Base Class: Ranger
Swordmages are powerful spellcasters who blended martial combat with magic. These rangers trained alongside wizards to develop their skills. Wielding swords enchanted with spells, swordmages were powerful foes to cross, hardened through years of training in the melding of spell and blade.
Blade and Magic
At 3rd level, you learn two cantrips of your choice from the wizard spell list. You learn an additional wizard cantrip of your choice at 10th level. In addition when your Spellcasting feature lets you learn a new ranger spell of 1st level or higher, you can choose the new spell from the wizard spell list or the ranger spell list. You must otherwise obey all the restrictions for selecting the spell, and it becomes a ranger spell for you.
You can use an arcane focus, such as a crystal, orb, rod, staff or wand as a spellcasting focus for your spells.
Starting at 7th level, when you cast a ranger spell using the arcane focus, your next weapon damage roll deals additional force damage equal to twice the level of the spell cast. Only one spell at a time can increase the damage of your weapon attack.
Aegis
As a bonus action, you weave a ward of abjuration around your forearm creating an aegis, and mark a creature you can see within 30 feet of you. For one minute, that target creature suffers a -2 penalty to its attack rolls made against creatures other than you, and you gain +2 to all your attack rolls against it. The aegis gains additional effects based on the type you choose; pick one of the following, either assault, ensnarement, or shielding.
You must have a free hand or be holding an arcane focus to use an aegis. You can change the type of aegis you use when you finish a long rest. Your aegis can be dispelled from a creature with dispel magic, and is treated as a spell with a level equal to your proficiency bonus.
You have two uses of this ability per long rest. At 11th level, you gain a third use, and the penalty to the target's attack rolls increases to 3, as does your bonus to attack rolls against the marked creature.
Aegis of Assault
If the target of your aegis is within 30 feet of you and deals damage to a creature other than you, you can use your reaction to teleport to an unoccupied space adjacent to it and make one weapon attack against it. If there is not an unoccupied space available, this fails.
Aegis of Ensnarement
If the target of your aegis is within 30 feet of you and deals damage to a creature other than you, you can use your reaction to teleport the marked target to a solid surface in an unoccupied space within 10 feet of you, and you have advantage on your next attack roll against it. If there is not a solid surface, or unoccupied space available, this fails.
Aegis of Shielding
If the target of your aegis is within 30 feet of you and deals damage to a creature other than you, you can use your reaction to reduce that damage by an amount equal to your ranger level + your Wisdom modifier.
Twisting Arcana
Starting from level 7, you can use a bonus action to teleport to an unoccupied space you can see within range. The number of feet you can teleport is equal to 10 times your Wisdom modifier.
Once you use this feature, you can’t do so again until you finish a long rest, unless you expend a spell slot of 2nd level or higher to use it again.
Abjurer of Magic
At 11th level your body is in touch with the arcane, granting you abilities to negate the effects of magic. You learn counterspell and dispel magic. They count as ranger spells for you, and don't count agains the total number of spells you know.
When you cast an abjuration spell that requires you to make an ability check as a part of casting that spell, (as in counterspell and dispel magic), you gain a bonus equal to that check equal to your Constitution modifier (minimum of 1). Additionally, once per turn, if you’ve already taken your reaction, you can take an additional reaction to cast counterspell, when you see a creature within 60 feet of you casting a spell.
Unrelenting Aegis
At 15th level, you wield sword and magic expertly together, strengthened by your aegis. When you use your action to cast a cantrip or spell, you can make one weapon attacks as a bonus action at the target of your aegis.
Additionally, when the target of your aegis deals damage to any number of creatures other than yourself, it takes force damage equal to your Wisdom modifier for each creature damaged.
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Posted Feb 8, 2024It is intended that it does work, yes, similar to how College of Spirits Bard (VRGtR) functions with its spiritual focus. I can see this is not made clear though and will edit the wording, or perhaps functionality all together.
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Posted Feb 8, 2024Quick question. The 7th level ability to gain a damage bonus for casting spells with a focus. Does that apply to spells that don’t have the M component?
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Posted Feb 8, 2024Thanks for commenting :) That's a smart idea!
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Posted Feb 7, 2024I like the design but would alter aegis slightly. They should gain one use per long rest at 3, 5, 11, and 17 mirroring a cantrip progression.