I've got a bladebound magus in a game I'm running, and I love the class & archetype, except for how long energy attunement lasts. Well, plus there's three odd-numbered levels where the blade doesn't get anything. In short, I'm thinking of modifying the archetype description under Black Blade Ability Descriptions by adding the bolded text:
Energy Attunement (Su): Starting at 5th level, as a free action, a magus can spend a point of his black blade's arcane pool to have it deal one of the following types of damage instead of weapon damage: cold, electricity, or fire. He can spend 2 points from the black blade's arcane pool to deal sonic or force damage instead of weapon damage. At 5th level, this effect lasts until the start of the magus's next turn. At 7th, 11th, and 15th levels it lasts one additional round (to a maximum of 4 rounds at 15th level).
Edited to add: What do you all think? Is there something I'm overlooking?
What's the question?
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It doesn't last very long because it's a very powerful ability. It's one round of "I get to ignore all forms of damage reduction or exploit a creature's vulnerability to an energy type." And as a bonus, you can even use the ability as a better though more expensive version of ghost touch. And this is an ability for very strong archetype that doesn't really trade anything for it.
It doesn't last very long because it's a very powerful ability. It's one round of "I get to ignore all forms of damage reduction or exploit a creature's vulnerability to an energy type." And as a bonus, you can even use the ability as a better though more expensive version of ghost touch. And this is an ability for very strong archetype that doesn't really trade anything for it.
This. You can get ghost touch and brilliant energy via the Ghost Blade arcana.
Ok, so we have
>> taking a magus arcana (Ghost Blade at 9th) and spending 2 pts from the magus's pool to get Ghost Touch for one minute = 10 rounds
vs.
>> (having given up a magus arcana to get Black Blade) spending 2 pts from the blade's pool to make attacks deal force damage for not just 1 round, but up to 4 rounds.
Thank you for your opinions; I appreciate them. Especially since I've played Pathfinder & GM'd other games before, but not GM'd Pathfinder. I'm just looking things over, trying to see how the second is over-powered compared to the first. You get the second one earlier but it never gets up to the power of the first, not even at 15th level.
Perhaps I should mention that I don't think Force damage is auto-hit outside of Magic Missile?
A weapon dealing all force damage is better in every way than a weapon with the ghost touch ability because it not only ignores incorporealness, but also bypasses all energy resistance and some defensive effects like blink. But it costs more than the Ghost Blade arcana since you get less rounds per point spent. Hence why I said it's a "better though more expensive version of ghost touch."
This is all icing on the cake. The ability essentially lets your weapon attacks ignore almost all forms of damage mitigation. That's why it only lasts 1 round.
My point is that your suggestion is a totally unnecessary buff because Energy Attunement is already an awesome ability on an awesome archetype for an awesome class. I've been running a game with a bladebound magus for over 4 years. I've seen how good it is.
A weapon dealing all force damage is better in every way than a weapon with the ghost touch ability because it not only ignores incorporealness, but also bypasses all energy resistance and some defensive effects like blink. But it costs more than the Ghost Blade arcana since you get less rounds per point spent. Hence why I said it's a "better though more expensive version of ghost touch."
This is all icing on the cake. The ability essentially lets your weapon attacks ignore almost all forms of damage mitigation. That's why it only lasts 1 round.
My point is that your suggestion is a totally unnecessary buff because Energy Attunement is already an awesome ability on an awesome archetype for an awesome class. I've been running a game with a bladebound magus for over 4 years. I've seen how good it is.
OK, I'll stand down now & let RAW ride. Thanks!