Eldritch night?


Pathfinder First Edition General Discussion


I've been looking at the Eldritch knight prestige class and i was wondering, why does it even exist? The magus class is basically everything the Eldritch knight is,except the diverse training. So, am i missing something?


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Yes, you are missing a lot of things.

Grand Lodge

Pathfinder PF Special Edition, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber

The eldritch knight and the magus are not anywhere near the same class, even though some of their results can overlap. If you can't understand why, then you haven't read enough.

Elorae S'Drais my fighter/wizard/rogue/eldritch knight has walked a far differnt road then Telgarana, my magus. If needs be she can set aside her armor and sword, put on a robe and cap and be far more a wizard than Telgarana can ever be. On the other hand, Telgarana blends swordplay and spellcasting in a way the former can never hope to do. The price she pays is that she walks a far narrower road of magic.


In other words, EKs aren't restricted to a narrow spell list. They get the whole thing, including 9th level spells.


Pathfinder Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Rulebook Subscriber

There is the simple fact that Eldritch Knight precedes Magus by several years. EK is, among other things, a legacy of third edition onward. The Magus didn't come out until Ultimate Magic. in addition, as the others have mentioned, the two are notably different beasties if you actually play them.

Grand Lodge

Pathfinder PF Special Edition, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber
Zhayne wrote:
In other words, EKs aren't restricted to a narrow spell list. They get the whole thing, including 9th level spells.

If they have the caster levels to do so. Elorae will never see 9th level spells because of her particular road, but she can cast spells a magus will never be able to touch. On the other hand, she falls behind severely in potential combat DPR.


sword n' board wrote:
I've been looking at the Eldritch knight prestige class and i was wondering, why does it even exist? The magus class is basically everything the Eldritch knight is,except the diverse training. So, am i missing something?

Your question should be: Why does the Magus exist, because the Eldritch Knight was here first.

I know that they do have similar roles and flavor but they go about it in different ways and the play style does vary enough that I'd say both can exist without it being completely redundant. I would however try to avoid hoving both an EK and a magus in the same party.


this question is alot like asking, "Why make a TWFing Ranger if the Fighter can already do that, and arguably better?"
simple answer: the ranger gets stuff the fighter doesn't. this is the same for the EK vs. Magus. there are things that one gets that the other doesn't. they may be similar in concept, but in application, that are very different.

Liberty's Edge

Eldritch night. . .

A wizard and a witch, walking alone in the dark.


ShadowcatX wrote:

Eldritch night. . .

A wizard and a witch, walking alone in the dark.

Singing "Some Enchanted Evening".


If I wanted a prepared arcane caster that can fight, I'd play a Magus.

If I wanted a spontaneous arcane caster that can fight, I'd play an Eldritch Knight.

My favorite is Ex-Sohei Monk/Empyreal Wildblooded Sorcerer/Eldritch Knight. The Sohei grants proficiency in all Martial Weapons, and gives you Wis to AC. The Empyreal Sorcerer uses Wis for casting. Nice synergy.

Cheers!


Eldritch Knight basically gets to have access to a wide amount of spells in the Sorcerer/Wizard list. You get a whole lot of utility in it, while Magi do not have the same amount. Magi generally do better with the whole "blending spells and combat", usually through their Spell Combat/Spellstrike.

Eldritch Knight on the other hand, get the utility without getting a lot of spell blending. If you're taking the traditional Magi route with the EK, then you'll often end up using a "dragon-like" attack style, where you can either fight or cast spells, however your spells can be much more potent due to high-level spell access.

EK does come online later than the Magus, as it takes a lot of EK levels before you can spellcast, and wearing armour(if you choose to) as an EK can prove to be problematic if you don't have the Still Spell feat, or use spells with no Somatic component. Overall, I'd like to play an EK more than I'd like a Magi, but it's really your preference.


Weren Wu Jen wrote:

If I wanted a prepared arcane caster that can fight, I'd play a Magus.

If I wanted a spontaneous arcane caster that can fight, I'd play an Eldritch Knight.

My favorite is Ex-Sohei Monk/Empyreal Wildblooded Sorcerer/Eldritch Knight. The Sohei grants proficiency in all Martial Weapons, and gives you Wis to AC. The Empyreal Sorcerer uses Wis for casting. Nice synergy.

Cheers!

Eh, I don't think I can agree. Sorcerers give up more than wizards do when entering Eldritch Knight.

Grand Lodge

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Did I miss the Rules Question?


sword n' board wrote:
I've been looking at the Eldritch knight prestige class and i was wondering, why does it even exist? The magus class is basically everything the Eldritch knight is,except the diverse training. So, am i missing something?

It's the difference between bards and fighter/rogue/wizard(enchanter) multiclass.

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