Magus Help


Rules Questions


I'm going to be trying a Magus for the first time, and I had a few questions for an idea.

1) Can you use weaponwand on a black blade? I assume so, but the GM asked me to double check.

2) As I understand it, weaponwand essentially lets you either use the weapon, or use it as the wand inside with a bonus to spell attack rolls. Does this include ranged attacks such as Snowball?

3) The Wand Wielder arcana states you may use a wand in place of a spell for spell combat. If, while melded via weaponwand, you use your weapon as a wand to cast spell such as shocking grasp, can you then spellstrike?

4) Blade lash has a listed range of 'touch', does this mean I can spellstrike it? Thus tripping (if successful) as well as dealing damage? Would it involve two separate rolls, or would it be one roll for both events? (damage and trip)

Is my dream of running around with a weaponwanded blackblade using a wand of blade lash feasable? Would I be able to spell combat a spellstrike blade lash + attack?

Hope that wasn't too confusing.


1) Yes, they work together just fine. However it will be a fun conversation with your sword.

2) Nothing against ranged spells. Sure.

3) No. Spell combat specifies that it functions as two weapon fighting and your off hand has to be casting a spell. Strictly by RAW, no, but it doesn't seem like a lot to ask of a DM as long as you don't use your offhand for anything else.

That arcana lets you use a wand in your offhand. If you are doing that, you can certainly spellstrike with the spell cast from the wand.

4) No, the target is not an enemy. You cannot spellstrike it. However it grants its own free trip attempt with casting the spell. You can't spellstrike it and gain an extra attack from it, but you can still use it with spell combat and use the free trip provided by the spell. However it won't cause any damage, it is just a trip attempt.

I would definitely ask about #3. Personally I would allow you to use spell combat with a weaponwand at my table, but I would specify that your off hand is unusable for anything else while doing so.


Hmm, reading spell combat I only came away with you need a free hand. Not that said hand needs to be the spell source (as supported by spells not requiring a somatic component still requiring a free hand). Thus, free hand plus weaponthatiswand should qualify?

That being said, even if I'm wrong, I'm totally going to run your idea past him!

I can't believe I completely ignored blade lash's target. I feel like a doofas :(


Other Magus questions!

Blade Tutor's Spirit - Is this spell's to-hit scaling based on the target of the spell's caster level instead of the caster level of the caster? It reads differently than every other bonus to caster level spell I can find.

Chill Touch, and other such charge spells - I can't actually spell combat the round after I use these can I? First round spell combat to apply spell touch, but then I have myself charged for X rounds. I'd have to let go of the spell to use spell combat again, right?

Blade Lash via weaponwand - You'd get your cmd + 10 + weapon bonuses for this roll right?

Inscribe tattoos - DM wanted me to ask, if the weapon requests it of me, can I use my inscribe tattoos feat to do something like inscribe Disguise Weapon on the say...sharkskin grip, thus allowing the blade to appear as something else a couple times a day, as it pleases?


Well I suppose technically, yes, that would work than. I stand corrected on that point, I misremembered the exact wording.

I'll see if I can answer the other questions later tonight.


Blade Tutor's Spirit) It is based on the caster's caster level.

Charge Spells) You can still use spell combat, but if you cast any touch spells than the previous charges you were holding are gone.

Blade Lash) CMB, but yes.

Tattoo) By RAW, no. Tattoos can only be inscribed upon creatures, which the weapon is not. Also they have to occupy a normal magic item slot, and the sword does not have any slots. But again, I don't think it would be an unreasonable thing to house rule.


Awesome, thanks for the help so far. Much appreciated


CampinCarl9127 wrote:

Blade Tutor's Spirit) It is based on the caster's caster level.

Charge Spells) You can still use spell combat, but if you cast any touch spells than the previous charges you were holding are gone.

Held charges are lost if you cast ANY spell, not just another touch spell. So casting any spell (whether using spell combat or not) will cause you to lose any unused charges on chill touch. So you are allowed to use spell combat in this situation, it just costs you the rest of your chill touch charges.


Ah yes, bbangerter is correct.


And while you cant spell combat wihtout losing the extra charges you can still spell strike them until you hit with all of them.


You cannot use spell strike with wands. The wand wielder arcana lets you use spell combat with wands but nothing in it lets you then deliver that spell via spell strike. If you are using the weaponwand spell you can use your weapon to improve your to-hit for the spell (that you are delivering via the wand) but that's all, and that's per the weaponwand spell, not from either spell combat or spell strike.

To put it another way, weaponwand essentially lets you decide, on a round by round basis, what is in this hand: my weapon or my wand. It also lets you use your weapon's bonuses to improve your chance to hit with said wand.

Spell Combat lets you, as a full round action, both make a melee attack (or attacks if you have more than one) and cast a spell. The Wand Wielder arcana lets you use a wand instead of one of your own spells when doing spell combat.

Spell Strike lets you deliver a touch spell (that you yourself cast, so not from a wand, not from a scroll, not from a magic item, etc.) via your weapon. You thereby make a trade: it's harder for you to hit because you are targeting AC instead of Touch AC, but if you do hit you get the advantage of also doing your weapon damage. And if you crit with the weapon, you not only do your weapon's crit modifier but also you double the spell damage.

Finally, remember that unless you have a way to get higher Caster level wands, your wand of Shocking Grasp will be CL1 and will deliver only 1d6 damage (ditto with Snowball, Chill Touch etc.).

Community / Forums / Pathfinder / Pathfinder First Edition / Rules Questions / Magus Help All Messageboards

Want to post a reply? Sign in.