Magus spell strike idea

[Martialmasters]

What if we treated the spell strike sorta similarly to swashbuckler panache/finisher playstyle?

When you cast a spell you can use the spell strike free action and store the spell in your weapon/body, this lowers the actions to cast the spell by 1, but you can only deliver the spell through the second part of spell strike. You can hold the spell for up to a minute. While holding the spell your attacks deal extra damage based on the spell stored equal to you number of weapon dice.

Later when you want, you can send the spell through your weapon as part of strike.

You can make that two actions and ignore map like now, and even keep the critical effect if you wanted.

It offers immediate benefit that you can hold onto, and burst with it later, still at best 3 actions, but done in a more fluid order to improve your combat's.

[Ligraph]

I like this kind of setup, although I'd prefer giving more bonuses while you have a spell stored instead of shortening the casting time.

I've mentioned it elsewhere, but I'd even be ok with a setup where it's very hard to hit with spells or weapons or both (think Expert proficiency) without using spellstrike, but you get boosts to counter this when a spell is stored in your weapon.

Its a bit extreme, but if it's required to free up enough of the power budget to do something like this, or even better frees up enough for more (damaging, hopefully!) focus spells or spell slots imo its worth it.

[Ressy]

If we go that way, I'd say make it 1 action to store a spell, and make a second 1-action ability you can use after striking to finish casting the spell.

Or alternatively, make Finisher like strike abilities, possibly upgrade them via feats or auto-progression, and have that be the method of delivering.

Something like the basic one is 2-actions and is simply strike+finish casting.
Then an upgraded one is Strike+Finish Casting, and if you miss the Strike you can still Cast. Or one that takes an extra action and lets you strike 2 enemies instead of one.