Maxing Out My Familiar Questions

[Revolving Door Alternate]

I have a ratfolk magus riding a giant flea mauler familiar into combat. More than a little wierd and highly risky. I expect I will have to pay for replacing the familiar fairly often. But I am having fun with it. Since the build is focusing on this aspect. I want to do as much with the familiar as I can figure out how to effectively manage.

1) Vermin familiar only get belt and eye slots for magic items. Belt of giant str so he can carry me as a light load is mandatory. None of the eye slot items I remember really stand out as all that helpful. Is there one I'm not thinking of that would work well?

2) I wanted to combine the belt of giant str with the muleback cords. The +2 belt is 4k and the mule back cords are 1k. Combining to functions adds 50% onto the cost of the cheaper item. That would be 5.5k total. OR. Do I first have to double the price of the muleback cords making them slotless (they are normally shoulder slot) and then add 50%, making 7k total?

3) There is no prohibition on familiars having slotless items as long as they don't have to activate it. Correct?

4) Any other not too horrifically expensive magic items that seem like they would be good for this?

5) I've been looking through the books I own and can't find any archetype or template that can be added to a mauler familiar. Is there one that I am missing?

6) The familiar's feat is Escape Route so we can bounce all over the place without AoO. I was considering Taking a single level of Beast Bonded Witch so that I could add feats to the familiar instead of myself. Not sure if it is worth it or not. Opinions?

7) I intend to get Improved Share Spells feat after 10th level so I can split my buff spells with the familiar.

8) Any suggestions I haven't covered?

[avr]

2: 5 500 gp
3: correct
4: check out the stone of alliance
5: not that I can tell
6: There's a saddle which lets you share teamwork feats with the creature you're riding; expensive but cheaper than a level dip IMO. Tho' I think it might conflict with the belt slot too.
7: If you get the saddle above then improved spell sharing does the same job without a level prereq.

[VoodistMonk]

If he is a Ratfolk, then Scurring Swarmer allows you to benefit from Teamwork feats and your Swarming racial feature.

Your familiar wouldn't benefit through, so the saddle is probably better than the feat (unless you are going to capitalize on the Swarming thing somehow).

[Zotpox]

Will feats help?

Shapeless Familiar:

A familiar is more than just an animal. It’s a spirit and an intelligence, and your familiar can choose to take more than one physical form.
Prerequisites: Familiar class feature, caster level 7th.
Benefits: Your familiar gains the change shape universal monster ability. This ability functions as beast shape II and grants access to a single alternate form, which must be the same size as the familiar. Once chosen, this form cannot be changed.

Changeling Familiar :

Many familiars are able to turn into other animals, but a few familiars have greater talents, and can transform into humanoid bodies of their own.
Prerequisite(s): Familiar class feature, caster level 9th, your familiar must have the change shape universal monster ability.
Benefit(s): Your familiar’s change shape universal monster ability can function as alter self, and it gains a single alternate form of either Small or Medium size. This form is of a child or teenager of its master’s species, and once chosen cannot be changed. Such changeling familiars always bear some kind of visible mark of their original nature, such as a cat’s eyes, a serpent’s tongue, or small demonic horns. The changeling familiar does not gain any new languages with this transformation, so changeling familiars are often mute.

[Revolving Door Alternate]

Wow that saddle is nice! It is expensive so I can't afford it for a good while, but it will be on the list.

I also like those feats.

[VoodistMonk]

There's also the Mauler's Endurance feat, which gives the Familiar 2hp/level.

[Mark Hoover 330]

What's your PC's Cha? The feat Evolved Familiar can give your buddy a small boost here and there. If you have a 13 or better Cha and take this feat, your familiar can gain a 1 pt Eidolon evolution such as improving the base Bite damage from 1d4 to 1d6, giving your mount a Climb speed or granting it Scent.

2 levels in the Fighter Archetype Eldritch Knight allows you to share combat feats with your Familiar so long as your Familiar could reasonably use said feats. Obviously Weapon Focus: Longsword or something would be wasted on your buddy but Power Attack would share, or Arcane Strike maybe...

Extra Item Slot is a feat for a Familiar. You might opt for something more combat oriented, but if you take this feat on your flea, it can have an extra item slot for magic items, such as Neck for an Amulet of Mighty Fists.

The biggest problem I foresee is that you're going to run out of feats. If you want any mounted combat skills, you'll need feats for that chain; you'll want to be a specialist with your chosen melee weapon as a Magus so there's more feats; taking any feats to buff your Familiar such as Evolved Familiar means spending something on your buddy too. Then if you take a dip into either Witch or Fighter you've got to pick feats with the flea in mind.

Consider Ioun Stones once you finally get some real GP under your belt. These are slotless but expensive. Still, you could throw a couple on your Familiar to buff them and not spend an item slot doing so.

Finally, if the campaign you're going to be in will have any expected Downtime, consider Item Crafting feats for you, another PC you can convince, or a follower at higher level. Having someone around the party that can whip off cheap permanent items for your familiar to wear would be pretty smooth.

[Marcella]

We may have finally found a use for the Jump spell. Boots of Elvenkind (or, more expensively, Striding & Springing) would help with that too. Or would an insectoid mount need three pairs?

[Scott Wilhelm]

This idea might be a little weird, but consider dipping 2 levels in Fighter with the Eldritch Guardian Archetype. Eldritch Guardians have Familiars, to the levels stack in that regard, and with that 2nd level, your Familiar will automatically know all the Combat Feats you know. That seems to me to offer real promise for character building.

[Revolving Door Alternate]

Mark Hoover 330 wrote:

What's your PC's Cha? ...

Unfortunately, my charisma is 7.

Scott Wilhelm wrote:

.. consider dipping 2 levels in Fighter with the Eldritch Guardian Archetype. Eldritch Guardians have Familiars, to the levels stack in that regard, and with that 2nd level, your Familiar will automatically know all the Combat Feats you know...

I hate losing caster levels, but I think I'm going to have to go for this one. Combat teamwork feats are incredibly powerful and useful.

[zza ni]

Revolving Door Alternate wrote:

Scott Wilhelm wrote:

.. consider dipping 2 levels in Fighter with the Eldritch Guardian Archetype. Eldritch Guardians have Familiars, to the levels stack in that regard, and with that 2nd level, your Familiar will automatically know all the Combat Feats you know...

I hate losing caster levels, but I think I'm going to have to go for this one. Combat teamwork feats are incredibly powerful and useful.

get this trait if you can then, get you back up to 2 caster level missed by multi-classing. (only the caster level nothing else like spells known\per day etc)

[Mark Hoover 330]

They're expensive but for 8,000 GP you can give your Familiar Fogcutting Lenses. Magus gets Obscuring Mist as a spell. These lenses allow sight through fog and mist. This might be a way to protect yourselves at low level while you buff for combat.

A wand of Blurred Movement cast on yourself but shared to the familiar is a decent way to give it 20% Concealment on those mega-jumps. Since that's more than twice its movement for a round, the flea will get this Concealment til the start of its next turn.

I feel like you're going to be spending a lot of your spells buffing your buddy. Getting yourself scrolls, wands and Pearls of Power so you never run out of these buffs is probably a good thing.

I can't suggest giving the Mauler the feat Extra Item Slot strenuously enough. Either that or casting Alter Self or other Polymorph effects to give it a Neck slot. In either case giving a Vermin creature with a primary Bite attack an Amulet of Mighty Fists and over time upgrading said Amulet seems like a no-brainer for a combat-ready Familiar.

What are we trying to with the flea? What are we trying to maximize? I mean, I'm guessing that the Familiar is a way for you to save your Move actions (though what for as a Magus I guess I don't know) and get you from place to place, while also providing an extra combat resource. Why specifically the flea though?

Off the top of my head I'm guessing it was a character decision, something to do with a cool detail of the PC, their backstory, the setting or so on. Mechanically it might have to do with the fact that it starts Small sized and gets a 120' Jump that can qualify as a Charge action ending with a 1d4, all while rocking a DR 5/Slashing.

You said the Familiar's one feat is Escape Route. This seems to push toward maximizing that Charge ability. I'm guessing then that your common method of combat is having your flea Jump/Charge to the front line, unleash it's one Bite attack, and then you follow up with your Magus attacks.

Once this comes around to the next round you could either leap back/away suffering no AoO or remain in place and continue your melee. Which one do you choose though? Continuing the melee means your Familiar is in danger; since it doesn't have Mauler's Endurance right now it's essentially just got half of your HP, whatever barding you can afford it to wear, a +1 Dex bonus to AC and whatever it's Nat. Armor bonus is sitting at.

On the other hand if you leap in and attack on round 1, then leap away on round 2 you're losing melee opportunity for your magus to press the attack. This class isn't known for ranged attacks or being battlefield control specialists, but it could be that you're leaping in to deal a chunk of damage then leaping away next round while leaving behind a Grease spell or some debuff to keep the enemy on the defensive.

Maximizing a Charge attacking Familiar is kinda difficult when they've got lots of magic item slots; having only 2 is a real challenge. If your PC takes Craft Wondrous Item though, you might work with your GM to customize some items. Giving your Familiar a pair of lenses that grant it Burning Gaze a couple times/day or a saddle that delivers Rage to the Familiar.

The biggest thing I suppose is to milk as much as possible out of the flea's Bite attack. Adding energy damage, upping the Familiar's attack/damage on a single attack and then optimizing their defense once they're in melee w/the foe.

[Revolving Door Alternate]

Mark Hoover 330 wrote:

...

What are we trying to with the flea? What are we trying to maximize? I mean, I'm guessing that the Familiar is a way for you to save your Move actions (though what for as a Magus I guess I don't know) and get you from place to place, while also providing an extra combat resource. Why specifically the flea though?

Off the top of my head I'm guessing it was a character decision, something to do with a cool detail of the PC, their backstory, the setting or so on. Mechanically it might have to do with the fact that it starts Small sized and gets a 120' Jump that can qualify as a Charge action ending with a 1d4, all while rocking a DR 5/Slashing.
...

Ok, so the background. I have rarely had a character that made much use of a familiar. A couple have had them but really made no use of them except "oh yeah the scorpion sitting on his shoulder gives him a +4 to initiative" or something like that.

I have a stupid PC that has a cat familiar for scouting. Works out extremely well most of the time. So I was trying to think what else I could possibly do with a familiar. So I was bored and started reading through the details on the all the familiars to see if I could think of any other possibilities.

In the middle of the list was the flea. Wow 120' jump! He could jump to the back row and deliver a touch spell to the BBEG. Of course he would probably get nixed on the next round before he could jump away. Hmm... A mauler familiar might be more survivable... What type of character would have a disgusting giant flea as a familiar?!? Wait, every one knows filthy rats have fleas. A Ratfolk could have a great big flea. That's amusing. Wait again, a mauler familiar is medium sized and ratfolk are small!. This flea has a ratfolk on his back rather than the other way around. That's hilarious!

I almost made a wizard that would ride the flea to always jump away from danger. But at the last minute I decided a reckless magus that jumped into danger. Thus the idea was born.

In practice, the concept has been super mobile light cavalry.
Hey there's a goblin sorcerer (archer) up on the hill 60 feet behind the main ambush sniping us with continuous magic missiles (arrows). Sproing! Thwack. Not anymore.
Oh crap a couple of enemy rogues just snuck out of the bushes behind our sorcerer. The melee guys are all on the wrong side of the river to cover him. He's gonna get murdered. Sproing! Thwack. He's safe.
Dang this bug thing is hard to hit! Sproing! Everyone in melee has a +2 hit from flank and the ninja can get his sneak attack damage.

I did get one lucky very nearly max damage lance charge critical hit to one shot a direbear.

The flea has rarely hit with it's bite. It has mostly been to move me all over the place to slash things with my scimitar. Since it is doing the moving, I still get a full round action and can use my spell combat to attack and cast a spell.

Oddly, I haven't really been using my spell combat to nova damage like most use them. It has mostly been to put up a shield or ablative armor to last long enough to spring back out of danger.

We are still at early levels, but I'm having fun with it. At higher levels the flea may be too fragile for this to work out well. And when we go inside/underground, many places don't have a high enough ceiling to jump much. But that is ok. I don't need the spotlight all the time.

[Mark Hoover 330]

So the flea is your mobile trampoline. That actually helps. If I could suggest anything more, it would be to craft/buy potions of spells that grant movement types, specifically Swim and Climb speeds. Also an Eye slot you might look at for higher levels is Arachnid Goggles. They grant all-around sight which, in turn, means the flea can't be flanked. If you're constantly leaping into danger this reduces some of the threat of suddenly being surrounded.

The problem I seem to run into with villains I make that max out their Familiars (I usually GM for my groups and basically add levels of NPC Adept or Warrior to monsters all the time) is that I can never get their hit accuracy up high enough to make them useful in a fight. By level 9 you'll have a mount with only a Bite +10. My suggestion would be to get that saddle that shares Teamwork feats w/your flea then take Broken Wing Gambit and Paired Opportunists.

When you attack after the flea sproings, if you hit and damage your foe you voluntarily give that foe a +2 to attack you back. If, before the start of your next turn that foe attacks you using that bonus, that triggers an AoO from your mount; that all comes from Broken Wing Gambit. Paired Opportunists kicks in then, saying that any foe that triggers an AoO for an ally (the flea getting an AoO from Broken Wing Gambit) gives YOU an AoO as well. Plus, that feat also gives you both a +4 to hit with your AoO's.

Thus... your familiar Jump/Charges for a Bite +12 attack and you also slash w/your scimitar, using Broken Wing Gambit. Your foe, seeing an opening in your defenses, attacks the Magus with the +2 bonus; you and your mount both attack with an AoO at +4 to hit.

The pity is that this is a Familiar, not an Animal Companion. Another good Teamwork combo are the feats Pack Flanking and Outflank. Essentially if you have an AC, Pack Flanking means that you're flanking with your AC that also has the feat regardless of positioning, and then Outflank increases the Flanking bonus from +2 to +4 to hit. Maybe you could talk to your GM and see if they'll allow you to take Pack Flanking even though your flea is a Familiar.

A couple other things to note: 1. a Saddle item takes up the Belt slot of a creature, so if you put a magic saddle on your flea it can't also wear a Str Belt; 2. Share Spells works off of spells you cast from Scrolls. I bring this all up b/c if you're going to shoot for Improved Share Spells you'll want a lot of sharable buff spells handy all the time. Since, if your flea is wearing a magic saddle, it won't have a boost from a Belt item scrolls of Bull's Str can be handy.

If your PC gains Scribe Scroll as, say, a bonus Feat at level 5, they can make their own cheap scrolls. Buying a scroll of Bull's Str cost's 150 GP and it lasts for 3 minutes. For the same GP you could write your own Bull's Str scroll at CL 6, doubling the time it lasts... or giving you and your flea buddy both 3 minutes duration of Bull's Str through Improved Share Spells.

I would once again urge you to work w/your GM. Maybe by spending extra GP you might be able to combine the bonuses of a belt and a saddle in a single magic item your Familiar could wear. The GM might also allow you to take Pack Flanking if you choose to go that route. Finally, the GM might grant special dispensation for your familiar to have additional item slots in case they want to use other magic items.

You have a super cool concept here! I like the teamwork aspects, not just the feats but the way you're using your jumps to provide Flanking. Magus spells/abilities are usually so focused on self-buffing but between being able to deliver some of your buffs to Creature Touched or Share Spells you could also become the mobile delivery system for bonuses to your flea or your teammates... or both!

[Lemartes]

zza ni wrote:

Revolving Door Alternate wrote:

Scott Wilhelm wrote:

.. consider dipping 2 levels in Fighter with the Eldritch Guardian Archetype. Eldritch Guardians have Familiars, to the levels stack in that regard, and with that 2nd level, your Familiar will automatically know all the Combat Feats you know...

I hate losing caster levels, but I think I'm going to have to go for this one. Combat teamwork feats are incredibly powerful and useful.

get this trait if you can then, get you back up to 2 caster level missed by multi-classing. (only the caster level nothing else like spells known\per day etc)

Quick derail.

This question is not to anyone in particular but would this benefit a paladin? Seems like would.

[LordKailas]

Lemartes wrote:

Quick derail.

This question is not to anyone in particular but would this benefit a paladin? Seems like would.

I think the trait looks more appealing than it actually is. Keep in mind the following.

*All casters have a caster level equal to their class level regardless of progression. So, the trait does nothing unless you're looking at taking levels in another class.

*While it increases your caster level it does not improve spell progression. So, while you might cast spells as a 5th level wizard you still won't have 3rd level spells because you're still a 3rd level wizard in terms of spell progression.

*Because this trait can't raise your CL above your HD it means that it doesn't play well with other caster level boosting abilities, features, feats and items. So, this trait is a non-started for any build that's interested in increasing caster level. This is because if you pick up something that increases your CL it will just over write this trait instead of stacking (if stacking would result in a CL that's above your HD).

*A lot of spells have caster level caps. This is why the metamagic feat intensified spell is a thing. The trait ends up not doing anything for a spell caps out at caster level 5 once your actual caster level hits 5.

I'm sure that there are levels where it helps out. But IMO I'd rather take a trait that will help my character at all levels rather than one that helps for a few levels and then becomes pointless. Especially since by RAW unlike feats, traits aren't something that can be re-trained.

TLDR: No, it wouldn't help a paladin unless said paladin multi-classed and even then it's benefits would be extremely limited.

[Lemartes]

LordKailas wrote:

Lemartes wrote:

Quick derail.

This question is not to anyone in particular but would this benefit a paladin? Seems like would.

I think the trait looks more appealing than it actually is. Keep in mind the following.

TLDR: No, it wouldn't help a paladin unless said paladin multi-classed and even then it's benefits would be extremely limited.

I never had any questions on the part I deleted. I was only really interested in the last part.

I ask because of this:

Paladin Class Rules say wrote:

Through 3rd level, a paladin has no caster level. At 4th level and higher, her caster level is equal to her paladin level – 3.

[LordKailas]

Lemartes wrote:

I ask because of this:

Paladin Class Rules say wrote:

Through 3rd level, a paladin has no caster level. At 4th level and higher, her caster level is equal to her paladin level – 3.

ah, my apologies. Its been awhile since I've played a paladin. I didn't remember that they have a reduced caster level. In that case yes, a paladin would benefit from it as it would effectively adjust their caster level from Character Level-3 to Character Level-1. Of course as I mentioned before it doesn't play nice with other things that increase caster level so there is the potential for diminishing returns.

[Lemartes]

LordKailas wrote:

Lemartes wrote:

I ask because of this:

Paladin Class Rules say wrote:

Through 3rd level, a paladin has no caster level. At 4th level and higher, her caster level is equal to her paladin level – 3.

ah, my apologies. Its been awhile since I've played a paladin. I didn't remember that they have a reduced caster level. In that case yes, a paladin would benefit from it as it would effectively adjust their caster level from Character Level-3 to Character Level-1. Of course as I mentioned before it doesn't play nice with other things that increase caster level so there is the potential for diminishing returns.

No worries. Yeah I looked into it before and had basically the same thoughts as you. Then earlier today I was like hey wait does this help a paladin I must be missing something if this wasn't mentioned before. Granted I might have missed it in builds I've seen online. Thanks.

/thread derail

[Revolving Door Alternate]

Dang! I can't decide if I should go for 2 levels of eldritch guardian to share all combat feats or shell out for the saddle to share all teamwork feats. I don't think I need both because quite a few of what I want are both combat and teamwork feats.

decisions, decisions...

I think I'm leaning toward buying the saddle even though I will have to pay even more to combine it with the belt of str and the mule back cords.

[Mark Hoover 330]

Y'know...

Taking the Valet Familiar Archetype means that your Familiar automatically shares all your Teamwork feats. I'm not sayin', I'm just sayin'...

Valet is less of a combat mount. However, they're good at delivering Aid Another long term, they can dart in, deliver a non-offensive Touch spell and continue moving (so long as they have move left) in a round, and they help you craft items. If you REALLY NEED to ride the flea as a mount there's Undersized Mount as a feat.

I know; Mauler gives a size bonus and bonus Str so the familiar is more likely to be a direct combat resource. However, Once you take Undersized Mount as a feat (if you could actually work that into your build) you could save up the amount you were GOING to spend on a saddle, take Craft Wondrous Items as a bonus feat at level 5, and then make TWO magic items for the Familiar, or one for it, one for yourself.

[Revolving Door Alternate]

Hmm... That is an idea. I won't be able get that feat until 7th. But by then I can probably afford to up the str belt to +4. That might be enough to carry me. I will have to do some math and check it out.

I'm not planning to take any crafting feats. This GM is already pretty darn generous with the treasure haul. I don't want to take too much advantage.

[Scott Wilhelm]

Mark Hoover 330 wrote:

If you REALLY NEED to ride the flea as a mount there's Undersized Mount as a feat.

He's a rat that rides a flea into battle! He's THE BLACK DEATH!

Hell yeah, he needs to ride the flea!

[Revolving Door Alternate]

Aha! I did the math and it works. With a +4 belt a small sized flea can still carry me a light load!

So I will switch it from a mauler familiar to a valet familiar at 7th level. Thanks for suggesting it.

[Mark Hoover 330]

So then RDA, what are you planning for the Magus bonus feats? Are these going to be purely Combat feats then? Just wondering. Part of the package of getting a Valet familiar is that the controlling PC gets to treat the familiar as if it had the Cooperative Crafting feat and the Valet shares all it's controlling PC's Craft skills and Item Creation feats.

If you're giving up Alertness from a standard familiar, you might as well get something out of it.

Also one other hardship to keep in mind on a Valet: they lose the Share Spells ability in order to be able to cast Open/Close and Prestidigitation at will. The one PC I had with a Valet was way into Scrolls and was in a home game, not an AP. With the GM's grace I got a lot of mileage out of not using a Move action to pull scrolls since the familiar opened my scroll case for me while using Prestidigitation to "poof" a scroll forth (move it out slowly while adding a puff of smoke for flourish) as it's Full Round action.

I don't know if you'll get that same kind of grace. If you need your familiar to keep Share Spells for future development, I'd warn you off of the Valet.

If you decide to go with it though, I'd just say consider maybe taking an Item Creation feat, even just Scribe Scroll. Having a hoard of cheap scrolls around full of buff spells, even if the GM is super generous with the gear, can be a big help for a Magus.

[Revolving Door Alternate]

Hmm... That is a thought. Scribe scroll would also let me work with the cleric so doesn't have to prepare things like remove disease, neutralize poison, etc...

Though I'm having trouble visualizing how a giant flea could assist me scribing a scroll. Maybe chewing on the end of my quill pens to keep them sharp?

[avr]

I suspect it's cat style 'helping'.

[Scott Wilhelm]

Revolving Door Alternate wrote:

Hmm... That is a thought. Scribe scroll would also let me work with the cleric so doesn't have to prepare things like remove disease, neutralize poison, etc...

Though I'm having trouble visualizing how a giant flea could assist me scribing a scroll. Maybe chewing on the end of my quill pens to keep them sharp?

Follow the bouncing ball!

[Mark Hoover 330]

Prestidigitation. Aid Another on skill checks. Entertaining you to keep your spirits up. All of these and more could be used to help you craft scrolls. Imagine:

You have 2 hours of Downtime, as you bed down for the night, on the road of adventure. The PCs just raided a monster lair in a cave and have chosen to set up camp in the woods nearby. Your Magus has a Vanish spell uncast for the day and decides to put it down on a scroll.

Sensing your intent your Familiar uses Open/Close to open your backpack for you. While you rummage through for your materials the flea uses Prestidigitation to slowly move a flat plank of wood into your lap for you to scribe upon.

Now that you're ready you present the end of your quill to the Familiar who chews it to sharpen it. The Magus then sets to the work of scrivening. As they do so the flea uses Prestidigitation to cool the air around your brow to keep you comfortable; warms and swirls the inks; taps it's leg to remind you that the flourish over the "A" in vanish is supposed to go the other way (Aid Another on the Spellcraft or Profession: Scribe check); stoppers/unstoppers the ink vials; floats the inks in the air for ease of use.

Once finished, you've burned through 25 GP worth of materials but you have a CL2 Vanish spell on a scroll. What's better is that even if the Familiar fails it's Aid Another check to help it AUTOMATICALLY provides a +2 Circumstance bonus on any Craft or Spellcraft checks during crafting, even for mundane items, thanks to Cooperative Crafting.

Now, that's a Circumstance bonus. Aid Another is a separate bonus type (sometimes untyped or referred to as an Aid Another bonus, unless I'm wrong which I very much could be). As I understand it, the Familiar can still try to offer an Aid Another bonus ON TOP OF the Circumstance bonus from Cooperative Crafting. These bonuses apply to mundane crafting as well, just in case you've got a spare skill rank you want to throw into a Craft skill.

Valet Familiars get the standard Int progression, so it might be a while before your baseline Int 6 Familiar is reliably giving you an Aid Another bonus on Craft checks, but it can certainly try.

With some Masterwork tools, your Familiar at hand, and a successful Aid Another you've got a total of +6 on a Craft check. With 1 rank in a Craft skill, a +4 Int bonus and a Class Skill bonus, you're looking at a take 10 of 24. Not too shabby for a Magus and a flea.

[Mark Hoover 330]

One other bonus I never noticed before (I've never built a Magus) for taking Scribe Scroll comes at level 7. The Knowledge Pool ability lets you prepare ANY spell on the Magus list as if it were in your spellbook, but if you don't use that spell that day it vanishes the next time you prepare your spells.

If you prepare a spell you don't normally have in your spellbook and then craft a scroll with it, you could either have a 1-time use of the spell or you could copy from your scroll into your spellbook. This process is likely more expensive than copying a spell from an NPC's spellbook who agrees to let you copy their work, but far less expensive than independently researching a new spell from scratch.

I'm sure others reading this thread are like "of COURSE that's a bonus, how did Mark not get something so PEDESTRIAN!" but again, I'm new to the class.