Can a magus leave spell slots open to prepare later like a wizard?

[mrofmist]

He's a spell book caster like a wizard, so it seems that he could.

[DJEternalDarkness]

I would think so, I've never seen anything that would imply he couldn't.

[Artanthos]

The magus uses the same mechanics as a wizard.

[LazarX]

mrofmist wrote:

He's a spell book caster like a wizard, so it seems that he could.

Yes, but unless you're one of those really weird archetypes, it's a totally rubbish move to make. You have your arcane pool to pull spells out of your book at later levels, but you should be picking spells suitable for your combat style, as you don't use magic for any other reason. Heck my magus doesn't even prepare detect magic, unless she's the only caster in a group.

You are a combat mage, not a support caster. You use your spells to fight, so you really aren't going to be the one to have 15 minutes to screw around with your book. Presumably you've selected your spells with some idea what you were going to fight. Also there are spells that are useful no mattter WHO you're fighting.

[mrofmist]

LazarX wrote:

mrofmist wrote:

He's a spell book caster like a wizard, so it seems that he could.

Yes, but unless you're one of those really weird archetypes, it's a totally rubbish move to make. You have your arcane pool to pull spells out of your book at later levels, but you should be picking spells suitable for your combat style, as you don't use magic for any other reason. Heck my magus doesn't even prepare detect magic, unless she's the only caster in a group.

You are a combat mage, not a support caster. You use your spells to fight, so you really aren't going to be the one to have 15 minutes to screw around with your book. Presumably you've selected your spells with some idea what you were going to fight. Also there are spells that are useful no mattter WHO you're fighting.

Well, I'm playing the kingmaker campaign right now, so I rarely know what we're going to encounter, or what I will need to prepare. Its a tough campaign for a prepared caster.

[LazarX]

mrofmist wrote:

LazarX wrote:

mrofmist wrote:

He's a spell book caster like a wizard, so it seems that he could.

Yes, but unless you're one of those really weird archetypes, it's a totally rubbish move to make. You have your arcane pool to pull spells out of your book at later levels, but you should be picking spells suitable for your combat style, as you don't use magic for any other reason. Heck my magus doesn't even prepare detect magic, unless she's the only caster in a group.

You are a combat mage, not a support caster. You use your spells to fight, so you really aren't going to be the one to have 15 minutes to screw around with your book. Presumably you've selected your spells with some idea what you were going to fight. Also there are spells that are useful no mattter WHO you're fighting.

Well, I'm playing the kingmaker campaign right now, so I rarely know what we're going to encounter, or what I will need to prepare. Its a tough campaign for a prepared caster.

The thing is... it's very hard for a magus to prepare a spell that's NOT going to be useful since your spell list is so focused. Oh...you're electric resistant? Fine... have my fire spell instead! Mirror Image, again virtually useful against almost every foe you'll fight that doesn't have True Seeing.

[Cpt.Caine]

LazarX wrote:

Yes, but unless you're one of those really weird archetypes, it's a totally rubbish move to make. You have your arcane pool to pull spells out of your book at later levels, but you should be picking spells suitable for your combat style, as you don't use magic for any other reason. Heck my magus doesn't even prepare detect magic, unless she's the only caster in a group.

It's not rubbish to leave a slot open. Magi (is that correct?) do not get the ability to change spells until level 11, and even then it's costly to change higher level spells (higher meaning 3+ ).

[LazarX]

Cpt.Caine wrote:

LazarX wrote:

Yes, but unless you're one of those really weird archetypes, it's a totally rubbish move to make. You have your arcane pool to pull spells out of your book at later levels, but you should be picking spells suitable for your combat style, as you don't use magic for any other reason. Heck my magus doesn't even prepare detect magic, unless she's the only caster in a group.

It's not rubbish to leave a slot open. Magi (is that correct?) do not get the ability to change spells until level 11, and even then it's costly to change higher level spells (higher meaning 3+ ).

The point is there is seldom a good reason to do so. You prepare spells as a magus for one thing only.... to fight. You're not prepping utility spells, that's what support casters are for.

[Grick]

LazarX wrote:

You prepare spells as a magus for one thing only.... to fight. You're not prepping utility spells, that's what support casters are for.

Not every magus has to powergame. There are plenty of reasons to use utility spells. There's more to the game than just combat. Group composition and whatever tasks you're trying to accomplish could certainly change your focus, so having the option to leave slots empty is a good thing.

[Wind Chime]

If you want to be a utility caster then you want to go full caster otherwise your spell per day and spell list will be extremely limited. Magus's should really focus on what they are good at spell combat.

[Artanthos]

Wind Chime wrote:

If you want to be a utility caster then you want to go full caster otherwise your spell per day and spell list will be extremely limited. Magus's should really focus on what they are good at spell combat.

Not everybody plays a one-dimensional character.

[Grick]

Arcane Spells: "Wizards, sorcerers, and bards cast arcane spells. Compared to divine spells, arcane spells are more likely to produce dramatic results."

Then a subheading:
Preparing Wizard Spells with a section on "Spell Selection and Preparation" which has the rules for leaving slots open.

Now, that does say wizard, but it was written before the magus class (or any other prepared arcane caster) existed. We know the magus casts arcane spells, and that he must choose and prepare his spells ahead of time.

So assuming the Wizard section in the magic chapter is really referring to any prepared arcane caster, then those same rules should apply to the Magus (and probably Witch) as well.

[LazarX]

Artanthos wrote:

Wind Chime wrote:

If you want to be a utility caster then you want to go full caster otherwise your spell per day and spell list will be extremely limited. Magus's should really focus on what they are good at spell combat.

Not everybody plays a one-dimensional character.

Characters are more than just their spell slots. You can have your magus slots FULL of utility spells or mix and match and still be one dimensional. It's how you PLAY what you have that gives dimension, not the mechanics themselves.

This is especially true at low levels. At fourth level I only have a couple of firsts and seconds to my name. I don't have the luxury of leaving spells open for support or noncombat spells. Those spell slots are going to be devoted to combat. That doesn't mean however I can't use my skills, or fire up my bow at targets that are not in melee range.

What's truly one dimensional are all those kensai/bladebound/dervish dancer clones out there.

[ElyasRavenwood]

Well I don't play a one dimensional combat fiend magus. I have played a Magus in PFS, and I have just gotten him up to 12 level. This character has 10 levels of Magus, and two levels of Arcane Archer. Two of my character's Magus Arcana I put toward Spell blending and I have learned See invisibility and Dark vision.

I can't tell you how often in PFS games I have used those spells. My character has also invested in an 8 K Goz mask so he can see through those pesky fogs. My Magus also has taken Point blank shot and Precise shot feats as well. There have been plenty of times, where having a ranged option has been extremely useful.

In our PFS group, two friends of mine also had Magi. One had gone the rout of dervish dancer with I think a Kensai arch type....Im not sure. His character could and i watched this magus drop end bosses with a single hit. His character did lots of damage, his favorite spell being shocking grasp.

Another friend also playing a magus used a whip and lots of trips disarms etc to "controll" a battle field.

Both characters were highly effective, but their specialization sometimes became more of a hinderance then a boon.

My character, while not doing the masses of damage that my friend's character did, was always prepared...for airborne opponents, for opponents using darkness, invisibility, fog etc.

One of my favorite tactics was to use a combination of Sleet storm, then Evard's black tentacles to both blind our opponents and give them a "group hug", and then, while using the Goz mask, target fire balls etc on our opponents.

I guess the long and short of it, is that you want to build your character to the campaign you are in. So it may make sense to leave one slot open. It may not.

[LazarX]

ElyasRavenwood wrote:

My character, while not doing the masses of damage that my friend's character did, was always prepared...for airborne opponents, for opponents using darkness, invisibility, fog etc.

My Magus has a str-adjusted bow for distance opponents and she usually carries a potion or two of darkvision as well. At fourth level she's as reasonably prepared as she can be. She's stopped preparing Daze as a cantrip, and is now using that slot for Open/Close. (almost any party she's been in has at least two other casters with Detect Magic)