First and foremost, I understand that the features Kensai trade with just being base or Bladebound magus are significant. I am OK with the trade. I would be the main martial presence in our four man party followed up by our ranger/rogue. Rounding us out is a wizard and a cleric of Sarenrae (Fire/Sun) type domains I believe.
For those that have played out this character, what worked well in terms of feats/equipment choices etc and what were some things that you would change up?
Is it better to just augment the martial leaning of the kensai and try to get it as close to a full BAB character with some nifty tricks or does the staple shocking grasp crit fishing still work well enough?
I assume a strong variant of this is also doing dex focus and going the dervish dance route. Has anyone made a str based combo work? Seems like stats would get super thin.
Just curious as to what the reality is vs the perception of how well this class works out.
Thanks in advance.
Strength is the stronger route for most purposes, I think, but you may need to be the tank - unless the Cleric is really funky. Those domains doesn't make me think so, though. As a result, you'll need all the AC and saves you can get, and a Strength build doesn't lead in that direction.
Get a lesser metamagic rod of quicken spell asap so you can get some action efficiency and buff pronto.
For Kensai go dex and get lots of pops. Str-Kensai is just not as good. Chilltouch until you need nova and you will do fine, you can always nova even more when neccesary. After level 12 it gets weaker though as its harder to keep up attack bonusses.
For feats. I assume intensify spell is still used. However, since you have less swift action options, does Arcane Strike become more desirable? I assume Lunge is still a decent options. Any benefit to take the fighter like feats earlier in the build such as Weapon Specialization etc?
For arcana, do you do arcane accuracy or wait until you qualify to the arcana that allows you to attack against touch AC by expending 2 AP?
My younger brother runs one in the game I DM and the combo's really capable. He runs a Dervish build.
FIrst and foremost is that with only 2 primary stats your AC gets really solid for a caster with and you hit for a good chuck of change(especially when you up your crit mod with your pool). You will be very good at fighting.
However, biggest problem they have though is no recall, so invest in pearls of power when you can. Aside from that, you'll manage.
Feat wise, keep in mind your 1 & 3 feats are tied up(dervish & finesse) and you can't choice extra arcana till 7th level(since you don't have arcanas till then) and your 6th feat should be intensified spell(for Shocking Grasp damage).
So your builds... is pretty much laid out for you till then. At this point, crit fishing or fighter feats should work out fine depending on your desire.
Edit:
However, since you have less swift action options, does Arcane Strike become more desirable? I assume Lunge is still a decent options. Any benefit to take the fighter like feats earlier in the build such as Weapon Specialization etc?
For arcana, do you do arcane accuracy or wait until you qualify to the arcana that allows you to attack against touch AC by expending 2 AP?
Lots of your Arcana & your pool eat up swifts so I personally don't think its needed.
Lung is fine, yeah. As a Kensai you don't mind the AC hit either.As for Weapon Specialization, it's always a nice boost in damage but in the Kensais's case I'd say it's more worth it to take Extra Pool Points early. Unless its one of your Bonus Magi feats(which have to be metamagic or combat feats), Extra Pool's the better choice imo. Lets you fight harder and more often.
Yes, Arcane Accuracy's just too good to pass up. And eventually, you'll want both(Since the Touch AC arcana's expensive, especially when you're pools small).
|
If you don't mind, I got some questions just to make absolutely sure I we the answers:
#1: What lvl are you starting at?
#2: Are you an Elf?
#3: What kind of caster is the Wizard?(blaster, controller, buffer, etc.)
#4: Do you as a have a personal preference between melee or spell casting?
#5: Do you prefer blasting spells, or save vs suck spells?
I know they seem like stupid questions, but they're important nonetheless.
#1: What lvl are you starting at?
It would be a replacement character for RoTRL. We're in Book 3, so 7th or higher depending on if/when my main could die.
#2: Are you an Elf?
No specific race preference.
#3: What kind of caster is the Wizard?(blaster, controller, buffer, etc.)
Blaster from what I can tell. It's a replacement to the sorc who died a couple sessions back.
#4: Do you as a have a personal preference between melee or spell casting?
No personal preference but considering the archetype, leaning to melee.
#5: Do you prefer blasting spells, or save vs suck spells?
In this case, more buff focused supplemented by key touch spells. My staple would be shocking grasp, chill touch etc.
|
|
Most of this is gonna be "no-brainer" kind of stuff. I don't know what adding Bladebound would be like since I've haven't been able to use it, but from what I understand it wouldn't affect much of this anyway other than the loss of another arcana. Sorry.
Race:
Elf
Ability Scores:
Dex, Int, Con, Wis, Str, Cha.
Character Traits:
Magical Lineage(Shocking Grasp) and anything else.
Feats:
[Bonus]Weapon Proficiency(Scimitar), [Bonus]Weapon Focus(Scimitar), [1st lvl]Weapon Finesse, [3rd lvl]Dervish Dance, [5th lvl]Extra Arcane Pool or Power Attack, [5th lvl Magus]Intensified Spell, [7th lvl]Weapon Specialization(Scimitar).
Magus Arcanas:
[3rd lvl]Spell Shield, [6th lvl]Arcane Accuracy.
Gear:
I won't go into spells because my suggestions wouldn't help you at all since my Magus had to function as the only caster in our group. That really screwed up my choices. Like I said at the beginning of this post, most, if not all, of what I wrote is "no-brainer" stuff(which is why I like the Magus Class). Hope it helps, sorry if it doesn't.
I would consider beginning as Human just for the feat. certainly for dervish builds its nice.
also invest early in belt of dex and headband of INT and yes magical liniage shocking grasp and a lot of pearls of power lvl 1 (only 1000g) allows you to use intensefied shocking grasp as a lvl 1 spell up till lvl 10 and even after that its stil usefull.
if you can get the wand wielder arcana buying a wand of shocking grasp CL5 would be nice you could spam shocking grasp! :-)
Spell shield? The magus can cast shield - and can use wand of shield or even scrolls of shield. Better to take wand Wielder - helps with low level concentration checks - and spell slots. You could use cantrips - but 750 to do 3,5 more dam, and not having to worry about concentration checks when using spell combat is worth it...
|
|
Spell shield? The magus can cast shield - and can use wand of shield or even scrolls of shield. Better to take wand Wielder - helps with low level concentration checks - and spell slots. You could use cantrips - but 750 to do 3,5 more dam, and not having to worry about concentration checks when using spell combat is worth it...
Normally I'd agree 100% with you but when you factor in Diminished Spellcasting and the loss of Spell Recall and Knowledge Pool, Spell Shield gets a pretty big boost to it's usefulness since it will help free up spell slots for more Shocking Grasp. More so if your Int mod is +5 or greater. Also, since Spell Shield is used as an immediate action, you could overlap Shield with Spell Shield as an "oh crap" option if you get flanked or after a charge to get a couple more points to AC if your Int mod is high than +4.
It still kinda sucks since it only lasts until the end of your next turn compared to Shield's 1 minute/caster lvl, but as a side benefit to the loss of Spell Recall and Knowledge Pool you will have more Arcane Pool points to burn. Not alot, but still more than the base Magus.
Of course, if your Int mod is +4, or heaven forbid less, then a wand of Shield(CL 1) is unquestionably the way to go.
Besides, so long as you have Arcane Accuracy it really doesn't matter what arcanas you pick up. It's the only one I find to be almost necessary. The rest are kinda like gilding the lily.
EDIT: Changed the text in the last sentence of the first paragraph to make it clearer that I meant for Spell Shield to be used as an emergency overlap of Shield.
I recommend spell blending at the higher levels to take mnemonic Enhancer as a possible 12th level arcana or better yet 13th level with the feat to gain another wizard spell of fourth lvl or lower (Such as Summon Monster IV to give you some front line support). Those Magical Lineage Intensified Shocking Grasps give you pretty good bang for your buck. Its like getting 3 extra 2nd level spells for one fourth level one.
wand of shield only 750g and your good each combat!
That's assuming you are able to purchase one. I toyed with the idea of making a wand wielding Magus with the feats to produce his own wands, but wand production become prohibitively expensive past 2nd level spells especially for a magus. Being able to spam certain 1st and 2nd level spells such as shield might still be worth the feat though.
RPG Superstar 2009 Top 32, 2010 Top 8
|
I've been playing with the idea of using the Aldori dueling sword instead of the scimitar route. Especially since as a human you could take weapon finesse and quick draw at first level, then take Aldori dueling mastery at 3rd. You'd get a +2 shield bonus to AC and +2 on initative.
Also don't forget the Hakiri-Maki from UC. +1 AC with no ASF, or enchant it to a +1 for a +2 armor bonus for the low low cost of about 1200 GP.
yeah im thinking of taking the wand wielder arcana and craft my own wands wand of shocking grasp would be awsome casting shocking grasp without attacks of opertunity and hitting for 6d6 each time :-)
I personally like Strength maguses better than Dexterity maguses, but it's harder to pull off with Kensais. The reason is because you don't have armor as a Kensai, making you rely on Dex and Int to offset that.
Equipment:
Ask your DM if katana would qualify for Dervish Dance, since it's basically just a better scimitar. If so, use a katana. Otherwise, you're basically stuck with a scimitar unless you go Strength.
Another alternative is to be a Strength magus and use a whip, allowing you to spellstrike/spell combat from afar. Since you don't need to be on the front-lines, the loss to AC is negligible.
-> At 1st level, take Power Attack and use a scorpion whip.
-> At 3rd level, take Whip Mastery and have your black blade be a normal whip. Since a whip (but not a scorpion whip) is a one-handed weapon, you can two-hand your whip for heavy damage.
-> At 5th level, you can take Extra Arcana (Maneuver Mastery) to add your magus level instead of BAB to your CMB for trip or disarm.
This build won't let you have a high crit weapon and you will still be less durable. However, your combat maneuevers will make you an asset even without your spells and you'll be doing more damage than a Dexterity magus. Plus, it's an unusual flavorful build that will make you stand out more than the typically cookie-cutter magus.
Race
Elf or Human are good choices. If you go human and aren't sure what to do with your bonus feat, you can take the Dual Talented alternate feature and add +2 to another ability score.
Feats
Extra Arcana and Extra Arcane Pool will be very useful to you since you'll be arcana-starved and arcane pool starved. However, you'll be feat-starved if you go Dexterity Magus.
Magus Arcana
Depending on how high your Intelligence is, Spell Shield and Arcane Accuracy will be very nice substitutes for the lack of spell slots you have for Shield and True Strike. Arcane Edge and Manuever Master are also worth looking at.
EDIT: Changed the text in the last sentence of the first paragraph to make it clearer that I meant for Spell Shield to be used as an emergency overlap of Shield.
Shield and Spell Shield don't stack. They're both shield bonuses.
|
|
That's why I said "overlap" instead of "stack". If Spell Shield would give you a higher bonus then you can use it as I described to get it's bonus instead of Shield's.
Example: You have a 22 INT mod and the spell Shield active on yourself for it's +4 bonus. You get flanked and use the Spell Shield arcana to gain it's +6 bonus. Since both bonuses are shield bonuses, you would only gain the higher of the two which in this case would be Spell Shield's +6. At the end of your next turn Spell Shield's duration ends causing you to revert to the +4 bonus from Shield. -End example.
Hopefully that clears up what I meant. Sorry for the confusion I caused.