Kapenia Hexcrafter Magus (PFS)

[Sammy T]

I'm toying around with the idea of playing a Kapenia Hexcrafter Magus in PFS. However, as I am not all that familiar with the Magus or the Witch, I was hoping I could get some build advice from you fine fellows.

I understand some of my choices are not OMGDAMAGEPEWPEWPEW. I'd like to play a skirmisher who can debuff and does respectable DPS in combat. Out of combat, has knowledges and one decent utility skill (Diplomacy or Disable Device)

Human
Kapenia Dancer / Hexcrafter Magus

STR: 9
DEX: 18 (+2 Human)
CON: 14
INT: 16
WIS: 10
CHA: 7

Traits: (Disable Device or Diplomacy trait) + Magical Lineage
FCB: +1/4 Arcane Pool

L1: Magus: Weapon Focus (Bladed Scarf), Weapon Finesse, Human: Slashing Grace (Bladed Scarf)

Note: Have Brand as a cantrip via Hexcrafter for Spell Combat / Spell Strike

L3: Hex Arcana: Arcane Accuracy, Extra Arcana: Flamboyant Arcana

L4: +1 Int, Hex: Flight

L5: Bonus: Arcane Strike, Intensified Spell

L6: Hex Arcana: Evil Eye

L7: Feat: (Extra Arcana: Accursed Strike?)

L8: +1 Int

L9: Hex Arcana: Accurate Strike, (Lunge?)

L11: Bonus: (Weapon Specialization?), (Improved Critical?)

I'm really just trying to wrap my mind around balancing debuffing and DPSing. Slumber is off the table because I hate it as a player and GM.

Any advice?

[Imbicatus]

Frostbite + Rime spell is always a good combo, and it works almost as well with a reach bladed scarf as it does with a whip.

[Mathwei ap Niall]

There are three points you'll need to address with your build that can interfere with your enjoyment.

1). Decide if DPS'ing or Debuffing are more important and put your 18 in that stat first. For a Hexcrafter that stat is always Int, since it powers your go-to abilities, your spells, hexes, knowledges and some of your direct damage abilities (prehensile hair, spell hex, etc).

2). Disable Device can be useful but remember unless you have the rogue talent you cannot use it to disable magical traps, etc. There's multiple ways to get it but each has an opportunity cost.

3). Strength. You are playing a melee character but have tanked your strength to the point you can barely carry any gear at all. Yes your attack and damage is provided by your dex but carrying capacity, encumberance, ranged damage, strength checks all still use your STR score.
At this point you can only carry your scarf, clothes and a handy haversack before you are under a medium load. Medium load drops your max dex to a +3 so penalizes everything your melee abilities have then.

[PapaZorro]

Perhaps consider taking Wand Wielder and getting a wand of Blade Lash so you can get a trip attempt at reach with a great bonus, AND then be able to attack them when they're down.

Or a wand of Ill Omen is always good.

[Imbicatus]

Mathwei ap Niall wrote:

3). Strength. You are playing a melee character but have tanked your strength to the point you can barely carry any gear at all. Yes your attack and damage is provided by your dex but carrying capacity, encumberance, ranged damage, strength checks all still use your STR score.

While I agree with this, as a Kapernia Dancer, you aren't wearing armor, so you don't need to carry as much. But if you see Shadows, run.

[Sammy T]

@imbicatus: sadly a bladed scarf is not a reach weapon. However, Longarm is a L1 magus spell and easily put on a wand.

@mathwei: 1) I keep going back and forth on 18 Dex/16 Int and vice versa. 2) Yep, am aware. 3) I'm used to playing casters with low strengths, so I'm ok playing the encumbrance game (and like Imbicatus said, if I see Shadows or creatures with STR damage poison, RUN!)

@papazorro: hmmm, very interesting. I would have to devote some resources to becoming a trip build, but that's a pretty fun combo.

[Imbicatus]

Sammy T wrote:

@imbicatus: sadly a bladed scarf is not a reach weapon. However, Longarm is a L1 magus spell and easily put on a wand.

It is with the Elasticity arcana, but a wand of longarm is likely the better option.

[kestral287]

The big one that's jumping out at me here is one of the standard Magus tie-downs: swift action economy. By level 5, you can spend a swift action to enhance your weapon, add to your damage via Arcane Strike, or add to your to-hit via Arcane Accuracy. Generally speaking, the to-hit is much more likely to be valuable than the to-damage, so I would do one of two things.

Option A is to keep Arcane Strike and add Riving Strike. This can help out some of your debuff-oriented spells as well as keep allied casters happy, as -2 is a pretty nice boost to their abilities.

Option B is to ditch Arcane Strike. In that case I'd look at picking up Extra Arcana for Precise Strike (unless your local GMs don't allow it?). Even though damage isn't inherently your main goal, a simple +level to damage will help broaden your flexibility because you can keep up with your allies without expending precious uses of your spells, or by expending lesser spells.

Personally, I like where you are in Dex/Int. Dex is more important to start, when your ability to simply wield a weapon will contribute noticeably at the table, but going forward being able to nail home a useful Hex, pick up a higher AC, more spells, and even grab most of what Dex covers outside of to-hit/damage is really, really nice. So Dex to start, Int emphasized going forward.

Finally, you can actually trip well while staying light on resources. Spell Combat, True Strike, trip attack is a pretty nasty combination. I'd just prepare a few True Strikes and avoid feat taxes.

[Sammy T]

Thanks all, I'll toy around with a few builds to see what strikes my fancy!

eta: Arcane Deed to grab Precise Strike and Targeted Strike seem interesting.

[Taenia]

Keep in mind by RAW you can't combine these archetypes since they both modify your Magus Arcana class feature. In a home game I know I would allow it but I looked at it for PFS and realized by RAW it doesn't work.

[Sammy T]

(facepalm)

How did I miss that. Womp womp.

[Marex]

According to the Rise of the Runelords Player's Guide (original, not 20th Anniversary Edition), a bladed scarf is a reach weapon. That's why I was wondering what was the point of the Elasticity magus arcana in Varisia: Birthplace of Legends.
Is there a more recent version of bladed scarf that makes it not a reach weapon? If so, what's the sourcebook? I wanted to make a flashy NPC with a reach scarf, but if the only way to do that is the magus archetype, let me know.

[Imbicatus]

It appears in the Inner Sea World Guide, and it's not reach there.

[Marex]

Imbicatus wrote:

It appears in the Inner Sea World Guide, and it's not reach there.

Ah, I found it... much less impressive version. Thank you.