I have very fond memories of a certain 3.5 edition class, the Duskblade. I know, I know, "But Tom! There's Eldritch Knight, and Bladesinger, and the Unearthed Arcana has the Hexblade now! 5e is practically saturated with gishes!" But to me, all these things are more or less an "X who can also Y" kind of deal. Primarily one thing, while having some modicum of proficiency in the other. I'm looking for something that is a more perfect marriage of the arcane and martial, and I disliked trying to superimpose this once-standalone class as a new subclass that fits within another class's chassis.

So, I developed a new class. And I included 3 archetypes. And now I'd love to hear what this community has to say about it. You're very likely to see a mix-and-match of things from a lot of the current gish-esque classes out there, including Bladesinger, Paladin, Hexblade, and even the Arcane Trickster. I'm most curious how you think the class scales and compares to other classes, both source material and UA stuff. I'm also hoping to get some input on how people think the three subclasses appear to compare to each other. After initial playtesting, I haven't seen any major issues.

As an aside, this work is the culmination of my initial work, and rewrites/edits for clarification etc., with input from two of my friends, Dave Rich (who, if you use Fight Club, you have probably heard of) and Jon Nolen.

And now, without further ado, I present my 5th Edition Duskblade. Thanks!

I love it.  1/2 spellcasting starting at 1st level is, in my opinion, brilliant.  Sorry I don't have any helpful input. 

 Nice work. i think it needs 1d10 hp per lvl and a little bit more at lvl 3 for the first two order's. 

Well done, I particularly like the way that Vicious Strikes and Steadfast Defense mirror each other. However, I have a few suggestions:

1) To solve the second problem Mr_ditchus points out, and to make it so that the Protection style isn't useless for a whole level, I would suggest moving Orders to first level. That way you gain shield proficiency from Abjurant Champion before you choose Protection.

2) Instead of restating the whole ability for the Roguish Magic feats, I would suggest only saying the part that changes, so Adept would read "In addition, the bonus to your spell save DC from the Roguish Magic Initiate feature increases to +2" and Master would read "Beginning at 20th level, you may use your Roguish Magic feature an unlimited number of times on the same creature." That way you don't have to wade through the requirements for each feature to find the pertinent information.

All together, though, very well done.

Mr_ditchus:  Thanks very much for taking the time to read, and thanks for your input. At this time, I'm confident in the d8 hit die, primarily because of the fact that this class is more of a spellcaster than the other martial half-casters, i.e., the Ranger and Paladin. The Duskblade, by comparison, has access to cantrips and additional spell slots, which I feel balances out the lower hit die; this is more of a combat utility hybrid class, and I think his other features make him much more a fit for a d8 than the martial classes' d10.  In addition, while I also considered whether the Spellsword and Abjurant Champion should get an additional benefit at their 3rd level feature, I consider the fact that their ability essentially gives them one-third of the War Caster feat, that is, the ability to cast spells with somatic components while either wielding a two-handed weapon like the greatsword (which is, to be honest, what I envisioned when creating the Spellsword archetype) or a weapon and shield for the Abjurant Champion. I felt this was a fair perk at 3rd level, not really any more or less powerful than the Beguiler's expanded spell list.  Again, however, thank you so much for reading, and for your input.

Nalced37:  And thanks very much to you, as well!  You're actually the second person to recommend that I move the first Order feature to 1st level, and for the exact same reason.... You're very likely right, and I will start tooling with it to correct the awkwardness you pointed out. At first, I chose to ignore it out of stubbornness, but I think it bears looking at again. My first thought is to move the Order features to 2nd level, and move the Arcane Strike feature to 3rd. I think this configuration helps to keep the class from getting too heavily front-loaded in the first 2 levels compared to other classes, and I feel like there should be something cool to look forward to at 3rd level, which is a mini-capstone for a lot of other classes.  Also, I appreciate your pointing out the unnecessary repetition of the text in the descriptions of the Beguiler's Order features. Of course you're right, and I'm smacking myself for overlooking such a simple fix.

Thanks to everyone who has read, and especially to those who have commented. I'm very glad to see that, so far, it seems to have been worth all the hours of edits and rework. :)

Arcane Strike is my only sticking point at this point, it seems way too strong.  Either the damage amounts needs to be strung out over multiple levels or something to adjust its damage curve, because the flat 2d6 force and on top of that the d6's for the spell levels means you can just ignore dealing damage with spells, they just become consumable melee attacks.  Certainly early on the damage the Duskblade will be dishing out will be much higher than any low level class I have experienced.  A very minor change but also go with the 'once per turn or bonus action' to trigger it.

I would suggest fewer cantrips known (they are not a full on spell caster so why should they learn as many cantrips as pure caster classes) so at the first few levels they only have their one backup cantrip.  You should probably also drop one or two spells known (this guy gets to know more spells than a sorceror) besides it is assumed you will using a decent number of spell slots for other uses than spells themselves.

I would also suggest moving your extra attack or the quickened spell to 7 to keep the progression from being too 'peaky' at certain levels (if you look at most classes if they have a 'dead spot ie no new stuff' they are getting a new spell level or something similar) I would argue the extra attack again because they are not a primary fighter, but the quickened casting could move as well.  Basically level 5 is too strong, class feature, extra attack, and spell level is too much.

Your save proficiencies are str and dex which I would also argue you should have one physical stat and one non-physical.  Probably Dex (elves right?) and Int (caster stuff), Dex is one of the better saves to have proficiency in as well (gotta dodge them fireballs especially if you set it off right in an enemies face with you Arcane abilities, if you wanna live).

Suggestion for the Arcane Strike would be to have it start at d6 force +spell level * d6 (reduced strength at lower levels.  With a miss take half the spell levels rounded UP and deal that many d6 in damage.  Furthermore at levels 7, 13, 18 add an extra d6 of force damage to the base part of the attack (helps scaling at higher levels).  Gives you something to burn your low level spells on as an alternative to always doing Arcane Channeling.  

I was not focusing on the subclasses so I may check back into them.

 Overall I like it, I like it a lot.  I think this is a well made update for the Duskblade   

Clarity for Arcane strike

For the naming of the Order of the Beguiler, can it just be Beguiler Initiate, Adept, Master or something similarly simplified.

I think the damage of the Spellsword will be similar to rogue with sneak attack, the AbjuChamp is a tank with defensive rage, and is probably too strong (i think you can get up to 30 AC with its Steadfast Defense for a minute) especially in conjunction with the Savant feature. The Beguiler might be the weakest of the three and may deserve to be given a sixth level spell slot as some kind of compensation seeming as Primordial Ward is a Sixth Level spell for the AbjuChamp.  

Roguish Magic Master could add gain two level 6 spell slots at 20 and have the option of Mass Suggestion, Otto's Irresistible Dance, Programmed Illusion, True Seeing, and maybe Find the Path.  Find the Path isn't a wizard spell but it would fit with the need to report back your findings as a Duskblade if it were imperative.  

As for the AbjuChamp I think your full Int bonus to AC during steadfast is a wee bit too much, I would say half bonus rounded up, so +1 up to +3.  For the Abjuration Savant feature you should just give "In addition, any spell that also requires Concentration has their duration increased by a minute." they have a steady mind good at focusing but I don't think some of the long duration spells should get doubled.

 And a closing remark, do they get the Eldritch Knight Spell List or perhaps the full Wizard Spell List I was not clear on that, and considering how heavily this class relies on spells it should give 2/3 spell level for the purpose of multiclassing.

Order of the Spellsword - The best way to get rid of that which threatens us is to kill it, kill it with stabby arcane fire.

Order of the Abjurant Champion - The best way to fight for our cause is to become the rock that others can rally to, oh and don't die.

Order of the Beguiler - The best way to root out enemies is to infiltrate and exterminate from within by causing confusion and panic.

or something like that rolls through my head.

HeroZero:  Thanks so much for really going in-depth and discussing! I hope to be able to address some, if not all, of the things you mentioned in my text below. I apologize if I get a bit verbose and prattle on; I'll try to keep my paragraphs short.

Speaking to Arcane Strike, the text should read such that the additional force damage upon using it is +2d6 for a 1st level spell slot, and an additional d6 damage for every level above 1st (so, +3d6 for a 2nd level slot, +4d6 for a 3rd level slot, and so on). In this way it should essentially mirror the Paladin's Divine Smite, but with a few things to balance it out. These being that (1) the damage die is lower (this is due to the fact that force damage is almost universally not resisted, vs radiant which is by some creatures); (2) the player does not have the option to say that they are using the ability only when they know they hit (unlike with the Paladin's DS, with my Duskblade's Arcane Strike it is possible to miss; the d6 force damage on a miss was a conciliatory act in order to minimize the pain of expending a spell slot to absolutely no effect); and (3) there is no "Improved" version as there is with the Paladin's DS, so that even the Spellsword's improved damage dice is somewhat mitigated if comparing the two. In addition, I did not include a damage cap for Arcane Strike like there was for the Paladin's Divine Smite; I may, in the future, find that there should, in fact, be one upon further play-testing....

I set the class's number of Cantrips and Spells Known to equal the Warlock's. I felt this was fair, as both of them are d8 spellcasting classes with additional features to help them serve other functions; the Warlock can be more utilitarian, whereas the Duskblade is more combat-focused. Double-checking the PHB, my Duskblade would not, in fact, get to learn more spells than the Sorcerer; I apologize if somehow I mis-read something, but I think the Sorcerer ends up at level 20 knowing 15 spells (as do the Warlock/Duskblade), and gets to that cap 2 levels earlier (17th level versus the Warlock's/Duskblade's 19th level). This, in addition to the fact that the Sorcerer gains access to 6th through 9th level spell slots, I felt helps to balance this out, but I can take another look.

I decided on giving this class Strength and Dexterity saving throws, so as to mirror the Monk and Ranger classes; both these classes are somewhat "martial," but also have a secondary important stat (in their case Wisdom), which lets them perform other functions, and sets their ability save DCs. My Duskblade (before taking subclasses into account) is more kindred with these two classes, so I felt it appropriate to give the same saving throw proficiencies.

I can agree with you that the class gets quite a few abilities at 5th level, and to be fair spreading out the class's features ended up being somewhat of a chore. Looking at it, the main bonus is getting Extra Attack (and thus another potential use of Arcane Strike), and 2nd level spell slots, much the same as the Paladin gets during his progression. I think that the Quickened Casting, in its 5th level form of being a once-per-day ability, isn't all that groundbreaking, especially considering that it could only be used with a 1st or 2nd level spell, and the game's rules still preclude this from allowing you to cast 2 spells in one turn.

I was concerned that, with 5e's bounded accuracy, the AbChamp's bonuses to AC might be a bit much.... I disagree that the + Int bonus to AC is too much, because the Wizard's Bladesinger gets this ability, in addition to extra movement, +Int to Concentration saves, etc... especially considering the Bladesinger gets access to this at 2nd level whereas the AbChamp here must wait until 11th level. This aside, I did take a look at what the AbChamp's maximum potential AC could be, and I came up with the following:  If the AbChamp was a Variant Human, and at 1st level took the Medium Armor Master feat and started with 16's in Dexterity and Intelligence, then at 4th level and 8th level put their ASI points in Intelligence for a 20 by 11th level, and presumably purchased Half Plate by this point (reasonable enough), their AC would look like this:  Half Plate AC = 15 + DEX (max 3) for 18, +2 for a shield. Using Steadfast Defense, they would get a +5 bonus from having 20 Int, for an AC of 25 for 1 minute. If they then cast the spell Shield of Faith from the Duskblade's spell list (their only Abjuration spell that grants a bonus to AC), that would give them an additional +2, and they could use one of their uses of Abjuration Savant for an additional +2 (half their proficiency modifier at 11th level). This would result in a total AC of 29, lasting for 1 minute or until they are incapacitated. So, I suppose that if you built your character around trying to maximize that temporary AC bonus, you could, indeed, get quite well up there. I would argue whether this is better than the abilities and spells that the Bladesinger gets access to in order to increase his survivability, but there you have it. There is also nothing about the AbChamp that gives them boosts to saving throws against area of effect abilities/spells or crowd-control abilities/spells, and that was very intentional. There are more ways to incapacitate someone than just by hitting them with a bunch of attack rolls.

For the Beguiler, I did struggle with the nagging concern that perhaps his abilities didn't quite measure up to the other two archetypes. This was a key reason I gave them the additional Saving Throw proficiency, the "expertise" in Stealth and Thieves' Tools (specifically with Stealth to aid them in using their Roguish Magic feature), and the ability to Hide as a bonus action on their turn. In addition, the fact that they have no limits on how often they can use their Roguish Magic feature (except how many spell slots they have), I think helps with balancing them out with the other two, who have further restrictions on how often they can use their abilities. Also, they can use their Roguish Magic feature with their cantrips for essentially unlimited uses, just with the caveat that they can only target a specific creature once per 24 hours until they reach 20th level. In addition, the ability to increase your spell save DC is something that I feel is fairly potent all on its own... it performed quite well during my play-testing; I'd need further feedback from other, more objective people though.

I apologize, there should be a Duskblade spell list at the end of the PDF document showing what spells they have access to. It was a grab-bag of spells from the Wizard and Paladin spell lists that I felt were appropriate.

Also, I very purposefully limited their Multi-class spellcasting feature; it was a conscious choice to minimize creating an unbalanced monstrosity. I have not done any play-testing to check for this class's vulnerability to munchkin-y nonsense with multi-classing, but this was a preventive measure to make the option less appealing. Despite the cantrips and additional slot per spell level (a throwback to the 3.5e version of the class), the Duskblade is still a half-caster. Narrative-wise, you can think of it as if the Duskblade decides to devote himself to learning additional abilities/fighting styles, he "dilutes the currency," so to speak, of his prowess as a Duskblade in favor of expanding his focus to other methodologies.

I apologize for the wall-of-text.... I hope I was able to address some, if not all, of your concerns. I'm very glad you liked the iteration I've come up with, and I hope that people may get a chance to enjoy playing one for themselves, if their DM is so inclined. I also like your synopsis for each of the Archetypes; they're quite fitting. Thanks again for taking the time to read, and for your in-depth review!

I am far from one to judge about walls of text.

Arcane Strike - I had not even considered that resistances to force are few and far between, makes more sense then for how you have the damage set up for it.  Makes it more worthwhile in later game as well, I feared it might not be a useful ability later in levels where resistances to many elements are more common.  Still think maybe one more d6 added to the base damage at one of the higher levels would be worth considering.

Spells Known - Sorcerer can learn 15 same as Duskblade, the Sorcerer has to spread this out over 9 levels, so most levels would have two spells with a couple having only one.  The Duskblade has the same number over fewer spell levels, so you will have 3 spells known for every level, you can make a comparison to Eldritch Knight but you have so many more spell slots available I don't think it would be a fair comparison.  Is three spells per level just right, high, or low I think I need to see the planned spell list for that.

Level 5 - If it's not that game breaking then move the Quickened casting you pretty much just said its not that great so spread the love, let people get something on most of their levels, having dead spaces SUCKED in 3.5 it kills the feel of progression.

AbjuChamp - If you take a single level in Fighter, or a feat to give you heavy armor proficiency you are at 20 with Full Plate with your shield, + 5 from max intellect, +7~ from Shield Spell if you use it,  32, and the extra +7 you are using as a reaction with the shield spell so you only use it when you need it.  That is pretty potent, are there any other spells that have + to AC from Abjuration in the spell set you chose?  I compared the AC bonus to barbarian rage and feel it should convey a similar level of benefits, +5 AC is really large in DnD 5e +3 is still a lot.  Just because +5 AC makes sense for a light armor class does not mean it will make sense for a medium armor class, especially when you have additional abilities that are intended to stack.

Roguish Magic - The more I hear that name the less I am inclined to like it.  Actually thinking of how most bonuses have been done in 5e you should just give advantage (or enemy disadvantage) on the spell rather than increase spell DC and I would argue not continue the bonus past the first round, this would probably be more in line with how the game is intended to play as I do not recall seeing many abilities that modify spell DC's at all.  This idea was something new but perhaps worth consideration.  The spell slot idea would probably make even more sense in this particular case.

Multiclass - You are right for the spell levels, as for munchkin effects a lot of that is taken care of by smoothing out the classes power curve so there aren't any 'natural' stopping places (like additional attack, addition spell level, and additional class feature).

Forgot something else I was going to mention, For the first level of the order ability, I feel like level one is a good choice, matches thematically as well since they are learning directly from their teacher and so would be the same order as them.  Move natural Quartermaster to 2nd level and Arcane strike to 3rd.

First you will learn spells and our Order.  Second you will learn to fight and maintain your gear.  Third you will infuse your magic into your combat style.

I look forward to the spells.

This came up the more I thought about it, You have a martial/arcane class, and you think the appropriate choice for save proficiency should not have intellect as one?  That just sounds super dumb to me.  They had to train their mind to learn their spells and they are weak with their intellect?  that... just doesn't sit well with me.  Monks having strength and dexterity makes much more sense in that they train their bodies a significant amount so it would make sense their physical skills are both strong.  Duskblade is supposed to be a 50/50 fighter/mage or close to it.  Please make the saving proficiency match.

Comparing the Bladesinger ability to the AbjuChamp is not a good comparison

Bladesinger is a lightly armored d6 HD with no shield (not even sure if they can cast during it, although I will assume yes since it is not explicitly stated otherwise) a +5 just brings them up to the point where they are suddenly a dodge tank of sorts, squishy but hard to hit.

AbjuChamp medium armored d8 HD with a shield (and the possibility of Heavy Armor) definitely able to cast spells during theirs.  This guy is always hard to hit, and even if you do hit will probably not when they use Shield spell, and become an un-melee-able monster when in their stance and some spell slots are available.

Here is Revision 1 of my 5e Duskblade:  5e Duskblade Rev 1

Update Notes:  I've received a lot of good feedback on this class, and I'd like to give a huge thanks to everyone who's done so. I've given a lot of consideration to everyone's notes and concerns, and I've made the following changes:

• The Duskblade's saving throw proficiencies have been changed from Strength and Dexterity, to Dexterity and Intelligence. [This change I made with the most reticence, but I'm willing to at least see how others view the change. That aside, Intelligence saving throws are less common than even Strength ones, and in the end is somewhat more thematically appropriate. I'm hopeful to hear others' thoughts.]
• The first Duskblade Order feature was moved from 3rd level to 1st; the Natural Quartermaster feature was moved to 2nd level; and the Arcane Strike feature was moved to 3rd level.
• The Arcane-Infused Strikes was moved from 6th to 7th level to remove one of the "dead" levels. [In addition to removing a dead level, I realized the Duskblade's Arcane-Infused Strikes is actually more potent than the Monk's Ki-Empowered Strikes, since the Monk's feature only applies to his lower-damage-die unarmed strikes. It is more sensible that a more potent version of a class feature kick in at a later class level, even if only one higher.]
• The Spellsword archetype's Vicious Strikes and the Abjurant Champion archetype's Steadfast Defense number of uses has been modified, from 2 uses per SR/LR (or, reasonably up to 6 uses per adventuring day) to 2 uses per LR. [This was done more so with the concern that the Abjurant Champion's Steadfast Defense ability might be too strong. Though it is worded identically to the Bladesinger's Bladesong feature, does less, and is gained 9 levels later, it's true that the Ab-Champ's higher hit die and higher base AC couldn't be ignored. By reducing the number of times the Ab-Champ can use this feature by 67%, I feel that the comparison is, once again, much more balanced. The mechanics of the feature themselves I otherwise stand by.]
• The Beguiler archetype's Roguish Magic Adept and Roguish Magic Master features were reworded for brevity and ease of reading.

As an aside, this should be a 9-page PDF document, and the Duskblade class Spell List should be located on page 8. Please let me know if it does not show up for some reason. Thanks again to everyone for your thoughts and recommendations!