Up until the Magus, I was simply awed by what Paizo had done with classes. The Core revision was amazing, and the ones from the APG were excellent addition (which I hope will however be supported over time, not just created and then left in a void with no additional feats/options like the ones from the Complete books were in the 3.5 edition).
The Magus? Not so. The Magus is basically, as it is right now, much too weak. Let me elaborate:
In a group, even nowadays, you have four main functions in D and D:
Meat shield: the guy that makes sure the melee bad guys cannot just walk up to the others and start wacking them.
Healer: Self-explanatory
Skill Monkey: Disarm, knowledge, you know you need them at some time (except if your players metagame like crazy, and even then...)
Arcane caster: Too many reasons why you need one.
The Magus cannot fill any of these positions. All the classes up to now could. The Summoner can fill the arcane caster spot, the cavalier the meatshield one, the inquisitor the healer one, etc...
The Magus, as it is now, is incredibly weak and lackluster. It has no "THIS IS MY SIGNATURE ABILITY" like the other classes do. The ones it has are laughable. The Capstone is a joke. It has to burn its spell slots (of which it's not going to have that many to begin with, since it can't just put too much in intelligence) to be even remotely competitive.
I truly, fervently hope (haven't been disappointed so far) that it sees some improvements before it is too late. As of right now, it's much worse than an EK.
My solutions:
- Make it into an analogy of paladin/cleric: both classes rock. Really think hard about how you went about with those.
- Add a lot of touch spells that do not require saving throws to his list (they will probably be in the book, but still). Intelligence will never be as high as the wizard, and it needs to use its feats for melee combat, not to increase his spell DC.
- Combat casting as a bonus feat at first.
- Maybe a bonus to concentration rolls made to cast defensively based on his level?
- Generally add more buffs (using other classes' lists) to his list. As mentioned previously: attack spells that require a saving throw will not be his priority.
- Give him an ability that lets him cast buffs as a free action a limited number of times per day: otherwise by the time he is done buffing himself, combat will be over. Quickened spell is nice, but he gains that at 15th level, much too late. And it is only one time per day. This needs to be gained early on: 2nd level, with one additional time for every third level after that.
- Capstone needs to be changed: at the moment I have no idea at the top of my mind, but look at the others: abilities that kill instanly, permanently summoned monsters, twin eidolons. Its power needs to be revised ten times upwards.
- It needs to be customizable. Do not force them into melee; the class is already going to be fighting the EK for a spot, might as well make it fight the AA for one as well. It needs to be able to use its abilities when using a bow, a sword or a halberd. Not just in melee (of course with range should come a reduction in power of its abilities; after all going into melee is very dangerous for casters nowadays)
- The Arcana all need to be x numbers of times per day depending on level. Also, level limitations need be revised downwards on almost everything
- Spellstrike is OK, but get rid of all penalties. He only has 3/4 BAB... Taking into consideration that he will need to spend points on Str, Dex, Con AND Int, he already has a lower chance to hit anything right off the bat.
a. If you give him -4 and -2 there and there he will never hit or be able to concentrate on his spell worth anything.
b. He simply does not have enough spell per days to go wasting them.
There you go. Hope that helped. Constructive criticism (read: point out an issue and give a solution, not just point out a problem) is welcome.
