Arcanist / Bladebound Magus Hybrid question

[Meadow lark]

Good Day

ok I am thinking/toying with creating a Arcanist/Bladebound Magus multiclass, (3 dip of Arcanist and 3 of Magus seems an interesting combo) but the problem I have is finding the rules regarding...

arcane spell failure. the text reads

Quote:

" He can cast magus spells while wearing light armor without incurring the normal arcane spell failure chance."

so if I multiclass, this would mean that the arcanist and magus spells would need to be tracked differently, and that the Arcanist spells would still suffer a arcane spell failure yes?

[kestral287]

Correct.

Additionally, Spell Combat only work with Magus spells and enhancement via Arcane Reservoir only works with Arcanist spells, for the same reason.

Out of curiosity, what are you expecting to get out of that particular combination?

[Meadow lark]

weirdness, cookyness, and a more combat orientated character once the spells run out (which can happen alot).

The issue is I like the Magus, and I like features from the Arcanist (ie the counterspell and the Dimensional slide - the two main reasons for Arcanist)

I am more than anything, looking at a good combo, I have not dabbled in multiclassing and the combo's do look good sometimes.

the Magus/Arcanist combo I think will not be a bad combo, but I doubt will achieve the survivability that I am after, maybe monk/Arcanist combo.

I am after a boost in AC as casters are very squishy, but also some viable combat should I run out of spells.

[kestral287]

It's very, very rare that you can ever call a multiclassed caster a "good" combo. In this particular instance, at level 6 you have:

-BAB of +3
-Four/day 1st level Arcanist spells, no higher level spells
-Three/day 1st level Magus spells, no higher level spells
-Saves of 4/2/6
-Black Blade at +1 (and will not grow unless you invest more in Magus)
-Caster Levels of 3 and 3

Compare, 6th level Arcanist:
-BAB of +3
-Four/day 1st level Arcanist spells, 2/day 2nd level Arcanist spells
-Saves of 2/2/5
-One additional Exploit
-Caster Level of 6

And 6th level Magus:
-BAB of +4
-Four/day 1st level Magus spells, 3/day 2nd level Magus spells
-Saves of 5/2/5
-One additional Arcana
-One additional feat
-Black Blade at +2 with Energy Attunement (and will continue to scale)
-Caster Level of 6

So, you melee like a straight Arcanist, you don't cast spells as well a either one, your saves are about on par with a straight Magus, you have fewer class features to throw around, and your weapon isn't as good. Also, your spells are easy to counter, dispel, and the like, and the Wizard is already onto his 3rd level spells while you're at 1st.

Honestly easiest way to run a high-AC caster is either straight Magus or a Divine caster of some sort.

[Meadow lark]

you do speak very good reason!

is there any way you know of that can increase Arcanist (cause I like the class) survivability and utility once your spells run out!

[Dafydd]

a one level dip in Wizard for Arcanist might be good.

For 1 level you gain a school, a familiar and a number of utility spells.

Taking the School and Familiar Exploits gets you the school and familiar of a wizard of your level.

Just remember to place your combat spells in Arcanist slots as you lose CL for Wizard spells.

As for what to do when you run out of spells, you pull out your crossbow and pray. Same as most arcane casters.

[Phasics]

Well two things, if you want to hit stuff with spells the Bloodrager will fill that role nicely and since you were multiclassing spells already the lower spell levels arn't going to bother you.

As far as making an Arcanist more survivable once spells run out
brown fur transmuter save your last spell for polymorphing into somthing

or if you want somting completel left field

Play a Goblin and take the Roll with It which is quite possible the most amazing feat for a caster.
someone sneak around to attack you bu instead of taking damage you roll away after the first hit.

[kestral287]

Meadow lark wrote:

you do speak very good reason!

is there any way you know of that can increase Arcanist (cause I like the class) survivability and utility once your spells run out!

The simplest-and-best answer is "don't run out of spells".

It's generally considered good practice for a party to pause and rest when their casters are running low on spells. It's also considered good practice for the caster to do what they can to preserve their spells. Wands and Scrolls are good methods of doing this: you can fire a nice, low-level utility spell (Healing or some such) off of your Wand 50 times before you have to make or buy a new one, and either of those is really, really cheap.

Investing in defensive spells can go a long way. Invisibility, Mirror Images, Blur, and the like make your AC not matter by making you not get hit in the first place.

Finally, for the Arcanist in particular you have the Occultist archetype, which trades in the capstone and two Exploits (at 1st and 7th) for the ability to cast Summon Monster spells using their Arcane Reservoir. This can extend their number of spells per day by giving them an additional resource to 'cast' from.

Raw AC is a problem, but there's yet to be a good solution on that front. There are little things you can do-- Tieflings can take Armor of the Pit, dipping Sorcerer and taking Bloodline Development can get you some Natural Armor, and a Haramaki and/or Mithril Buckler can be worn with no penalty and enchanted as you level. But avoiding being hit in the first place is your best option.

[Meadow lark]

thanks for the advice guys wonderful info, back to the drawing board for me lol