If so, I have one for you that would help the Magus a lot:
Improved Close Range (ex):
A magus with this magus arcana can deliver any spell as melee touch attack spells. These spells modified in this manner only affect one target and a saving throw is still available to halve or negate the damage if the original spell has one. These spells can be used with the spellstrike class feature. A magus must have selected the Close Range arcana before selecting this one and must be level 12th or higher.
Basically, this arcana would allow a magus to convert a fireball into a melee touch and to deal a whooping 10d6 points of fire damage (Reflex half) via Spell Combat and Spellstrike. No need to worry about specific spell selection, because this arcana would be useful for any magus.
If that doesn't do the trick, then this one should:
Arcana Ray (su):
A magus with this magus arcana can deliver any spell as ray-type ranged touch attack spells. These spells modified in this manner only affect one target and a saving throw is still available to halve or negate the damage if the original spell has one. These spells can be used with the Close Range arcana, and in turn in conjunction with the spellstrike class feature.
True, it looks like the Arcane Blast feat (in the Advanced Player's Guide), but this actually modifies the spell's effect into a ray instead of converting a spell into a ray of pure energy. For instance, if the spell deals 20d6 points of cold damage in a cone-shaped area (Reflex half), then this arcana transforms it into a ray that deals 20d6 points of cold damage (Reflex half).
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I was thinking, how about an Arcana that increased the character's BAB? Not just a bonus to attack, but the actual BAB. That way characters can be built who focus a little more on the fighting side and a little less on the spellcasting side, if wanted.
The numbers add up so that you could get away with swapping Arcana for BAB for all levels of Arcana except the one you get at level 12. Doing that at levels 3, 6, 9, 15, and 18 would give the character full BAB class equivalent (sometimes a level later than normal), at the cost of all those other juicey Arcana options, which doesn't seem too unbalanced, does it? The Magus is still only a d8 Hit Dice class, so they're hardly going to be making the fighters obsolete, even if they are allowed to have an option to keep up with BAB.
I was thinking, how about an Arcana that increased the character's BAB? Not just a bonus to attack, but the actual BAB. That way characters can be built who focus a little more on the fighting side and a little less on the spellcasting side, if wanted.
The numbers add up so that you could get away with swapping Arcana for BAB for all levels of Arcana except the one you get at level 12. Doing that at levels 3, 6, 9, 15, and 18 would give the character full BAB class equivalent (sometimes a level later than normal), at the cost of all those other juicey Arcana options, which doesn't seem too unbalanced, does it? The Magus is still only a d8 Hit Dice class, so they're hardly going to be making the fighters obsolete, even if they are allowed to have an option to keep up with BAB.
Hmmm... I don't know... that sounds like a bad idea to me...
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Hmmm... I don't know... that sounds like a bad idea to me...
Most likely, but would you care to elaborate on your reasoning?
Off the top of my head, I think it comes down to how 'valuable' an Arcana pick is meant to be. If it's meant to be about as valuable as a Feat, then yes, adding BAB would be too powerful (however you restricted it), 'cos it takes a Feat to add a +1 to attack with just one weapon. To be honest, I imagine this is the case...
If, on the other hand, Arcana are meant to be more valuable than a Feat, then allowing players to spend Arcana to catch their Magus up to a full BAB would hopefully satisfy those who would prefer to see the class as a full BAB class in the first place - by focusing more on melee, at the expense of the more 'mystical' stuff Arcana can do.
At the moment there's only one pure 'martial' Arcana - Maneuver Mastery - for this class which is meant, by fluff at least, to blend combat and magic equally. Admittedly you can take that one Arcana multiple times, but it'd be nice to see some more options for improving the Magus's 'mundane' combat skills, instead of everything being to do with his magical skills.
Maybe an Arcana which allowed you to, instead of using level for BAB on specific maneuvers, use level as BAB with a specific weapon? That'd be a huge boost for many of the Magus builds I've seen floating around... maybe too much of a boost? I'm not sure myself. Probably. ;)
Right now the only combat maneuvers you can use with Spell Combat (which is, after all, the class's schtik) are the 'takes an attack' ones - Disarm, Sunder, and Trip - so it's generally going to be in the Magus's best interest to take one of these as his Maneuver Mastery, to gain the most use from it. Compared to the Monk's Flurry of Blows BAB = level feature it's a lot more restricted since, at the end of the day, you're generally going to want to hit the other guy at some point in the combat (instead of just delaying the inevitable).
In fact, instead of (boring and most likely unused) bonuses to Concentration checks with Improved and Greater Spell Combat, how about one of them letting the Magus's BAB = level when using Spell Combat - that'd make those high level class features much more attractive. Looking at it, making it that Improved Spell Combat gives you a +2 to your BAB when using Spell Combat, and Greater Spell Combat instead making your BAB = level when using Spell Combat would seem to fit really well.
Thoughts?
Hmmm... I don't know... that sounds like a bad idea to me...Most likely, but would you care to elaborate on your reasoning?
It would make Arcane Accuracy and Hasted Assault worthless:
Arcane Accuracy (Su): A magus with this magus arcana can expend 1 point from his arcane pool as a swift action to grant himself an insight bonus equal to his Intelligence bonus on all attack rolls until the end of his turn.
Hasted Assault (Su): A magus with this magus arcana can expend 1 point from his arcane pool as a swift action to move more quickly. This functions as haste, but only targets the magus and lasts for a number of rounds equal to the magus’s Intelligence bonus. That magus must be at least 9th level before selecting this magus arcana.
A single Arcana that can essentially do both would make these Arcanas useless.
I do agree that the Magus should get an Arcana that use his Caster Level instead of his BAB for Spell Combat and/or Spellstrike.
@ProfPotts
I expect that we will see an Extra Arcana feat as well as a feat that gives 2 more points (as you suggested in the other threat).
Since this makes arcanas worth about a feat, so tradeing them in for straight up BAB is right out.
So if you want more BAB for certain uses, it´s going to be limited.
So you could allow the following arcanas:
Battle Scholar (name sucks :) )
A magus with this magus arcana can take feats as if his base attack bonus was 2 points higher than it is. You can take this arcana up to 2 times.
Born Warrior (name doesn´t suck quite as much)
A magus with this arcana, without Fighter Training, counts 1/2 his total magus level as his fighter level for the purpose of qualifying for feats. If he has levels in fighter, these levels stack.
If the Magus already has Fighter Training, instead of 1/2 his total magus level, he counts 1/2 his total magus level + 4 as his fighter level for the purpose of qualifying for feats. If he has levels in fighter, these levels stack.
You can take this arcana up to 2 times.