Magus Dedication

[TheGentlemanDM]

One thing we haven't really had much discussion around yet is what the Magus Multiclass Archetype is liable to look like.

Thinking about what the archetype will be expected to give, and how we'll need to put safety valves on that for multiclassing, can help inform further development of ideas.

Magus Dedication 2
Archetype, Dedication, Multiclass
Archetype: Magus
Prerequisites: Strength or Dexterity 14, Intelligence 14
You cast spells like a Magus, gaining a spellbook with two common arcane cantrips of your choice. You gain the Cast a Spell activity. You can prepare one cantrip each day from your spellbook. You’re trained in arcane spell attack rolls and spell DCs. Your key spellcasting ability for Magus archetype spells is Intelligence, and they are arcane magus spells. You become trained in Arcana; if you were already trained in Arcana, you instead become trained in a skill of your choice.

You also gain the Striking Spell activity.

Basic Arcane Style
Archetype
Archetype: Magus
You gain a 1st or 2nd level Magus feat of your choice.

Advanced Arcane Style
Archetype
Archetype: Magus
You gain a Magus feat of your choice. For the purpose of prerequisites, your Magus level is treated as half your character level.
Special: You can take this feat more than once.

Basic Magus Spellcasting 6
Archetype
Archetype: Magus
You gain a 1st level spell slot. Add two common 1st level arcane spells to your spellbook. You can use spell slots from this archetype to prepare and cast spells from your spellbook.

Whenever you gain a new spell slot for this archetype, add two common arcane spells of that slot's level to your spellbook.

At 8th level, you gain a 2nd level spell slot.

Enhanced Magus Spellcasting 12
Archetype
Archetype: Magus
Your proficiency with Arcane spell attacks and DCs increases to Expert.
Replace your 1st level spell slot from this archetype with a 3rd level spell slot.

At 14th level, replace your 2nd level spell slot with a 4th level slot. At 16th level, replace your 3rd level spell slot with a 5th level slot. At 18th level, replace your 4th level spell slot with a 6th level slot. At 20th level, replace your 5th level spell slot with a 7th level spell slot.

[TheGentlemanDM]

Thinking about this gives us ideas about what could be done to make Striking Spell better.

The baseline to assume is that a Fighter will be able gain access to Striking Spell. With their superior weapon proficiency and superior durability, they'll outpace the baseline Magus in round to round combat with their own trick.

The current syntheses are therefore a good starting point. Playing around with the action economy of Striking Spell by enabling extra movement or other enhancements for the core Magus is necessary for the Magus to retain superiority in its own niche.

Likewise, as much as it makes the math a hell of a lot easier, having Striking Spell automatically confirm spell attacks would probably need to be off the table, lest we hand Fighters a magical Power Attack on steroids.

Providing healthy bonuses to confirm the attack or prevent failure is fine, since martials dabbling in Magus won't have a casting proficiency that could outpace the Magus, and spellcasters who could do some very dangerous things with a boost to spell attacks lack the martial abilities to get into the front lines and strike threateningly.

[Lelomenia]

Caster archetypes generally give nothing except the cantrips and maybe a skill proficiency, so i expect no Striking Spell there, probably that will be a 6th level feat.

The Dedication may also want you to pick a synthesis, which you will count as having but not benefit from.

[TheGentlemanDM]

That is also a possibility.

In such a case, I'd put Striking Spell at 4th level given that it's literally the core feature of the class.

[AquaVere]

I've seen a few suggestions about allowing weapon potency runes towards the spell attack/DC, but has anyone mentioned adding that to the Magus Potency focus spell? This would also give it staying power through the levels that match everyone's weapon runes and allow the magus additional magical accuracy over a fighter/magus, provided this focus spell is never offered as an option for archetype feats.

I would also make a slight tweak to the levels offered by the archetype spell casting feats. I have to admit that I'm also partial to a 2/2/2 slot format, which would leave the basic spellcasting feat without any replacements. However, the following does assume that the 2/2 slots make it through.

My verbiage might be a tad clumsy but here goes:

Magus Potency Focus 1
Uncommon, Evocation, Magus
Range: touch; Targets: you or one weapon you're wielding
Duration: 1 minute

The target gains the benefit of a +1 weapon potency rune, granting a +1 item bonus to attack rolls with the targeted weapon or your unarmed attacks, if you targeted yourself. If the target is used to Strike while charged with Striking Spell, the item bonus of the target also applies to spell attack rolls triggered by the discharge of the held spell. If cast on a weapon, this spell ends if you cease holding the weapon.

Heightened (3rd) The unarmed attacks or weapons are +1 striking
Heightened (4th) The unarmed attacks or weapons are +2 striking
Heightened (7th) The unarmed attacks or weapons are +3 greater striking

Basic Magus Spellcasting 6
Archetype
Archetype: Magus

You gain a 1st level spell slot. Add two common 1st level arcane spells to your spellbook. You can use spell slots from this archetype to prepare and cast spells from your spellbook.

Whenever you gain a new spell slot for this archetype, add two common arcane spells of that slot's level to your spellbook.

At 8th level, you gain a 2nd level spell slot.
At 10th level, replace your 1st level spell slot from this archetype with a 3rd level spell slot.

Enhanced Magus Spellcasting 14
Archetype
Archetype: Magus
Your proficiency with Arcane spell attacks and DCs increases to Expert.

At 14th level, replace your 2nd level spell slot with a 4th level slot.
At 16th level, replace your 3rd level spell slot with a 5th level slot.
At 18th level, replace your 4th level spell slot with a 6th level slot.

[TheGentlemanDM]

AquaVere wrote:

Magus Potency Focus 1
Uncommon, Evocation, Magus
Range: touch; Targets: you or one weapon you're wielding
Duration: 1 minute

The target gains the benefit of a +1 weapon potency rune, granting a +1 item bonus to attack rolls with the targeted weapon or your unarmed attacks, if you targeted yourself. If the target is used to Strike while charged with Striking Spell, the item bonus of the target also applies to spell attack rolls triggered by the discharge of the held spell. If cast on a weapon, this spell ends if you cease holding the weapon.

Heightened (3rd) The unarmed attacks or weapons are +1 striking
Heightened (4th) The unarmed attacks or weapons are +2 striking
Heightened (7th) The unarmed attacks or weapons are +3 greater striking

I don't know if this does enough towards fixing the issues with Striking Spell, but it certainly fixes the issues with Magus Potency.

[TheGentlemanDM]

AquaVere wrote:

Basic Magus Spellcasting 6
Archetype
Archetype: Magus

You gain a 1st level spell slot. Add two common 1st level arcane spells to your spellbook. You can use spell slots from this archetype to prepare and cast spells from your spellbook.

Whenever you gain a new spell slot for this archetype, add two common arcane spells of that slot's level to your spellbook.

At 8th level, you gain a 2nd level spell slot.
At 10th level, replace your 1st level spell slot from this archetype with a 3rd level slot.

Enhanced Magus Spellcasting 14
Archetype
Archetype: Magus
Your proficiency with Arcane spell attacks and DCs increases to Expert.

At 14th level, replace your 2nd level spell slot with a 4th level slot.
At 16th level, replace your 3rd level spell slot with a 5th level slot.
At 18th level, replace your 4th level spell slot with a 6th level slot.

I think that these are a nice improvement on the system I suggested. Going to 3rd on the basic feat, and shifting the Enhanced feat to 14 work very nicely.

I'd personally have Enhanced Spellcasting climb to 6/7 at 20th level. It means you're getting a spell level ahead of the casting from other spellcasting archetypes, but also losing out on the 5 lower level slots and not ever gaining access to Master.

[AquaVere]

It doesn't fix Striking Spell at all, but I don't want to comment on the action economy of that until I get a chance to play with it. So far from what I've seen suggested, I like replacing somatics with a Strike and possibly some kind of limited focus spell to prevent/recover wasted strikes.

As to the archetype casting feats, I'm actually not too worried about the increasing the spell level. I feel that even more-so than the magus, a fighter/magus would rely on cantrips, as the inaccuracy and loss of spells would be exacerbated by the even fewer slots and worse training a magus archetype would give. I see these slots as a quick access to scaling buffing spells and hopefully the rest of the space will be filled with more focus spells. That would keep a greater distinction between wizard and magus archetypes as well.

[richienvh]

AquaVere wrote:

I've seen a few suggestions about allowing weapon potency runes towards the spell attack/DC, but has anyone mentioned adding that to the Magus Potency focus spell? This would also give it staying power through the levels that match everyone's weapon runes and allow the magus additional magical accuracy over a fighter/magus, provided this focus spell is never offered as an option for archetype feats.

I would also make a slight tweak to the levels offered by the archetype spell casting feats. I have to admit that I'm also partial to a 2/2/2 slot format, which would leave the basic spellcasting feat without any replacements. However, the following does assume that the 2/2 slots make it through.

My verbiage might be a tad clumsy but here goes:

Magus Potency Focus 1
Uncommon, Evocation, Magus
Range: touch; Targets: you or one weapon you're wielding
Duration: 1 minute

The target gains the benefit of a +1 weapon potency rune, granting a +1 item bonus to attack rolls with the targeted weapon or your unarmed attacks, if you targeted yourself. If the target is used to Strike while charged with Striking Spell, the item bonus of the target also applies to spell attack rolls triggered by the discharge of the held spell. If cast on a weapon, this spell ends if you cease holding the weapon.

Heightened (3rd) The unarmed attacks or weapons are +1 striking
Heightened (4th) The unarmed attacks or weapons are +2 striking
Heightened (7th) The unarmed attacks or weapons are +3 greater striking

Basic Magus Spellcasting 6
Archetype
Archetype: Magus

You gain a 1st level spell slot. Add two common 1st level arcane spells to your spellbook. You can use spell slots from this archetype to prepare and cast spells from your spellbook.

Whenever you gain a new spell slot for this archetype, add two common arcane spells of that slot's level to your spellbook.

At 8th level, you gain a 2nd level spell slot.
At 10th level, replace your 1st level spell slot from this...

I think this would help a lot.

Since Magus Potency is mandatory, it would diversify the ability for Magi who choose to wield magic weapons rather than imbuing their own. This would also keep the bonus exclusive to the Magus, which is fine