Shocking grasp.
true strike can be handy.
arcane mark lvl 0 spell is a must.
Shield, Infernal Healing [if allowed, and if you've still got the cleric/pally/reliable healing disregard], Shocking Grasp, and Vanish are solid core spells for a Magi to load. Magic Missle/Burning Hands, Color Spray/Grease, and Obscuring Mist also have value, if no other group caster can handle CC/battlefield control/AoE damage/etc. Out in a (very) distant note is Corrosive Touch in case you run into something immune/resistant to electricity, which at Level 4 is possible.
Vanish, Shield, and Shocking Grasp would be prepped almost universally, the 4th or not prepping one of them for something else would depend on what was needed. Shield or Shocking Grasp loaded a 2nd time would be contenders if I was expecting 2-4 fights a day.
Obviously availability of wands/scrolls/group resources/etc can make your mileage vary.
not taken archetypes on magus or barbarian have +1 weapon and a few scrolls and potions, going to be only arcane caster in the group so need a few combat and utility spells the cleric has got the buffs covered (when he remembers to cast them)
shocking grasp is your bread and butter
your should keep arcane mark memorized so you can spell combat and get 2 strikes off each round
mirror immage and bears endurance is good for lvl 2 spells
What others said. Shocking Grasp and Arcane Mark.
When you can cast 2nd level, use Frigid Touch alot, especially when you hit Magus 5 and can make your sword keen. Great debuff and lasts for 1 min. if you crit!
When you get 3rd level spells, use Bladed Dash a lot. Lets you move w/o provoking + full attack + get an extra attack. Great for both moving into melee or for hurting an enemy and then making your escape.
Just reading up on snowball and close range arcana..
snowball conjurs a snowball that can be thrown.. no mention of action needed to deliver it. It sounds like you'd still have to spend an action to throw it?
Also close range arcana mentioned ray attacks, and as snowball isn't a ray it would not work?
Close Range (Ex)
Benefit: The magus can deliver ray spells that feature a ranged touch attack as melee touch spells. He can use a ranged touch attack spell that targets more than one creature (such as scorching ray), but he makes only one melee touch attack to deliver one of these ranged touch effects; additional ranged touch attacks from that spell are wasted and have no effect. These spells can be used with the spellstrike class feature.
ONLY RAY spels so no go on snowball and spellstrike
Go Hexcrafter and get brand on your spell list, forget arcane mark
Why is Brand better?
Not that there aren't a LOT of other good reasons to go Hexcrafter regardless.
brand is an actual combat spell (with 1 point of damage if they fail a save).
Arcane mark is just cheese abused for the extra attack.
Brand also won't work on foes without an exposed area to brand while as Arcane Mark always works. 1 point of damage...*shrug*
Both are equally "cheesy," Arcane Mark has more style. Still not nearly as good a reason to be hexcrafter as Slumber or Flight or Prehensile Hair is.
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Brand also won't work on foes without an exposed area to brand while as Arcane Mark always works. 1 point of damage...*shrug*
Both are equally "cheesy," Arcane Mark has more style. Still not nearly as good a reason to be hexcrafter as Slumber or Flight or Prehensile Hair is.
Brand doesn't get you into RAW/RAI debates. But yes, it's one of the minor things the love about hexcrafters
He can't spell combat with brand or arcane mark. He's using a 2h weapon.
Grease, Color Spray, Chill Touch, Shocking Grasp, Enlarge Person, Reduce Person, Shield, True Strike and Vanish are all good.
As for swarms, you can still deliver a shocking grasp to a swarm with your weapon with spellstrike, which in my book is preferable, but whatever floats your boat.
Once you get to second level spells, Glitterdust and Frigid Touch will give you excellent bang for your buck.
Get some pearls of power, and use your arcane pool judiciously to reclaim your spells when those run out. Good luck, Magi are tons of fun to play.
He can't spell combat with brand or arcane mark. He's using a 2h weapon.
Actually, he couldn't use Spell Combat at all.
To use this ability, the magus must have one hand free (even if the spell being cast does not have somatic components), while wielding a light or one-handed melee weapon in the other hand.
Despite being usable with Weapon Finesse, the Elven Curve Blade is explicitly not a light weapon.
Arcane mark is just cheese abused for the extra attack.
+Lead designer of game has come out officially on the forums and said they are aware of it, and are cool with it.
+FAQ is actually updated to settle the ongoing debate, and it is entirely in favor of "Arcane Mark is legitimate".
+Go back about a year or two and see dozens if not hundreds of posts, in more than one hundred-plus-post-count thread, from intelligent posters who illustrate why numerically it isn't cheese compared to other classes at that level using their mechanics, and thematically it can be done for RP reasons without breaking suspension of disbelief (sooo... the zorro mark you can't believe and is too much, but the flying 40 ton lizard is okay with you).
... but you still think it's "cheese" and "abused".
I truly hope you never play in a game with a Wizard, Druid, Cleric, or about a half dozen other classes, played by intelligent players, if you still think Arcane Mark is cheese. You will be introduced to what, by magus-arcane-mark-is-cheesy standards, must be considered gouda administered intravenously and rectally simultaneously.
Yeah, I'd rather leave my own personal mark of distinction on someone, Zorro-style, than give them some ugly, cursed brand. Like I said, way more stylish.
And to me, "cheesy" is seeking out brand over arcane mark just to eek out every little bit of extra damage you possibly can. Ho-hum.