Sean Reeb 261's page

So my group is doing the slithering in campaign mode to play test the new classes. We have a summoner and to magi. one is sustaining steel and I am playing a slide casting magus. We decided to play by the strict rule of law on it as we are playtesting and home ruling a bunch of stuff defeats the purpose. We hit an interesting situation when we encountered the invisible stalker.

When the invisible stalker attack he becomes hidden and not invisible.

Source Core Rulebook pg. 620 1.1

While you’re hidden from a creature, that creature knows the space you’re in but can’t tell precisely where you are. You typically become hidden by using Stealth to Hide. When Seeking a creature using only imprecise senses, it remains hidden, rather than observed. A creature you’re hidden from is flat-footed to you, and it must succeed at a DC 11 flat check when targeting you with an attack, spell, or other effect or it fails affect you. Area effects aren’t subject to this flat check.

A creature might be able to use the Seek action to try to observe you.

Since spell strike requires it's own attack roll then by RAW you have to roll the DC 11 flat check for both the melee attack and the spell attack just like a fighter making multiple attacks or our hunter in the group doing dual swing. This made life a living hell for us. combined with it's innate fly speed our sustaining steel magus gave up trying to spell strike completely as he could never get near it and even then the misses where piling up. I had taken 10 scrolls of truestrike and handed him one of my bandoliers of them as all we could do was truestrike, move and strike.

They really need some clause that states the spell attack is not subject to hidden and concealed targets.

P.S. all slimes can go to hell.

Magus Revamp
- Primary ability score: Int
- Chassis stays the same except as noted:

1- Striking spell is broken into 2 abilities called Spell Combat and
Spell Strike

Spell Combat:
Actions: Free action
Tags: CONCENTRATE MAGUS METAMAGIC
Frequency: Once per Round
Rules:
You imbue your weapon or body with a spell augmenting it's offensive capability. Cast Your spell normally to charge your weapon or body. You gain the Spell Surge condition. You can hold a spell charged for a number of rounds equal to your Int bonus.

Spell Strike:
Actions: 1 action
Tags: FORTUNE MAGUS METAMAGIC
Frequency: Once per Round
Rules:
You make a melee strike to discharge your stored spell. Make this strike using your martial proficiency with your INT bonus along with any applicable bonuses as normal for a melee strike. If you hit you make a spell attack roll if needed using the your martial proficiency and INT bonus. If your discharging Strike was a critical success, the degree of success is one better than you rolled for a spell attack roll or one worse than the target rolls for a saving throw.

2- Battle Spells: Magus Potency removed and replaced with Spell Recall

Spell Recall FOCUS 1
UNCOMMON EVOCATION MAGUS
Cast [TWO-action] Somatic , Verbal
Range: Self
Duration 1 minute
Recall a spell you have previously cast. This spell must be of 1 level lower than your highest spell slot available. This spell is available to your for the next minute. If you do not use it before hand it is wasted.
Heightened (3rd) Remove the somantic Action to cast
Heightened (4th) You may recall a spell of up to your maximum spell level.

3- Magus Synthesis: slightly tweaked.
- Shooting Star: Removes the range qualifiers from the synthesis as long as you have the spell surge condition.
-Slide casting gains: As long as you have the Spell Surge condition you gain a 5' bonus to your speed.
- Sustaining Steel gains: As long as you have the Spell Surge condition you gain Temp HP equal to all bonus damage from class feats triggered by having the spell surge condition.

4- Feats remain as they are except as noted here:

1st level:
- Raise Tome gains "this does not interfere with Slide casting"

4th level:
- Bespell Strikes is switched with energized strikes and reads as follows:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Actions: Free action
Requirements Your most recent action was to Cast a Spell
with the acid, cold, electricity, fire, or sonic trait.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
You energize one weapon you’re wielding with a spell. For as long as you have the spell surge condition , your Strikes with that weapon deal 1 additional damage per weapon damage die. The damage type matches the spell’s trait. If the spell had more than one of the eligible traits, you choose the type when you Energize your Strikes. You can instead put the spell energy into your body, conferring this additional damage on your unarmed attacks.

At expert martial Proficiency you deal 2 extra damage per weapon damage die.
At master martial proficiency you deal 3 extra damage per weapon damage die.
------------------------------------------------------------------------

- Spell Perry: Remains Active until you loose the spell surge condition. Then it has to be recast.

6th level:

- martial caster reworked to add 1 additional spell slot to your highest and second highest spell slot making you 3/3.

- bespell strikes reads as follows
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Actions: 1 action Verbal
Requirements Your most recent action was to Cast a Spell
with the acid, cold, electricity, fire, or sonic trait.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
You energize one weapon you’re wielding with a spell. Until the end of your turn, your Strikes with that weapon deal 1d6 additional damage per weapon damage die. The damage type matches the spell’s trait. If the spell had more than one of the eligible traits, you choose the type when you Energize your Strikes. You can instead put the spell energy into your body, conferring this additional damage on your unarmed attacks.

8th level:

- Spell Swipe gains: You make this attack with your Martial proficiency and INT bonus along with any applicable bonuses as normal for a melee strike. Additionally if you discharge your stored spell this way you use your martial proficiency and INT bonus for the spell attack roll if needed

More feats to follow when I have time.
I think this would work really well. Or it's just me wishing. Let me know what you think.

Cantrips are rather limited so maybe we could get a few new ones that could help the Magus out. Post your ideas below.

Force Needle: cantrip
Tags: Evocation, Force
Tradition: Arcane
Actions: 2 verbal , somantic
Range: 10'
Target: 1 creature

A needle of force strikes your target automatically dealing 1/2 your caster level (minimum 1) + your casting attribute force damage to the target.

2 actions to cast and short range and low damage but an auto hit. The other damage cantrips will potentially put out much more damage but might fail. This would be the safe go to for run of the mill fights

To me this seems me (action economy wise) like trying to stuff 10 lbs into a 5 lb bag. We are already stretched thin on actions and this is a critical must have for fights. Am I alone in thinking that this should be a morning spell prep ritual that lasts all day?

Possibility:

Magus Potency: Class ability
uncommon, evocation, magus
casting time: 10 min
Target: weapon touched (or self)
Duration: 1 day

You imbue your weapon with arcane might granting it a +1 weapon potency rune, granting a +1 item bonus to attack rolls with the target weapon or your unarmed attacks if you target yourself. This spell functions only for the magus casting it.

When so Imbued you can use the striking spell action with this weapon.

Heightened 3rd: +1 striking
Heightened 4th: +2 striking

This ties your spell strike to a specific weapon and even gives a basis for a black blade magus with class archtypes down the line.

I actually don't mind the limited casting forcing the majority of spell strikes to be cantrips. However I so think there should be a class feat or two that helps bump the power of our cantrips. Between 2 attack rolls and a harsh action economy a little help isn't uncalled for.

options:

1- Maybe something that drops it to 1 attack roll around level 6 or so.

2- Maybe something that drops the casting actions of cantrips only to 1 action with x (maybe half magus level rounded down)/day uses. Make it a prereq for quicken spell.

So I am a bit confused by raise a tome. It is a flavorful ability and sounds cool but I have to ask, who is going to use it? It requires you to be holding a book. Slide casting specifies that your off hand is empty so unless you are going unarmed you can't use it ,and Sustaining steel is 2h style so both hands are already occupied. So you are left with shooting star specifically using thrown weapons as bows, and crossbows are 2h weapons as well. This seems a very niche and while flavorful not really useful.