I note the glaring distinction of the spell list not having mage armour....for a magus devoted to combat, this seems very odd. Yes he has shield, and later a popup sheild arcana. Given that one needs both offense and defence in mellee, why doesnt he have mage armour? Im guessing the extended duration was an issue. Why not allow a reduced version as an arcana pool ability? +2ac for 1/min/lvl, increased by +1ac every 5levels or what have you.
The other majorly odd thing is that for a character focused on combat/magic, his lack of +1bab at lvl 1 restricts him overly from a ton of combat feats. Exotic weapon? nuhuh. Power attack? no way....and so on.
The cleric has better armour, better spells, and more powers at lvl1. So tell me again why I should be playing a magus?
I'd strongly consider upping this BAB progression to 1/1. Or at the very least, slide the 3/4 progression up a level so the magus starts at +1 (topping out at +16).
On the subject of feats, to do what is arguably the class feature of spell combat, you basically have to take combat casting. Should this not be a class feature then?
I keep wondering what this class is supposed to do???
Its not really that good at fighting (having a bab no better than a rogue/cleric, and lacking the mobility or striking power of the rogue, or the armour and spell/power ability of a cleric). You are not fast enough to avoid other strikers, nor have enough armour, nor can you really put things away with your own striking ability until maybe later levels where your spells start to power up.
You cant really stand back and shoot or blast though either. Again lacking bab or spell slots to do this. Or any kind of spontaneous casting like a sorceror...why isnt his magic cha based anyways?
Another area lacking, controlling. You dont really do anything to control the area or enemy. Grease and obsucring mist? Is that it? No hold or charm effects? Cause fear? Or duelling focused spells like doom?
Im really surprised at the spell list to be honest, youd think something like heat metal would be in there for a start. And some new specialized spells that disarm people, trap weapons, rebound attacks, deflect arrows....there are a whole slew of ideas that could go into war magic here folks!
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Anyways, here's my human lvl1 20pt build;
str16
int15
wis10
dex14
con13
cha10
10hp (favrdcls)
17ac (chainshirt)18AC vs single enemy
longsword (plan to move to bastard sword and power attack to maximize 2hand damage while being able to easily free a hand for spell combat)
dodge (not sure on this one, but seems like a slamdunk to get a little ac given the lack of other combat options other than expertise, which I have no plan on ever using)
combat casting
expert duelist(+1ac vs single adj.enemy)
focused mind(+2 concentr.)
So both feats and traits focused on AC and concentration. I cant see any reason to do anything else, although I would love access to bastard sword/power attack asap....sigh. I know some here are fans of dervish dance, etc. but anh, that does nothing for me.
5 skill points, arguably required to put into the 5 trained only skills (know(arcana,dungeon, planes)spellcraft and UMD).
detect magic
prestigidation
daze(the star cantrip imo with spell combat)
shield
burning hands
(these cover emergency defence and aoe damage, later add either chill touch or shocking grasp, and then some utility spell like jump/silent image/unseen servant)