Sustaining Steel and Material Components

[S. J. Digriz]

If you are holding a two handed weapon, you can't use striking spell to cast a spell and attack in the same turn (as part of the 3 actions described in striking spell), because you will need a hand free to cast the spell's somatic component, and then an interact action to put that hand back on the weapon.

Either striking spell should say that you hold your weapon and use it to cast a spell's somatic component, or the sustaining steel synthesis should allow this.

Note: originally this referred to somatic components, but it should refer to material components and component substitutions. See below.

[Ferious Thune]

You don't need a hand free for somatic components. Only for material components.

[Christian Chaney]

I don't view Sustaining Steel very viable in it's current form. The temporary hit points gained are trivial. Especially at higher levels. A 4th level spell will give you 8hp while the monsters typically deal significantly more damage than that. Of course it helps, but if the player has chosen a two-handed weapon they want to be up in the combat! In its current form I would never select this option.

I would suggest allowing the player to make an attack with the weapon as part of casting the spell after using Striking Spell. It accomplishes the same thing as Slide Casting, but you are putting yourself in more danger by having to be within reach of your enemies. Greater risk, greater reward with you massive two-handed weapon. It will also make some of the other feats, such as Steady Spellcasting, more desirable.

Thank you for all your hard work and allowing us the opportunity to try these new classes out!

[S. J. Digriz]

Ferious Thune wrote:

You don't need a hand free for somatic components. Only for material components.

True. My mistake. It seems that you would then want it to say somewhere that you can hold a weapon and use it as a component substitution for arcane spells you cast when using striking spell, just as a bard can use an instrument.

[ExOichoThrow]

the amount of spells that have material components is , in my opinion, negligible.

[S. J. Digriz]

ExOichoThrow wrote:

the amount of spells that have material components is , in my opinion, negligible.

Yeah, and none of them seem to be the kind thing that you would want to use striking spell with.

[Ferious Thune]

S. J. Digriz wrote:

ExOichoThrow wrote:

the amount of spells that have material components is , in my opinion, negligible.

Yeah, and none of them seem to be the kind thing that you would want to use striking spell with.

And if there is one you want to use, Magus has Eschew Materials as a 1st level feat. Of all the things to question on this version of the class, this one doesn't seem to be much of an issue.

[shroudb]

Ferious Thune wrote:

S. J. Digriz wrote:

ExOichoThrow wrote:

the amount of spells that have material components is , in my opinion, negligible.

Yeah, and none of them seem to be the kind thing that you would want to use striking spell with.

And if there is one you want to use, Magus has Eschew Materials as a 1st level feat. Of all the things to question on this version of the class, this one doesn't seem to be much of an issue.

Eschew still requires an empty hand.

Fundamentaly, Two-handed Magus is barred from material component spells, and that is a minus.

The only question is how big that minus is, and that depends on the specific spells you are barred from, which I'm not going to bother researching since imo two-handed magus has indeed bigger problems than that.

[Ferious Thune]

Oh, I missed that part of Eschew. Yeah, that's not great.

[Reticent]

Well, it's less that the Two-handed Magus is barred from material components, and more that it's so action inefficient that they'd better have a REALLY pressing reason to cast whichever particular spell with a component requirement.

[Cordell Kintner]

Easy fix, make Eschew Materials free for Sustaining Steel, and allow them to provide the somatic components without removing their hand. Then add a free level 1 feat to the other Synthesis options for balance, like Reach Spell for Shooting Star.

[Captain Morgan]

By and large, the only spells with material components are at least 3 action spells which the Magus is unlikely to use anyway with spell strike.