What I want, and what it is being made to do are two very different things.
I was looking for a combat class that got spells instead of class features to keep them to par with the fighter.
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What I want, and what it is being made to do are two very different things.
I was looking for a combat class that got spells instead of class features to keep them to par with the fighter.
Arcane spells, I assume you to mean. :)
I'm interested in getting others' opinions on what makes their perfect arcane warrior.
Q: How does the Eldritch Knight not meet the needs of a the combat character that uses spells to keep them on par with the fighter?
A paladin or a ranger (the closest classes to what I wanted out of the magus) is mostly a fighter that exchanges a feat for some divine or nature based abilities. The paladin gets a better will save, the ability to cast a first level spell at will (detect evil) and smites an evil opponent once per day, gaining significant offensive and defensive bonuses against one big opponent. The ranger gets a better reflex save, 4 extra skill points per level, bonuses to skills, attacks and damage versus a specific type of enemy, and more bonuses to nature skills (track) and the ability to use a nature themed skill in a special way (wild empathy). I'd like some arcane flavored ability right from the start. Maybe the ability to cast detect magic or shield or true strike at will, or some class ability that gives an arcane flavored bonus to attack, defense or movement.
Also the Eldritch knight has high casting prerequisites - as spells are always powerful, getting high level spells lets the eldritch knight get powerful at high level, but he just feels like a wizard that can survive an extra round in combat or whose rays hit more easily, rather than an Arcane Warrior to me.
Q: What sort of abilities would an arcane warrior have?
What I like:
- The ability to move in combat at high levels as required by the changes to the battlefield brought by high level magic - i.e. faster movement, flying, teleportation, plane shifting. As a warrior with arcane training, a magus should be able to deal with the twists and turns of an arcane battlefield to bring the fight to the enemy.
- The ability to defend oneself with magic - whether this is as simple as using spells like shield, mirror image, displacement, globe of invulnerability or spell turning, or SR, or class abilities that mimic in some way these sorts of spells or abilities, the magus should use magic as much as mundane equipment and feats to defend themselves.
- Spellcaster disruption - I think they need access, at the very least, to Disruptive and Spellbreaker. Something like a dispelling strike that can slowly chip away at spellcaster defenses might be cool too.
- Using arcane power to fight in new ways. One of my personal favorite ideas is the ability to use telekinetic force to perform combat maneuvers. Maybe they are first performed using the magus' intelligence rather than strength, and eventually can be done at range. In these I kind of see them like force powers from Star Wars. The magus sees his cleric is being harried by a fighter, but the fighter is near the edge of a pit. The magus takes a moment to try to exert telekinetic force to push the fighter away from his ally and into the pit.
- Using magic to enhance his own ability to fight. This usually ends up being transmutation spells or divination spells - true strike, haste, bull's strength. Maybe it's a weapon enhancing ability like the paladin's bond (and like the current playtest already has), or maybe it's a temporary class ability to ignore damage or change the type of damage being dealt by the magus' weapon.
- Integration of spellcasting and combat. The current magus has a mechanic for that. I feel it's clumsy and difficult to balance fairly. I'd rather see some innate ability to store spells in weapons or items like spell storing. If the magus stored spells in his sword to release into himself at need - casting shield and haste into his weapon for the day to be released as a swift action into himself as needed. After a combat where he uses one of his spells, he can cast one of his other prepared spells into the weapon for another encounter.
What I've seen others ask for:
- Spell Channeling - or some other ability to use evocation spells with an attack. I feel personally that giving the character the ability to use weapons as a fighter is enough, but some people like this imagery a lot. An offensive spell storing ability as well as defensive/buffing might be called for then.
- Evocation blaster - I personally feel this can already be done with pure casters, but I know that a lot of people like this feel to an arcane warrior type character.
I am wondering if maybe the Magus should have fighter feats at -3 levels or negative -5 instead of half? It seems like getting half at ten is almost useless compared to the other feats characters getting at those levels.
giving easy access to Fighter feats is like giving early access to spells...it devalues the class that has them as a bonus, because now he's not special.
When the fighter can spend a feat to gain spellcasting at level-3 for one level of spells, I'll be happy to swap.
==Aelryinth
giving easy access to Fighter feats is like giving early access to spells...it devalues the class that has them as a bonus, because now he's not special.
When the fighter can spend a feat to gain spellcasting at level-3 for one level of spells, I'll be happy to swap.
==Aelryinth
I really think that spell casting for a feat is bit much even as a example.
Even if they did this they would get access to take weapon spec at 7th instead of 11th which doesn't seem like THAT huge of a jump. If that's just too soon for then they really need to trade it for something else all together because the 1/2 thing is just awkward.
I see the magi class as a basic utility class that has two dimensions. The first of those dimensions is a back up makeshift tank. The second is a limited scrappy wizard. The class structure as it stands now isn't bad. I mean it's a fair trade off to get both worlds of wizard/fighter but obtain those class features slowly and starts a little weak. The magi is a better option then mutilclassing fighter/wizard. The peak level in my opinion is level 12. At this point this class can get very potent. In fact I believe when the magi is built with the proper feats and right magus arcana this class exceeds the power scale to some degree. The reason I say this is because it's moderate possibility for the magi class at 12th level in one round cast three spells and have two attacks, three spells in one round. That is just nasty! I am very pleased at the creative nature of the class. My only real suggestion is to build in a few more options for magus arcana.
I see the magi class as a basic utility class that has two dimensions. The first of those dimensions is a back up makeshift tank. The second is a limited scrappy wizard. The class structure as it stands now isn't bad. I mean it's a fair trade off to get both worlds of wizard/fighter but obtain those class features slowly and starts a little weak. The magi is a better option then mutilclassing fighter/wizard. The peak level in my opinion is level 12. At this point this class can get very potent. In fact I believe when the magi is built with the proper feats and right magus arcana this class exceeds the power scale to some degree. The reason I say this is because it's moderate possibility for the magi class at 12th level in one round cast three spells and have two attacks, three spells in one round. That is just nasty! I am very pleased at the creative nature of the class. My only real suggestion is to build in a few more options for magus arcana.
Honestly? Magus needs more Duskblade.
I just looked up the duskblade and let me tell you this. There is a reason I left the 3.0/3.5 DnD books alone and went to pathfinder. The 3.5 books have no consistency from book to book. That said I won't even bother to look at any material from Wotc.
Later classes are more internally and externally balanced then earlier classes by WoTC. to9S is widely considered the most balanced presentation of melee classes they made, and it was one of the very last things they came out with. The PH2 gish classes, with their tightly restricted spell lists, are also considered well-balanced. Control of spell lists does a LOT for balance.
==Aelryinth