First post. He links to it. The blue text.
Great work although i have a request make:
Can you please make the guide downloadable as a .pdf file?
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Great work although i have a request make:
Can you please make the guide downloadable as a .pdf file?
I can save it as a .pdf and then email to you if you'd like. Just message me with an email address and I'll send it over.
Do keep in mind that this is still being refined and the copy you read now will differ slightly than what you read in a week or two.
Great work although i have a request make:
Can you please make the guide downloadable as a .pdf file?I can save it as a .pdf and then email to you if you'd like. Just message me with an email address and I'll send it over.
Do keep in mind that this is still being refined and the copy you read now will differ slightly than what you read in a week or two.
Thank you very much.
I think that i will be waiting for the final version of the guide.
While not the damage dealer the "traditional" magus is, the whip magus could be a lot of fun.
Here's my take on a battlefield control magus using a scorpion whip:
Half-Orc, Beastmaster alternate racial trait
20 pt build: 17 Str, 16 Dex, 12 Con, 14 Int, 8 Wis, 8 Cha
1 - Combat Expertise
3 - Improved Trip
4 - Maneuver Mastery (Trip)
5 - Fury's Fall
5 - Weapon Finesse
7 - Serpent's Lash
7 - Close Range (or Arcane Accuracy)
Con is a little low so put all your favored bonuses into HPs and stand behind the front line fighters. Take advantage of the 15 foot reach and Serpent's Lash to set up your allies for attacks of opportunities. At 9th lvl, take Greater Trip for even more fun. Trips are attacks, so use Spellstrike to add insult to injury.
Wand Wielder + Wand of Vanish + Spell Combat = very frustrating opponent.
Hahaha. Yeah, that's pretty frustrating at first. But then, glitterdust, see invisibility, invisibility purge, true seeing.
By the time you have the resources to blow on that, your enemies will be equipped to handle it. It's better as a low-level boss fight IMO. But even then, you'd have to give players options to thwart it, or else you break the rule of fun.
Yeah it's best used around level 3~5 honestly -- it eats odd resources without really killing PCs quickly. It hurts more when they are thinking slower.
It's a shame Piranha Strike cannot be used with a scimitar, excluding it from dervish dance builds. But It could be useful with a rapier, critical focused build.
Just a quick note, casting from a wand or staff does not provoke a AoO. Makes the wand rcna a bit more useful than you credit them for.
Actually, I'm running a medium-magic game (no casters with full spell progression). And most of them went divine or martial. Nobody has glitterdust, see invis, etc.
So a wand of invisibility magus could be a pain in the neck even at 10th level.
I wonder how they'd handle it. They've dealt with some pretty ridiculous things before, so I know they CAN. But I'm interested to see how.
Wow... very impressive upgrade speed...
I like your rating of archetypes. They have nice fluff, but mechanically aren't so great in normal wealth games (all but Hexcrafter save money).
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Few things I disagree with:
1st) I think Halflings are brown/green for Dervish build (they seem to still been rated with only str build in mind).
2nd) Flame Arrow is blue spell for me, if the party has archer & it hasn't fire specialized sorcerer (witch is usually the case). The spell basically makes bow Flaming, the ability can be spread upon more party members & its only for wizard, sorc & mags and those other 2 have usually better things than you to do with spells. Also duration is nice especially with Lesser Rod of Extension.
3rd) Keen Edge is also a good (Green for me) spell, if you don't have Improved Critical. Again with Lesser Rod of Extension it lasts for hours and lets you have one +1 (or something) more in your weapon when using Arcane Pool to echance it. Keen Edge is also so hard to get (though not as hard as Flame Arrow as Inquisitor also gets it), that its ok to assume your job to throw it to other party members weapons also. Note that it is different to cast Greater Magic Weapon and then Arcane Pool to Keen ; versus casting Keen Edge & using Arcane Pool to get bonuses (other than duration of the spells):
This spell functions like magic weapon, except that it gives a weapon an enhancement bonus on attack and damage rolls of +1 per four caster levels (maximum +5). This bonus does not allow a weapon to bypass damage reduction aside from magic.
Arcane Pool doesn't have that limitation.
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Loving the guide so far! Just curious about your description of the Arcane Strike feat...
i thought that it only provided a Bonus to Damage, and then only for 1 round. Or is this an errata to the feat that i don't know about?
Also, i'm curious as to why you rate ALL of the archetypes so lowly... They all seem to give as much as they take. Hexcrafter seems like a good deal, Bladebound is my favourite, i do agree that spellblade is lacklustre, but staff magus is awesome! i wouldn't use one personally, but he gets quite a lot, and you can still take celestial mail for the price of one feat for proficiency (1 feat for an effective +5 AC over leather? Yes please!)
Also, for magic items, I just like to throw the Rings of Wizardry in for consideration, and for feats, i've seen Eldritch Heritage mentioned a bit, to take the Arcane Bloodlines' Arcane Bond (might be a choice for half-elves as they get the Skill Focus for free!). Whether it's worth it, i don't know, but if i can throw in my 2 cp...
Fixed Arcane Strike, good catch.
As for the archetypes: I am playing a Bladebound atm and having a lower arcane pool at level 10+ makes the class pretty rough around the edge. I'm aware the difference is only 2 points at level 10, but it's still a decent amount. What is gained by the class is pretty cool, however, especially unbreakable and teleport weapon. I suppose I could rate them higher, but, unless there's some input from the community, I just haven't heard enough from people / played them enough to give them anything but a general rating.
Magic item wise I'll update accordingly, thanks!
1st) I think Halflings are brown/green for Dervish build (they seem to still been rated with only str build in mind).
I'll re-evaluate them. +2 to the main stat and +1 to hit and AC is nothing to be ignored. One problem I'd still have with them is that you're less likely to get power attack, or at least you'd need a strength of 15 to do it.
2nd) Flame Arrow is blue spell for me, if the party has archer & it hasn't fire specialized sorcerer (witch is usually the case). The spell basically makes bow Flaming, the ability can be spread upon more party members & its only for wizard, sorc & mags and those other 2 have usually better things than you to do with spells. Also duration is nice especially with Lesser Rod of Extension.
Upgraded to green. I'm trying to reserve blue for the "must have for X build" spells.
3rd) Keen Edge is also a good (Green for me) spell, if you don't have Improved Critical. Again with Lesser Rod of Extension it lasts for hours and lets you have one +1 (or something) more in your weapon when using Arcane Pool to echance it. Keen Edge is also so hard to get (though not as hard as Flame Arrow as Inquisitor also gets it), that its ok to assume your job to throw it to other party members weapons also.
Agreed and updated.
I'd rate blade bound green. The loss of the arcane pool is offset by the gaining of the blade's pool (which is used as free actions not swift actions!) and it saves a fair to decent chunk of change in exchange for a low level arcana. (And to be honest, there's not a ton of Arcana that are really that impressive yet.) Finally it gives a few abilities you just can not get any other way than through it. Its not a must have, but its not going to negatively impact the character for taking it. (Pretty much my ideal archetype definition).
I'll up him to green. As I said, I'm playing a Bladebound one now and he is a lot of fun. I'm just regretting the loss of my arcane pool... but still, my weapon does do a lot of cool stuff. I cast invisibility on it and threw it into a room and used it to scout around for me before I teleported it back. Stuff like that.
Wow... very impressive upgrade speed...
Thanks! It wouldn't be updated without all the comments coming in though, so keep em coming.
I'm at work for the next 8 hours, but I'll check back here and update more after that. Thanks again fellow pathfinders!
On the Archetypes:
Staff Magus -- Needs to be green. You can take weapon specialization at 3rd level in quarter staff. The quarterstaff gives you lots of options -- one handed for spell combat, two handed for rounds you don't spell combat and if you are really crazy two weapon fighting. It also saves you money, spells and arcana points. Lots of them. Remember a simple staff of fire is going to be a +2 weapon for you -- in addition to still being a staff of fire. You can also recharge staves faster, you can charge them with a spell slot... then have the arcana which lets you charge them with points. Nothing says you can't do both on the same day. Quarterstaff Defense is well worth it. Think about it you enhance the staff to +5... and now you have a +5~+8 shield bonus too. You get a two for one special out of your arcane pool: how can you say no to that? Yes you give up medium and heavy armor -- that just means you can use more Dex... which helps your touch AC. Celestial armor is perfect for this guy. At worse you've given up fighter equivalency levels... but what were you really going to use those for?
Hexcrafter -- Again underrated. There are several hexes that help you on the rounds that you cannot use spell combat -- like when you have to move. Magus has little healing ability... this can suddenly be improved. Also you still get spell recall -- you simply get it later and don't get the improve spell recall. Evil Eye is a great standard action Hex for a Magus -- it can help your spells succeed more often (giving a -2, -4, or -6 to their save throw), hit more often (penalty to AC) or not get hit as often. Flight is useful, as is Hoarfrost, as is Retribution. For your Grand Hex consider Life Giver, Forced Reincarnation, or Summon Spirit. The Hexes are based off of intelligence will have a good save DC (unlike your spells) and you can't run out. Don't consider this a replacement -- consider it another choice -- unlike the witch you can simply grab the best of both the hexes and the arcana. Heck you can even get healing or greater healing hexes if you want.
Spellblade -- Never forget that any off hand weapon is automatically a main hand weapon if you don't have another weapon. Spellblade means you are always armed with a force weapon (meaning ghost touch for free). Also if you spend your arcane pool to enhance your main weapon you also enhance your dagger for free. If you want to two weapon fight the spellblade is an awesome choice. You can choose if you want to two weapon fight or cast a spell on that round without dropping the weapon. Spell strike is nice -- but if you stick to spells that aren't touch attacks (and you have a lot of them) then this is an excellent choice.
As for the archetypes: I am playing a Bladebound atm and having a lower arcane pool at level 10+ makes the class pretty rough around the edge.I have a question on the bladebound.
Am I correct in assuming that one cannot enchant these normally? For example if I want holy or spell storing on it?
-James
That is how I read it also. How would the enchantments affect to its ego? What would be the cost? If however you are allowed to also personally enchant Black Blace, the acrhetype is much stronger.
I think Halflings are brown/green for Dervish build (they seem to still been rated with only str build in mind).I'll let someone else deal with the rest, but halflings get a bonus to a dump stat, are small size and thus have to deal with small weapons, and have a lower base speed. Definitely not green. Probably not brown.
Lets start case halfling:
1) Smaller weapons (smaller Scimitar) means -1 damage with Dervish build. On the other hand +1 to hit & AC trumps that easily, especially during later levels (during witch you barely notice d6->d4)
2) +2 to Cha, -2 to Str is only going to hurt you before you get Dervish = level 3. Then you are as good as Human or half-elf in the attributes.
3) Mobility: Magus have Ride as a class skill, Dervish Dance can be done riding and 1 rank to ride is enough for use of 2 hands during combat (need to get ride check 5). Later small size gets a bonus for fly checks.
4) Halfligs can get +1 to critical confirmations from racial trait (witch is important to Magus), if they choose not to take +2 to perception.
5) +1 to saves or +1 AC against enemies larger than you is also very good
6) Power Attack is not worth taking for 1 handed combatants, if you get a lot of static bonuses (in this case what you get with Arcene Pool & what the weapon might hold on its own = Holy). That is unless you have to strike through DR... and that Magus does by enchanting his Scimitar with Arcane Pool. In fact the guides str build doesn't have PA and the Devish doesn't qualify for that (even having it).
A reduced elf is a much better choice than a halfling. And a reduced halfling has no reach.
I agree. However that takes a spell to accomplish. Plus I'm not trying to argue halfling being better than elf, but trying to put it between dwarf and half-elf (and better than gnome).
As for the archetypes: I am playing a Bladebound atm and having a lower arcane pool at level 10+ makes the class pretty rough around the edge.I have a question on the bladebound.
Am I correct in assuming that one cannot enchant these normally? For example if I want holy or spell storing on it?
-James
I think this is going to be a GM call. The Black Blade does not have a standard ego progression but nowhere does it definitively state it cannot be enchanted.
Another thing to note on metamagic rods.
Using a rod occupies a free hand. Which means that the rod can not be used for a spell cast in spell combat.
Unless said rod is also your mace.
Alright a bit longer thought about archetypes (why I think they are all weaker than basic magus):
Bladebound
A very cool archetype that I could play because of the fluff. But how does it crunch numbers wise?
Blade bound gets Black Blade & reduced Arcane Pool in exhange for a single Magus Arcana. Lets assume normal magus picks familiar (Blade Bound can't get that). If you think there would be a better choice available, then Bladebound archetype is weaker than presented here.
Arcane Pools by level, without magus' int bonus [Normal maguses pool, Bladebounds pool, Black Blades Pool, Bladebounds+Black Blades pool together]
3rd level: 1, 1, 1, 2
4th level: 2, 1, 1, 2
5th level: 2, 1, 2, 3
6th level: 3, 2, 2, 4
7th level: 3, 2, 2, 4
8th level: 4, 2, 2, 4
9th level: 4, 3, 3, 6
10th level: 5, 3, 3, 6
11th level: 5, 3, 3, 6
12th level: 6, 4, 3, 7
13th level: 6, 4, 4, 8
14th level: 7, 4, 4, 8
15th level: 7, 5, 4, 9
16th level: 8, 5, 4, 9
17th level: 8, 5, 5, 10
18th level: 9, 6, 5, 11
19th level: 9, 6, 5, 11
20th level: 10, 6, 5, 11
So Bladebounds+Black Blades pool together is runnig a bit ahead of normal magus. However the Blades pool is much weaker:
Alertness (Ex): Familiar gets also you this
Black Blade Strike (Sp): Well this is the best of the Blades abilities and the real selling point of Bladebound. +1 damage at 3rd level, +2 at 4th level, +3 8th level, +4 at 12th level, +5 at 16th level, +6 at 20th level. But I would rather take +1 AC or +2 to a save witch I get from familiar at the early levels and 1-2 times Extra Arcane Pool on top of that at the later levels also.
Energy Attunement (Su): Can be ok against incorporeal creatures (force), but really blows Arcane Pool from the blade
Transfer Arcana (Su): If you want to use the pool on the normal magus tricks you have to wait until level 13 (Transfer Arcana). In this case Bladebound however receives so little that he should have been staying on the normal side.
Spell Defense (Sp): Nice, but you have to know you are about ot be targetted with a spell.
Life Drinker (Su): Very good ability, but comes a bit late. Second selling point of Bladebound
In general Black Blades enchantment bonus runs with Greater Magic Weapon - witch Magus can cast every day (cost is basically 1 point from Arcane Pool after 11th level). Cost of that is that magus can't enchant (or have enchanted for him) weapon with other abilities, witch is HUGE.
Also as written Black Blade isn't always totally loyal witch makes an additional liability - on the other hand Teleport & Unbreakable abilities reduce the chance of being sundered / disarmed.
All in all I wouldn't recommend Black Blade in optimatization sense (=brown for me).
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Hexcrafter
Giving up your unique and good ability to play weak (assuming you don't prioritize the Int as much as Witch) when you could be for example zapping wands? Remember that the most powerful stuff for witch also is his spells and hexes are just for the normal days.
At level 11 you can use Arcane Pool to get spell you want, but the cost might be 2 Arcane (=feats worth) more than planned recall.
But yeah doesn't totally screw magus, so brown could be also ok.
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Spellblade
If Throw Athame was a bit different, I could see a potential for thrower build here. Now this Archetype just screws magus as he can't attack twice with his main weapon anymore during Spell Combat. In order to rate this higher than red I would like to see a build.
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Staff Magus
Quarterstaff Master (Ex): So you can use d6 dealing weapon that crits on 20 in one hand. Very bad deal. Early Weapon Secialiazation is ok, but you are giving up 18-20 crit range witch is more than Improved Critical does. As the criticals are important for magus I would take Improved Critical before Weapon Specialiazation for magus any day, so at 3rd level Staff magus is more than one feat down.
Quarterstaff Defense (Ex): Since Staff build must be a str build this isn't a very good trade. Especially since magus can cast (or throw from wand, if you want to save spells) Shield.
Staff Weapon (Su): By getting a magical Staff you get also a weapon that is about as good as Greater Magic Weapon (at best... staves are expensive and generally don't have high caster levels). Meaning not good at all, since you can't enchant abilties you want to it.
Oh and you can't shoot a bow in addition to all that. I'd say this archetype is red.
Riku you are very funny -- a Magus using a bow... hahaha what will you think of next?
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Amulet of Natural Armor does stack with Natural Armor.
Selective Spell does not work with Black Tentacles.
I'll errat it to state that it stacks with Natural Armor, but not any other N.A. enhancement bonuses.
Selective Spell (APG) **: Prevents AOE spells with an instantaneous duration (blast spells) from effecting your allies. I wish it applied to Black Tentacles.
A reduced elf is a much better choice than a halfling. And a reduced halfling has no reach.I agree. However that takes a spell to accomplish. Plus I'm not trying to argue halfling being better than elf, but trying to put it between dwarf and half-elf (and better than gnome).
Updated.
@ Everyone: Lets keep this discussion about the Archetypes going, I'm going to put a little "under construction tag" on the archetype section atm as I revise and update it based off what we discuss here.
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Selective Spell (APG) **: Prevents AOE spells with an instantaneous duration (blast spells) from effecting your allies. I wish it applied to Black Tentacles.
In the feat you did indeed note that. But in the spell itself you noted that it was even better once you had Selective Spell.
Black Tentacles **** - Anyone familiar with Order of the Stick (comic #20) knows that this spell dominates, especially after level 10 when you qualify for Selective Spell. Before then, you can risk getting grappled yourself... unless you cast Fly earlier and are directly above the target you want to melee with. Learn this and use it wisely (i.e. whenever you can). Now watch me shamelessly plug this spell throughout half of the other level 4 spells.
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Selective Spell (APG) **: Prevents AOE spells with an instantaneous duration (blast spells) from effecting your allies. I wish it applied to Black Tentacles.In the feat you did indeed note that. But in the spell itself you noted that it was even better once you had Selective Spell.
Black Tentacles **** - Anyone familiar with Order of the Stick (comic #20) knows that this spell dominates, especially after level 10 when you qualify for Selective Spell. Before then, you can risk getting grappled yourself... unless you cast Fly earlier and are directly above the target you want to melee with. Learn this and use it wisely (i.e. whenever you can). Now watch me shamelessly plug this spell throughout half of the other level 4 spells.
I tip my hat to you sir, fixing that now.
*tip hat*
Riku you are very funny -- a Magus using a bow... hahaha what will you think of next?
I think Dervish magus is one of the best switch hitters currently. You never have situations when you like to (=enemies have severe disadvantages in ranged combat, for example T-Rex) or are forced to (=enemy is faster than you) ranged combat?
Lets assume two chars:
1st) Fighter level 10 (likes to use 2h Sword)
Str: 22 (enchanced)
Dex: 14
Weapon Training to Heavy Blades 2, to Bows 1
Equipment 2h Sword +2, Master Crafter Composite Longbow with +6 str
Attack bonus with sword: 10 (BAB) + 6 (str) + 2 (Weapon Training) + 2 (Weapon Focuses) + 2 (weapon enchantment) - 3 (Power attack) = 19
Damage with Sword: 7 (2d6 the basic damage) + 9 (str) + 2 (Weapon Training) + 2 (Weapon spec) + 2 (weapon enchantment) + 9 power attack = 31
Attack bonus with bow: 10 (BAB) + 2 (dex) + 1 (Weapon Training) + 1 (master craft) = 14
Damage with bow: 4,5 (d8) + 1 (weapon specialization) + 6 (str bonus) = 11,5
2nd) Magus level 10 (likes to use Dervish)
Str: 10
Dex: 22 (Enchanced)
Equipment: Scimitar +2, Long Bow ; Uses Arcane Pool to take Flaming, Frost & Shock to Scimitar ; In long range +1, Flaming and Frost to bow.
Attack bonus with sword: 7 (BAB) + 6 (dex) + 1 (Weapon Focus) + 2 (weapon enchantment) - 2 (Spell combat using Arcane Mark) = 14
Damage with Sword: 3,5 (d6) + 6 (dex) + 2 (weapon enchantment) + 11,5 (Flaming, Frost & Shock) = 22 (times 2 attacks = 44).
Attack bonus with bow: 7 (BAB) + 6 (dex) + 1 (enchantment) = 14
Damage with bow: 4,5 (d8) + 1 (enchantment) + 7 (Flaming and Frost) = 12,5
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Seems to me fighter trumps magus in melee fight (especially clear, if you add Haste), but loses in ranged combat.
Plus I'm not the only one who thinks its a good idea for a magus to carry a bow, since its blue on guide and I didn't recommend that.
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Riku you are very funny -- a Magus using a bow... hahaha what will you think of next?I think Dervish magus is one of the best switch hitters currently. You never have situations when you like to (=enemies have severe disadvantages in ranged combat, for example T-Rex) or are forced to (=enemy is faster than you) ranged combat?
** spoiler omitted **
Plus I'm not the only one who thinks its a good idea for a magus to carry a bow, since its blue on guide and I didn't recommend that.
I think it's a good idea for every class to carry a ranged weapon, and longbows are the best with martial proficiency, correct?
I think it's a good idea for every class to carry a ranged weapon, and longbows are the best with martial proficiency, correct?Riku you are very funny -- a Magus using a bow... hahaha what will you think of next?I think Dervish magus is one of the best switch hitters currently. You never have situations when you like to (=enemies have severe disadvantages in ranged combat, for example T-Rex) or are forced to (=enemy is faster than you) ranged combat?
** spoiler omitted **
Plus I'm not the only one who thinks its a good idea for a magus to carry a bow, since its blue on guide and I didn't recommend that.
sling staff FTW over bows !
Thank you qutoes -- Yes I prefer the sling over the bow for the magus -- and several other characters too. You get the strength bonus easier and have the other hand free for other choices, (like an anthame to stab people with when the close).
The sling is cheaper, easier less 'handy' and has most of the same advantages. Yes it is a smaller damage dice -- but that's hardly a huge worry.
I don't consider spell strike to be that huge of a bonus -- I really think most people here are giving it much more hype than it deserves and there are much better spells on the list to cast.
Of course I'm also not sold on the idea of not having Intelligence as a primary stat.
I've personally been doing fine with the following stat build (it is a tiefling):
Str 14 Dex 14(12) Con 14 Int 18(16) Wis 8 Cha 8
I went with arcane accuracy and have not regretted it at all. If I could I would rebuild into a staff magus -- I use celestial armor anyways (free fly spell per day) and could use a shield bonus of +8 instead of just +4 -- especially since it also means I have a nicer weapon too and I don't have to spend spells or points in order to gain that bonus. Now I'll readily agree I'm not getting all the Dex bonus out of my armor that I can... but that's part of the point, I still have room to improve and am sitting on a +9 armor bonus and +6 shield bonus while still having a +3 weapon that I can use one handed... or two handed. Please note that simply having a non-magical staff in hand means I'll have a +3 shield bonus if something odd were to happen.
My back up weapon is indeed a sling as it uses less space.
Now the spellblade -- he's going to require a specialized build or a campaign that values equipment independence. I'm not saying he's green or blue -- but I don't think he's worse of the worse either. Again not for someone new or uninterested in thinking but not the worse choice in the world either.
Personally I would call Staff Magus at least even -- personally I think he's ahead for a lot of reasons -- yeah he's not going to get critical happy but he can really use the dex builds and here is something else -- with wand wielder you can wield the staff in the off hand, use it for spells and still attack with a different weapon.
Black Blade is also probably even -- he actually gets you more arcane points back than you spend and people are ignoring the damage type options he gives -- being able to choose to do all your damage as a specific type of energy is very helpful -- so the guy has DR 200/epic? I don't care since all my damage this round is force damage -- oops he's not immune to that now is he? Ghost getting the party down? Not when that force damage lands, and those devils and demons are going to hate sonic damage that ignores their DR and energy resistances. Granted you can't do it all day -- but you can do it. Also intelligent items give some particular options to play with too.
And it has excellent damage options when you want to Nova -- having your arcane pool spent to make it a +5 weapon then have it spend a point to give it +5 to damage and use arcane strike to give another +5 to damage. Suddenly you have +15 to damage before power attack and the like. Life Drinker is rather nice too.
Also I'm not so sure the ego progression isn't fairly standard honestly -- I think that drivel about a 'special' progression is just that -- drivel hoping people don't actually double check and realize it's almost spot on.
Hexcrafter like I said gives you options -- options are never a bad thing. yeah you can't spell recall as earlier as you wanted... but honestly that's what pearls of power are for anyways -- use your arcane points for stuff pearls of power can't do.
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A couple of notes:
According to HeroLab, Arcane Strike doesn't stack with a Magus' ability to enhance his/her weapon. It won't even let you select it as feat. Whether this is just their interpretation, or whether they have some inside knowledge is unknown. Just something to keep in mind.
Even with an Elf Magus, I doubt most Dex based Magi will spend the points on Str to qualify for Power Attack, especially considering that for the cost, the character can boost Will saves by one (with one point left over).
Wand Wielder deserves a bump to at least green. Even at full price, a 3rd level character should be able to afford two 1st level wands. True Strike, Grease, Vanish, Color Spray, and Shocking grasp are all good choices even with the dismal saves from the wand. Their primary function being to save spells until truly needed in order to allow the Magus to Nova against BigBad encounters, the forte of the class. Forcing a SoS save every round, even a low one, while also attacking should not be underrated. Also, don't forget that while a first level Shocking Grasp wand only adds 1d6, it allows for the combination of Spell Strike and Spell Combat to add an additional attack with the Magus' weapon.
EDIT: Just noticed that the guide mentions that spells cast from a wand can't be used with Spell Strike. I was under the impression that they could. If not, then drop Shocking Grasp from the list of recommended wands. The rest of the advice still stands, however.
Touch of Fatigue should get a shout out on Spell Blending, since it allows for unlimited casting and therefore unlimited bonus attacks with SS/SC.
In reference to Knowledge Pool, I doubt that the intention was allow the Magus to effectively add every single Magus spell to his/her spell book, effortlessly. The ability does specifically say "cast," so I'd expect an errata. Just something to keep in mind.
I think Combat Casting is under valued. Losing a spell even every fifth round can be devastating, especially against a BigBad.
Conversely, I think Arcane Accuracy is over valued. It sounds great, but it is a real drain on a limited resource.
The Lunge feat might also deserve a mention, especially for builds without Combat Casting. The AC hit is annoying, but being able to step out of AoO range of an opponent and still get all attacks delivered, even touch spells, is a pretty significant advantage for a Magus, especially one with a lower Concentration roll.
A section on tips for resource management would probably be a welcome addition. The Magus is the ultimate "nova" class, but resource management is key to being able to pull it off. Burning even a single APP point in every "mook" combat quickly adds up.
Good Luck with the guide.
The sling is cheaper, easier less 'handy' and has most of the same advantages. Yes it is a smaller damage dice -- but that's hardly a huge worry.
Yes, sling (or javelin or spear) is better choice for low levels ranged weapon for many chars. However at slightly higher levels at least in games I've played getting composite longbow with str no one else wants hasn't been a problem. Althoug not a great big deal it is still a disadvantage. Composite longbow has better range and gains from haste.
I don't consider spell strike to be that huge of a bonus -- I really think most people here are giving it much more hype than it deserves and there are much better spells on the list to cast.
Yeah, usually spell strike is used to spam Arcane Marks. However reduced crit range is bad for all melee characters. Wand Wielder gives Scimitar builds some additional damage once you can afford a wand though.
Now the spellblade -- he's going to require a specialized build or a campaign that values equipment independence. I'm not saying he's green or blue -- but I don't think he's worse of the worse either. Again not for someone new or uninterested in thinking but not the worse choice in the world either.
Not having Spell Strike also means no two attacks with the same weapon using Spell Combat (=no spamming Arcane Marks). I think that makes the Archetype horrible.
Black Blade is also probably even -- he actually gets you more arcane points back than you spend and people are ignoring the damage type options he gives -- being able to choose to do all your damage as a specific type of energy is very helpful -- so the guy has DR 200/epic? I don't care since all my damage this round is force damage -- oops he's not immune to that now is he? Ghost getting the party down? Not when that force damage lands, and those devils and demons are going to hate sonic damage that ignores their DR and energy resistances. Granted you can't do it all day -- but you can do it. Also intelligent items give some particular options to play with too.
And it has excellent damage options when you want to Nova -- having your arcane pool spent to make it a +5 weapon then have it spend a point to give it +5 to damage and use arcane strike to give another +5 to damage. Suddenly you have +15 to damage before power attack and the like. Life Drinker is rather nice too.
Also I'm not so sure the ego progression isn't fairly standard honestly -- I think that drivel about a 'special' progression is just that -- drivel hoping people don't actually double check and realize it's almost spot on.
When Bladebound gets +5 to damage from Black Blade, the normal magus should have at least +1 holy weapon (Usually a lot better, since because Magus is getting multiple hits with one weapon & having great defensive spells like Mirror Image, its a good choice to use a LOT of treasure to your weapon). Anyway long story short in that case normal Magus is doing better damage all day than Bladebound in nova mode. But this is in my opinion the best archetype, and in low money campaigns, or when you can't buy / make your magic items, or if your GM allows you to enchant Black Blade further, this a very good.
Hexcrafter like I said gives you options -- options are never a bad thing. yeah you can't spell recall as earlier as you wanted... but honestly that's what pearls of power are for anyways -- use your arcane points for stuff pearls of power can't do.
Yeah options are always good, and I would be willing to raise the status of this archetype to brown.
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So assuming normal option is green my rating would be:
Bladebound: Brown
Hexcrafter: Brown
Spellblade: Red
Staff Magus: Red (I really don't see what you see in this and happy to hear more)
Assuming normal option is blue my rating would be:
Bladebound: Green
Hexcrafter: Brown
Spellblade: Red
Staff Magus: Red
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Power attack can reasonably be set off until later levels -- you are going to want it, simply not right away.
Also at earlier levels weapon specialization matters a lot more than power attack will, especially for one handed weapons.
I'll try to do a post up later on the staff magus more specifically.
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Wand Wielder deserves a bump to at least green. Even at full price, a 3rd level character should be able to afford two 1st level wands. True Strike, Grease, Vanish, Color Spray, and Shocking grasp are all good choices even with the dismal saves from the wand. Their primary function being to save spells until truly needed in order to allow the Magus to Nova against BigBad encounters, the forte of the class. Forcing a SoS save every round, even a low one, while also attacking should not be underrated.EDIT: Just noticed that the guide mentions that spells cast from a wand can't be used with Spell Strike. I was under the impression that they could. If not, then drop Shocking Grasp from the list of recommended wands. The rest of the advice still stands, however.
Added. It's funny, in my PFS game our wizard just got his wand of Grease and it stopped a party wipe last night.
In reference to Knowledge Pool, I doubt that the intention was allow the Magus to effectively add every single Magus spell to his/her spell book, effortlessly. The ability does specifically say "cast," so I'd expect an errata. Just something to keep in mind.
Indeed, if an errata comes it will be changed.
The Lunge feat might also deserve a mention, especially for builds without Combat Casting. The AC hit is annoying, but being able to step out of AoO range of an opponent and still get all attacks delivered, even touch spells, is a pretty significant advantage for a Magus, especially one with a lower Concentration roll.A section on tips for resource management would probably be a welcome addition. The Magus is the ultimate "nova" class, but resource management is key to being able to pull it off. Burning even a single APP point in every "mook" combat quickly adds up.
Yes and yes, both are good calls. Thanks for the comments!
@ Everyone: I'm going to expand the archetype sections to include the discussion going on atm, so refresh periodically. Ratings will likely be removed and changed to simply "alternate options." Each will be detailed with their pros and cons, but give no hard rating at the moment. As we come to more of a consensus on the value of each archetype, ratings will likely return to represent that.