Ok, so first off, in the ultimate combat, it states:
Ghost Blade (Su): Whenever the magus enchants his weapon
using his arcane pool, he may spend 1 additional point from
his arcane pool to add the brilliant energy and ghost touch
special abilities to the list of available options. The magus
must be at least 9th level before selecting this arcana
And:
At 1st level, a magus can expend 1 point from his arcane pool as a swift action to grant any weapon he is holding a +1 enhancement bonus for 1 minute. For every four levels beyond 1st, the weapon gains another +1 enhancement bonus, to a maximum of +5 at 17th level. These bonuses can be added to the weapon, stacking with existing weapon enhancement to a maximum of +5
With:
At 5th level, these bonuses can be used to add any of the following weapon properties: dancing, flaming, flaming burst, frost, icy burst, keen, shock, shocking burst, speed, or vorpal.
Adding these properties consumes an amount of bonus equal to the property’s base price modifier. These properties are added to any the weapon already has, but duplicates do not stack. If the weapon is not magical, at least a +1 enhancement bonus must be added before any other properties can be added.
So, if i, as a magus already have a,say +4 weapon how does this work?
Can i just add the brilliant weapon for 1 arcane pool point?
Also
Pool Strike, Arcing (Su): The magus can expend 1
additional point from his arcane pool when using the
pool strike arcana. If his attack hits, the magus can target
a number of enemies within 15 feet equal to his Intelligence
modifier (minimum 0) with a ranged touch attack as a free
action. Those struck take the same energy damage as the
primary target of the pool strike, including increased
damage on a critical hit. The magus must be at least 12th
level and must have the pool strike magus arcana before
selecting this magus arcana.
Add this to a Pool strike, noted as this:
Pool Strike (Su): The magus can expend 1 point from his arcane pool as a standard action to charge his free hand with energy. He can make a melee touch attack with that hand as a free action as part of activating this ability. If the touch attack hits, it releases the charge and deals 2d6 points of energy damage (acid, cold, electricity, or fire, chosen when he spends the arcane pool point to activate this ability). He can use this ability with the spellstrike class feature. If he misses with this attack, he can hold the charge for up to 1 minute before it dissipates. At 6th level, and every three levels thereafter, the amount of damage dealt by this attack increases by 1d6.
Now take the Myrmadarch abilty:
Ranged Spellstrike (Su): At 4th level, a myrmidarch can
use spellstrike to cast a single-target touch attack ranged
spell and deliver it through a ranged weapon attack. Even if
the spell can normally affect multiple targets, only a single
missile, ray, or effect accompanies the attack.
At 11th level, a myrmidarch using a multiple-target
spell with this ability may deliver one ray or line of effect
with each attack when using a full-attack action, up to
the maximum allowed by the spell (in the case of ray
effects). Any effects not used in the round the spell is cast
are lost. This ability replaces spell recall and improved
spell recall.
Do all these things combined mean i can make ranged attacks adding, say, a scroching ray as damage to multiple targets at level 11, then add pool strike damage and have all the pool strike damage effect everyone within a 15 ft radius of the intitial target?
Is this what is intended?
So, if i, as a magus already have a,say +4 weapon how does this work?
Can i just add the brilliant weapon for 1 arcane pool point?
Yes and no; it's really more dependent upon your level than the enhancement bonus of your weapon.
For example, as a Level 9 Magus, I can apply a +3 bonus to my +1 weapon for 1 Arcane Pool point. This can make it a +4 weapon, a +1 Shocking Icy Burst Weapon, and any combination in-between, so long as the total enhancement bonus is equal to or less than +4 (+1 Weapon plus +3 from Arcane Pool). No matter what, I cannot make my weapon a Brilliant Energy weapon, because that is a +4 enhancement and I can only add a +3 enhancement using my Arcane Pool.
Once I hit level 13, I will be able to add +4 enhancements to my weapons, and then I can make any weapon a Brilliant Energy weapon, so long as it has at least a +1 enhancement. It doesn't matter if it's a lowly +1 Longsword or a +5 Vorpal Shocking Longsword of Speed before I spend my point from my Arcane Pool.
Do all these things combined mean i can make ranged attacks adding, say, a scroching ray as damage to multiple targets at level 11, then add pool strike damage and have all the pool strike damage effect everyone within a 15 ft radius of the intitial target?
Is this what is intended?
No. While you can use Pool Strike WITH the Spellstrike class ability, you cannot apply the Pool Strike to your weapon--that clause just means that while Pool Strike is normally a Standard Action, you can do it as part of a Spellstrike to allow yourself both a full attack with one weapon and a touch attack with your Pool Strike.
Arcing Pool Strike opponents have to be within 15' of you, not 15' of your target.
If I'm not mistaken, doing a Pool Strike as part of a Spellstrike also prevents you from actually casting a spell as part of your Spellstrike, meaning you cannot apply a ranged ray attack at the same time that you are using Pool Strike.
I hope this all makes sense, and that I'm not off-base. I'm still learning my Magus (9th level Quarterstaff Magus), too.
No. While you can use Pool Strike WITH the Spellstrike class ability, you cannot apply the Pool Strike to your weapon--that clause just means that while Pool Strike is normally a Standard Action, you can do it as part of a Spellstrike to allow yourself both a full attack with one weapon and a touch attack with your Pool Strike.
On second thought, I will contradict myself here to say that I think you can use Pool Strike with Spellstrike, but its effects would just be applied to the first attack that hits, as with most other touch attack spells. So you could shoot an arrow charged with Pool Strike as part of Ranged Spellstrike, but I'm not sure how that would function in the case of a miss. And on a successful hit, I suppose it would be up to GM discretion as to whether Arcing Pool Strike meant that enemies within 15' took the damage, or whether it doesn't apply because you're (presumably) not within 15'.
Regardless, you cannot cast a spell, use Pool Strike, and Spellstrike all in the same round. Spellstrike can incorporate either a spell OR Pool Strike, not both.
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Regardless, you cannot cast a spell, use Pool Strike, and Spellstrike all in the same round. Spellstrike can incorporate either a spell OR Pool Strike, not both.
What about using Pool Strike the previous round, holding the charge, opening with a Spellstrike, which uses up the Pool Strike, then casting your spell as part of Spell Combat for the round?
Regardless, you cannot cast a spell, use Pool Strike, and Spellstrike all in the same round. Spellstrike can incorporate either a spell OR Pool Strike, not both.What about using Pool Strike the previous round, holding the charge, opening with a Spellstrike, which uses up the Pool Strike, then casting your spell as part of Spell Combat for the round?
Seems allowable to me, given that one of my most common tactics is to cast a spell like Chill Touch using Spell Combat, hold the charge and use the spell effects for a round or two, and then end a round by attacking using Spellstrike (with the Chill Touch benefits) and then casting a new spell, which dismisses Chill Touch.
Yeah, makes sense to me that Pool Strike should function in the same way.
Once I hit level 13, I will be able to add +4 enhancements to my weapons, and then I can make any weapon a Brilliant Energy weapon, so long as it has at least a +1 enhancement. It doesn't matter if it's a lowly +1 Longsword or a +5 Vorpal Shocking Longsword of Speed before I spend my point from my Arcane Pool.
You can't do that. A weapon is never allowed, for any reason including class features, to go above an effective +10 enhancement bonus.
You can't do that. A weapon is never allowed, for any reason including class features, to go above an effective +10 enhancement bonus.
Once I hit level 13, I will be able to add +4 enhancements to my weapons, and then I can make any weapon a Brilliant Energy weapon, so long as it has at least a +1 enhancement. It doesn't matter if it's a lowly +1 Longsword or a +5 Vorpal Shocking Longsword of Speed before I spend my point from my Arcane Pool.
While true, this was errata'ed in, and many people house rule it back to no more than a permanent +10. Otherwise it makes weapon-boosting class features get worse as you level instead of better (because you're going to start overflowing) or else it makes your un-boosted attacks weaker than they should be (because you aren't boosting your weapon). In a PFS game, of course, you don't have that option.
Wow, this just became another solid option for an archer, especially because it seems to be better than an arcane archer in almost every way.
Thank you for the help.
bobson can you link to a source please, really need that info myself for a bladebound magus im currently playing. At max level, what exactly would be allowed for a +5 black blade with a +5 bonus that can be applied from arcane pool?
It's in the magic weapon section:
A single weapon cannot have a modified bonus (enhancement bonus plus special ability bonus equivalents, including those from character abilities and spells) higher than +10.
This was changed between the second and third printing - you can download the errata from here.
Edit: Here's a thread where it was discussed a few months ago, with all relevant links and quotes.
