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I am probably late to the discussion and don’t know if this was pointed before, but, like many, I find Spell Striking to be lacking. Two attack rolls with that proficiency difference make it just too hard to land a high level spell. So why not go with something like the version they used for the Rinnarv Bontimar NPC?
“Spell Strike (Free Action) Frequency once per round; Trigger Rinnarv begins to Cast a Spell that targets at least 1 creature; Effect Rinnarv channels his spell through his blade. He makes a Strike with his blade against a target within reach. If the Strike is successful, the target is automatically subject to the spell. If the spell required an attack roll, the target is hit. If the spell required a saving throw, the target takes a –4 status penalty to its saving throw instead. If the spell could target multiple creatures, it targets only the creature Rinnarv hit with his Strike.”
Maybe put a -2 penalty to the first attack roll, have the spell charge be lost on a miss and just remove the need for the second attack roll would make it more balanced and functional.
IMHO, the action economy, the odds of you getting Aooed at some point and the fact that Magus already has few slots justify the ability to Strike and cast as a two action activity.
That way, a Magus would be able to Spellstrike and maybe get a Strike with Bespell Strike more efficiently.
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It seems like a great replacement indeed.
However, I think it should have the following wording like many similar actions:
This counts as two attacks when calculating your multiple attack penalty.
After all, you are getting two Attack actions for the price of one.
Without it, I fear you're giving Magi way to cheat both MAP and action economy at once, which seems a bit too strong even for a core class feature.Also, the penalty to saves needs to be somewhat reduced, because this version would make your save spells be straight-up better than a full caster's. -2 feels like a fine enough compromise.
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I get your point, but Magus’s odds of actually landing that Spell Strike are suboptimal as written in the playtest doc. While the design intent does not seem to be granting a free attack, it should by all means encompass being able to actually land the spell.
Having said that and having faced said NPC during my playthrough, I don’t think the ability is as OP as it seems, the point being that you lose the spell slot on a miss and that you only have those feel slots. The slot system seemed to me more like the 5e paladin and less like a fighting Wizard per se.
It may be just an opinion, but Magus should be more of a damage dealer than say a Wizard. The intent (with the 4 slots and etc.) seems to be for them to nova by using the few slots they have. I don’t necessarily think that being able to do so consistently for four turns per day is so off the charts.
Sure a Wizard gets their spell attacks worse, but they have four times as many spell slots, drain arcane bond and the advantage of not needing to be within melee range.
Here's how I would play a magus like this.
- I would use the shooting star magus synthesis, which goes from pretty weak to quite strong.
- I would take Martial Casting. I would primarily use these two slots for true strike.
- In my higher slots, I would prepare my best damaging spell attacks. For cantrips I would have some subset of produce flame/acid splash/ray of frost/telekinetic projectile, enough for variety against resistances and weaknesses.
- The goal is to maximize my weapon attack. I max out Dex and my item bonus on my bow, obviously. I try to synergize my ranged attacks with my party's ability to impose debuffs that hamper AC. When I use my best spells and it really counts, I combine Striking Spell with true strike, which gives me a pretty decent chance of critting.If we're playing with this ability counting as one attack, my "normal" turn is cantrip + Strike + Strike and when I want my attack to really count, it's true strike + spell attack spell from spell slots + Strike. If this ability counts as two attacks, in rounds where I don't use true strike I'm probably going to Stride or cast shield, maybe Strike again if there are some easy targets around.
I think my "normal" DPR is going to be at least competitive and maybe better than a normal archer's--I'm going to have a cantrip buff on all my ranged attacks, in exchange for the loss of one Strike at -5 MAP (or -10 depending on exactly how this rule works). And when I use my slots, my DPR goes through the roof. I have the best spell attack accuracy of anyone except an eldritch archer (for one fewer action than an eldritch archer's signature ability), I have the best spell attack damage of anyone, *and* I can synergize with true strike, which because the ability triggers based on one roll effectively enhances both my weapon attack and my spell attack.
I don't know--I haven't done the math. Maybe this isn't OP. But it gives me concern.
Again, you do have a point, but not one that I feel is strong enough to justify the way the class currently works.
I think that, if we were to keep the two Strikes it needs some improvement, either by making the charge last for 1 minute or longer or some other mechanic to actually make sure that when you hit with your spell-imbued weapon/body part, you're more likely to deliver the spell (maybe apply the weapon's runes or a +2 acc bonus/-2 save penalty)
However, I respectfully don't think the routine you proposed is a great cause for alarm.
I did some quick math - and am probably making a mistake somewhere, since I am a lawyer =) - but a 10th level optimal Magus delivering a 5th level Shocking Grasp through a 1d8 striking weapon that has a damaging rune attached to it causes an average of 56 damage. That is even less, considering a cantrip. I may be wrong, but seems on par with other martials' damages, given the fact that they can keep doing it ad eternum and even though they cast, Magi should be able to get some form of compensation for so few slots.
If you attempt to do the math with Magus as it stands, the class' potential does not seem to hold to scrutiny. In that sense, it seems to me you are much better off attacking multiple times and using one of your actions to True Strike.
The point is, like the investigator, the class has potential, but, like that class' playtest version, it is lacking its 'devise a stratagem'
So it's a free action that's activatable when you cast a spell, huh? I didn't think an npc would already solve it, but it has for the most part. All it needs is to have it count as 2 attacks for map (but only after the spell strike happened), and reduce the save penalty to a -2.
Still, I wish there were a way to make a magus synthesis that specialized in debuffs (like the frostbite magi I've been meaning to try in pathfinder 1). I would've liked to put the save penalty onto that synthesis as a feature, but then that would screw over some traditional blasting options.