OK, so I'm trying to come up with a potential new charactor for my next game. I'm leaning toward a staff magus - I've never used staves before and would kind of like to try, and playing a new class will be a nice change of pace.
So, I need two things: suggestions for personalities, and suggestions for how to build him combat wise. I kind of like the idea of a warrior who actually has a collection of magical staves strapped to his back at all times, but unless our group has no dedicated wizard, I don't see this being feasible. If it is, I was entertaining the idea of either taking a cohort to craft staves for me later, or become a traveling crafter.
I'm guessing all races are options at this point, so long as I avoid major min/maxing and anything that's obviously broken.
The Magus Guide is a good place to start.
In very general terms, the main shtick of the Magus is "hitting people with shocking grasp." You can try other spells, but shocking grasp is really where it is at. You can also be a "Maneuver Magus" and combine true strike (with Wand Wielder) and your staff to have nearly irresistible maneuvers. Basing your character around actual magic staves is tough, as the published ones tend to be quite expensive, full of spells you won't want, and such high level that you have to wait a long time to get your first one.
Hope that helped, at least a bit.
I've seen the guide. Build wise I'm looking for more advice on the particular archtype. How best to build around using a quarterstaff as a weapon? Should I go TWF? Disregard the weapon and aim for a strength build?
As for charactor ideas, I'm trying to flesh out a personality too. I'm thinking maybe a fetchling - I like the idea of a wise man of the wilderness - perhaps a hermit who's joined up with some adventurers for some reason, or a traveling salesman... I like the mystery but want to avoid becoming the anti-social guy of the group. Hrrm.
TWF is very tough for a Magus, even a Staff Magus. Your arcane pool only enhances one side of a double weapon, and you can't combine Spell Combat with off-hand attacks. Staff Magus gets a little boon from "Staff Weapon," but you will soon run into the problem that there are precious few CL 16+ staves, and no CL 20 ones (meaning your enhancement bonus will be stagnant, not to mention lack of other abilities). Going TWF also makes you MADer than a straight Strength Magus, and will end up eating a lot of precious feats. While it isn't a terrible, unplayable choice or anything, but there just isn't a lot of reason to recommend it.
So, If I go staff magus, I should probably pick up crafting feats for staffs. Also, strength builds are my friends, and probably metamagic feats. Expect to be a second class fighter when I run out of spells?
Are you permitted 3rd party material? If so, you really want to check out the Super Genius Games Product New Magus Arcana It has a way to allow you to wield a weapon twohanded with spell combat as an arcana, and I believe even a way to two weapon fight. Would likely be very helpful in your concept.
Hmm, there's a couple there that'd be pretty nice actually. And I don't necessarily have to get every TWF feat (considering 3/4 BaB progression...) Enruned great weapon, and TWF would basicly make me effective enough to get by for a while.
It's a tough choice though, as two weapon fighting would still effectively require a high dex, strength and Int, and I'd take a -4 to even my primary attacks when I use spell combat (-2 when I don't.) It might be more beneficial just to go the straight strength > Int > Dex build unless I get really lucky rolling stats.
You could consider a 1 level dip into Admixture Wizard, it would grant you the ability too shift shocking grasp to other energy types several times per day, thereby bypassing electrical resistant/immune if you run into them.
And for you it also grants you two feats (in a way) Craft Arms/Craft Staff. If you make your staff your bonded item, you can craft weapon on it at lower levels and then turn it into a magic staff at higher levels. Unless you are restricted to book items only, it will also allow you to eventually craft a CL 20 staff.
As for TWF you really don't need it, you can effectively TWF now with Spell Combat every round, just use one of the following to get yourself a cantrip that you can cast all day (use Arcane Mark is the popular cheesy one, Spell Blending Arcana to get Touch of Fatigue, Close Range Arcana to use Ray of Frost). Then you can TWF via Spell Combat/Spellstrike all day long.
Mort, I'm not sure that the magus enchant doesn't work on both ends of a double weapon. When I read the rules they don't seem to specify one way or the other, is there some official errata/post/FAQ on it somewhere?
Well, the downside of that is you can only use one spell using spell combat - which effectively gets you a second attack, but that's it. With TWF, you could theoretically get a third, but it's not worth it unless you have some pretty crazy stats to support the MAD build.
I think touch of fatigue would be my goto to be honest, but I cant see using an Arcana to get some wizard cantrips being worth it.
Admixture wizard seems like a thought, but I don't see it being worth an extra level of waiting on spells. I'm drooling at the thought of the bonded staff ... are there no other ways to gain a bonded object that a magus could use?
Eldritch Heritage could work, if I can get decent Charisma. I might have to work something out with my GM to transform a quarterstaff into a magic stave at level 11 or so since I'd be transforming one type of bonus into another... Which at that point I might as well just become a crafter and use the feats to benefit the group and potentially turn a profit.
I guess I need to touch up on my item creation feat knowledge. Can I use scrolls and such to craft staves without knowing all the spells on the list? Hrmm...
You can use scrolls but you need a lot of them, you basically cast the spell every day while crafting, so you would need 1 copy of the scroll for every day. It is easier to just ignore a spell requirement or two and suck up the +5 DC if you can, or have a party member cast it for you in a joint crafting venture.