So this has been something me and a buddy of mine have been sorta arguing over for a while.
The rules say that Spellstrike can be used with Spell Combat, so my thoughts on it is that it allows you to make a melee attack, THEN cast your melee touch spell using Spellstrike, allowing you basically 3 attacks (Standard melee, Spellstrike melee, and spell damage), but my buddy disagrees, thinking you cast the spell AS you make the spell combat attack.
So which of us is right? I also just wanna figure this rule out regardless of who is right
Spell combat is a full attack action in which you can make your full attack and cast a spell with a casting time of one standard action. Period.
Now, it doesn't specify a specific order, so you can do several things with it.
You can make the full attack, then cast the spell,
you can cast the spell, then make the full attack,
and you can even weave a 5ft step in the middle of all that.
Now, knowing that, you simply have to know the rules of the appropriate actions in order to know what happens.
When you make a full attack, you take all your iteratives, in the appropriate diminishing order. Spell combat doesn't modify the act of making a full attack, it simply allows you to.
When you cast a spell(in this situation, one with the range of touch), you get in the same round a free action that can be used to make a melee touch attack to deliver the spell. As per the rules of spellstrike, this can be made as a melee attack instead. Effectively, casting a touch attack spell increases the number of attacks you get that round by 1.
Going further, you can even cast the touch spell first, then attempt to deliver it with the free action, then if it misses you can attempt to deliver it through your full attacks.
By three attacks do you mean at 2nd level when the magus has a single normal attack?
A level 2 magus using spellstrike and spell combat with a touch attack will get two attack rolls. The regular attack and the free touch attack from the spell. You can choose to use your weapon to deliver the touch attack (vs regular not touch AC)
Two attack rolls. In those two rolls one gets the weapon damage and one gets the weapon damage as well as the spell effect.
You would get three sources of damage, the regular attack, spellstrike attack and spell damage, but only two rolls to hit or in game language two attacks.
Let's say your magus is casting Shocking Grasp.
Normally, he'd cast shocking grasp, then get a free touch attack.
With spellstrike, that free touch attack becomes a free melee attack instead.
Cast:std+Touch:free
Cast:std+Attack:free
Then, when you spell combat you do;
(Full-attack+Cast):Full-round or (Cast+Full-attack):Full-round.
If the Cast happens to be a touch spell, then that touch functions as normal - it isn't subsumed into the normal full attack.
You get this:
(Full-attack+Cast+Attack:Free):Full-round or (Cast+Attack:Free+Full-attack):Full-round.
To understand Spell Combat and Spellstrike, I highly recommend Grick's Guide to Touch Spells, Spellstrike, and Spell Combat.
Thanks guys lol
But I realized I missaid what I meant
My buddy was of the opinion that using Spellstrike during Spell combat meant your normal attack also cast the spell, not having a full attack and then casting your spell or vise versa.
To clarify: At lv 2, rather than gaining the one attack as per normal plus the free attack as part of Spellstrike, he thought the normal attack COUNTED as spellstrike's attack.
Touch spells normally grant a free action that you can use to touch an opponent to discharge the spell. Spellstrike allows you to make it as a melee attack with your weapon instead.
Spellstrike, at its simplest form, simply allows you to deliver a melee basic attack in place of any regular touch attack to deliver the spell. Effectively, any time you would deliver a touch attack, you get a melee basic attack instead. Any time you would get a melee basic attack, it can be used to deliver the spell. With this in mind:
"Normal" spell combat, IE level 1.
You can cast a spell, and you can make a full attack. The spell you cast is shocking grasp. So for your turn, you get all your iteratives in your full attack (at level 1, one attack) and you get a free touch attack to try and deliver shocking grasp.
At level 2, you add spellstrike to the mix. You get a free touch attack that can be used to deliver shocking grasp, and this free touch attack turns into a melee basic attack by the rules of spellstrike. You also get all your full attack iteratives (at level 2, one attack) which also happen to be usable to deliver the spell.
Thanks guys lol
But I realized I missaid what I meant
My buddy was of the opinion that using Spellstrike during Spell combat meant your normal attack also cast the spell, not having a full attack and then casting your spell or vise versa.
To clarify: At lv 2, rather than gaining the one attack as per normal plus the free attack as part of Spellstrike, he thought the normal attack COUNTED as spellstrike's attack.
Point out to your friend that it is possible to use Spellstrike without using Spell Combat.
For example, you could cast a spell with a touch attack, such as Shocking Grasp, as a standard action and hold the charge, move as a move action up to your opponent, and then deliver the charge in its free attack except use Spellstrike to deliver that charge by hitting with your melee weapon. Both the spell and your weapon damage your opponent, assuming you roll well.
That is better than your friend's view of the Spell Combat and Spellstrike combination, since the spell and attack are only a standard action and lack the -2 penalty from Spell Combat.