C'mon people, the Blade wont stand a chance
1st, He'll struggle badly to even hit a properly armored Swashie, who should no doubt have -25 AC at the very least (probably more bonuses to individual damage types). The Swashie wont have that same problem even if figthing a Blade in defensive stance, with his +8 THAC0 bonus which will grant him warrior-like THAC0. Any illusion spells the Blade tries to throw up will be dispelled in mere seconds by the Swashies permanent and almighty Detect illusions ability, thus denying the Blade of any kind of advantage that Imp Invisibility, Blur, Mirror Image or Mislead would offer.
You put up PfMW? Ok, so I'll stay away for four rounds. I can do that as many times as I need. Not only can I run, but I can also hide with my permanent stealth. You put up Stoneskin? I'll use Whirlwind and slam FoA +5 in your face. You think you can slow me? Good luck slowing a player who knows how to avoid non-targetted AoE spells and moves at quadruple speed
You use Imp Haste? Well with your THAC0 vs my AC, good luck killing me on criticals
You could use Tensers Transformation to get your Chance to hit up to maybe 20-25%, but that leaves you with zero magical back-up for the duration of the spell, and I think we all know how badly a Swashie owns a Blade in pure melee.
The bottom line is that every single advantage that a Blade has over a Swashie comes from a very limited source which a smart player can easily outlast, while every single weapon and counter-measure a Swashie has against a Blade, is permanent and unextinguishable. The Blade might be able to hold his own for a while, but he'll perish in the long run.
Oh and btw, this might be another "Acid trap? No piercing trap! No Acid trap!" thing, but Stoneskin stops the physical part of the thief traps just fine, it can even halt the poison (which I believe is actually physical damage as well) that follows in the next few rounds.
[ 03-31-2003, 09:42 AM: Message edited by: Rataxes ]