Your player is correct. If he uses Spell Combat to deliver a touch spell, he can use his weapon as a free attack to deliver it. Mechanically it's similar to Flurry of Blows.
So at first level, if he casts something like Shocking Grasp he'd get two melee attacks (His regular one, and the free touch/melee attack) both at a -2 penalty.
*edit* Grick wrote up a very well laid out guide to touch attacks, spell combat, etc here:
https://paizo.com/threads/rzs2nler?A-Guide-to-Touch-Spells-Spellstrike-and- Spell#1
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Your player is correct. If he uses Spell Combat to deliver a touch spell, he can use his weapon as a free attack to deliver it. Mechanically it's similar to Flurry of Blows.
So at first level, if he casts something like Shocking Grasp he'd get two melee attacks (His regular one, and the free touch/melee attack) both at a -2 penalty.
*edit* Grick wrote up a very well laid out guide to touch attacks, spell combat, etc here:
https://paizo.com/threads/rzs2nler?A-Guide-to-Touch-Spells-Spellstrike-and- Spell#1
Spell combat allows him to make a weapon attack and an attack with a spell (both at -2) at first level.
At level two Spellstrike allows him to convert the free touch attack he receives from some spell to a weapon attack.
Eh, I should have been more clear. I meant cast's the first level spell Shocking Grasp as an example. The player definitely needs to be at least level two since it requires both Magus abilities but since the op specifically mentioned "these two magus class features" I assumed it was understood.
So first things first Worthx is right, you should read
GRICK'S GUIDE (now in link form).
The short version of it is this: As a full-round action the Magus can make all his weapon attacks and cast a spell. If that spell is a touch spell he also gets a free touch attack to deliver that spell.
After level 2, the magus can use his weapon to deliver touch spells, so: As a full-round action the Magus can now make all of his weapon attacks and cast a spell. If that spell is a touch spell he gets a free touch weapon attack to deliver the spell.
This means a level 2 Magus can - as a full round action - cast Shocking grasp AND deliver 2 weapon attacks. If either attack hits then the Shocking Grasp is delivered to the enemy (through the first attack that hits). The Shocking Grasp does double damage if the weapon confirms a critical hit.
(Shocking grasp could be any touch spell, that's just the most common)
Spell Combat lets them make one additional attack with a spell.
Spell Strike lets them turn that spell into a melee attack instead.
They do not get Spell Combat (Normal attacks + Spell) and Spell Strike without using the spell for Spell Strike.
the simplest way to look at it is with spell combat the magus gets two-weapon fighting with a spell as their off-hand weapon. At level 2, their spell strike lets them deliver touch spells through weapon attacks. While spell combat is a full round action, spell strike is an automatic effect, which means the two can in fact be combined in the same attack.
So the magus uses spell combat, delivers their full iterative attack rotation with a -2 penalty, and at any point in the attack can cast 1 spell as their off-hand attack. They choose to cast a touch spell, like shocking grasp, of they are above level 2 then this triggers spell strike allowing them to forego the normal touch attack accompanied by the spell to instead make another weapon attack, delivering the spell through the weapon if it hits.
Your player is right, it’s not broken, let them use their class features.
So the magus uses spell combat, delivers their full iterative attack rotation with a -2 penalty, and at any point in the attack can cast 1 spell as their off-hand attack.
Just a minor nitpick, the spell has to be first or last, so you can't go attack-spell-attack, even if you have +6 BAB.
A magus can choose to cast the spell first or make the weapon attacks first, but if he has more than one attack, he cannot cast the spell between weapon attacks.
It’s confusing. I’m pretty sure you could full attack, cast a spell and then still deliver the free weapon attack. So, in that way, you could attack, cast and attack.
It’s confusing. I’m pretty sure you could full attack, cast a spell and then still deliver the free weapon attack. So, in that way, you could attack, cast and attack.
Yup, that works.
If you have BAB +6/+1 you can:- Cast a touch spell, then deliver your free
OR
- Attack at +6, then attack at +1, then cast a touch spell, then deliver your free
Or you could do similar things with non-touch spells.
But you can't:
- Attack at +6, then cast a spell (touch or not) then attack at +1.
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It’s confusing. I’m pretty sure you could full attack, cast a spell and then still deliver the free weapon attack. So, in that way, you could attack, cast and attack.Yup, that works.
If you have BAB +6/+1 you can:
- Cast a touch spell, then deliver your freetouchspellstrike attack (at +6), then attack at +6, then attack at +1.
OR
- Attack at +6, then attack at +1, then cast a touch spell, then deliver your freetouchspellstrike attack (at +6).
Or you could do similar things with non-touch spells.But you can't:
- Attack at +6, then cast a spell (touch or not) then attack at +1.
Exact.
The "extra attack" is the free attack some spells give you, potentially delivered with the weapon thanks to spellstrike. It is not part of your iterative attacks.
Thinking that it is a form of two weapons combat generates confusion, it is a specific full-round action.
It's straightforward once you know how it works.
This difficult because it interacts with the rules for touch spells - which nobody seems to know unless they've played a Magus.
If it was really straightforward you wouldn't have so many people asking for help with this.
To be honest, the problem is not usually the "I don't understand how it works" crowd but rather the "that can't be right" crowd.