of one standard action or less. A successful attack delivers normal damage from the weapon and delivers the spell as well. Casting a spell this way does not provoke an attack of opportunity. Starting at 13th level, a duskblade can use this power as part of the full attack action, and the channeled spell affects each target the duskblade hits in melee during that round.

• • Quick Cast: Starting at 5th level, a duskblade can cast one spell each day as a swift action, provided that the spell has a casting time of one standard action or less. This power is usable twice a day at 10th level, three times a day at 15th level, and four times a day at 20th level.

• • Spell Power: Starting at 6th level, a duskblade gains a +2 bonus on caster level checks to overcome a foe's spell resistance after he strikes that foe in combat. The bonus lasts until the encounter ends. At 11th level, the bonus rises to +3. At 18th level, the bonus increases to +4.

Duskblade Weaknesses

The duskblade's martial and arcane potential come at a price. Keep the following in mind when considering a duskblade character.

• • Fairly Low Hit Points: The duskblade's eight-sided hit dice give the character a respectable number of hit points for an arcane spellcaster but not a great total for a fighting character. As a duskblade, you can take a few hits, but you must avoid getting in over your head.

• • Fairly Weak Armor Class: Duskblades are proficient with all types of armor and all shields except tower shields. They can build up formidable Armor Classes just by wearing armor. Unfortunately, most armor interferes with the duskblade's arcane spells, which limits the character's Armor Class. To reduce this, the armored mage class feature allows a duskblade to avoid some arcane spell failure chances. Starting at 1st level, a duskblade can ignore the arcane spell failure chance from light armor or a light shield when casting a duskblade spell. Starting at 4th level, this power extends to medium armor. At 7th level this power extends to heavy shields.

• • Poor Reflex Saves: Duskblades have the worst progression for Reflex saves (see Table 3-1 in the Player's Handbook). Duskblades are poor at avoiding effects that that affect whole areas. Duskblades have access to defensive spells that improve their saving throws or even make some saving throws unnecessary, but using them saps their magical potential for the day.

• • Limited Magical Options: A duskblade begins play knowing two 0-level spells and two 1st-level spells from the duskblade spell list, plus one additional 0-level spell for each point of Intelligence bonus. A duskblade learns one additional spell at 2nd level and each level beyond that. The duskblade spell list is limited to spells that improve fighting ability or allow the caster to affect a handful of foes. Once you choose your personal assortment of spells, your selection remains more or less permanently fixed. You have a limited ability to change your repertoire, but for the most part you choose your spells only once.