After last week's debacle for a certain halfling cleric I find myself prepping for a replacement character for if (read as when) he runs our of luck. I've been looking at the mangus and its alternate the black blade as possible replacements. If the combat that we were involved in when we had to stop doesn't go well I'll be looking at bringing a new character at level 6.
For those of you who have played this character class, what advice can you offer as far as strengths and weaknesses. As I read it is seems to be well balanced, but does it play as well as it seems to? Any advice would be appreciated..
You mean Magus? :)
Yeah Magi are pretty awesome. It's a pretty decent balance of combat ability and caster goodness. It has a good deal of utility/battlefield control spells not just direct damage, although that is its forte.
As a weakness I'd say that they can be sort of squishy in melee, they only have D8 HD and light armor for a good portion of the game, although starting at level 6+ does alleviate this somewhat. Just make sure you have a good defensive spell (shield, mirror image, fire shield) for casting in the first round of any combat you perceive as being a serious threat.
It's a lot more versatile than you might expect. You can play a Str or Dex build to great effect, the latter relying on Dervish Dance feat (ask your DM if it's permissible). If you want to play more melee than caster you should also look into the Kensai archetype from UC. Starting at lvl 6 has a big advantage in that you will be able to add the entirety of your Dex AND Int bonus to your AC. You only get proficiency with a single exotic weapon, and I'd recommend Falcata for this. It works perfect with Bladebound archetype in that you'll only ever want that one weapon if it is your Black Blade.
