Magus: Spellstrike with Wand of Enervation

[Anthropohedron]

I'm trying to work out whether this bends the rules to the point of breaking or whether it is a legitimate build. Here are the problems I see:

• Enervation couldn't be used with Spellstrike since it is a ray (ranged touch) rather than melee touch.
  
• A Magus couldn't activate a wand of Enervation since it isn't on the Magus spell list.
  
• Even if the Magus could activate the wand (e.g. with Use Magic Device) it couldn't be used with Spellstrike since it isn't on the Magus spell list.
  

The first problem is easily solved by taking the Close Range arcana. I think the second problem can be solved by taking the Spell Blending arcana, based on similarity to this post by SKR. I am not sure whether that also solves the third problem, but I think it should. (And yes, I'm aware that if this does work then the Wand Wielder arcana would let me do it as an additional strike in a full round attack.) Can anyone confirm/deny that this should work?

Motivation:

I expect it will be obvious why I want to do this, but just in case it isn't: The whole concept is built around making the strike with a keen rapier and having a good chance of a critical (30% threat). 1d4 negative levels is nice, but 2d4 (or is it 1d4 x 2?) is even nicer. Does anyone claim that this is a bad idea or won't work?

[Paulicus]

Close Strike and Spell Blending should work, SB talks about making it a magus spell. I was going to suggest the Broad Study arcana, but that seems intended for multiclass characters. I suppose a level in wizard/sorcerer would let you activate the wand and maybe get a few nifty abilities.

Wand Wielder is essential, of course.

The wand would be expensive. 21,000gp if I recall the formula correctly. Sounds like a fun idea though, an enervation crit is amazing and terrible.

[Diego Rossi]

PRD wrote:

Wand Wielder (Su): The magus can activate a wand or staff in place of casting a spell when using spell combat.

AFAIK nothing allow you to use a wand with spellstrike.

[wraithstrike]

Yeah it works, but I dont think you can use a wand with spellstrike because you are not casting the spell. You are only activating a magic item.

Basically you have to prepare the spell normally. <--Avoiding a long post.

[Jack Miles]

What about scorlls?

Determine Effect: A spell successfully activated from a scroll works exactly like a spell prepared and cast the normal way.

[Diego Rossi]

FAQ wrote:

Magus, Spell Combat: What spells can I cast when using spell combat?

The relevant text of the ability is:

"As a full-round action, he can make all of his attacks with his melee weapon at a –2 penalty and can also cast any spell from the magus spell list with a casting time of 1 standard action (any attack roll made as part of this spell also takes this penalty)."

The spell you cast when using spell combat has to be a magus spell you know, and it must be a magus spell prepared with one of your magus spell slots.

(Other magus abilities may modify what spells can be used with spell combat. For example, the broad study magus arcana explicitly states the magus can use spell combat to cast spells from the selected non-magus spellcasting class.)

PRD wrote:

Spellstrike (Su): At 2nd level, whenever a magus casts a spell with a range of “touch” from the magus spell list, he can deliver the spell through any weapon he is wielding as part of a melee attack. Instead of the free melee touch attack normally allowed to deliver the spell, a magus can make one free melee attack with his weapon (at his highest base attack bonus) as part of casting this spell. If successful, this melee attack deals its normal damage as well as the effects of the spell. If the magus makes this attack in concert with spell combat, this melee attack takes all the penalties accrued by spell combat melee attacks. This attack uses the weapon's critical range (20, 19–20, or 18–20 and modified by the keen weapon property or similar effects), but the spell effect only deals ×2 damage on a successful critical hit, while the weapon damage uses its own critical modifier.

Same requirement: "the magus spell list", so it should have the same limitations.

[Paladin of Baha-who?]

When you add a spell using spell blending, it is considered to be on your class spell list, because it's a class feature of the Magus that is adding it.

[cheechako]

wraithstrike wrote:

Yeah it works, but I dont think you can use a wand with spellstrike because you are not casting the spell.

FAQ wrote:

Other than deploying the spell with a melee weapon attack instead of a melee touch attack, the magus spellstrike ability doesn’t change the normal rules for using touch spells in combat

So, if you use a wand of touch-spell, you get a free attack. Spellstrike allows the magus to deliver the charge from a touch spell via their melee weapon. That is all spellstrike does.

If the spell is a Magus spell (and Spell Blending puts it on the list) and the weapon is a Magus/spellstrike weapon, then the wand can be used (no UMD needed) and the touch can be delivered through the weapon.

Since the spell in question is a Ray, then Close Range would also be needed. Just remember that Close Range only gives you one touch - you loose the other rays from any spell that has multiple.

Wand Wielder is required if you want to attempt this in Spell Combat. Without that arcana, you must cast the spell.