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I Am running my group through Shattered Star: Curse of the Lady's Light and they are coming to the encounter with
What I would like to know is just how a magus would attack. Does Spell strike and Spell combat work together? Could someone please map out a first round or two example of an actual magus battle?
Level 7 if you would be so kind.
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As a swift action, enhance weapon by using the Arcane Pool feature.
If someone is in melee range, use Spell Combat, cast a touch spell (probably shocking grasp or vampiric touch), make the attack allowed by casting a touch spell (at -2 from spell combat). Use Spell Strike to make that attack a weapon attack for normal damage + spell effect instead of an unarmed touch. Then make the regular attack allowed by spell combat (at -2). If the first attack missed, you're still holding the charge, and a succesful hit with your weapon will discharge the spell on the target, thanks to spell strike.
If no-one is in melee range, then probably use Spell Combat, cast Bladed Dash to move adjacent to an enemy, make the attack allowed by Bladed Dash (at -2 from Spell Combat), then make the attack (at -2) allowed by Spell Combat.
Or just cast-move-attack, as any character can do when casting a touch spell, using spellstrike to make an armed attack at the end instead of an unarmed touch attack.
In addition, he might have swift-action Arcana abilities.
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My favorite trick, if I have to move to get at an enemy, is:
1. Swift action: use an arcane point to enhance my weapon
2. Standard action: cast a touch spell (I love Vampiric Touch)
3. Move action:go over to a foe and say say "Hi, there!"
4. Free attack with the weapon using Spellstrike
Depending on the character, he might also cast a buff spell the first round, or even in subsequent rounds if needed using spell combat (spellstrike wouldn't matter, in that case). Not sure what his tactics are.
Keep in mind 5-foot step tricks. I.e. casting a defensive spell after full-attacking and stepping away, or casting an offensive spell before stepping towards an enemy and getting the free "touch attack" (with weapon) and then a full-attack.
To understand Spell Combat and Spellstrike, I highly recommend Grick's Guide to Touch Spells, Spellstrike, and Spell Combat.
You'll generally get more AP-specific advice when posting in the AP subforum, so I flagged this to move.
As the AP describes, the gate will need to be picked or forced, so the magus should be able to cast at least one if not more of his spells. The Tactics section has pretty good buff plans, so follow that. Note that the ability scores shown in the stat block assume that you have cast the spells listed. I would recommend putting Keen and +1 on the rapier instead of Shocking Burst. Threatening a critical 30% of the time you roll the dice is awesome. Also make sure you're familiar with Concentration checks to cast spells defensively, what the DCs are, and remember to apply the +2 that he gets when using spell combat.
You've got a couple possibilities on how the combat will play out:
1) Gnaeus beats party on initiative, casts invisibility.
-According to the tactics, he will try to go after the most ill-armored member. This is logical, but your group may feel it unfair, depending on the play dynamic you have with them. Up to you. On the other hand, another logical tactic is to focus on the biggest immediate threat. Magi are glass cannons and if you have a barbarian or other heavy hitter, it might be sensible to try to take that guy down first.
-If you have him target the squishy, he should probably do a full attack with spell combat followed by either displacement, if he was either able to take them down with the two attacks, or if he didn't do much damage at all, or a strong attack spell to try to finish them off. Vampiric touch is an excellent choice for that. Alternatively you can start with vampiric touch or chill touch and use the free attack plus full attack to deliver it, possibly multiple times.
- If he targets the tank, displacement first, then use empower spell with vampiric touch to do as much damage as possible. If he crits with vampiric touch, he does double damage with the spell, and gets all of it (up to max HP of the target) as temp HP. If your barbarian gets critted for 100HP damage, the foe now has an extra buffer of 100 HP!
2)Gnaeus loses initiative to at least one party member (very likely) but doesn't get killed in one hit or hit by a spell that makes him lose, die, or suck.
-If someone's now in melee range with him, a full attack with invisibility as the spell combat spell would be best. Then use displacement while invisible, and try to move past the melee types to attack the squishy characters. He's trying to defend his mistress with his life, so putting himself in danger to try to take down a wizard or cleric makes sense.
- If he gets hit by a spell that makes him super weak but not unable to move or escape, consider having him use the Withdraw action and retreat past the trap in the next room and use his bow and Scorching Ray to attack from a distance. His morale says he fights to the death, but that doesn't mean he has to be suicidal about it.
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Something no one here has mentioned: look at his arcana. Maguses (magi?) are notorious for 'nova-ing' or, being able to blow all of their resources in one combat. This is what makes them nasty bosses, they start with full everything and can blow it all on one combat. PCs come in already partially spent/have to worry about fights to come.
Arcane accuracy can add a magi's int to hit for a round. I haven't looked at your guys stats (I am in a shattered star group right now) but the 'cookie cutter magus walks in with shield pre-cast, (and maybe mirror image/illusion of calm) then enhances his rapier to keen, then uses spell-combat and spell strike to try and hit with intensified shocking grasp. If he crits, it is 2d6 rapier, +20d6 electricity damage at level 10. Use arcane accuracy every round so you have a great chance to hit, and a better chance to confirm those crits.
They work quite well in my experience.
Spell combat allows them to cast a spell almost as though they were two weapon fighting, with a spell being the off-hand weapon (complete with -2 to attack rolls).
Spellstrike lets them deliver a touch spell through a melee attack, which they get for free when casting a touch spell.
The abilities are designed to work together, such that a Magus could attack, cast, then attack to deliver the spell.
RPG Superstar 2009 Top 32
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My favorite trick, if I have to move to get at an enemy, is:
1. Swift action: use an arcane point to enhance my weapon
2. Standard action: cast a touch spell (I love Vampiric Touch)
3. Move action:go over to a foe and say say "Hi, there!"
4. Free attack with the weapon using Spellstrike
Yes. Even better, if you miss your attack, you're "holding the charge" and the Vamp Touch will go off on your next attack.
Also, as part of point 1, you can make your weapon keen. Guess what Vamp Touch does on a crit?