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Is there any way to make a magus who uses blasting spells or something? Just looking for something other than every spell slot is some form of shocking grasp.
sure, you can two-hand a weapon and act like he's a fighty type then use magics as your ranged option like a switch hitter.
none of them will be as great as that magus you describe, but there still are other options.
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I have a Hexcrafter magus with the Fly and Prehansile hair hexes. She flies around, uses wands with her hair, and slashes things 2H with a katana (1/2-Elf Ancestral Arms feat). Very anime-style, very rad. Eventually she'll go Dragon Disciple for about 4 levels. Her STR score with a belt will be about 28 by level 10. Power Strike 2H + Arcane Strike, melee spell of your choice using Spellstrike, etc.
Pretty dope!
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I still prefer the Whip magus + Truestrike and avoiding the AoO for attempting while threatened.
I will be honest I've tried many different Magus Builds, Str vs Dex, Dervish Dance vs Rapier focused...ect ect.
My favorite build by far is the Dex based Slashing Grace Kensai magus who debuffs and does damage at the same time. I like to watch the Debuffs just stack up while I put them in a early grave.
Staff magus (at higher levels) can do fairly well. Not as much in the way of "burst" damage (critical hits), but better AC and staying power (with the Wand Wielder arcana to use the staff charges to "cast" spells). It also works well with tripping (when you can pick up Tripping Staff and Tripping Twirl).
Occult Adventures has the esoteric archetype, which effectively turns the magus into a spell-casting monk (and allows the arcane pool to count as a ki pool to qualify for feats and other abilities). The esoteric also inscribes spell tattoos on their own body, allowing preparation of those spells without a spell book and use of those spells as a spell-like ability (once per day, twice per day after 11th level, for each spell tattoo).
Every spell slot is Frostbite is another viable build. You give up some of your damage for a lot more debuffing.
The Card Caster is a surprisingly usable archetype, and opens up your options for spellstrike.
You can absolutely build a pure warrior magus who focuses on buffing instead of spell-striking, and only dragging spell-strike out once you've everything set up. Haste, Bladed Dash, Bull Strength and so on.
Edit: This focuses more on getting multiple attacks than anything else, and really likes Fencing Grace, Flamboyant Arcana, and Arcane Deed(Precise Strike).
I'm currently playing a Staff Magus - though in fairness, they're so far beyond normal building rules that they're probably not an appropriate comparison. XD In terms of pure offensive potential, you're probably not going to beat a Shocking Grasp scimitar-user, so I would honestly suggest trying to come up with another style instead. What, exactly, do you want to do by combining melee and martial skill?
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This is the Kapenia Dancer build I'm working on for PFS. Currently level 3.
Magus (Kapenia Dancer) 12
Human (Varisian)
STR 10 DEX 16 (+1 8th, 12th) CON 14 (+1 4th) INT 18 (+2 Human) WIS 10 CHA 12
BAB: +9
Traits: Two-world Magic (Touch of Fatigue), Harrow Born
Feats:
B1) EWP: Bladed Scarf
B1) Weapon Focus: Bladed Scarf
1) Weapon Finesse
H) Combat Expertise
3) Improved Trip
5) Slashing Grace
B5) Extra Arcana: Flamboyant Arcana
7) Extra Arcana: Elasticity
9) Greater Trip
11) ? Not sure yet. Maybe Combat Reflexes
B11) Weapon Specialization: Bladed Scarf
Magus Arcana:
3) Wand Wielder
6) Arcane Deed: Precise Strike
9) Arcane Accuracy or Maneuver Mastery
12) Arcane Deed: Evasive
This doesn't include stat increasing items.
At 3rd, I have a wand of Blade Lash, which lets me trip at 20 feet with a +10, despite not having a reach weapon. I'll carry a wand of True Strike, too. By the time Trip starts to be less effective, I'll be dong better damage with Slashing Grace and Precise Strike (assuming nothing in the errata for the ACG makes them stop working for me).
I started this character before the Swashbuckler or Arcane Deed existed, so that aspect has been added into the build. Had I known going in, I might have started with a 16 DEX and a lower Int, then boost Int at 4th and 8th.
It's by no means an optimized build, but it's a different build, and she has been fun to play.
EDIT: Lol. I just saw the errata for the ACG posted, and they did actually make it so Precise Strike doesn't work for a Magus. So there goes that idea. Slashing Grace should still be ok, though it only works if your other hand is empty, so combining it with Wand Wielder isn't as effective. I'll have to rethink the build now and find somewhere else to get a boost to damage from.
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You could be a hexcrafter, grab the witchy hexes (esp slumber hex), go to a table, claim you're a witch and hex all day long. Bonus point for taking familiar arcana, so you get a familiar to play up the witch part.
You could go myrmidach and use shocking grasp with a gun, on a 1 lv gunslinger dip for a really shocking bullet. I don't approve of guns but thats another way to do it.
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Ok, let's try something like this:
Magus (Kapenia Dancer) 12
Human (Varisian)
STR 10 DEX 16 (+1 8th, 12th) CON 14 (+1 4th) INT 18 (+2 Human) WIS 10 CHA 12
BAB: +9
Traits: Two-world Magic (Touch of Fatigue), Harrow Born
Feats:
B1) EWP: Bladed Scarf
B1) Weapon Focus: Bladed Scarf
1) Weapon Finesse
H) Combat Expertise
3) Improved Trip
5) Slashing Grace
B5) Arcane Strike
7) Combat Reflexes
9) Greater Trip
11) ? Not sure yet.
B11) Weapon Specialization: Bladed Scarf
Magus Arcana:
3) Wand Wielder
6) Elasticity
9) Maneuver Mastery
12) ? Maybe Wand Mastery
Between being able to add a special ability from Arcane Pool, Slashing Grace, and Arcane Strike, there's a big jump in damage at 5th level. Tripping and debuffing before that. Arcane Strike doesn't synergize the greatest with Magus, but without Power Attack or Piranha Strike, it's the easiest way to boost static damage.
I had a 'Frost Lord' Magus concept a while ago that went like this:
Pick up the spell Fiery Shuriken with Spell Blending.
Take a level of Draconic(silver)/Elemental(cold) crossblooded Sorcerer once your Shuriken are available. Fiery Shuriken can now become a [cold] spell, pick up a damage bonus from Draconic, and qualify for Rime Spell metamagic. You can now spray Rime Shuriken all over a battlefield or focus them on one target, debuffing everything you hit with the entangled condition and dealing a fair deal of overall damage.
The Opening Volley feat will give you a +4ab bonus on any attack that follows a shuriken strike (even on the next round). If you begin combat by casting Rime Shuriken and saving a couple, you can then throw them with a swift action - even in the middle of a full attack to prop up your iterative. Since you're throwing Rime at range before attacking, you can then use Frostbite without Rime - and your first attack is at a cumulative +6 from Opening Volley and Entangled.
Overall, combat should go something like: 1.Spray Shuriken for crowd control, but save some; 2.Advance with Frostbite attack, then swift-shuriken; 3.Full attack with a swift-shuriken in the middle; 4.Repeat.
Along the same theme (but without Opening Volley), you could also pick up Toppling and Dazing Metamagics and become a Magic Missile Magus, spraying trip (maneuver Arcana) and daze (Evocation Focus?) attempts all over the place as you went about your business.
Self-buffing maguses are pretty effective: you can get your buffs up without losing a round of attacks, and single-round buffs like True Strike and Vanish work really well with Spell Combat.
I also like the Wandwielder arcana: since using wands doesn't provoke, you don't have to worry about casting defensively.
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There are lots of great ideas for Magi. I'm finally getting close to the very rough draft of an updated magus guide, but here's an excerpt regarding different builds. Be warned, it is very rough, and I've yet to do a throughough rules check on everything (and some of my original brain storming is in it still, and parts are copy/paste from my Kensai guide...)
I also must apologize for the lack of formatting, but it'd take more time than I have to put it in for a post O.o
There are many interesting combat styles to consider when playing the Magus, as with most other classes. The following builds, or rather outlines of builds, showcase some of the potential in the Magus. Some are rather simple, such as combining intensify spell, magical lineage, and the shocking grasp spell. Others are much more complex. These outlines are to show combinations of character options that synergize well with each other. As such, most parts of a build are optional.
It is also important to note that there are two trains of thought when it comes to Magus builds: The standard, well known use spell combat and spell strike every round possible, and the less known and/or used pre-buff then fight without further casting. The second option allows for builds involving two-handed weapons, sword and board, and other such combat styles.
It’s important to understand the impact of not using Spell Combat before browsing the various builds. Spell Combat is essentially Two-Weapon Fighting. You get a spell, and your normal weapon strikes. Spell Strike is essentially Improved Two-Weapon Fighting. You get a spell, your normal weapon strikes, and another weapon strike to deliver your touch attack spell. Any build that doesn’t use Spell Combat misses out on essentially two free feats.
Spell Combat Compatible
The Standard SG Combo:
Stats: Any
Intensified Spell metamagic feat
Magical Lineage trait: Shocking Grasp
Of course I have to mention the classic concept of using shocking grasp as your primary damage dealing spell. Shocking Grasp deals 1d6 * CL in damage, up to 5d6. Intensified (+1 spell level) increase this to up to 10d6. Magical Lineage keeps shocking grasp as a first level spell, allowing you to have quite a few castings of it (Throw in some pearls of power for 1k a piece and you could have 10+ first level spells available). Shocking grasp also adds 3 to your attack roll, even when using spell strike, so long as the enemy has metal weapons or armor. A great combination to add to any build (except maybe the Frostbite build, since it focuses on using a different spell).
The Frostbite Combo:
Stats: Charisma or Intelligence with the bruising intellect trait
Use the spell “Frostbite”
Weapon Focus
Stage Combatant
Enforcer Feat
Cruel Weapon
Rime Spell MetaMagic Feat
Dazing MetaMagic Feat
Dazzling Display + Shatter Defenses
The “Frostbite” build focuses on debuffing enemies rather than tons of damage. Frostbite deals 1d6 + CL (Caster Level) nonlethal damage, and can be used a number of times up to your CL for each cast. Compared to shocking grasp, you actually end up doing more damage (Caster Level squared more damage to be precise), but its non-lethal damage (which means your damage may be affected by healing spells two times over). It also takes more time to deliver that damage. However, Frostbite builds tend to use less spell slots.
The real advantage is the debuffing it provides. Frostbite makes them fatigued, Enforcer allows a free intimidate check to add shaken (on a critical it becomes frightened), cruel makes a shaken (or frightened/panicked) opponent sickened, and Rime Spell makes them entangled. Daze Spell introduces a save effect based off of your intelligence to daze them, which they have to make every time they are hit. Shatter Defenses makes them flat footed to your attacks, removing any dexterity bonus to AC they may have. So, all together:
Fatigued (-2 strength and dexterity, cannot run or charge)
Shaken (-2 attack rolls, saving throws, skill and ability checks)
Sickened (-2 attack rolls, damage rolls, saving throws, skill and ability checks)
Entangled (Half speed, cannot run or charge, -2 attack rolls, -4 dexterity, and casters need concentration checks)
Dazed (Can take no actions next round)
Shatter Defenses (Cannot make attacks of opportunity [to your attacks], loses dexterity bonus to AC [to your attacks])
TOTAL: -6 attack rolls (not including ability damages here), -2 damage rolls, -2 strength, -6 dexterity, -4 saving throws, -4 skill and ability checks (think acrobatics, intimidate and bluff), 2x cannot run or charge, cannot make AoOs, loss of dexterity bonus to AC (apply dexterity damage before this) and unable to take any actions.
This is all from two attacks… so go ahead and hit every enemy you can, it’ll really start to turn the tide of battle.
There are a few major downsides to this however. For one, enemies immune to non-lethal damage are almost completely immune to this combination (Undead and Constructs). Chill Touch can replace Frostbite a little bit, Chill Touch can apply the dazed condition via dazing spell, though you are probably better off using shocking grasp in those circumstances (And have a weapon handy made specifically to deal with undead and/or constructs). The next involves enemies immune to fear effects (Undead, Constructs, Behemoths, Kami, Qlippoth, Oozes, Plants, Vermin, and Paladins). Finally, there’s enemies resistant or immune to frost damage. This can be completely bypassed by a the elemental spell feat or a metamagic rod of the same name.
With all of those weaknesses, it may be wise to not completely devout all of your resources to this build. Many people people leave off Dazzling Display and Shatter Defenses to make other options more viable in times of need.
Downsides:
Fairly feat intensive
Deals non-lethal damage, which is healed by magic at the same time as lethal damage
Not as much burst as a shocking grasp maniac
Vulnerable to Undead and Constructs
Partially negated by Behemoths, Kami, Qlippoth, Oozes, Plants, Vermin, and Paladins
Debuffs involve lots of paperwork
The Bodyguard Combo:
Stats: Dexterity
Combat Reflexes
Bodyguard
Benevolent Armor enchantment
Arcane Strike + Gloves of Arcane Striking
A very straight forward combo that can be added to many others since it has so few feat requirements. The idea is to take advantage of a high dexterity for good amounts of AoOs and AC. Then, use those AoOs to add AC to your allies. Benevolent Armor allows you to add your armor’s enhancement bonus to your aid another bonuses. Gloves of Arcane Striking adds your Arcane Strike damage bonus to aid another as well. So, the math is as follows for the bonus your adding to your allies AC:
Base (2) + Benevolent Armor (up to 5) + Gloves of Arcane Striking (up to 5).
For up to 12 AC that you’re giving your ally for one attack (useable to as many times as you have AoOs). Naturally, since you’re preventing your opponents from hitting their intended targets, you’ll be the next person they attack. That makes having good defenses for yourself important, which thankfully you’ll have a good amount of. If you wanted to tank, this is one of the best ways to do so.
Downsides:
If used you WILL be targeted by intelligent monsters.
The Whip Master Combo:
Stats: Any
Use a whip
Exotic Weapon Proficiency: Whip
Whip Mastery
Improved Whip Master
Typically you mix the whip combo in with other combos, like using frostbite or trip. You can attack targets 15 ft away (20 when enlarged) and you threaten out to 10 ft (15 enlarged) instead of 5. Because of that large range, if you threw in the frostbite and/or trip combo, you could keep enemies away from yourself and your allies, not to mention that defensive casting becomes a worry of the past. Whips are also weapon finesse-able. This is the only option for reach with a one handed weapon (without multiclassing).
Downsides:
Whips don’t do all that much damage, and have a small critical range
The Trip Combo:
Stats: Preferably Dexterity (for more AoOs)
Weapon Focus (For those focusing on Dexterity)
Combat Expertise
Combat Reflexes
Improved Trip
Greater Trip
Maneuver Magus: Trip
Vicious Stomp
Once again, fairly straight forward. Trip people. Greater trip grants you AoO when you successfully trip someone, and Vicious Stomp gives you an AoO that can only be used for unarmed strikes (think about kicking them) when someone near you goes prone.
The only sad thing about Trip builds is the amount of creatures immune to, or highly resistant to tripping. Anything flying is immune, and anything with more than 2 legs gets a bonus, not to mention that CMD increases much faster than CMB. So, this is only really useful for a few levels.
The Reposition/Drag Combos:
Stats: Strength or Dexterity (Get weapon finesse for Dexterity builds)
Combat Expertise/Power Attack
Combat Reflexes
Improved Reposition/Drag
Greater Reposition/Drag
Maneuver Magus: Reposition/Drag
Paired Opportunists
Ring of Tactical Precision
The general idea of this build is still to generate attacks of opportunity, but instead of using trips, you use reposition or drag. Naturally, you cannot use these maneuvers on targets more than 1 size category than yourself, but nothing is immune to reposition/drag otherwise. The AoO you generate using the Greater Reposition/Drag feats doesn’t apply to you, unless you have the Paired Opportunist feat with an threatening ally who also has that feat. A ring of tactical precision allows you share give a teamwork feat you know with an ally (includes familiars).
The difference between reposition and drag come down to the pre-requisite in my opinion. Drag requires power attack, a useful feat, whereas reposition requires combat expertise. Drag uses your own movement as well, so if you’ve moved 30 out of 30 feet this round, you can’t use it, but that won’t happen often.
The Familiar Teamwork Buddy Combo:
Stats: Any
A Teamwork Feat of choice
Familiar Arcana
Ring of Tactical Precision
There are a lot of great teamwork feats. Paired Opportunists lets you take advantage of AoOs even when you normally wouldn’t be able to (such as after you bull rush, reposition, or drag someone). Outflank improves your flanking bonus, and grants an AoO to your allies from a critical hit. There’s lots of good teamwork feats, see the feats section for more ideas.
Mounted Combat Combo:
Stats: Preferably Dexterity (for ride checks, and trick riding requires light armor)
Mounted Combat
Trick Riding
Mounted Skirmisher
A mount (polymorphed familiar, mount/phantom mount spells, or purchase a mount)
A Magus riding a mount can be quite interesting. While you cannot use Spell Combat if your mount moves more than five feet, you gain the advantage of freeing up move actions while you switch from target to target. Later, at around level 15, Mounted Skirmisher will allow you to use spell combat even while on a moving mount (even a charging mount, so long as it moves less than it’s speed). Because Mounted Skirmisher comes so late, this combination would be best used late in a campaign.
Perhaps the real advantage here is the mount itself. While the mount and phantom steed spells get you essentially free mounts, they are not very combat viable, due to the mount spell producing a mount that gets frightened in combat and the phantom steed producing a mount that can’t attack. Purchasing a mount gets rid of both of those issues at the cost of gold, all the while giving some good options. For instance, an awakened mastodon mount has just as much HD as a 20th level druid’s animal companion (see the appendix for a chart with relevant info on purchasable mounts). Finally is polymorphing a familiar into a mountable creature, which adds a whole new level of versatility to the mounted combat scene (see the polymorph section for options).
The Quickdraw Shield Combo:
Stats: Any
Quickdraw
Use a Quickdraw Light Shield
Standing as is, this combination will allow you to have a shield on when it isn’t your turn. Simply put away your shield at the beginning of the turn, then draw the shield at the end of your turn, both of which are free actions.
Spell Combat Incompatible
Sword and Board Combo:
Stats: Dexterity
Quick Draw
Use a Quick Draw Light Shield
Two-Weapon Fighting
Improved Two-Weapon Fighting
Shield Proficiency
Improved Shield Bash
Shield Slam
Shield Master
Bashing Finish
Greater Two-Weapon Fighting
While using shields will be more fully explored in the Skirnir Archetype page, any Magus can take advantage of this particular combination (although it’s very feat intensive!). As with all spell combat exclusive builds, the goal here is to still be able to quickly cast a spell in the middle of combat. You can sheathe a quick-draw shield as a free action if you have quick draw, freeing up your casting hand for use in spell combat. Once you're done, simply quickdraw your shield out again as a free action. However, if you don’t cast a spell one round, you can keep your shield out to attack with.
This combination works well with multiple-touch spells such as frostbite and chill touch. Shield Master makes all of your off-hand shield attacks not take two-weapon fighting attack penalties, and Bashing Finish turns your critical hits into opportunities to attack with your shield again. Hence, you can get a lot of attacks in a single round.
You also gain free bull rush attacks with every shield bash that lands. This works great with the AoO Familiar Buddy build, granting yourself, again, even more attacks.
Downsides:
Very, VERY feat intensive
Shields have a small crit range
Two-Handed Fighting Builds:
Stats: Strength
There isn’t much to say about using a weapon two-handed, most, if not all, strength Magi will use two hands when wielding a weapon while not using spell combat. However, there are a few Magi would use a Two-Handed weapon like a Falchion or Nodachi. While they can keep up with a fighter or barbarian for the first few levels, they quickly fall behind in damage output without spell combat or spellstrike. Using a Two-Handed weapon only increasing your damage by two or three points per swing than a simular 1-handed weapon.
The only “decent” reason to use a two-handed weapon is for a reach weapon. You gain the usual benefits of reach, and typically can take advantage of the Wyroot special material. Unlike Sword and Board, there’s no easy solution to being able to use Spell Combat, although you can still cast spells by removing one hand from the grip of the weapon.
Incidentally, it would seem that Paizo has now clarified that Precise Strike is not available to the Magus, as their Swashbuckler level is '0'. Dex-Based is now somewhat less automatically better... somewhat.
I'm not sure if some other low level touch spell options might mitigate this a little, just as Frostbite does.
Well if you take the Close Range arcana you can use Shocking Grasp++, otherwise known as Snowball, for your super metamagic'd keen scimitar spell striking needs. No SR and has the chance to stagger in addition to damage. Pretty much exactly the same build as the old one though.
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There are two awesome new magus archetypes in Occult Adventures. One is the Esoteric, a Magus that is based on using Unarmed Strikes as Spellstrike/Combat, gaining Tatooed Spells and monk unarmed damage.
The second is the Mindblade, that can manifest psychic weapons, and use two-weapon fighting with those manifested weapons and spell combat at the same time.
There are two awesome new magus archetypes in Occult Adventures. One is the Esoteric, a Magus that is based on using Unarmed Strikes as Spellstrike/Combat, gaining Tatooed Spells and monk unarmed damage.
The second is the Mindblade, that can manifest psychic weapons, and use two-weapon fighting with those manifested weapons and spell combat at the same time.
As I have been trying quite hard to really get a good Unarmed Hexcrafter built (and saddened by the change to Precise Strike because of that...) I am glad to hear that Occult has an Unarmed archetype. Now I really want to get my hands on that pdf.
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I have a Magus 7 (Spire Defender with wand wielder arcana) / Rogue 2 that has never once cast Shocking Grasp or anything like it. He keeps a wand of True Strike up one sleeve and a wand of Vanish up the other, and prepares a variety of buffs. For a mere -2 attack roll, he can cast his Bull's Strength or Long Arm while already in melee; he can true strike every round if the enemy is hard to hit, or vanish every round if he can't find a flank buddy to give him his sneak attack (bonus: if you attack first then vanish, enemies have a hard time hitting you off your turn, then your first attack or AoO catches them with no DEX bonus).
I've taken every partially charged wand I come across and by now have a fairly impressive array of things I can pull out for unusual circumstances.
I made a dwarf barbarian 1/magus 7 for Kingmaker. The barbarian was primarily for the speed boost, but with Berserker of the Society, and a 16 Con, he has 10 rounds of rage per day. Also some Acrobatics and Perception and Survival.
Feats are pretty basic: Combat Reflexes, Dodge, Power Attack, Intensify Spell, Arcane Strike.
Mostly buff with Enlarge Person and then rage and 2-hand Power Attack with dwarven waraxe, or not rage and do shocking grasp, fly, haste, etc.
I played a kensai using an aldori dueling sword
edit: I am still waiting for a magus/gunslinger archetype
I played a kensai using an aldori dueling sword
edit: I am still waiting for a magus/gunslinger archetype
Me too. Especially after reading the Powder Mage Trilogy.
Spellslinger?Me too. Especially after reading the Powder Mage Trilogy.I played a kensai using an aldori dueling sword
edit: I am still waiting for a magus/gunslinger archetype
that just a straight up wizard archetype
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Which can use its gun to trigger spells through it, like a magus.
They can also enhance their gun to use weapon enhancements, like a magus.
If you want a more specific Magus that use Spellstrike and Spell Combat at ranged, there is the Myrmidarch
Other than that, the hybrid of Magus/Gunslinger is mainly to get Dex to Damage.
Which can use its gun to trigger spells through it, like a magus.
They can also enhance their gun to use weapon enhancements, like a magus.
If you want a more specific Magus that use Spellstrike and Spell Combat at ranged, there is the Myrmidarch
Other than that, the hybrid of Magus/Gunslinger is mainly to get Dex to Damage.
well there is the fact that spellslinger has a lower bab, has fewer schools of magic it can pull from, and has no arcana/arcana pool
Where has been clarified precise strike?