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Buba68 Offline OP
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For a non-grimderp plathrough I'm mulling over playing an Elistraee-Sworn Drow/Halfdrow.
How to best recreate a Sword Dancer - Fighter? Paladin? Cleric? Bard? Multiclass?

Last edited by Buba68; 12/07/23 06:30 PM.
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Buba68 Offline OP
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I think I'm slowly making up my mind smile
As Eilistraee's favoured weapon is the Longsword a Dancer would not benefit from Dueling Style - granted by Sword Bard - because depictions of the Dark Maiden show her double-handing her bastard/longsword.
The choice of weapon kills off thoughts being a DEX combatant.
Hence my latest idea is to start with one level of Fighter, for Great Weapon Fighting as, to my understanding, it works with Versatile Weapons used in two hands.
And immediately switch to Bard.
Either Lore (as I like knowing things :)) or Sword - the latter for the Blade Flourish which IMO fits the Deadly Dark Dancer theme.

Last edited by Buba68; 15/07/23 03:26 PM.
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Thinking about something similar, played a character like this back in the days of 2nd edition AD&D...

For BG3, if you're set on the longsword your plan looks reasonable. If you switch to bard immediately, take sword or valor, because they get extra attack at class level 5 or 6. Or go 5 levels fighter and then switch, so you get a fighter subclass and some class features like extra attack and action surge etc.
If you're not set on the longsword you'd have way more options. Scimitar for example with the sword bard. Could also get some levels of Paladin for some smites etc. Really a lot of possibilities to build a gish. But for the sword dancer some form of Bard seems a must hehe

Cheers.

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Buba68 Offline OP
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Thanks for the support.
If not for my current "Deity's Favoured Weapon" fixation I'd had gone with Valour, a Sword&Board Dex build - in this case - Rapier and Board smile

But as this is what comes to my mind upon mention of Eilistraee
[img]https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/f...cale-to-width-down/290?cb=20210531061740[/img]

I do not find it shield compatible smile
Also, I assume that it simply is easier to prance about with a bastard sword than a rapier&shield combo.

So Sword College is most probable, the plan being switching at 2nd lvl, and thus gaining 2nd attack at "game level" 7 - 1 Fighter + 6 Bard levels.
Valour is not that attractive - she is no skald, collecting stories, she is making her own song of blade and dance and kicking ass for goodness smile

A Paladin/Bard mix would be good too, but Paladins are not Chaotic enough for my taste. And the Dark Maiden is CG (party girl!!!!11) to the core.
As you remember 2ed days you know that Elves had to be Chaotic - Neutral at best, and Paladins were LG Humans only.

Last edited by Buba68; 15/07/23 06:52 PM.
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the girls are cleric and the fighters / thief or very rearly Wizard are guys... i've never seen a pally but some of the head girls could be cleric - pally or even cleric - druid

there isn't a rule so much as you would clearly be the odd person of their group and so perhaps got freed from a slave pen or married into the group


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I looked a bit more into this. The following is from several wiki pages,
a collection from second edition "Demihuman Deities" and third edition "Faiths and Pantheons".

Quote
"Sword Dancers of Eilistraee

Specialized clerics are known as Sword Dancers of Eilistraee. They are excellent dancers and have the ability to use the sword in a unique fashion: through an agile, acrobatic and almost artistic swordplay, they can fight in such a graceful way to resemble a dance. To become a Sword Dancer, a drow has to spend at least 1 month on the surface, dancing each moonlit night for Eilistraee, and has to witness dawn at least once. The sword dancers lead the missions to find, help and protect any drow looking to return to the surface (or that can be made to return) and join a different life. They are skilled diplomats, especially active near elven and other races' settlements, working to establish peace and cooperation between the drow and the surface dwellers.

These priestesses also have various unique magical powers, granted to them by their goddess. They can form a particular bond with their sword, which allows them to infuse the weapon with Eilistraee's magic. They can imbue it with a variety of magical enhancements, let it sing like a singing sword (making them strike with increased precision and rallying their hearts), or let it dance (like a dancing weapon) to attack the enemy on its own or to protect the priestess.

The Sword Dancers have the ability to cast the magic missile spell, or to use its energy to empower their next sword strike, surrounding their blade with blue-white flames. They can also use their magic to temporarily enchant a bladed weapon with a silvery glow that increases the precision of its strikes, without the possibility of it being dispelled.

The Sword Dancers can sing and dance to channel the power of Eilistraee, and have the ability to sing their magic even amidst the chaos of the battle, while dodging and dancing around or while wounded. This magic is known as Spellsong. They can also manifest Eilistraee's moonfire at will.

Other magical abilities of these specialized priestesses were the capacity to cast spell turning, commune, true seeing, stone telling and plane shift. "

So with all this in mind i think we have to multiclass with cleric as base (war domain?), have decent charisma and then go into sword bard and maybe also sorcerer. But what about all the fighter goodies.. It's a tough build to pull off in 5e/BG3. smile

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Buba68 Offline OP
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Thank you for the exhaustive write up.
Recreating ALL of that is IMO simply not possible, I strive for approximation.


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