Magus - Low Level and Feats


Round 1: Magus

Shadow Lodge

It occurs to me, through a little play-testing and reading the forums, that maybe the Magus is just missing some feats that were inevitably part of the plan - and that how a couple of feats could make a dramatic difference to the class.

For example, based on past classes and fighting styles, these feats could conceivably exist:

Extra Magus Arcana
Prerequisite: magus arcana class feature.
Benefit: You gain one additional magus arcana. You must meet all of the prerequisites for this magus arcana.

Improved Spellstrike
Prerequisite: spellstrike class feature
Benefit: When you miss with a touch spell delivered by the spellstrike class feature, you do not lose the spell.

Sword and Spell Fighting
Prerequisite: spell combat class feature, Dex 15, BAB +1
Benefit: When making a full round attack with a light weapon and a free hand to use spell combat, your main-hand weapon penalty is reduced to -2 from -4. Further, you receive a +2 on your concentration check to cast the spell defensively.

Spontaneous Spellstrike
Prerequisite: ability to cast an arcane touch spell
Benefit: When you take this feat, you gain the ability to lose a prepared spell to instead gain a touch spell you already know of the same or a lower level as the sacrificed spell.

Lingering Touch
Prerequisite: ability to cast an arcane touch spell
Benefit: When you use a touch spell that deals instantaneous damage, you retain some of the spell's charge the next round, and can use the spell again, but it deals half damage (i.e. 1d6 becomes 1d3).

I know a lot of folks will complain about having class-specific feats in order to bolster what they may feel is an inherent failure of the class to provide the feature. However, most melee combat classes require feats to be competent in their combat style (i.e. TWF, Power Attack, etc)

With a couple feats, you have a viable choice outside of always taking Combat Casting. For example at 1st level - getting rid of the utter pit of despair at losing one of your 2 spells on a missed attack or concentration check makes that level a little more bearable - especially since at 50%-65% chance of failure. You might go a whole level without ever feeling your class feature is providing valuable benefit, otherwise - and heavily consider a re-roll.

Spontaneous casting of touch spells could be an important feat. This allows the Magus to pick up spells like Color Spray, Enlarge, Grease - and then as the day unfolds determine if he uses those, or reverts into the melee guy who adds some extra damage to his attacks.

Also of note, we don't know what the racial favored class variants will be... certainly elf and human will get something tasty.


wakedown wrote:

Improved Spellstrike

Prerequisite: spellstrike class feature
Benefit: When you miss with a touch spell delivered by the spellstrike class feature, you do not lose the spell.

Why would you need this feat? When you miss with touch spells, you already retain the charge.

Core rules, p.185-186. wrote:
Holding the Charge: If you don't discharge the spell in the round when you cast the spell, you can hold the charge indefinitely. You can continue to make touch attacks round after round. If you touch anything or anyone while holding a charge, even unintentionally, the spell discharges. If you cast another spell, the touch spell dissipates. You can touch one friend as a standard action or up to six friends as a full-round action. Alternatively, you may make a normal unarmed attack (or an attack with a natural weapon) while holding a charge. In this case, you aren't considered armed and you provoke attacks of opportunity as normal for the attack. If your unarmed attack or natural weapon attack normally doesn't provoke attacks of opportunity, neither does this attack. If the attack hits, you deal normal damage for your unarmed attack or natural weapon and the spell discharges. If the attack misses, you are still holding the charge.

All spellstrike does as currently written is let you substitute an armed attack for the "unarmed attack or natural weapon".

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