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I made a shield magus (can't remember the archetype name off hand) for a home game that my friend is starting.
Any feats I should make sure I take? What are some things I can do to improve the damage of my shield? How does enchanting the shield work (enchant as a weapon vs enchanting as a shield)?
As of right now I'm using a spiked heavy steel shield.
OH and another question, throwing shields? Should I get one of those? How would a throwing spiked heavy steel shield end up working? (And how would that get enchanted)?
As of right now (lvl 1, human) my feats are:
Improved Shield Bash
Weapon Focus (Heavy Shield)
shields have to be enchanted separately (the spikes for attacking, the shield itself for defending), unless you've got that shield bash feat to add enhancement bonus to attacks.
throwing property on shields is an extra 50g (i think it gives it 10 or 20 base range, i cant remmeber), but you'll want the returning enchant later if you wanna get it back with any kind of ease.
not sure which type of shield is better, but I like the quickdraw shield myself.
HNNNNNNG, I'm actually in the early stages of a Skirnir guide at the moment. Make sure you look at the replacement abilities closely, as they change the dynamic considerably. For instance, you get Spellstrike at first level but won't get Spell Combat until much later (8th level and it works a little bit differently).
Are you going with a STR build? If so, I recommend keeping at least a high enough DEX for TWF (maybe not ITWF or GTWF) so that you will be able to shield bash in a normal attack routine (again, you won't have Spell Combat until 8th level). Also, you may want a higher INT than you could have gotten away with as a vanilla Magus, since you suffer from Diminished Spellcasting and lack Spell Recall [cheating little note: you do not lose Improved Spell Recall! Talk to your GM about this!].
Pick your spells carefully, too. Remember you have Spellstrike but not Spell Combat for most of your career, so those touch spells that last for several strikes are a lot more useful for you than for vanilla Magi. I recommend memorizing mostly self-buffs and multi-attack touch spells.
For your first level Feats, consider trading WF: Heavy Shield for TWF and pick up WF at third. Keep Shield Bash, for sure, though, since you will want to keep your AC bonus.
For clarity: The TWF is so I can bash with a shield in one hand, and then cast a spell in my other right?
Also I'm going with the STR bit.
I'll make a note to boost up my int.
And I'll have to look at my spells abit more.
Can I still bash with a quickdraw?
Thanks for info already.
And wow, it can get pretty pricey enchanting the shield! But could I make the spike admantite and the shield itself mithril? Since I have to enchant them separately, can the two be made out of different materials?
No. You cannot spell combat until 8th level. TWF is for when you aren't casting spells (which will be a lot of the time with the Diminished Spellcasting) so you can attack with a typical weapon (if you use a heavy shield, you'll want a light weapon and vice versa) and a shield bash.
Why would you not be able to bash with a quickdraw? Also, why do you want to? You probably won't find a lot of reasons to put your shield away unless to two-hand your typical weapon.
Enchanting the shield won't cost you too much since it's a Bonded Item. Enchanting Shield Spikes, though....ouch! You could, indeed make the shield and the spikes from different materials. (Sadly you can't qualify for Shield Master before level 15)
Going back to the TWF, you could safely ignore TWF and go for a two-handed shield build (works especially well with the STR build). You will be giving up the Spellstrike + 18/x2 (or 15/x2) crit mechanic, though. Still, it could be worth it. (Skirnir are kind of cool in that they can build for reliable TWF or Two-Handed shield wielding) Either way is valid; it depends how you want to play. I'm also looking into a Thunder and Fang Skirnir build (which would be a good reason to have a quickdraw Klar!)
Thanks for some of the clarification. Using another weapon besides my shield didn't even register in my head!
Can't wait to just look at your class guide when it pops out.
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I'll give a tiny little preview! I include this mini as the inspiration for the guide.
I like that she has a weapon that I could call a scimitar so I can get that 15/x2 spell critical. Plus, she just looks really cool even though she does look like Wayne Reynold's Thayan Knight.
When focusing on a Shield, you actually want to avoid spikes.
This way you can take advantage of the Bashing enchantment, and more importantly, the Shield Master feat.
The Bashing enchantment is a really good idea (it also comes with Skirnirs' Arcane Pool). Shield Master is awesome for a Ranger who can get it as a bonus feat at 6th level, but Magi need to wait until 15th level for it (+11 BAB requirement). If you are playing to 20th, it can still be a solid choice for Skirnir.
If you want to primarily go shield-only, first check with the GM if they'll allow spikes/bashing/master to stack, and/or allow 2-handing the shield. Last I saw the arguments fell as these stacking legally, but there was plenty of debate and more GMs that just don't like either.
If none of those are allowed, then you might want to just use the standard high threat weapon in one hand and just use the AC boost from the shield and/or go TWF. With the delayed spell combat, you're more likely to play it like a straight fighter who gets to add extra d6s/effects on a standard action attack (by spellstrike and arcane pool).
So just to check that I'm getting this right....
Assuming that my DM does allow spike/bashing and stuff to stack (He lets alot of stuff go by)...
A +1 bashing spiked shield that I can also use as a +1 weapon costs abit like this:
+1 shield bashing spiked shield
4,000gp (plus the price of a spiked masterwork heavy shield)
Plus another 2300 gp for it to function as a +1 weapon
So that'll be about 6600xp plus the price of a spiked heavy shield, which would allow me to get a +3 shield bonus to my ac, and use it as a +1 weapon that deals 2d6 points of piercing damage.
am i right?
You actually start with a MW shield with the Arcane Bond class feature. You also get to enchant it as though you had the Craft Magic Arms and Armor feat (just the shield, though):
Arcane Bond (Su): At 1st level, a skirnir gains a shield (except for a tower shield) as an arcane bond item. This is identical to the wizard class ability, but the skirnir may only bond with a shield, not a familiar or other item.
A wizard can add additional magic abilities to his bonded object as if he has the required item creation feats and if he meets the level prerequisites of the feat. For example, a wizard with a bonded dagger must be at least 5th level to add magic abilities to the dagger (see the Craft Magic Arms and Armor feat in Feats). If the bonded object is a wand, it loses its wand abilities when its last charge is consumed, but it is not destroyed and it retains all of its bonded object properties and can be used to craft a new wand. The magic properties of a bonded object, including any magic abilities added to the object, only function for the wizard who owns it. If a bonded object's owner dies, or the item is replaced, the object reverts to being an ordinary masterwork item of the appropriate type.
Also, you can hold off on enchanting your shield a little longer than normal since your Arcane Pool can be used on it, too:
Arcane Pool: At 1st level, a skirnir can use his arcane pool to grant an enhancement bonus to a weapon as normal, as well as to his shield, paying the arcane pool cost separately for each. At 5th level and above, he can also add the following shield special abilities: animated, arrow catching, arrow deflection, bashing, blinding, fortification (any), reflecting, spell resistance (any).
So it'll be 2 points from arcane pool to make it a +1 shield and a +1 weapon?
Bashing property gives a virtual +1 enhancement to the shield bash as well as the 2 size increase, so the spikes don't need to be enhanced as a weapon so early.
If you're starting at 5th+ level, all you need is 500gp to enchant the shield to +1 yourself, then use the arcane pool to give it Bashing, going from a 1d6 nonmagic to 2d6 with +1 magic. Or instead the 2000 to enchant it to +1 Bashing yourself, and using the arcane pool for other stuff.
When you do start enchanting the spikes separately, the first +1 is functionally redundant due to the Bashing and wouldn't help you at all, so don't bother until you can afford to do 2000+6000 to get it to +2. Might cost you 310 to upgrade to MW shield spikes first, since I assume that the arcane bond's free MW only applies to the shield not the bash/spikes.
Since you pay the cost to arcane pool shield and weapon separately, you should have to spend the swift action to do so separately as well, so one round you do offense or defense, then next round you do the other.
So it'll be 2 points from arcane pool to make it a +1 shield and a +1 weapon?
i thought arcane pool costed one point and expanded what you could add as you leveled up, but then i may just be dumb.
and iirc if you have at least a +1 weapon you dont gotta spend that point to get the +1 before adding an effect, since it stacks with what the weapon already has.
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cheating little note: you do not lose Improved Spell Recall! Talk to your GM about this!.
In the general rules for applying archetypes:
"If an archetype replaces a class feature that is part of a series of improvements or additions to a base ability (such as a fighter's weapon training or a ranger's favored enemy), the next time the character would gain that ability, it counts as the lower-level ability that was replaced by the archetype."At 11th level you get Spell Recall instead of Improved Spell Recall.
Thank you, Gjorbjond. I thought I remembered a rule (that rule, specifically) but I was remembering it as pertaining to strictly numerical abilities like sneak attack or favored enemy. I have to admit that I didn't look too hard to confirm my poor memory.
insaneogeddon, Weapon Specialization notwithstanding, what Fighter-only feats did you have in mind? Just wondering so I can put 'em in the above-mentioned guide to Skirnir.
Since you pay the cost to arcane pool shield and weapon separately, you should have to spend the swift action to do so separately as well, so one round you do offense or defense, then next round you do the other.
Arcane Pool: At 1st level, a skirnir can use his arcane pool to grant an enhancement bonus to a weapon as normal, as well as to his shield, paying the arcane pool cost separately for each. At 5th level and above, he can also add the following shield special abilities: animated, arrow catching, arrow deflection, bashing, blinding, fortification (any), reflecting, spell resistance (any).
I'm inclined to believe the same as Cult of Vorg. The wording is a little non-specific, though, and could be interpreted as either taking two separate swift actions or just the one swift action but two Arcane Pool points. If anybody feels the inclination to "FAQ" this post, we may get a specific answer. In the meantime, talk to your GM about how the Arcane Pool ability works for Skirnir before trying it out.
Thanks.
Just FYI, magi can get Disruptive and Spellbreaker as Magus Arcana earlier than fighters can as feats.
Penetrating Strike and Greater are great additions. It's a shame that they can't be taken until so late in the magus' career. Still, they are both quite worth the wait, in my opinion.