Illyana Rasputin (Magik / Darkchylde)

[ZanThrax]

Hi all.

Does anyone have suggestions on a good class / archetype for to represent Magik during her early Darkchylde days when she's still under Belasco's influence? A bladebound magus or mindblade magus seems like the obvious way, but I'm not sure it's the *best* way, especially for a 1st level NPC.

[Scott Wilhelm]

She's got that soulsword. She teleports a lot. She does other magic stuff.

My favorite way to do a tactical teleport is to dip 1 level in Arcanist. You get that Arcane Exploit Dimensional Slide. It only has a Range of 10', but you can do it as part of a Move, and it doesn't end your turn the way Dimension Door Does.

Another favorite way I have achieving a tactical teleport is to get someone else to dimdoor you: their turn ends; yours doesn't. The most effective way I found to do that is to take Improved Familiar and choose a Ratling Familiar. Ratlings are evil, though. You might not want that.

There are those DimDoor Feats: Dimensional Dervish, Dimensional Assault, etc, but you pretty much can't make those come online until you are like level 13 at least.

In general, I think the obvious choice for a magic sword girl with a big can of whoopass is Magus with the Bladebound Archetype. Remember though that those Black Blades are those Magi's Familiars, so that Ratling Familiar is out. But Dimension Door is a Magus Spell, so you can use Dimensional slide early on, and use proper Dimension Door later on. Teleport is a Magus Spell, too.

[ZanThrax]

I'm actually thinking Phantom Blade now. Which will allow Dimension Door and possibly Dim Door Feats eventually. Phantom Blade gets me a major part of what I want for the NPC - having the "soul blade" at level one.

[Firebug]

A nifty thing about Phantom Blade is the possibility of critting with a Harm. Sure, it can't take them below 1 hp... at least the spell itself can't.

I played a Phantom Blade in a evil game, and the damage in general is a little lacking. The spell list is more buffs and condition removal compared to a Magus. There isn't a corresponding 'shocking grasp' for the build, but I've found Stricken Heart was my go-to. Of course, I was eventually allowed to go Improved Possession so it wasn't your normal game...

[ZanThrax]

Well, it's entirely possible that she'll never get advanced beyond level one, but the lack of direct spell damage isn't a big concern. I actually feel like the status effect spells are more appropriate for getting stabbed in the soul anyhow. Plus, there's always plane shift later on to send enemies directly to hell instead of killing them directly.