Magus Number of Actions / Attacks per turn

[Nardis]

I've just had a frustrating discussion with someone who sounds, at least to me, to be taking liberties with the "free" wording in the descriptions of Spell strike and Spell Combat. Could anyone out there more in the know than myself help with this?

For example, I'm copying this out of the thread:

"When you cast a spell that allows a touch attack, you get to make that touch attack as a free action. Nothing in those descriptions changes that rule, so it's still in effect. Therefore: Attack and spell (in any order), then free action melee touch attack to deliver it (or weapon attack if you use Spellstrike) "

Where does it say this in the Magus description? Can someone help?

[Brevick Axeflail]

Try checking out Grick's Guide to Touch Spells, Spellstrike, and Spell Combat.

Super useful for understanding the Magus.

TL;DR:

A 2nd level Magus, using Spell Combat and Spellstrike, and a touch attack spell, works exactly as your friend describes.

Spell Combat is essentially Two-weapon Fighting with a Weapon in one hand, and a Spell in the other.

Spellstrike replaces the free action Touch with a free action Weapon attack.

If everything hits, the Magus will deal damage:
• from their weapon
• from the spell
• from their weapon, delivering the spell

All legit.

[James Risner]

I'm not sure your question.

A magus can use Spell Combat as a full round action.
During that action they may cast a spell such as Arcane Mark.
Upon resolution of Arcane Mark, they may take a melee attack and apply the mark.
Then they may take a normal full attack based on their BAB but may not apply TWF attacks (the spell is their TWF), but may apply haste attacks and similar.

[Claxon]

Yes, a magus essentially gets an extra free attack with spell combat and with Spell Strike that can be a weapon attack instead of a touch attack.

[Sundakan]

Yeah, it's not in the Magus description because it's in the basic Combat rules.

"Many spells have a range of touch. To use these spells, you cast the spell and then touch the subject. In the same round that you cast the spell, you may also touch (or attempt to touch) as a free action."

So Spell Combat allows them to cast the spell "for free" (at the cost of taking a -2 to all their attacks), Spellstrike lets them deliver the touch spell with their weapon instead of touching. This doesn't interrupt their normal full attack.

It's backdoor Two-Weapon Fighting, and it's intended because Magi can't effectively use normal TWFing.

Relevant FAQs for you:

Magus, Spell Combat: If I use spell combat, how many weapon attacks can I make? wrote:

You can make as many weapon attacks as you would normally be able to make if you were making a full attack with that weapon. For example, if you are an 8th-level magus (BAB +6/+1), you could make two weapon attacks when using spell combat.

Edit 9/9/13: This is a revised ruling about how haste interacts with effects that are essentially a full attack, even though the creature isn't specifically using the full attack action (as required by haste). The earlier ruling implied that spell combat did not allow the extra attack from haste (because spell combat was not using the full attack action).

Magus, Spell Combat: What spells can I cast when using spell combat? wrote:

The relevant text of the ability is:

"As a full-round action, he can make all of his attacks with his melee weapon at a –2 penalty and can also cast any spell from the magus spell list with a casting time of 1 standard action (any attack roll made as part of this spell also takes this penalty)."

The spell you cast when using spell combat has to be a magus spell you know, and it must be a magus spell prepared with one of your magus spell slots.

(Other magus abilities may modify what spells can be used with spell combat. For example, the broad study magus arcana explicitly states the magus can use spell combat to cast spells from the selected non-magus spellcasting class.)

Magus, Spellstrike: If I cast a spell that allows multiple touch attacks, can I deliver all of those spell touches through my weapon? wrote:

Yes. For example, if you cast chill touch (which allows multiple touch attacks), you could use spellstrike to cast and deliver the spell through your weapon, and in later weapon attacks you could use your weapon to deliver the remaining spell touch attacks (one spell touch attack per weapon attack).

If you have multiple attacks per round with that weapon (such as from having a BAB of +6 or higher), you can use the weapon to deliver multiple spell touch attacks per round, so long as you have uses of that spell touch attack remaining.

For example, if you are an 8th-level magus (BAB +6/+1) and you cast chill touch, you have up to 8 uses of that spell touch attack. If you make two weapon attacks in a round, you can deliver two spell touch attacks per round (one for each successful weapon attack).

[Ascalaphus]

On the other hand, he's probably casting in melee so may want to cast defensively. And he's taking the -2 to hit on all his attacks for what is pretty much two-weapon fighting. So the attack isn't entirely free.

[Nardis]

I knew I could count on the message boards! Thank you

[Diego Rossi]

Note that the spellstrike attack will be the first or the last, as a magus cast the spell either as his first action in spell combat or as his last, after the full attack. The free attack is the first attack he make after casting the spell (in the same round, obviously).