Fighter / Wizard Wizard / Figher

So... where's that argument on whether Fighter/Wizard or Wizard/Fighter is better? Following along on the comments in the blog, I was promised brimstone.

Real talk though. It seems offhand that a Fighter/Wizard is (shockingly) a Fighter that has a little more utility, maybe a shield at low levels.

It appears that Wizard/Fighter is the way to go for a "magical swordsman". Does anyone have similar/ differing experiences?

I am currently trying to recreate an Elf (hunter) Eldritch Archer, and comparing Wizard/Fighter and Fighter/Wizard. For now I only managed to create first level with the two builds, and here is what I noted :

• The Fighter/Wizard (FW) has 4 more Hit Points than the Wizard/Fighter (WF)
  
• FW's stats are STR 10, DEX 18, CON 10, INT 16, WIS 10 and CHA 12 while WF's stats are STR 10, DEX 16, CON 10, INT 18, WIS 10 and CHA 12
  
• They have the same amount of trained skills
  
• BUT FW has Acrobatics as a signature skill, unlike WF
  
• FW is trained in one more Saving Throw than WF.
  
• WF's weapon proficiencies and armor proficiencies is non-existant. I had to take the Weapon Familiarity (Elf) Ancestry feat to be trained with longbow (this problem seems to be solved by taking Fighter Dedication at level 2 though)
  
• While I took Weapon Familiarity with WF, I took Otherworldly magic with FW.
  

From what I see after that, the biggest difference after level 1 is that WF gets weaker Fighter Feats, needs to specialize in a weapon group and is bad with armors, but has more spells, higher spell levels and DCs and 6 more cantrips (5 if you make an Elf with Otherworldly magic), while FW gets weaker Wizard Feats and less spell slots, but can switch weapons pretty easily and wear armors. The disparity in Hit Points seems to get bigger and bigger with levels too. Also, they can't get each other class features (except for Attack of Opportunity and Arcane School).

So, in my opinion, the build you will use greatly depend on what feature is the most important to you.

Build a Fighter/Wizard if :

• you mainly want to use your weapons
  
• you want to be able to switch between weapon groups
  
• you want to stand on the front line longer with a better AC and more Hit Points
  
• you want Bravery (bonus against fear effects), Battlefield surveyor (master af Perception and +1 to initiative) or Combat Flexibility (two more fighter feat you can change every day)
  
• you need level 10 to 20 Fighter feats
  
• you want to be expert or legendary at Acrobatics
  

• you want to cast more spells with a better DC
  
• you want 7th to 10th level spells
  
• you want to specialize in only one group of weapons
  
• your build allows you to make heavy damages to kill your foes quickly or stay on the back line
  
• you want Arcane Focus (recast a spell you already spent once per day)
  
• you need level 10 to 20 Wizard feats
  

In the context of a Magus, I'd say Fighter/Wizard is the best fitting build.

I would like to add that a fighter has a total of 11 class feats while the wizard gets only 8 class feats. That means that a Fighter can get the wizard multiclassing feats a lot faster, and even after getting 3 multiclass feats will still have 8 class feats left to do what he wants with it.

In your 11 class feats, do you count 8 normal class feats, 2 from Combat Flexibility and one from level 1 fighter ? If that's the case, you have to be careful with those two Combat Flexibility bonus feats. You can only use them for Fighter class feats, and not for multiclassing feats, and it only comes live at level 9 and 15. So in the end the fighter gets multiclassing feats only one feat prior (thanks to their level 1 bonus class feat compared to the wizard).

Still, it's true that you get in fine more class feats as a fighter than as a wizard.

In your 11 class feats, do you count 8 normal class feats, 2 from Combat Flexibility and one from level 1 fighter ? If that's the case, you have to be careful with those two Combat Flexibility bonus feats. You can only use them for Fighter class feats, and not for multiclassing feats, and it only comes live at level 9 and 15. So in the end the fighter gets multiclassing feats only one feat prior (thanks to their level 1 bonus class feat compared to the wizard).

Still, it's true that you get in fine more class feats as a fighter than as a wizard.

You actually get straight up more feats as a fighter. A fighter gains regular class feats at first level and every even level after for a total of 11, before counting Combat Flexibility. A wizard gains them at 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 14, 18 and 20 for a total of 8.