Magus and Metamagic rods

[jamesburkhouse]

Hi all. I am building a Magus for an epic level game, and I am wondering if anyone can confirm whether a magus can use spell-combat and a metamagic rod at the same time. I imagine not, but I was hoping someone had a reason to say otherwise.

Assuming they cannot use spell combat and a rod simultaneously, I am looking at other methods of getting a rod into their hand as a free action for quickened spells before/ after spell combat begins. So far I have Glove of Storing, and possibly Unseen Servant. Can anyone confirm whether its a free action to accept an item handed to you, hopefully citing relevant source material?

If anyone has an unusual fix for the situation, I would love to hear about it. Thanks for your time.

[wraithstrike]

Yes they can use the metamagic rod. There is no reason why they can't. The only problem is having a free hand, but you can get a weapon cord and drop the rod as a free action, or use a glove of storing.

Getting an item handed to you would be a houserule, and it would mostly likely require a readied action which is a standard action. It's better to use the glove.

[blackbloodtroll]

Spring-loaded Wrist Sheathes and Weapon Cords are indeed the way to go.

Later, Gloves of Storing will do most of the work.

[LazarX]

A magus isn't intended to use a metamagic rod. It's why they have the option of metamagic arcana. My PFS magus however has a metamagic mask which works only on evocation spells.

[Mathwei ap Niall]

wraithstrike wrote:

Yes they can use the metamagic rod. There is no reason why they can't. The only problem is having a free hand, but you can get a weapon cord and drop the rod as a free action, or use a glove of storing.

Getting an item handed to you would be a houserule, and it would mostly likely require a readied action which is a standard action. It's better to use the glove.

I have to disagree with you here. With the rules for spell combat there is no way for a standard magus to do it.

Spell combat is a full round action that requires a weapon in your main hand and your off hand be empty for the entire round. If you use a glove of storing (weapon cord) you no longer have a weapon in your main hand and you have violated this requirement and spell combat fails.

Now with that said I know of 3 ways for a non-standard Magi to use a rod.

1. 2 level dip in Alchemist for vestigial hand. This gives you 2 off-hands one of which can juggle the rod.

2. Play a Hexcrafter with prehensile hair. The hair functions as an arm and it can manipulate a rod.

3. Us the monstrous form spells and shapeshift into something with with more than 2 hands.

Those are all the ways I know of up to do it.

[wraithstrike]

You are correct. I think the RAI was to avoid TWF'ing by holding a weapon in the off-hand, but RAW you are correct. I guess it does deserve an FAQ since I don't have any way to prove RAI as I see it.

[Xaratherus]

A couple of alternatives which all adhere to RAW but are not explicitly spelled-out, and thus would need GM approval:

--Commission the creation of a metamagic ioun stone; this would double the final cost of the rod but make it a 'slotless' item
--Use spell research to research a variant of the Weaponwand spell that instead allows you to store a rod in your weapon (which would count as 'wielding' it in the same hand as your weapon, just like a wand with the original spell)

[Severed Ronin]

Haha. i say use the rod as your weapon.

[Cult of Vorg]

White haired witch from the dragon primer gives permanent prehensile hair, instead of using a standard action to turn on like with a normal witch dip.

Or Polymorph any object your race into tiefling or other race with an extra limb..