In my PF game, the player wanted a martial wizard. However, when we started, the Magus was not finalized yet, so we went with Wizard and he just played him martially.
Now that UM is out and the Magus is finalized, he's about to hit level 3, and I offered him the option of 'retconning' into a Magus. He's accepted, and how I'm handling it is this :
Increase HP by 3 pts (2 for first level, 1 for second) due to hit die differences.
Redo Saves for Magus.
Keep skills as is (same skill points between both classes).
He spent his first level feat on 2 extra traits, so no worries there.
He's already got a spell book, and a bunch of scrolls and such (some of which are not on his spell list, but it shouldn't matter that much).
I'm requiring that he go with a Blade Bound Magus, and the in game explanation is that he's going to find an old Black Blade and when he touches it, it's going to knock him unconscious. When he wakes up a week later, the blade is going to have turned him into a Magus to further it's mission.
So, what I'm looking for is any 'gotchas' I may have missed. I think I accounted for everything during the 'retcon', but I may have missed something.
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Unless he took an unusual Wizard-only option for his favoured class bonus (as I guess he'll be transferring his favoured clas into Magus as well) I can't think of anything else. You already covered the 'unusable' spells in his book, and the way you're planning on doing it sounds more like a 'radiation accident' than a strict 'ret-con' anyway - that is to say, it doesn't matter if he did things as a Wizard he can't do now, since you're not erasing the fact he was ever a Wizard (as with a strict ret-con), but simply re-designing the character with a reasonable in-game explaination.
Looks good!
First, I agree with ProfPots - this isn't a retcon, this is Peter Parker getting bit by the spider. :)
A ret-con would be more like, "Oh, actually, you were always a Magus."
That would actually be my preferred way of handling this (and its the way I handle nigh-100% of character retraining / rebuilding issues in my campaigns).
That being said:
I'm requiring that he go with a Blade Bound MagusIs the player okay with this?
I mean, I love the Magus class, but I'm not 100% sold on any of the archtypes being great trade-offs.
Yeah, I prefer the 'Radiation Accident' rather than 'Oops, you were always a Magus'. I never do the latter, I only do the former in special circumstances.
And yeah, he's fine with it, he's actually pretty gung-ho about it, and the blade bound magus is actually pretty much a magus with a slightly smaller arcane pool (he's sharing it with his sword), and he only loses his 3rd level arcana. Not a bad tradeoff honestly.
So, what I'm looking for is any 'gotchas' I may have missed. I think I accounted for everything during the 'retcon', but I may have missed something.Unless he took a bonded object that furry little thing that's been traveling with him might have some words to say (like ouch that sword hurts and is cold).
School specialization, spells that are on the wizard list but not on the magus one. Cantrips he might not have in his book, etc.
-James
Bonded object (Ring), so that'll just cease to work.
He was a generalist wizard, so no worries about that.
Spells are no big deal, because while they are in his book, if they are not on his spell list, he will no longer be able to cast/transcribe/etc those spells. Magus still get's cantrips, so that just falls to the 'Not on his list now, can no longer memorize them'.
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Unless they're game breaking, the spells that he already knows that are not on the magus list you might consider letting him keep, as sort of souvenirs from his former life.
The magus and wizard are similar enough that there really doesn't have to be that big of a change, just a change in focus, almost as if he were multiclassing into fighter at 3rd.
Unless they're game breaking, the spells that he already knows that are not on the magus list you might consider letting him keep, as sort of souvenirs from his former life.
The magus and wizard are similar enough that there really doesn't have to be that big of a change, just a change in focus, almost as if he were multiclassing into fighter at 3rd.
No, I think that might be a bit much. But the rest should work.
I'm currently planning on having him find a hidden tomb while on a minor sidequest. Where they currently are, there haven't been any elves for over 1200 years (he's an elf).
So, he'll as an elf detect a hidden door (to the tomb), no doubt they'll investigate, and find a long dead elf noble inside, just a skeleton. All the noble's magical arms and armor will have been drained of it's magic (by the sword over time, to keep itself hidden and active over the centuries). The sword (once a powerful weapon) is almost out of power. So when an elf wizard touches it, it's going to bond to him and awaken his magus abilities (using the last of it's power), so it'll return to being a weak 3rd level sword after that. Eventually it can restore itself, obviously.
He's picked an elven curve blade, so I think I'll make the blade an black quartz blade, flexible as steel, but made of smoky crystal. Might put elven chain on the noble, since he will need armor, not that he'll have the GP to get it enchanted for a while.
Sadly, Elven curve blade is two handed, so doesn't work with spell combat.
Grr,
Thanks, forgot about that. Asking him if he wants to go with Bastard Sword or Sword Cane or something else.
Sadly, Elven curve blade is two handed, so doesn't work with spell combat.Grr,
Thanks, forgot about that. Asking him if he wants to go with Bastard Sword or Sword Cane or something else.
Since bastard sword is on the table, you may want to consider a Urumi then. It's a viable option. It has that coiled metal/flexible vibe making it harder to sunder. 1D8 vs Med, Crit range 18-20 x 2 as I recall
Sadly, Elven curve blade is two handed, so doesn't work with spell combat.Grr,
Thanks, forgot about that. Asking him if he wants to go with Bastard Sword or Sword Cane or something else.Since bastard sword is on the table, you may want to consider a Urumi then. It's a viable option. It has that coiled metal/flexible vibe making it harder to sunder. 1D8 vs Med, Crit range 18-20 x 2 as I recall
As long as the blade has a point in it's pool, it's immune to sunder, so that's not a big deal. I pointed him at a Dueling Sword as well.