A Tortle bladesinger would be powerful. I think that there should be more magic flails and other weapons too. Longswords are good too, but you should at least have a 14 Strength score to use one. A rapier is easier to use though, since wizards already need at least a decent Dexterity.
There really should be more flails. There were some really awesome ones in older editions that did some Delightful and powerful things that are just more and more forgotten.
If you want to keep it to strength-based weapons, you should choose the mountain dwarf so that you can get the heavy armor feat way earlier than any other subrace could. This is another one of those cases where I think you should just talk to whoever your DM will be, if this is a backup character then leave the option open with a note to your future self. Ask the DM if they could take notice of the flair and cater to it, you could get the best of both worlds by just communicating.
If you want to keep it to strength-based weapons, you should choose the mountain dwarf so that you can get the heavy armor feat way earlier than any other subrace could. This is another one of those cases where I think you should just talk to whoever your DM will be, if this is a backup character then leave the option open with a note to your future self. Ask the DM if they could take notice of the flair and cater to it, you could get the best of both worlds by just communicating.
Blade Singing does not work with medium or heavy armor. So it would be pointless to get that at all in the first place, regardless of the ease that it can be done.
I feel that Bladesingers should get a feature like the Monk's "Dedicated Weapon" (preferably as an extra line of the "Training in War and Song" feature) that allowed them to make the chosen weapon to use Dexterity instead of Strength for attack and damage rolls, and have similar caveats as "Dedicated Weapon" (needs to be a Simple or Martial weapon, needs Proficiency on the weapon and must lack the heavy, special and Two-Handed properties), at least this way it would allow a mechanical support to the fluff of Bladesinging styles (and considering how the "Lion style" is supposed to be the original one and it uses a Longsword, this could allow players a way to play that without multiclassing or relying on specific items like the sunsword or moonblade).
1) For a single class bladesinger, you better take any weapon with the finesse trait like a rapier, as Dexterity will give you AC and Initiative as well.
2) For a bladesinger with 3 levels battlesmith artificer, you can basically take any one-handed weapon you like, provided you wield versatile weapons like longswords and warhammers with one hand only. In any case, you can rely on your Intelligence for spellcasting, AC and melee attacks. You may still want some Dexterity for additional AC and Initiative, but you can give it a far lower priority than in the case above.
If you choose route 1, you better be prepared, that you will be a wizard first and foremost, with a significant boost to your AC and some weapon skills, but your spellcasting will always be superior to your melee prowess. In the second case, you are more of what is called a gish character, who is equally caster and warrior.
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1) For a single class bladesinger, you better take any weapon with the finesse trait like a rapier, as Dexterity will give you AC and Initiative as well.
Sure, you can, but it's boring and only really feasible at high levels that most campaigns don't see. The nice thing about Bladesong is it adds their Intelligence modifier to their AC. Take the pregenerated high elf wizard from LMoP, for example. Their starting array is 8 15 14 16 12 10. It'll be 8th-level before they max out their Intelligence score; assuming they don't improve anything else. They might have 16 Dexterity, once they reach 12th-level, with a feat, or they could just take War Caster. Most games traded by DDB don't get into Tier 3 play, and no official hardcover goes past 15th-level, so this is probably as far as we can assume players will reach.
Even if we assume an even split between the two, they're only at 18s for each by 12th-level. And that means no War Caster. So, is your wizard really a melee combatant? No. They can fight in melee, but they're a wizard first and foremost. Still, they'll have access to 17-18 AC for most of that time. Which, let's be honest, is pretty good. It's certainly competitive.
So, I'm going to suggest a magic item I also recommend for monks: gauntlets of ogre power. That 19 Strength score and ability to use Strength-depentent melee weapons is a major boon. Especially when, if you're tyring to be a melee combatant, the majority of pre-written magic items are longswords.
2) For a bladesinger with 3 levels battlesmith artificer, you can basically take any one-handed weapon you like, provided you wield versatile weapons like longswords and warhammers with one hand only. In any case, you can rely on your Intelligence for spellcasting, AC and melee attacks. You may still want some Dexterity for additional AC and Initiative, but you can give it a far lower priority than in the case above.
If you choose route 1, you better be prepared, that you will be a wizard first and foremost, with a significant boost to your AC and some weapon skills, but your spellcasting will always be superior to your melee prowess. In the second case, you are more of what is called a gish character, who is equally caster and warrior.
They're already a gish character. Adding levels of artificer is an added level of complexity they really don't need.
1) For a single class bladesinger, you better take any weapon with the finesse trait like a rapier, as Dexterity will give you AC and Initiative as well.
Sure, you can, but it's boring and only really feasible at high levels that most campaigns don't see. The nice thing about Bladesong is it adds their Intelligence modifier to their AC. Take the pregenerated high elf wizard from LMoP, for example. Their starting array is 8 15 14 16 12 10. It'll be 8th-level before they max out their Intelligence score; assuming they don't improve anything else. They might have 16 Dexterity, once they reach 12th-level, with a feat, or they could just take War Caster. Most games traded by DDB don't get into Tier 3 play, and no official hardcover goes past 15th-level, so this is probably as far as we can assume players will reach.
Even if we assume an even split between the two, they're only at 18s for each by 12th-level. And that means no War Caster. So, is your wizard really a melee combatant? No. They can fight in melee, but they're a wizard first and foremost. Still, they'll have access to 17-18 AC for most of that time. Which, let's be honest, is pretty good. It's certainly competitive.
So, I'm going to suggest a magic item I also recommend for monks: gauntlets of ogre power. That 19 Strength score and ability to use Strength-depentent melee weapons is a major boon. Especially when, if you're tyring to be a melee combatant, the majority of pre-written magic items are longswords.
2) For a bladesinger with 3 levels battlesmith artificer, you can basically take any one-handed weapon you like, provided you wield versatile weapons like longswords and warhammers with one hand only. In any case, you can rely on your Intelligence for spellcasting, AC and melee attacks. You may still want some Dexterity for additional AC and Initiative, but you can give it a far lower priority than in the case above.
If you choose route 1, you better be prepared, that you will be a wizard first and foremost, with a significant boost to your AC and some weapon skills, but your spellcasting will always be superior to your melee prowess. In the second case, you are more of what is called a gish character, who is equally caster and warrior.
They're already a gish character. Adding levels of artificer is an added level of complexity they really don't need.
I strongly disagree here. You get a second attack, but otherwise a single class bladesinger's focus is heavily on spellcasting, with some added defensive bonus. I'm not saying that this a bad choice, being a wizard with an extremly high AC and some other class features to counter other wizards' squishiness is not bad. You have the best spellcasting and some good defense, but as far as melee offensive goes, you are mediocre at best, compared to the artificer multiclass version.
As far as the gauntlets go, they are not guaranteed, and you are dependent on your DM's generosity.
When discussing builds, I always assume that the game is going to maximum level (a campaign may end sooner for various reasons, but I would never plan otherwise), unless explicitly stated otherwise.
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I am creating a bladesinger wizard and my character race does not include any additional weapon proficiency. At level 2, you can choose a one-handed weapon, but I am not sure what to pick. Longsword seems to be a safe bet for finding magic weapons in the long run, but after i read through the level 1 Candlekeep Mystery I want to choose flail and make my weapon a book on a chain. It's thematically cool, but it feels like I would be limiting myself greatly when it comes to useful magical weapons. What choice is better in a long term campaign?
What is your strength and dexterity? What you pick is dependant most on your strength and dexterity score.
Assuming your sttrength and dexterity are equal, Warhammer is mechanically the best weapon in terms of raw statistics. It does 1d8 or 1d10 with 2 hands and does bludgeoning damage which more enemies are vulnerable to than piercing or slashing.
In terms of magic items, longsword is the most common and is only a hair behind warhammer in mechanics.
That assumes though you have a strength score that is near your dexterity score.
I feel that Bladesingers should get a feature like the Monk's "Dedicated Weapon" (preferably as an extra line of the "Training in War and Song" feature) that allowed them to make the chosen weapon to use Dexterity instead of Strength for attack and damage rolls, and have similar caveats as "Dedicated Weapon" (needs to be a Simple or Martial weapon, needs Proficiency on the weapon and must lack the heavy, special and Two-Handed properties), at least this way it would allow a mechanical support to the fluff of Bladesinging styles (and considering how the "Lion style" is supposed to be the original one and it uses a Longsword, this could allow players a way to play that without multiclassing or relying on specific items like the sunsword or moonblade).
Bladesinger is already arguably the most powerful subclass in the game and is the best melee tank other than a bear totem barbarian, and that is with the weapon gimps in place.
Adding the ability to use dexterity on higher damage weapons would make the subclass even more OP than it already is.
If you like a longsword for thematic purposes then build your character to use it by not dumping strength and you will be fine, actually you will be better than fine, you will be pretty darn powerful. A bladesinger who starts with a 14strength, 16 Dexterity, 16 Intelligence, using a longsword and who optimizes after that will be the most powerful character in combat at most tables. Not as powerful as a bladesinger optimized and dumped strength, but it will still be brutally effective and dominate most parties in combat.
I feel that Bladesingers should get a feature like the Monk's "Dedicated Weapon" (preferably as an extra line of the "Training in War and Song" feature) that allowed them to make the chosen weapon to use Dexterity instead of Strength for attack and damage rolls, and have similar caveats as "Dedicated Weapon" (needs to be a Simple or Martial weapon, needs Proficiency on the weapon and must lack the heavy, special and Two-Handed properties), at least this way it would allow a mechanical support to the fluff of Bladesinging styles (and considering how the "Lion style" is supposed to be the original one and it uses a Longsword, this could allow players a way to play that without multiclassing or relying on specific items like the sunsword or moonblade).
Bladesinger is already arguably the most powerful subclass in the game and is the best melee tank other than a bear totem barbarian, and that is with the weapon gimps in place.
Adding the ability to use dexterity on higher damage weapons would make the subclass even more OP than it already is.
If you like a longsword for thematic purposes then build your character to use it by not dumping strength and you will be fine, actually you will be better than fine, you will be pretty darn powerful. A bladesinger who starts with a 14strength, 16 Dexterity, 16 Intelligence, using a longsword and who optimizes after that will be the most powerful character in combat at most tables. Not as powerful as a bladesinger optimized and dumped strength, but it will still be brutally effective and dominate most parties in combat.
I have to heavily disagree here, yes the Bladesinger is ONE of the strongest subclasses, nobody denies that, but frankly considering that much of that power comes from the fact that it's a wizard and not from the subclass itself (though the subclass does gives some great defensive abilities and Extra Attack is a very good offensive one) i frankly fail to see how giving it more weapon choices would be overpowered, specially considering that i only suggested it for roleplaying/flair purposes.
Secondly, i fail to see how anything i suggested its allowing the Bladesinger access to "higher damage weapons" as you put it, in fact with the restrictions i proposed (more specifically the "cannot have Heavy, Special and Two-Handed properties" section) it reduces the available weapons to only one handed and versatile weapons (and remember that Bladesingers cannot use the versatile property since it would make them lose Bladesong), meaning that most of these weapons will only have up to d8s in damage and Bladesingers already have access to that damage die thanks to Rapiers (and certain items such as the sunsword or moonblade), so realistically NOTHING is actually being changed except the fact that now players would have much more weapon freedom. Plus since this is meant to work like the Monk's "Dedicated Weapon" it means that that: 1. only one weapon can benefit from this at a time, 2. you NEED to have proficiency with the weapon, and 3. you could only do this ONCE per long rest, thus reducing the chance for this to be abused (so think of it this way, Bladesingers get a free weapon proficiency at level 2 that must be a one handed melee weapon, so if you choose lets say a Warhammer, this feature could allow you to actually wield it since now you could use your Dex for attacks and damage rolls with it).
I frankly fail to see how any of this could be problematic, but everyone has their own opinion, so feel free to disagree.
I feel that Bladesingers should get a feature like the Monk's "Dedicated Weapon" (preferably as an extra line of the "Training in War and Song" feature) that allowed them to make the chosen weapon to use Dexterity instead of Strength for attack and damage rolls, and have similar caveats as "Dedicated Weapon" (needs to be a Simple or Martial weapon, needs Proficiency on the weapon and must lack the heavy, special and Two-Handed properties), at least this way it would allow a mechanical support to the fluff of Bladesinging styles (and considering how the "Lion style" is supposed to be the original one and it uses a Longsword, this could allow players a way to play that without multiclassing or relying on specific items like the sunsword or moonblade).
Bladesinger is already arguably the most powerful subclass in the game and is the best melee tank other than a bear totem barbarian, and that is with the weapon gimps in place.
Adding the ability to use dexterity on higher damage weapons would make the subclass even more OP than it already is.
If you like a longsword for thematic purposes then build your character to use it by not dumping strength and you will be fine, actually you will be better than fine, you will be pretty darn powerful. A bladesinger who starts with a 14strength, 16 Dexterity, 16 Intelligence, using a longsword and who optimizes after that will be the most powerful character in combat at most tables. Not as powerful as a bladesinger optimized and dumped strength, but it will still be brutally effective and dominate most parties in combat.
I have to heavily disagree here, yes the Bladesinger is ONE of the strongest subclasses, nobody denies that, but frankly considering that much of that power comes from the fact that it's a wizard and not from the subclass itself (though the subclass does gives some great defensive abilities and Extra Attack is a very good offensive one) i frankly fail to see how giving it more weapon choices would be overpowered, specially considering that i only suggested it for roleplaying/flair purposes.
Secondly, i fail to see how anything i suggested its allowing the Bladesinger access to "higher damage weapons" as you put it, in fact with the restrictions i proposed (more specifically the "cannot have Heavy, Special and Two-Handed properties" section) it reduces the available weapons to only one handed and versatile weapons (and remember that Bladesingers cannot use the versatile property since it would make them lose Bladesong), meaning that most of these weapons will only have up to d8s in damage and Bladesingers already have access to that damage die thanks to Rapiers (and certain items such as the sunsword or moonblade), so realistically NOTHING is actually being changed except the fact that now players would have much more weapon freedom. Plus since this is meant to work like the Monk's "Dedicated Weapon" it means that that: 1. only one weapon can benefit from this at a time, 2. you NEED to have proficiency with the weapon, and 3. you could only do this ONCE per long rest, thus reducing the chance for this to be abused (so think of it this way, Bladesingers get a free weapon proficiency at level 2 that must be a one handed melee weapon, so if you choose lets say a Warhammer, this feature could allow you to actually wield it since now you could use your Dex for attacks and damage rolls with it).
I frankly fail to see how any of this could be problematic, but everyone has their own opinion, so feel free to disagree.
IMO being able to us A Rapier (or A longsword or A warhammer or A shortsword) is a lot less powerful than being able to use any of them and change that with a rest through dedicated weapon.
Having a d8 Rapier as your bladesinger weapon proficiency does you no good if you find a vorpal longsword, if you took Rapier as your proficiency you are still gimmped by lack of proficiency even if you find a sunblade (even though you can use dexterity).
Sunblade or Moonblade is a great example. A bladesinger can not be proficient in one of them and proficient in a rapier at the same time unless they took a feat, multiclass or use a race to get extra weapon proficiencies. So if I want my Bladesinger to eventually use a Sunblade or a Moonblade I can't use my Bladesinger proficiency on Rapier until she finds that Sunblade. I need to use it on longsword and that means I need to go without a dex weapon until I find it.
Mostly though I think this is looking for a solution to something that is not a problem. As I alluded to before you can build a bladesinger with a decent strength and that character will be very effective with whatever weapon you choose to use. You don't need this buff to balance the class. It is not the same as a Monk which is a weaker class to start with, and is still a weaker class after the buff.
I feel that Bladesingers should get a feature like the Monk's "Dedicated Weapon" (preferably as an extra line of the "Training in War and Song" feature) that allowed them to make the chosen weapon to use Dexterity instead of Strength for attack and damage rolls, and have similar caveats as "Dedicated Weapon" (needs to be a Simple or Martial weapon, needs Proficiency on the weapon and must lack the heavy, special and Two-Handed properties), at least this way it would allow a mechanical support to the fluff of Bladesinging styles (and considering how the "Lion style" is supposed to be the original one and it uses a Longsword, this could allow players a way to play that without multiclassing or relying on specific items like the sunsword or moonblade).
Bladesinger is already arguably the most powerful subclass in the game and is the best melee tank other than a bear totem barbarian, and that is with the weapon gimps in place.
Adding the ability to use dexterity on higher damage weapons would make the subclass even more OP than it already is.
If you like a longsword for thematic purposes then build your character to use it by not dumping strength and you will be fine, actually you will be better than fine, you will be pretty darn powerful. A bladesinger who starts with a 14strength, 16 Dexterity, 16 Intelligence, using a longsword and who optimizes after that will be the most powerful character in combat at most tables. Not as powerful as a bladesinger optimized and dumped strength, but it will still be brutally effective and dominate most parties in combat.
I really wish people would stop throwing around MMO terms so casually. A "tank" isn't what you think it is, and it's reckless to keep doing so. Because someone is going to believe you and have a bad time. Never mind that the difference between a D8 and D10 is negligible. Not that a bladesinger can effectively use such a weapon, anyway. Even attempting to wield a versatile weapon with both hands cancels their bladesong. They're effectively stuck at a D8, and there's absolutely nothing wrong with one wielding a longsword.
I feel that Bladesingers should get a feature like the Monk's "Dedicated Weapon" (preferably as an extra line of the "Training in War and Song" feature) that allowed them to make the chosen weapon to use Dexterity instead of Strength for attack and damage rolls, and have similar caveats as "Dedicated Weapon" (needs to be a Simple or Martial weapon, needs Proficiency on the weapon and must lack the heavy, special and Two-Handed properties), at least this way it would allow a mechanical support to the fluff of Bladesinging styles (and considering how the "Lion style" is supposed to be the original one and it uses a Longsword, this could allow players a way to play that without multiclassing or relying on specific items like the sunsword or moonblade).
Bladesinger is already arguably the most powerful subclass in the game and is the best melee tank other than a bear totem barbarian, and that is with the weapon gimps in place.
Adding the ability to use dexterity on higher damage weapons would make the subclass even more OP than it already is.
If you like a longsword for thematic purposes then build your character to use it by not dumping strength and you will be fine, actually you will be better than fine, you will be pretty darn powerful. A bladesinger who starts with a 14strength, 16 Dexterity, 16 Intelligence, using a longsword and who optimizes after that will be the most powerful character in combat at most tables. Not as powerful as a bladesinger optimized and dumped strength, but it will still be brutally effective and dominate most parties in combat.
I really wish people would stop throwing around MMO terms so casually. A "tank" isn't what you think it is, and it's reckless to keep doing so. Because someone is going to believe you and have a bad time. Never mind that the difference between a D8 and D10 is negligible. Not that a bladesinger can effectively use such a weapon, anyway. Even attempting to wield a versatile weapon with both hands cancels their bladesong. They're effectively stuck at a D8, and there's absolutely nothing wrong with one wielding a longsword.
I've never played an MMO, so I don't know what an MMO tank is, but I know what one is in D&D. I have played a bunch of bladesingers, and I have used them as what I call a "tank" - a charcter that goes to the front intentionally gets in harms way and tries to draw as many enemy attacks as possible. They are not only good at this, when optimized for it they are GREAT at it.
You are right, there is nothing at all wrong with a bladesinger wielding a longsword. It is iconic and the current rules support it without the need for any homebrew. Don't dump Strength and pick longsword as your proficiency in training in war and song and you are a bladesinger using a longsword. It is easy to do with the current rules starting at 2nd level.
What I am saying, is there is no logical reason, nor mechanical/balance reason to allow a bladesinger to use dexterity with it when other classes can't. Allowing a Bladesinger to use a Longsword with dexterity would give a Bladesinger an advantage over every other class in the game and there is no reason they need that buff.
Why don't we let a Fighter, Ranger or Cleric use dexterity with a longsword or any 1-handed weapon? The arguments you are making for Bladesingers would certainly apply for those classes too, and they are weaker classes to start with.
I've never played an MMO, so I don't know what an MMO tank is, but I know what one is in D&D. I have played a bunch of bladesingers, and I have used them as what I call a "tank" - a charcter that goes to the front intentionally gets in harms way and tries to draw as many enemy attacks as possible. They are not only good at this, when optimized for it they are GREAT at it.
You are right, there is nothing at all wrong with a bladesinger wielding a longsword. It is iconic and the current rules support it without the need for any homebrew. Don't dump Strength and pick longsword as your proficiency in training in war and song and you are a bladesinger using a longsword. It is easy to do with the current rules starting at 2nd level.
What I am saying, is there is no logical reason, nor mechanical/balance reason to allow a bladesinger to use dexterity with it when other classes can't. Allowing a Bladesinger to use a Longsword with dexterity would give a Bladesinger an advantage over every other class in the game and there is no reason they need that buff.
Why don't we let a Fighter, Ranger or Cleric use dexterity with a longsword or any 1-handed weapon? The arguments you are making for Bladesingers would certainly apply for those classes too, and they are weaker classes to start with.
Yeah, that's a "tank" in an MMO. They manage an often-invisible in-game resource called "threat" to keep the enemy's attention on themselves. The healers and strikers can also generate threat, and everyone needs to work together to throttle so no one overtakes the tank. Because once the tank goes down, a loss is virtually guaranteed.
My issue with applying this terminology to D&D is this isn't how the game is played. You're playing opposite a person, not an algorithm. And just walking up to the front lines with a high AC doesn't make you a tank. You aren't doing anything to draw attention. You're just an obstacle. Keeping the enemy's attention on yourself means making yourself an attractive target. Having a high AC actively discourages confrontation.
Every barbarian can make themselves easy to hit with Reckless Attacks, but they also have damage resistance. Their role is still a striker. They aren't tanks, by nature, not even the Path of the (Bear) Totem. The closest one to a tank is the Path of the Ancestral Guardian. Ancestral Protectors is terrific for playing a tank. Fighters, specifically the Battle Master, can tank with a wide variety of maneuvers. And every paladin can tank with compelled duel.
A wizard with light armor and bladesong isn't a tank. They're just a wizard with atypically high AC, slightly higher mobility, and a bonus to maintain concentration on spells. They're paper lanterns: brilliant targets that go down in a stiff breeze.
This is a mechanically good bladesinger tank build. Although I have to admit, that tanking in D&D wont work the same way it does in MMORPGs, as it will often fail against intelligent enemies. The paladin may provoke the algorithm, but the dragon knows to kill the wizard first. Being a wizard may therefore be the bladesinger's greatest advantage as a tank, as long as the enemy knows this fact, because that way, you can ensure, enemies really attack the bladesinger. On the other hand, of course low HP can be a problem, at least, against attacks where AC doesn't apply.
Personally I think the best potential tank in D&D would be an Ancestral Guardian Barbarian in a wizard's robe with a pike, glaive or helbard that is ornate enough to be mistaken for a staff.
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On the other hand, of course low HP can be a problem, at least, against attacks where AC doesn't apply.
If you want to try to tank you generally don't want to do that with low hit points, so as a wizard you use spells to compensate. You upcast false life and that will give you more total hps than a fighter of equal level. Once you hit 11th level you put another false life at 5th level under a contingency, add in song of defense for when shield or absorb elements spell will not work and you have a HUGE well of damage you can take.
If you do this and use defensive spells you are extremely hard to bring down compared to most characters. You have a ton of hit points, an extremely high AC, good wisdom saves, decent dex saves and you can reduce damage with a reaction if something does get through.
A lot of players seem to want to use bladesingers as strikers using shadowblade, but I do not think they are great in that role and concentrating on shadowblade significantly reduces their defensive capability. Other people want to use them as a more traditional wizard offensive controllers or blasters with a lbetter defense and they do work great in that role )as any wizard would). Mechanically though the subclass is superior as a blocking/tanking character who soaks up enemy hits and uses enemy reactions.
Barbarians are also effective because they take half damage to most damgage and get advantage on dex saves.
Again i heavily disagree since this IS a problem, first this a roleplaying game, as such giving players more flexibility in weapon choice shouldn't really be an issue, if anything it should incentivized considering it could broaden roleplay (plus again the actual subclass has lore that supports such styles), and second with the way i suggested it there is literally NO MECHANICAL BENEFIT to the Bladesinger besides being able to use different weapon types (specially if you take into account the restrictions it would have, as NOTHING of what i suggested is an actual buff in any way shape or form).
So yeah feel free to disagree with me, but i at the very least would like to play a character concept I like without needing to gimp my character in order to achieve it, because lets be honest your idea of a strength build wouldn't work for a couple reasons: 1. you have an objectively weaker character that is even MORE MAD than what Bladesingers already are, that's only mediocre at everything, 2. it forces you to rely on items like Gauntlets of Ogre Power or Headband of Intellect which is not something everyone would be willing to do, and 3. it may just not fit with the character concept the player wants to fulfil (and considering how this subclass has fluff supporting those styles, i fail to see why it would so problematic, specially when other classes do not have the same problem of their mechanics not supporting their fluff).
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There really should be more flails. There were some really awesome ones in older editions that did some Delightful and powerful things that are just more and more forgotten.
If you want to keep it to strength-based weapons, you should choose the mountain dwarf so that you can get the heavy armor feat way earlier than any other subrace could. This is another one of those cases where I think you should just talk to whoever your DM will be, if this is a backup character then leave the option open with a note to your future self. Ask the DM if they could take notice of the flair and cater to it, you could get the best of both worlds by just communicating.
Blade Singing does not work with medium or heavy armor. So it would be pointless to get that at all in the first place, regardless of the ease that it can be done.
Oh god, you're right. My bad.
I feel that Bladesingers should get a feature like the Monk's "Dedicated Weapon" (preferably as an extra line of the "Training in War and Song" feature) that allowed them to make the chosen weapon to use Dexterity instead of Strength for attack and damage rolls, and have similar caveats as "Dedicated Weapon" (needs to be a Simple or Martial weapon, needs Proficiency on the weapon and must lack the heavy, special and Two-Handed properties), at least this way it would allow a mechanical support to the fluff of Bladesinging styles (and considering how the "Lion style" is supposed to be the original one and it uses a Longsword, this could allow players a way to play that without multiclassing or relying on specific items like the sunsword or moonblade).
1) For a single class bladesinger, you better take any weapon with the finesse trait like a rapier, as Dexterity will give you AC and Initiative as well.
2) For a bladesinger with 3 levels battlesmith artificer, you can basically take any one-handed weapon you like, provided you wield versatile weapons like longswords and warhammers with one hand only. In any case, you can rely on your Intelligence for spellcasting, AC and melee attacks. You may still want some Dexterity for additional AC and Initiative, but you can give it a far lower priority than in the case above.
If you choose route 1, you better be prepared, that you will be a wizard first and foremost, with a significant boost to your AC and some weapon skills, but your spellcasting will always be superior to your melee prowess. In the second case, you are more of what is called a gish character, who is equally caster and warrior.
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Sure, you can, but it's boring and only really feasible at high levels that most campaigns don't see. The nice thing about Bladesong is it adds their Intelligence modifier to their AC. Take the pregenerated high elf wizard from LMoP, for example. Their starting array is 8 15 14 16 12 10. It'll be 8th-level before they max out their Intelligence score; assuming they don't improve anything else. They might have 16 Dexterity, once they reach 12th-level, with a feat, or they could just take War Caster. Most games traded by DDB don't get into Tier 3 play, and no official hardcover goes past 15th-level, so this is probably as far as we can assume players will reach.
Even if we assume an even split between the two, they're only at 18s for each by 12th-level. And that means no War Caster. So, is your wizard really a melee combatant? No. They can fight in melee, but they're a wizard first and foremost. Still, they'll have access to 17-18 AC for most of that time. Which, let's be honest, is pretty good. It's certainly competitive.
So, I'm going to suggest a magic item I also recommend for monks: gauntlets of ogre power. That 19 Strength score and ability to use Strength-depentent melee weapons is a major boon. Especially when, if you're tyring to be a melee combatant, the majority of pre-written magic items are longswords.
They're already a gish character. Adding levels of artificer is an added level of complexity they really don't need.
I strongly disagree here. You get a second attack, but otherwise a single class bladesinger's focus is heavily on spellcasting, with some added defensive bonus. I'm not saying that this a bad choice, being a wizard with an extremly high AC and some other class features to counter other wizards' squishiness is not bad. You have the best spellcasting and some good defense, but as far as melee offensive goes, you are mediocre at best, compared to the artificer multiclass version.
As far as the gauntlets go, they are not guaranteed, and you are dependent on your DM's generosity.
When discussing builds, I always assume that the game is going to maximum level (a campaign may end sooner for various reasons, but I would never plan otherwise), unless explicitly stated otherwise.
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Always assuming a 20th-level character seems like a pretty big leap. How is that any more reasonable than assuming access to a common magic item?
What is your strength and dexterity? What you pick is dependant most on your strength and dexterity score.
Assuming your sttrength and dexterity are equal, Warhammer is mechanically the best weapon in terms of raw statistics. It does 1d8 or 1d10 with 2 hands and does bludgeoning damage which more enemies are vulnerable to than piercing or slashing.
In terms of magic items, longsword is the most common and is only a hair behind warhammer in mechanics.
That assumes though you have a strength score that is near your dexterity score.
Bladesinger is already arguably the most powerful subclass in the game and is the best melee tank other than a bear totem barbarian, and that is with the weapon gimps in place.
Adding the ability to use dexterity on higher damage weapons would make the subclass even more OP than it already is.
If you like a longsword for thematic purposes then build your character to use it by not dumping strength and you will be fine, actually you will be better than fine, you will be pretty darn powerful. A bladesinger who starts with a 14strength, 16 Dexterity, 16 Intelligence, using a longsword and who optimizes after that will be the most powerful character in combat at most tables. Not as powerful as a bladesinger optimized and dumped strength, but it will still be brutally effective and dominate most parties in combat.
I have to heavily disagree here, yes the Bladesinger is ONE of the strongest subclasses, nobody denies that, but frankly considering that much of that power comes from the fact that it's a wizard and not from the subclass itself (though the subclass does gives some great defensive abilities and Extra Attack is a very good offensive one) i frankly fail to see how giving it more weapon choices would be overpowered, specially considering that i only suggested it for roleplaying/flair purposes.
Secondly, i fail to see how anything i suggested its allowing the Bladesinger access to "higher damage weapons" as you put it, in fact with the restrictions i proposed (more specifically the "cannot have Heavy, Special and Two-Handed properties" section) it reduces the available weapons to only one handed and versatile weapons (and remember that Bladesingers cannot use the versatile property since it would make them lose Bladesong), meaning that most of these weapons will only have up to d8s in damage and Bladesingers already have access to that damage die thanks to Rapiers (and certain items such as the sunsword or moonblade), so realistically NOTHING is actually being changed except the fact that now players would have much more weapon freedom. Plus since this is meant to work like the Monk's "Dedicated Weapon" it means that that: 1. only one weapon can benefit from this at a time, 2. you NEED to have proficiency with the weapon, and 3. you could only do this ONCE per long rest, thus reducing the chance for this to be abused (so think of it this way, Bladesingers get a free weapon proficiency at level 2 that must be a one handed melee weapon, so if you choose lets say a Warhammer, this feature could allow you to actually wield it since now you could use your Dex for attacks and damage rolls with it).
I frankly fail to see how any of this could be problematic, but everyone has their own opinion, so feel free to disagree.
IMO being able to us A Rapier (or A longsword or A warhammer or A shortsword) is a lot less powerful than being able to use any of them and change that with a rest through dedicated weapon.
Having a d8 Rapier as your bladesinger weapon proficiency does you no good if you find a vorpal longsword, if you took Rapier as your proficiency you are still gimmped by lack of proficiency even if you find a sunblade (even though you can use dexterity).
Sunblade or Moonblade is a great example. A bladesinger can not be proficient in one of them and proficient in a rapier at the same time unless they took a feat, multiclass or use a race to get extra weapon proficiencies. So if I want my Bladesinger to eventually use a Sunblade or a Moonblade I can't use my Bladesinger proficiency on Rapier until she finds that Sunblade. I need to use it on longsword and that means I need to go without a dex weapon until I find it.
Mostly though I think this is looking for a solution to something that is not a problem. As I alluded to before you can build a bladesinger with a decent strength and that character will be very effective with whatever weapon you choose to use. You don't need this buff to balance the class. It is not the same as a Monk which is a weaker class to start with, and is still a weaker class after the buff.
Here's a link to a character idea I had a while back for a Bladesinger, I was going for a slightly different flavour with it:
https://www.dndbeyond.com/forums/d-d-beyond-general/story-lore/110295-robs-unused-character-idea-6-silence-the-mage
I really wish people would stop throwing around MMO terms so casually. A "tank" isn't what you think it is, and it's reckless to keep doing so. Because someone is going to believe you and have a bad time. Never mind that the difference between a D8 and D10 is negligible. Not that a bladesinger can effectively use such a weapon, anyway. Even attempting to wield a versatile weapon with both hands cancels their bladesong. They're effectively stuck at a D8, and there's absolutely nothing wrong with one wielding a longsword.
I've never played an MMO, so I don't know what an MMO tank is, but I know what one is in D&D. I have played a bunch of bladesingers, and I have used them as what I call a "tank" - a charcter that goes to the front intentionally gets in harms way and tries to draw as many enemy attacks as possible. They are not only good at this, when optimized for it they are GREAT at it.
You are right, there is nothing at all wrong with a bladesinger wielding a longsword. It is iconic and the current rules support it without the need for any homebrew. Don't dump Strength and pick longsword as your proficiency in training in war and song and you are a bladesinger using a longsword. It is easy to do with the current rules starting at 2nd level.
What I am saying, is there is no logical reason, nor mechanical/balance reason to allow a bladesinger to use dexterity with it when other classes can't. Allowing a Bladesinger to use a Longsword with dexterity would give a Bladesinger an advantage over every other class in the game and there is no reason they need that buff.
Why don't we let a Fighter, Ranger or Cleric use dexterity with a longsword or any 1-handed weapon? The arguments you are making for Bladesingers would certainly apply for those classes too, and they are weaker classes to start with.
Yeah, that's a "tank" in an MMO. They manage an often-invisible in-game resource called "threat" to keep the enemy's attention on themselves. The healers and strikers can also generate threat, and everyone needs to work together to throttle so no one overtakes the tank. Because once the tank goes down, a loss is virtually guaranteed.
My issue with applying this terminology to D&D is this isn't how the game is played. You're playing opposite a person, not an algorithm. And just walking up to the front lines with a high AC doesn't make you a tank. You aren't doing anything to draw attention. You're just an obstacle. Keeping the enemy's attention on yourself means making yourself an attractive target. Having a high AC actively discourages confrontation.
Every barbarian can make themselves easy to hit with Reckless Attacks, but they also have damage resistance. Their role is still a striker. They aren't tanks, by nature, not even the Path of the (Bear) Totem. The closest one to a tank is the Path of the Ancestral Guardian. Ancestral Protectors is terrific for playing a tank. Fighters, specifically the Battle Master, can tank with a wide variety of maneuvers. And every paladin can tank with compelled duel.
A wizard with light armor and bladesong isn't a tank. They're just a wizard with atypically high AC, slightly higher mobility, and a bonus to maintain concentration on spells. They're paper lanterns: brilliant targets that go down in a stiff breeze.
This is a mechanically good bladesinger tank build. Although I have to admit, that tanking in D&D wont work the same way it does in MMORPGs, as it will often fail against intelligent enemies. The paladin may provoke the algorithm, but the dragon knows to kill the wizard first. Being a wizard may therefore be the bladesinger's greatest advantage as a tank, as long as the enemy knows this fact, because that way, you can ensure, enemies really attack the bladesinger. On the other hand, of course low HP can be a problem, at least, against attacks where AC doesn't apply.
Personally I think the best potential tank in D&D would be an Ancestral Guardian Barbarian in a wizard's robe with a pike, glaive or helbard that is ornate enough to be mistaken for a staff.
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If you want to try to tank you generally don't want to do that with low hit points, so as a wizard you use spells to compensate. You upcast false life and that will give you more total hps than a fighter of equal level. Once you hit 11th level you put another false life at 5th level under a contingency, add in song of defense for when shield or absorb elements spell will not work and you have a HUGE well of damage you can take.
If you do this and use defensive spells you are extremely hard to bring down compared to most characters. You have a ton of hit points, an extremely high AC, good wisdom saves, decent dex saves and you can reduce damage with a reaction if something does get through.
A lot of players seem to want to use bladesingers as strikers using shadowblade, but I do not think they are great in that role and concentrating on shadowblade significantly reduces their defensive capability. Other people want to use them as a more traditional wizard offensive controllers or blasters with a lbetter defense and they do work great in that role )as any wizard would). Mechanically though the subclass is superior as a blocking/tanking character who soaks up enemy hits and uses enemy reactions.
Barbarians are also effective because they take half damage to most damgage and get advantage on dex saves.
Again i heavily disagree since this IS a problem, first this a roleplaying game, as such giving players more flexibility in weapon choice shouldn't really be an issue, if anything it should incentivized considering it could broaden roleplay (plus again the actual subclass has lore that supports such styles), and second with the way i suggested it there is literally NO MECHANICAL BENEFIT to the Bladesinger besides being able to use different weapon types (specially if you take into account the restrictions it would have, as NOTHING of what i suggested is an actual buff in any way shape or form).
So yeah feel free to disagree with me, but i at the very least would like to play a character concept I like without needing to gimp my character in order to achieve it, because lets be honest your idea of a strength build wouldn't work for a couple reasons: 1. you have an objectively weaker character that is even MORE MAD than what Bladesingers already are, that's only mediocre at everything, 2. it forces you to rely on items like Gauntlets of Ogre Power or Headband of Intellect which is not something everyone would be willing to do, and 3. it may just not fit with the character concept the player wants to fulfil (and considering how this subclass has fluff supporting those styles, i fail to see why it would so problematic, specially when other classes do not have the same problem of their mechanics not supporting their fluff).