Am I the only one who houseruled Arcane Strike as as a free action? It's not all that awesome.
Don't take arcane strike then. Seems pretty easy to me -- after all you have to choose to take it or not in addition to if to use it or not. If you always want a chance to use a quicken spell then don't take arcane strike.
Well, I'd agree with that if you got Spell Critical at level 1 instead of level 10. You have probably been using Arcane Strike quite frequently for your entire EK career, and only your capstone ability doesn't mesh with it. At all.
But I get what you're saying. If have a quickened Slow that I want to cast, I can full attack, and if I'm lucky I'll get to cast it for free. If not, I will expend my readied spell. In that situation you're fine. But that's just once. I'm talking about the rest of the fight.
Random Spell Criticals are awesome, but you have to prepare for them by forfeiting every possible action that could block them from happening. You can't use arcane strike. You can't use arcane armour training. All on the off chance that Spell Critical becomes available. If you do use arcane strike, or something else, and are then unlucky enough to score a critical hit, then Spell Critical is unavailable and that sucks. Basically, you have to either hope that you crit a lot, or for the most part ignore your capstone ability.
I don't like that.
I don't think magus suffers nearly as much from that. They still have action economy. They still have to choose which is better in a given situation, but they don't (far as I can tell) have abilities that randomly make choices you made earlier in the round much worse than you though they would be when you made them.
Just for the record, this quicken spell you want to cast or the spell critical you get, will suffer from ASF cause you didn't use that swift action of yours to activate Arcane armor training... so... you know.
Just for the record, this quicken spell you want to cast or the spell critical you get, will suffer from ASF cause you didn't use that swift action of yours to activate Arcane armor training... so... you know.
Only if you insist on wearing armor or if you insist on not using still spell. The eldritch knight has options on all these fronts on how to get around various problematic issues -- just like all characters do.
It seems most people on the EK is that they don't want to be forced to make choices -- which is just silly, the entire game is all about choices -- where you take a hit where you don't and how you bridge the differences.
Now I'm not saying that the EK is the 'best' or 'only' choice -- I do not feel that way. However it is a good choice and works quite well... as long as you don't want to have everything under the sun and then some.
I disagree. Epic is a quality that starts at 16th level where the game reaches the super heroic level and grows as characters advance. 21st level is where the transition to epic is essentially complete.
Epic is 21st level.
Semantics.
Thazar is using the formal 3e definition of epic, while you're talking about what the adjective epic means to you.
It's like arguing about level or class, both of which are also words that have a common English usage as well as a specific meaning in game.
Just for the record, this quicken spell you want to cast or the spell critical you get, will suffer from ASF cause you didn't use that swift action of yours to activate Arcane armor training... so... you know.
Only if you insist on wearing armor or if you insist on not using still spell. The eldritch knight has options on all these fronts on how to get around various problematic issues -- just like all characters do.
It seems most people on the EK is that they don't want to be forced to make choices -- which is just silly, the entire game is all about choices -- where you take a hit where you don't and how you bridge the differences.
Now I'm not saying that the EK is the 'best' or 'only' choice -- I do not feel that way. However it is a good choice and works quite well... as long as you don't want to have everything under the sun and then some.
I do understand what you are saying, we just disagree. There are options, of course, just none of them is good. Options are important to all classes, but it should be noted that armor is something "necessary" for the class, quicken is way to good to pass up, and the capstone ability "should" be something like an imediate action, that modification alone, would make the EK a whole lot better.
Now, if the guy used his swift to quicken or arcane strike or anyother option, he still wouldn't suffer, and be able to actually use his capstone ability, which is pretty much useless so far, unless you do have a crystal ball.
The thing is we have rules in place within Pathfinder for play at level 1-20. Level one is lowest level of play and level 20 is the highest level of play. There is not yet a book in print for Pathfinder that covers Epic Level Rules as defined in 3E. Note I used caps for the word Epic meaning I am talking about the rules definition of Epic Level. Not if the game feels epic as an adjective and that can happen at any level of play. (There are various posts from the community and the devs about the possibility of Epic rules in the future.)
But at this point we are way off topic from the OP and this debate is no longer serving any purpose.
But at this point we are way off topic from the OP and this debate is no longer serving any purpose.
My fault :)
In any case, I don't see either as really being a replacement for the other. One's a prestige class while one's a base class. One has fighter progression and one doesn't. Eldritch Knight is very much a niche class, but still a useful addition to the set of options.
Compare a F5/W5/EK10 to a magus 20. The magus gets 3 attacks at +15/+10/+5 while the EK gets four attacks at +17/+12/+7/+2. The EK can cast up to 8th-level wizard spells (at CL 15) while the magus can cast up to 6th-level magus spells (at CL 20). The EK can qualify for fighter feats as a 15th-level fighter, while the magus qualifies as a 10th-level fighter. So, no Critical Mastery, Greater Weapon Specialization or Penetrating Strike for the magus. The magus gets 3 bonus feats vs. the 7 the EK gets (8 counting Scribe Scroll).
So it all comes down to what you're looking to do. I don't think either makes the other irrelevant, but the existence of both certainly allows for some pretty specific choices.
No worries. :)
And I agree they both have their place. I still think the EK is better at being a Fighter and a Mage while being better suited to higher level play. A Magus is better suited to lower levels and is better at being a fighting mage... but not as good a fighter or as good of a mage.
Again, play style and personal taste is going to be a larger factor in what is more fun for you then anything else. But I still think that how long and high your character is going to go is a big thing to keep in mind.... but this is true of almost all prestige classes. They take a while to be brought into effect and if you game stops at level 5 or 8 then they really will never be able to do very much.
How, even at high levels, is an Ftr/Wiz/EK a better Fighter than the Magus?
The EK has a marginally better Bab, allowing him to miss with a forth attack that a Magus doesn't get.
The Magus however has better ways to increase his attack bonus, so he actually hits more often than the EK.
The Magus has better ways to increase his damage, so he hits harder than the EK.
The Magus can wear armour without spending his swift actions. Not that an EK has any swift actions other than Quickened spell. The EK could give up a spell level to still every spell he casts, but that decreases one of the few advantages the EK has.
Except for access to high level spells, a Magus makes a better base for EK than a Wizard does.
The fact that an EK is a PrC that can be added to any arcane class in combination with other Classes is why it's still viable.
If you take Fighter to level 5 for Weapon training and access to dueling gloves, he gains a lot of martial prowess, however, if he goes Fighter 5 after taking EK, he won't get weapon training until Lv 20, this advantage would only be relevant for 5% of a campaign. If he takes the Fighter level before taking EK he'll suffer from a rather painfull hold up to his CL at low to mid levels.
Basically because the EK has access to higher level fighter feats, to using any weapon he wants, any fighting style he wants, etc.
Yes a Magus with a one handed weapon will fight just about as well as an EK who fights with a one handed weapon and nothing else.
Notice I said a EK is a better fighter or a better mage... not both at the same time. He can buff up before a fight and grab a two handed weapon... or a tower shield (yes with ASF) and a weapon... or two weapons. And then go to town as a fighter that has self buffed. OR he can sit back and cast time stop, meteor swarm, finger of death, wish, etc. He can even switch these two up every round.
All of the above are things a Magus cannot do. But the EK cannot fight and use magic at the same time as well as the magus can either. They are both different classes that play differently. I was giving the OP my opinion on how they are different and where I felt one had greater strengths then the other.
People keep comparing the two classes and want to know what the best one is. This cannot be answered any better then is a rogue or a ninja better or is a cleric or oracle better. They do different things in different ways and the best one is based upon play style, campaign style, and what you want to do as a player with your character.
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How, even at high levels, is an Ftr/Wiz/EK a better Fighter than the Magus?
The EK has a marginally better Bab, allowing him to miss with a forth attack that a Magus doesn't get.
The Magus however has better ways to increase his attack bonus, so he actually hits more often than the EK.
The Magus has better ways to increase his damage, so he hits harder than the EK.
The Magus can wear armour without spending his swift actions. Not that an EK has any swift actions other than Quickened spell. The EK could give up a spell level to still every spell he casts, but that decreases one of the few advantages the EK has.Except for access to high level spells, a Magus makes a better base for EK than a Wizard does.
The fact that an EK is a PrC that can be added to any arcane class in combination with other Classes is why it's still viable.
Right...because giant form II isn't a good way to increase attack bonus. Or (greater) heroism. Nope, those spells don't let an EK hit better...at all...oh wait yes they do.
Yes the EK needing 3 swift actions to use their capstone is stupid. Quicken spell which is pretty much needed for high level caster play and the EK not being able to use that with AAT is also pretty stupid. It has been pointed out how bad this mechanic is...the reply JJ gave was what yours is...well you can still spell everything (which you rightly point negates the point of the EK). That to me shows that the staff at paizo has some sort of a mental block against fi/arcane archetypes. And yes weither the magus was gonna be worthwhile REALLY depended on the full spell list and they really failed to deliver on that part.
How, even at high levels, is an Ftr/Wiz/EK a better Fighter than the Magus?
The EK has a marginally better Bab, allowing him to miss with a forth attack that a Magus doesn't get.
The Magus however has better ways to increase his attack bonus, so he actually hits more often than the EK.
The Magus has better ways to increase his damage, so he hits harder than the EK.
The Magus can wear armour without spending his swift actions. Not that an EK has any swift actions other than Quickened spell. The EK could give up a spell level to still every spell he casts, but that decreases one of the few advantages the EK has.Except for access to high level spells, a Magus makes a better base for EK than a Wizard does.
The fact that an EK is a PrC that can be added to any arcane class in combination with other Classes is why it's still viable.Right...because giant form II isn't a good way to increase attack bonus. Or (greater) heroism. Nope, those spells don't let an EK hit better...at all...oh wait yes they do.
Yes the EK needing 3 swift actions to use their capstone is stupid. Quicken spell which is pretty much needed for high level caster play and the EK not being able to use that with AAT is also pretty stupid. It has been pointed out how bad this mechanic is...the reply JJ gave was what yours is...well you can still spell everything (which you rightly point negates the point of the EK). That to me shows that the staff at paizo has some sort of a mental block against fi/arcane archetypes. And yes weither the magus was gonna be worthwhile REALLY depended on the full spell list and they really failed to deliver on that part.
The Eldritch Knight is the official unwanted red-headed stepchild of the Paizo family then, it seems. They even gave his iconic representative to a newer, fancier class (kinda like giving your room to the new baby brother and throwing you into the room under the stairs).
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The Eldritch Knight is the official unwanted red-headed stepchild of the Paizo family then, it seems. They even gave his iconic representative to a newer, fancier class (kinda like giving your room to the new baby brother and throwing you into the room under the stairs).
Yeah...but the magus is also a red headed stepchild. He just gets the room because he is new...not because he is actually wanted. The magus spell list is depressing.
Ironically, all this has made me find the Eldritch Knight class *more* interesting.
RPG Superstar 2009 Top 32, 2010 Top 8
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It seems to me that wth the EK/Magus interaction the EK levels are used to boost combat ability, at the expense of arcane pool/spell casting.
For example, a Magus 16/EK 4 gets that precious 4th attack (well it's precious to some) and qualifies for feats as a figher 12. A Magus 10/EK 10 counts as a fighter 15, and casts as a magus 19 (though he loses arcana and spell pool.
Am I the only one who houseruled Arcane Strike as as a free action? It's not all that awesome.Yes you are, it's a dependable increase in overall weapon damage. as well as a scaling method of overcoming dR with non magical weapons. It's for the mage without a magic weapon, or who can't wait to acquire one.
My impression was that it makes your weapons magical, and adds damage if you hit. You don't end up with a +5 weapon.
You do actually. It's basically a +5 weapon without the +5 to hit. If the weapon is masterwork then it does have an inherent +1 to hit.My impression was that it makes your weapons magical, and adds damage if you hit. You don't end up with a +5 weapon.Am I the only one who houseruled Arcane Strike as as a free action? It's not all that awesome.Yes you are, it's a dependable increase in overall weapon damage. as well as a scaling method of overcoming dR with non magical weapons. It's for the mage without a magic weapon, or who can't wait to acquire one.
It doesn't allow you to overcome DR beyond DR/magic though.
It doesn't allow you to overcome DR beyond DR/magic though.You do actually. It's basically a +5 weapon without the +5 to hit. If the weapon is masterwork then it does have an inherent +1 to hit.My impression was that it makes your weapons magical, and adds damage if you hit. You don't end up with a +5 weapon.Am I the only one who houseruled Arcane Strike as as a free action? It's not all that awesome.Yes you are, it's a dependable increase in overall weapon damage. as well as a scaling method of overcoming dR with non magical weapons. It's for the mage without a magic weapon, or who can't wait to acquire one.
Which is why I don't think it's so good it needs a swift action.
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Yeah. It's free damage, but it's free damage for a spellcaster. And spellcasters have a lot more competition for swift actions than do non-spellcasters.
I also think that the arcane armor training shouldn't be an action. It should just say that the spell failure chance is lower for you. Making it a swift action seems weird.
On the other hand, perhaps there's a reason the devs did this. Does anyone know?
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I always looked at the EK as an option for a warrior that found himself in need of learning magic, or a spellcaster in need of martial skill. It's all well and good if a campaign progresses that way, but if you want that kind of melding from the start, I'd stick with magus all the way. Magus reminds me of the old-school elven bladsingers; the ultimate fusion of spell and swordplay. Just glad you don't have to be an elf / half-elf to pull off magus, hehe. It's too bad that the magus doesn't have as much ability in the ranged department, though. Or at least an option [read: archetype] that would allow him to focus effectively on ranged combat. If I recall correctly, all of the spell combat abilities of the magus rely on him using a 1-handed melee weapon [ideally with a good crit range]. Of course, picking up Arcane Archer might allow for that ranged option . . .
Also, I hate to be the no-fun jerk here, but about that Bladebound / Hexcrafter . . . aren't those both archetypes of the same class? I thought that you could only have one archetype per class?
Also, I hate to be the no-fun jerk here, but about that Bladebound / Hexcrafter . . . aren't those both archetypes of the same class? I thought that you could only have one archetype per class?
You can have more than one as long as they don't conflict in what abilities are replaced.
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You can have more than one as long as they don't conflict in what abilities are replaced.
Also, I hate to be the no-fun jerk here, but about that Bladebound / Hexcrafter . . . aren't those both archetypes of the same class? I thought that you could only have one archetype per class?
Dang . . . that's a whole new hornet's nest of naughtiness to poke with my next character . . .
It's great for customizing characters/builds, but...man is there a lot to keep track of....
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Yeah. It's free damage, but it's free damage for a spellcaster. And spellcasters have a lot more competition for swift actions than do non-spellcasters.
I also think that the arcane armor training shouldn't be an action. It should just say that the spell failure chance is lower for you. Making it a swift action seems weird.
On the other hand, perhaps there's a reason the devs did this. Does anyone know?
Because the developers hate the fighter/mage archetype and think it's all "overpowered cheese monkey". JJ stopped JUST short of the monkey of that statement. Think about this...the most thematic choice for an EK bound item is the weapon right? The rules are written AND intended according to JJ is that the weapon must be wielded...i.e. ready to attack for it be used as a bound item. That means you can not cast somatic spells with a two handed weapon. I mean honestly, they are against a mechanically AWEFUL choice that is thematically awesome for the archetype...if that isn't hate, I don't know what is.
I get the feeling the only reason for the light shields leave your hands free for casting is because as much as it would hurt an EK, it would hurt the divine casters even more. Especially the paladin. Oh and the TWF ranger is screwed...but hey they seem to hate that even more then the fighter/mage.
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What exactly was "depressing" about it? It looks to be the right kind of list for a mage whose focus is combat, not standing away from it like a bookish wizard or a wild-eyed sorcerer.Yeah...but the magus is also a red headed stepchild. He just gets the room because he is new...not because he is actually wanted. The magus spell list is depressing.
The Eldritch Knight is the official unwanted red-headed stepchild of the Paizo family then, it seems. They even gave his iconic representative to a newer, fancier class (kinda like giving your room to the new baby brother and throwing you into the room under the stairs).
A lot of utility is gone. I play a wizard for not just combat and I was promised a fighter/wizard...not a fighter who fights with magic. Also while the bread and better CC spells are there, a lot of the fun ones (like the pit line) are missing. A lot of the wizards's 7th, 8th and 9th level spells should have been lowered for the magus spell list like it is done for the bard. Also the lower level blasty spells should also have their levels lowered. Having level 6 blasty spells at level 16 ain't exactly useful. Blasty spells aren't very useful to begin with...getting them at MUCH delayed levels is pretty stupid.
I also think that the arcane armor training shouldn't be an action. It should just say that the spell failure chance is lower for you. Making it a swift action seems weird.
On the other hand, perhaps there's a reason the devs did this. Does anyone know?
I agree with you and I don't know.
If you take a feat to wear armor and still run a risk of spell failure, then the potential penalty is built in. Sure, you're eventually going to get armor to reduce the chance to 0, but so what? It's not like any armor will do.
I never really liked the Eldritch Knight, and I think the Magus is superior both in mechanics and in flavor. In fact, the Magus is so far superior it basically bends the EK over a table and buggers it from behind!Does he do it as a swift action, or fool-round?
It's a free action. He does it without needing to expend any effort or time at all.
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Having what you want though, would pretty much destroy any need for a wizard. The Magus is something I thought impossible, a balanced fighter/mage that does not obsolete the fighter or the mage. That said, the Magus has a lot more variety in spells than his predecessors the Warmage or the Duskblade. And if you stay the course to 19th, you do get 14 wizard spells to add to your list..
Umm no it doesn't. I didn't say to give the magus ALL level 7, 8, 9 wiz spells. Bards get level 9 wiz spells as level 6 spells...are bards broken too then? The utility spells doesn't mean that the wizard is obsolete either...it means that the party can now have a magus instead of a wizard. That's not obsolete...that's an option. And option is a good thing. Since I'm asking for blasty spells to get lowered in level, it also means that while the magus has those util spells, they will get them later then a wizard (and miss out on all the very powerful ones all together) as well. The warmage and the duskblade were both pretty underpowered...and really they were not fighter/mages. The warmage was a comical attempt making evokation relivant and the duskblade was a fighter who fight with magic. The only TRUE way to make a fighter/wizard in 3.5 was to take a slew of prestige classes...at least 2 were needed and 4 was the norm. And considering how disapointing the magus is...PF currently has no way to make a true wiz/fighter other then the elf/h-elf archer/wizard by combining AA and EK...which uses that min 2 PrC I mentioned. And finally, yes the EK is considered bad because you can't play your concept til your level 8 or 9 truthfully...your saying wait til level 19?!? Umm yeah...HELL NO comes to mind.
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Eldritch Knight comes out on top in terms of raw attributes, even just looking at 'vanilla' builds...
The standard Fighter 1/Wizard 9/Eldritch Knight 10 ends up with:
BAB +15
A caster level of 20 (assuming the Magical Knack trait - which was pretty much designed for this guy)
Level 18 Wizard casting power (including 3x 7th level, 3x 8th level, and 2x 9th level spells per day)
The full level 20 Magus ends up with:
BAB +15
A caster level of 20
No spells above level 6
{Even a more combat-oriented Eldritch Knight, such as a Fighter 5/Wizard 5/Eldritch Knight 10 build, seems to win, with:
BAB +17 (which also means that extra iterative attack you hit at +16)
A caster level of 16 (with the Magical Knack trait)
Level 14 Wizard casting power (including 2x 7th level spels per day)}
Wizard levels means the Eldritch Knight has more easy access to a greater variety of wands and scrolls.
Diverse Training means the Eldritch Knight has more access to both Fighter Feats and the new Wizard Arcane Discoveries (unless you happen to have a really literal DM who thinks that these aren't covered by Diverse Training...).
The standard Fighter 1/Wizard 9/Eldritch Knight 10 gets 4 bonus combat Feats over the course of his career, as well as a bonus Wizard Feat / Arcane Discovery (not including the Scribe Scroll Feat he gets at level 1). If you don't like the Spell Critical class feature then simply taking a Fighter 1/Wizard 10/Eldritch Knight 9 build gets you an additional Wizard bonus Feat / Arcane Discovery instead (with the same BAB and Spell casting ability as the full 10-level Eldritch Knight build).
The Magus gets 3 bonus Feats, total.
On the other hand...
The standard Fighter 1/Wizard 9/Eldritch Knight 10 ends up with base saves of Fort +10, Ref +6, Will +9
The Magus ends up with base saves of Fort +12, Ref +6, Will +12
Skill points are the same.
Eldritch Knight ends up with 12 Class Skills the Magus doesn't get (Appraise, Handle Animal, Linguistics, Survival, Sense Motive and 7 Knowledge Skills), whilst the Magus has one the Eldritch Knight doesn't get (Use Magic Device).
The Eldritch Knight has a larger spell list to draw from overall (although the Magus can cherry-pick a few of the good ones he doesn't normally get).
Eldritch Knight has more options with regards to armour and weapons: he can use shields (and tower shields) and isn't limited to one-handed melee weapons to do his thing, but ultimately suffers more from the threat of Arcane Spell Failure (i.e. he has to expend more resources - e.g. Feats such as Still Spell, and the Arcane Armour Feats - to deal with the problem).
Beyond that it's down to how valuable you think the Magus's class features are...
Enchanting his weapon, spell recall, and the 'sudden metamagic' Arcana can all be achieved via the right magic items (weapons, pearls of power, rods), Knowledge Pool is little more than a 'cheat' to scribe all the Magus spells into his book without having to do the research (still costs him though), Fighter Training lags behing the Eldritch Knight's Diverse Training, and Greater Spell Access just helps close the gap a tiny bit with the Eldritch Knight's already better spell list.
Spell Combat, Spellstrike, and Counterstrike are his more unique abilities, and some of the arcana are very nice (such as Manuever Mastery and Familiar) although Wand Mastery (for example) is a pale imitation of the Staff-Like Wand Arcane Discovery the Eldritch Knight can acquire, and many of the others can be better duplicated (but slower to activate) with spells.
The Magus saves a lot on action economy, with Spell Combat and (arguably) some of his arcana, but tends to suffer lower hit chances due to using Spell Combat (especially if he needs a boost on the concentration check to cast defensively, wants to up his AC by fighting defensively and/or using Combat Expertise, or uses Power Attack).
The Magus does have some very nice (and cross-compatable with each other) archetypes.
The Eldritch Knight has the powers he gets from his Wizard specialization school, and an Arcane Bonded object (assuming he'll take that, which doesn't rely on pure Wizard levels to scale, rather than a Familiar, which does).
Both Magus and Eldritch Knight require a certain level of game knowledge and forethought to work well.
Generally I'd say that the Eldritch Knight (or even a build heading towards Eldritch Knight) will edge out the Magus for power and versatility most of the time. On the other hand, the Magus does do what he does from level one (as opposed to an Eldritch Knight build which will generally do it from level 2 onwards, assuming one level of Fighter followed by Wizard levels to 5), and has those nice archetypes as well. A Magus will generally try to cast and melee, where an Eldritch Knight build will focus on casting or melee. A Magus will probably get more out of 'blasting' style and other instantaneous combat spells, whereas the Eldritch Knight will do better with pre-combat buffs and other longer duration spells...
So I guess it comes down to style of play - both of how you're aiming to utilise the character, and the sort of game / campaign you'll be playing in. The Magus class features which simulate magic items aren't necessarily a bad thing, for example - in a fast-paced action-adventure romp-style campaign with little downtime for shopping or crafting they're going to be great, whereas in a more 'high fantasy' game with built-in downtime (sometimes years) between great quests those features will be easy to simulate by anyone with enough time and money to make the effort.
Prof Potts,
How do you compare the Magus 20 to the Magus 10/EK 20?
I found your analysis above interesting and would like your input.
I'd say the magus 10/EK 20 would probably kick the magus 20 to the coast and back. But I also think you're not likely to find 'em anywhere but in my campaign :)
I would suggest the familiar is still a good choice for a number of reasons for the eldritch knight.
To say it doesn't scale without wizard levels is a bit of... well I'll say a stretch.
This is because several parts of it do scale regardless of class -- in fact they scale better for the eldritch knight than they do for the wizard. These parts are:
Hit points
BAB
Save Throws
Skill usage
Since the eldritch knight by default is probably going to have more HP than the wizard does so will his familiar, and since his BAB is higher the familiar will be better off too.
Also the familiar can be targeted by personal spells as well as other buffs that can turn it into a really nasty combatant.
Let's consider one of my favorites: The dweomercat cub from the kingmaker AP. This tiny cat has a bite two claws and two rakes as well as pounce. Throw an enlarge person on it as well as permanency and you suddenly have a small creature that threatens that has those abilities as well as a +15 BAB.
This is even nastier on the witch eldritch knight that trades a single feat to their familiar to give them power attack. A suit of mithral armor (studded leather is nice) and an amulet of the mighty fist in addition to a stat boosting belt (but not CON since the familiar's hp are set by the HP of the master) and you have a very strong secondary combatant (fortunately the dweomercat cub can also immediately teleport to anyone casting a spell on it too, so if it gets in trouble a reach cure wounds spell can get it out of trouble and heal it at the same time).
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Am I the only one who houseruled Arcane Strike as as a free action? It's not all that awesome.
I have a similar rule involving Arcane Strike and Arcane Armor Mastery.
Swift to activate, Free to maintain, however you may only maintain one of those actions. It was a way for me to address the swift action issue that seems to be prevailing the thread so far. That and it made for better spell and combat synergy in my games.
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There are some very versitile builds of each class though.
I personally want to compare the effectiveness of theses builds
Paladin3/Arcane Duelist Bard10/Eldritch Knight7
Cavalier3/Summoner7/Eldritch Knight10
HexCrafter Magus20
Sandman Bard8/Duelist2/Eldritch Knight10
Though one thing I haven't seen addressed would be favored class option for the magus, nor which races are best suited for being a magus or EK. Thoughts?