Velluminous's page

Well, I'm not really looking to be the primary arcane. I'm attempting to help supplement some of what we're losing by having our wizard leave... You know, stuff like Knowledge Arcana, Spellcraft... maybe even something like Detect Secret Doors or knock. Just some things I can do to help fill the void, particularly if we end up with the rogue (which is the most likely scenario). I believe the rogue is more trap-monkey than assassin, so that should benefit us if he took umd... I don't think he did, but I'll have to check.

That said, I'd still like advice on optimizing the character. :)

Hello!
Let me start by saying "Thanks for looking at this thread and offering any supporting advice!" before I really get started.

To begin with, I'd been playing in a group of around 7-8 players (though it was hit or miss as to how many would be present during any given session) who play once a week. Our DM has decided that this fluctuation of players needs to be fixed and is breaking the group into a group of 4 and a group of 5.
The way things stand now, my group consists of a Ranger, a Monk, and a Magus (myself). The remaining two characters are two players who will be playing in both groups so they may be playing their characters in the other group and bring new ones into this... That said, Player 1 would be Cleric or Druid and Player 2 a Rogue or Bard.
The Ranger is primarily a ranged multi-shot character, and the Monk is designed to move across the battlefield and grapple casters (to prevent enemy spells).
Whatever the other two decide, the DM has pretty well hinted that my character will most likely be the only arcane caster... That said, he's giving me the freedom to tweak my character (within the rules, of course) so I can make up for the loss of our wizard.

Therefore, here's the basic run-down of my character (at level 3) in hopes that I can get some help optimizing him to make up for the lack of a wizard/caster in the group (Also in hopes that the community might catch any stupid mistake I make! haha).
The character is a Dervish magus, based on Walter's Guide to the Magus.

Magus 3
Race: Elf
Align: True Neutral
Languages: Common, Draconic, Elven, Goblin, Sylvan
HP: 21 (HD3 + favored bonuses, no CON bonus)

STR: 12 (+1)
DEX: 18 (+4) (Base 16, Inherent +2)
CON: 11 (0) (Base 13, Inherent -2)
INT: 16 (3) (Base 14, Inherent +2)
WIS: 11 (0)
CHA: 8 (-1)

AC: 18
Touch: 14
FlatFoot: 14
Fort: +3
Ref: +5
Will: +3
Melee: +6
Ranged: +6
CMB: +3
CMD: +17
Init: 4
Speed: 30

Feats & Features:
(1) Feat: Weapon Finesse (Req. for Dervish Dance)
(1) Magus: Arcane Pool
(1) Campaign Trait: Merchant Family
(1) Trait: Magical Lineage (Shocking Grasp)
(2) Magus: Spell Combat
(2) Magus: Spellstrike
(3) Feat: Dervish Dance (Use DEX for Attack/Damage on Scimitar instead of STR)
(3) Magus Arcana: Arcane Accuracy

Skills: (15 points)
Climb: 1
Fly: 2
KN: Arcana: 3
KN: Dungeoneering: 1
Kn: Planes: 0
Ride: 1
Spellcraft: 3
Swim: 1
UMD: 1
Perform (Dance): 2 -(Req. for Dervish Dance)

I've already adjusted some skill points so I have Kn:Arcana and Spellcraft (didn't have them before; that was the wizard's job)... Nice to have a +1 in a few of the other skills, but the character can cast fly at level 7, reducing the need for climb/ride/etc.
If someone really really wants, I can post the entire list with Total/Rank/Ability/Trained/Mods... but I'd prefer to not have to type all that.

Spells:
Level 0 Spells:
-ALL (Note: DM allows unlimited cantrips/day/"within reason")
Level 1 Spells: (Via Magus Spell List)
-Color Spray
-Enlarge Person
-Grease
-Obscuring Mist
-Ray of Enfeeblement
-Reduce Person
-Shield
-Shocking Grasp
-True Strike
-Vanish

This is what really has me baffled... At level 3, I've only got 10 spells total in my spellbook, and only 3/day. The character isn't really designed to take over the roll of a caster, but I need to adjust my spellbook to compensate for the lack of wizard while keeping the spells I rely on as a Magus.
I've taken Enlarge person for helping to buff the melee, it won't really help myself as I'm DEX-based. Considering dropping Obscuring Mist in favor or Burning Hands since we don't really have AOE damage now.
I always prepared Shocking Grasp x2, and Shield... because we *had* a wizard. So those three spell slots have become a lot more important. Should I drift away from damage spells and focus on utility spells (enlarge person) to help the party or stick with what I've been doing as a melee/spell damage-dealer? Thankfully next level I get Spell Recall!

Equipment:
Scimitar (Formerly a rapier user until level 3 w/Dervish Dance)
Rapier (Needs sold, I guess)
Longbow
Light Mace (Always have a Bludgeoning weapon for those Skeletons)
Dagger
Chain Shirt
(additional generic adventuring gear; boots, belt, backpack, rope, etc.)
Money: 0P, 1600G, 2S, 8C

Interested in buying:
Pearl of Power I (1,000g One extra level 1 spell could be handy!)
Healing Belt (750g 3 charges/day, you know the one.)
Ioun Torch (75g I can do without this as I can cast Light as needed)

Equipment has me a little hurting... Obviously, I don't have much cash (we were dividing loot meant for 4 players among 7-8 players) and the DM said he'll be working on fixing that by next week's session... So I'm a little at odds what to do here. He's said that it'll be increasing, but I don't know how much, so if you've suggestions for equipment you'll have to make due with a 1,600 gold limit. Also, keep in mind that I can use the Magus' arcane pool to grant my weapon a +1 bonus, so upgrading my weapon isn't a priority/concern at the moment.

So I'm looking into building my first Magus and I run across this guide. Great starting point for me, and I'm looking at a Dervish with near-identical stats ((Str 12, Dex 16 (18), Con 13 (11), Int 14 (16), Wis 11, Cha 8) to the example given at the bottom...

Dervish Build

This magus also uses a scimitar, has a 15 point buy, but is an elf instead.
Here is a sample progression of feats and arcana as an elf for the first few levels.
(1) Weapon Finesse
(3) Dervish Dance
(Edited out some stuff to save space)
Now let’s do a quick breakdown of what this character’s capable of, using the 15 point buy listed above (Str 11, Dex 16 (18), Con 13 (11), Int 14 (16), Wis 10, Cha 7) and assuming 1 over half for health.
Level 1: He’s got 9 HP, which is a little less than his Str based counterpart, but his AC is notably higher, 18 instead of 15, which is more than a fair trade. His basic attack is a +4 for 1d6+0, and his spell combat is +2 for 1d6+0 and another spell, again probably Color Spray or something non-touch based. Alternatively, he can choose to attack with a Longbow from range with a +4 to hit for 1d8+0 damage. Not too shabby at all, and the saves on his spells are slightly higher than the Str magus. Good stuff.

I bolded the part that I'm interested in... How is he getting a +4 bonus to attack with a scimitar at level 1? Sure, you have weapon finesse, but that only applies to light weapons (which a scimitar isn't). The character should have a a +0 STR bonus to attack/damage until level 3, when he picks up Dervish Dance that allows him to use his +4 Dex bonus for the scimitar. Correct me if I'm wrong?

EDIT::::::::::::::::::::::
Nevermind! Found my answer about this a few pages back, just took a lot of digging. No, he shouldn't have the +4 to attack. Was worried I was missing something in my build that would give me that swank bonus. Guess I'll probably end up Longbow/Rapier until level 3, then switch to Scimitar. :)