A Magus gets Arcane Weapon bonuses, but he also gets this kickass magic weapon. Do the bonuses stack? Meaning, does an 11th level Magus have a +3 magic longsword as his Black Blade or is it +5? (before arcane pool buffs, spells, etc)
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A Magus gets Arcane Weapon bonuses, but he also gets this kickass magic weapon. Do the bonuses stack? Meaning, does an 11th level Magus have a +3 magic longsword as his Black Blade or is it +5? (before arcane pool buffs, spells, etc)
Assuming you're referring to the "Arcane Pool" then:
These bonuses can be added to the weapon, stacking with existing weapon enhancement to a maximum of +5.
Not only that, but the Black Blade gets it's own Arcane Pool, too! All that, just for the price of the third level magus arcana? The phrase "OP" is thrown around so often these days, but...
Oops. I done goofed. Looks like I was mixing a new archetype with the beta ability that it replaced. Guess I can strip Vorpal and Keen off my BB now...
Somebody ought to update the d20pfsrd so I don't make these mistakes in the middle of the night anymore.
The Magus can temporarily empower his blade. The Bladebound Magus has a Black Blade whose enhancement bonus starts at +1 (at 3rd level) and rises to +5 (at 17th level).
At level 5, you could temporarily put "keen" and "shocking" on your Black Blade. This would make your +1 Black Blade into a +1 Keen Shocking Black Blade for one minute, at the cost of 1 from your arcane pool. Note that at 5th level, you will have 2+Int modifier APP (arcane pool points), while a non blade-bound magus would have 3+Int modifier.
At level 17, you could add Vorpal to your blade. This would make it a +5 Vorpal Black Blade for one minute, at the cost of one APP.
Sorry, where do you see that?
Okay, now I think I see it. But I'm still a little confused on a few points.
Can an 11th-level magus cast Greater Magic Weapon on his black blade to give it a +5 bonus, and then use an arcane point to turn it into a + nothing vorpal blade, since the blade is quite magical (having its own intelligence and arcane pool, and is magically unbreakable)?
On the following turn, could he not cast GMW again? And spend another arcane point to give it another bonus (since the previous point didn't give it a bonus, but rather turned it's bonus into a magical property)? So now it's a +5 again? AND vorpal?
And on the following turn, couldn't you use arcane accuracy to add your INT modifier to the attack roll?
Seems like that's RAW to me. Maybe they should have called this class "Dragonslayer".
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What ? O_o
A 11th level bladebound magus has a free +3 "black blade" weapon. If he casts GMW, he could theorically give a +2 enhancement bonus to a weapon, but the enhancement bonus on the black blade is stronger and already overrides it since these are two similar enhancement bonuses - and only the stronger of two similar bonuses apply. +3>+2, so at level 11 a black blade + GMW is still a +3 weapon.
This spell is useless, or at least extremely circumstancial for a bladebound magus who shouldn't lose his blade and can even teleport it in his hand.
At this level, the magus could also spend one point from his pool to get +3 points of bonus enhancement points. These points are specified to stack with any existent enhancement, and he can spend them to add special qualities to his weapon. At 11th level, by spending 1 point, the magus could get a +5 keen longsword during one minute from a +3 longsword, for example, and he couldn't do it again during this minute for additional cheese => "These bonuses can be added to the weapon, stacking with existing weapon enhancement to a maximum of +5. Multiple uses of this ability do not stack with themselves."
I could be mistaken but this is how I read it.
What ? O_o
A 11th level bladebound magus has a free +3 "black blade" weapon. If he casts GMW, he could theorically give a +2 enhancement bonus to a weapon, but the enhancement bonus on the black blade is stronger and already overrides it since these are two similar enhancement bonuses - and only the stronger of two similar bonuses apply.
Where is this written?
At 11th level, by spending 1 point, the magus could get a +5 keen longsword during one minute from a +3 longsword
The way I read "adding these properties consumes an amount of bonus equal to the property's base price modifier" is that you have to cash in the +5 and turn it into vorpal or keen or whatever. If I'm wrong about that, I'd like to know. I admit that despite having played a level 11 Magus for an entire session of the Legacy of Fire AP, I'm still confused about some of the finer aspects of arcane points.
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Where is this written?
"Bonuses are numerical values that are added to checks and statistical scores. Most bonuses have a type, and as a general rule, bonuses of the same type are not cumulative (do not “stack”)—only the greater bonus granted applies." (Bonus, pfsrd.com)
Greater Magic weapon gives an -enhancement- bonus.
A +3 weapon already has a +3 -enhancement- bonus.
=> Same bonus, better overrides, so casting GMW at level 11 on a +3 blade is useless. The magus ability from his pool point is an exception to the rule, as it is explicitely stated this bonus stacks with any existing bonus.
In the same way, you can't stack Bull's Strength and a Belt of Giant Strength. Only the highest bonus from these sources counts.
The way I read "adding these properties consumes an amount of bonus equal to the property's base price modifier" is that you have to cash in the +5 and turn it into vorpal or keen or whatever. If I'm wrong about that, I'd like to know. I admit that despite having played a level 11 Magus for an entire session of the Legacy of Fire AP, I'm still confused about some of the finer aspects of arcane points.
You can't "rebuy" existing points into a property. If you have a +3 weapon from bladebound and 3 bonus points to enhancement from your pool point, you can add these bonus points up to a maximum of +5 then buy a +1 property, or you can buy 3 +1 properties, or a +2 and a +1 property, or again add +1 to the enhancement bonus and a +2 property.
You can't decide to look at your weapon, say "bah, whatever" and extract 2 points from it's existing enhancement to add to the 3 bonus points and get a +1 Vorpal at level 11. You can add the Vorpal property to your bladebound weapon only at level 17 since this is when you get a +5 bonus to spend on enhancement or properties via your pool.
Okay. So with three points I could add Keen and Icy Burst, or Keen and +2, making it +5 Keen (if it has three points already, which it does at 11).
Much clearer.
Thank you.
You should keep in mind that among the price a Blackbound magus plays is a significantly diminished personal arcane pool.
Not only that, but the Black Blade gets it's own Arcane Pool, too! All that, just for the price of the third level magus arcana? The phrase "OP" is thrown around so often these days, but...
6+int mod vs 10+int mod at 20th level, to be precise. Also, the black blade can't do the things the magus can with the arcane pool. The magus can try to take arcane points from the blade's pool, once per day as a full round action that requires a will save vs the black blades ego score. If the magus succeeds, he regains 1 point to his arcane pool for every 2 points he saps from his black blade. If he fails the saving throw, the magus becomes fatigued (but can try again). If he is fatigued, he becomes exhausted instead. He cannot use this ability if he is exhausted.
You should keep in mind that among the price a Blackbound magus plays is a significantly diminished personal arcane pool.
Not only that, but the Black Blade gets it's own Arcane Pool, too! All that, just for the price of the third level magus arcana? The phrase "OP" is thrown around so often these days, but...
Nothing a few "extra arcane pool" feats can't cure.
Nothing a few "extra arcane pool" feats can't cure.You should keep in mind that among the price a Blackbound magus plays is a significantly diminished personal arcane pool.
Not only that, but the Black Blade gets it's own Arcane Pool, too! All that, just for the price of the third level magus arcana? The phrase "OP" is thrown around so often these days, but...
Which are feats you don't have for item creation, meta magic, combat feats.
Oops. I done goofed. Looks like I was mixing a new archetype with the beta ability that it replaced. Guess I can strip Vorpal and Keen off my BB now...
Somebody ought to update the d20pfsrd so I don't make these mistakes in the middle of the night anymore.
A couple notes: d20pfsrd.com is a fan-maintained site. There is also an official PRD here.
d20pfsrd has a goal of keeping the reference docs off the website until 2 weeks after the street release date. What you see on there now is the beta rules. They will be replaced once the rest of Ultimate Magic is live.
If the standard magus takes those same feats, your blade magus is still considerably behind. Remember you're not a fighter, you don't quite have the feats to burn.Which are feats you don't have for item creation, meta magic, combat feats.Nothing a few "extra arcane pool" feats can't cure.You should keep in mind that among the price a Blackbound magus plays is a significantly diminished personal arcane pool.
Not only that, but the Black Blade gets it's own Arcane Pool, too! All that, just for the price of the third level magus arcana? The phrase "OP" is thrown around so often these days, but...
Meh. The magus has a lot of versatility, but I've kind of been playing him a little more like a paladin; sort of a leader/tank (because the party I joined had no tank). Without ever having played one before and not really being sure how to play the class, I managed to go toe-to-toe with an adult magma dragon AFTER the party's evoker spell reflected off the dragon and bounced onto us (also making the Evoker vanish for about three or four rounds). Use of Fly and Defensive Shock helped bring the beast down to about 5 HP, though it did end up dropping me to -5 or so. I ended up being rescued before I dropped into the sea and healed by the party cleric, but I did come VERY close to death.
In retrospect, I could have done a few things differently. Frosting my weapon could probably have brought that dragon down before it was his turn to eat me. Memorizing a few more Vampiric Touch spells probably could have helped; this would go a LONG way toward improving a Magus's capability as a tank.I see the Magus as a fighting class and I don't think I'd have much use for item creation feats. Sure, the Extra Arcane pool eats up a feat, but you get two points per day for each feat, and I don't know that I could see using more than two, maybe three per encounter. How many points do I really need? With a 16 INT and one EAP, I now have 8 points at level 11, and I wonder if it's too much. I also haven't used Power Attack yet and should probably have sunk that feat into a Magus Arcana.
Meta magic? Hmmm. Convince me.
Meta magic? Hmmm. Convince me.Not my job to make up your mind for you. Read the feats, especially intensify and judge for yourself.
Arcane Lineage trait (Shocking Grasp) + Intesify Spell (take once you're past 5th level). Intensify is pretty good on its own due to the +1 adjustment for beefing up lower level spells that have hardcaps to their damage dice.