So looking over my planned progression for my magus, I not entirely happy with 17th-level. At that level I gain 2 feats, which I have tentatively slotted with Weapon Focus and Greater Weapon Focus. Extra hit bonus is never bad.
But for 17th level, a +2 to hit isn't particularly sexy.
Does anyone know of any good 2-feat combos that might pack more punch?
Notes:
By 17th-level he'll have Fighter Training so he'll count as an 8th-level fighter for feats which require fighter levels.
He has a 13 strength now, though by then I expect that will be higher via magic item.
He's Dex-based so he already qualifies for anything requiring a high dexterity.
He has a high Int as well, so Int prereqs are no problem.
Do you have Vital strike I don't know it its much good at your level but low levels its good if you do have it go improved and greater vital strike.
I don't have Vital Strike. Especially at high-levels, I willi likely be using spellstrike to deliver a 15d6 shocking grasp +weapon damage, any time I have to move, so getting double weapon damage did not seem advantageous.
Unfortunately, spellstrike and vital strike cannot be combined. :(
Weapon Focus> Dazzling Display gets you the hit and an AoE demoralize.
More punch==more damage or are your asking for general advice- i.e. what is your aim? More Mobility (e.g. dimensional agility chain)? More damage? (e.g. critical hit chains) Better defense? (e.g. iron will + omproved iron will)
I am actually not averse to any of these things. Anything that would be more valuable than a flat +2 to hit, which seems pretty lackluster at level 17.
I will have Critical Focus by level 11, so Critical feats are possible. I currently have Staggering Critical set at level 19 so maybe I should drop that down to 17 instead...
I take it you're a dervish dance build? With spell specialization on shocking grasp?
I am a dervish dance build, but I do not have Spell Specialization. Reading over the feat, I don't see how that would benefit Shocking Grasp after level 10, seeing as how its damage die caps out at that point (assuming you apply Intensify Spell, which I will be starting at level 6). Is there something I'm missing?
Weapon Focus> Dazzling Display gets you the hit and an AoE demoralize.
Hrm. An AoE demoralize would not be bad at all if I find myself moving through mooks. This is definitely a possibility.
Do you have Spell Pen yet? At that level that's gonna matter.
EDIT: also, if you took Spell Perfection on Shocking Grasp, then the benefits from Weapon Focus and Greater Weapon Focus will double when you use your weapon to deliver your shocking grasp. Spell Specialization grants access to Greater Spell Specialization which allows you to cast shocking grasp spontaneously, meaning you never have to prepare it. Spontaneous Metafocus will allow you to apply empower and intensified to it so it's casting time doesn't increase and you can still use it with spell combat.
+1 to Master Marshmallow. Spell Penetration and Greater Spell Penetration will never be a bad choice, though they may look similarly bland. Piercing Spell is similarly a good choice. Spell Resistance will give you problems at high levels.
I don't recommend Dazzling Display. That's a full round action, and I bet you have better things to do at level 17.
Dimensional Dervish, on the other hand, looks like great fun.
Of course, none of the ones I'm suggesting are Combat feats.
Do you have Spell Pen yet? At that level that's gonna matter.
I do not, though I will have
CASTING
Casting Time 1 swift action
Components V, S
EFFECT
Range close
Target 1 weapon
Duration 1 round (D)
DESCRIPTION
You imbue one weapon with a powerful magical aura that suppresses spell resistance. Until the end of your next turn, successful attacks reduce the target's SR by 3, up to a total of -12 SR with four successful strikes. This reduction lasts for 1 minute, after which the creature's SR recovers at a rate of 1 point per round.
EDIT: also, if you took Spell Perfection on Shocking Grasp, then the benefits from Weapon Focus and Greater Weapon Focus will double when you use your weapon to deliver your shocking grasp.
I completely missed this. It does make WF and GWF much more attractive.
Spell Specialization grants access to Greater Spell Specialization which allows you to cast shocking grasp spontaneously, meaning you never have to prepare it.
I actually had Preferred Spell in my build at one point for the ability to swap it out, but the more I thought about it the less necessary the ability seemed to be. Using my arcane pool I can prepare fewer shocking grasps and if I run out in a single combat, recall them. So ultimate I decided to drop Preferred Spell for Critical Focus.
Hrm. So WF/GWF would mean +1/+2 to non-spellstrike attacks, and +2/+4 to spellstrike Shocking Grasps due to Spell Perfection.
Or I could take Heighten/Preferred Spell (Shocking Grasp) to increase versatility, which is never a bad thing.
Both seem like decent options for sure.
I don't recommend Dazzling Display. That's a full round action, and I bet you have better things to do at level 17.
D'oh! Hadn't noticed it's action cost. Ouch.
Dimensional Dervish, on the other hand, looks like great fun.
The trouble with this is that you can't use it with Spell Combat, since it's not a full attack action. It's also the third feat in the chain, so I'd need to dump something to get it.
Do you have Vital strike I don't know it its much good at your level but low levels its good if you do have it go improved and greater vital strike.I don't have Vital Strike. Especially at high-levels, I willi likely be using spellstrike to deliver a 15d6 shocking grasp +weapon damage, any time I have to move, so getting double weapon damage did not seem advantageous.
Unfortunately, spellstrike and vital strike cannot be combined. :(
How are you dealing 15d6 shocking grasps? Are you doing an empowered intensified shocking grasp?
I was going to recommend stunning critical, but you won't ever reach 17 BAB unless you dip full BAB levels.
You might take extra arcana (maybe a couple times) and allow yourself to take more spells off of the wizard list just to allow yourself a bit more flexibility. The one thing that magus aren't good at is doing anything but damage, ie they don't have many save or die spells. If you took dominate person, or magic jar or contingency, those would allow you to do more than just deal damage.
I meant spell perfection, not spell specialization, my apologies.
Ah, cool no worries. I definitely know there is much about Pathfinder I haven't mastered yet, so I always assume it's something I don't know at this point. :p
I do indeed have Spell Perfection in my build at level 15, the earliest I can get it. :)
How are you dealing 15d6 shocking grasps? Are you doing an empowered intensified shocking grasp?
Exactly. At 17th-level I can slot Intensified Empowered Shocking Grasps in 2nd- and 3rd-level spell slots and Recall them for only 1 ap.
I was going to recommend stunning critical, but you won't ever reach 17 BAB unless you dip full BAB levels.
Sadly true. :(
You might take extra arcana (maybe a couple times) and allow yourself to take more spells off of the wizard list just to allow yourself a bit more flexibility. The one thing that magus aren't good at is doing anything but damage, ie they don't have many save or die spells. If you took dominate person, or magic jar or contingency, those would allow you to do more than just deal damage.
Hrm. While Greater spell access is only 2 levels away by this point, that could equate to months of play, so grabbing some wizard spells is not a bad idea. I'll have to take another look at the sor/wiz spell list.
I have been trying to come up with sor/wiz spells I'd really like at level 12 (1 4th or 2 lower-level spells) and haven't found much in the way of amazing, but at 17 that'd bump the options up to 6th-level spells. :)
My bad. I forgot the Full Round action cost. sorry.
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OK, this isn't necessarily good for magi, but diehard and endurance are just nice in general. Extra arcana twice is always a good choice, so is extra arcane pool. If you haven't already, taking Improved Critical can mean you don't need to keen your weapon and can save arcane pool point. Critical Focus is a brilliant choice because as a magus you like critting. I know these aren't combos per se, but they are still good choices.
I like the Defiant Luck/Inexplicable luck/Bestow luck feat trilogy myself. Human only though.
i would actually recommend against dazzling display, since the AoE fear eats actions that could be spent killing things (instead of inflicting a small -2 while everyone closes to murder you while you wait to do it again for frightened)
The save > improved save feats shouldn't be underestimated, even if a +2 doesn't grab your fancy.
While I agree with this in general, in this particular case I feel my magus is fairly well-off. His weak save is reflex, but he's built so that he's going to have an extremely high dex, particularly by level 17 when I can presume he'll have a +6 stat item. So he won't really have a weak save.
It's actually starting to look more and more like Weapon Focus/Greater Weapon Focus is probably one of my best options, particularly since, as I hadn't considered, the bonus will be doubled when using spellstrike with Shocking Grasp.
Although I may move back Greater Weapon Focus to 19 and move up Staggering Critical. :)
edit to add: D'oh! Staggering Critical requires a BAB +13, that's why I had it at 19th level... :(
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I have been trying to come up with sor/wiz spells I'd really like at level 12 (1 4th or 2 lower-level spells) and haven't found much in the way of amazing, but at 17 that'd bump the options up to 6th-level spells. :)
I like:
Call the Void
I like:
Call the Void
Wow. Those first two are wicked, and my magus has a very good int so the saves would not be a walk in the park...thanks for the advice. I think you've convinced me to take spell blending. Pretty much all my Shocking Grasps are going to be in 1st- and 2nd-level slots, so I will easily be able to fit in these beauties.
edit to add: Excruciating Deformation is [Evil]. Booo.
I'm getting tired of these [Evil] spells. Where are the cool [Good] spells? Complete bs.