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I was looking at a guide for the magus and it say's. . .
Note though, that Arcane Mark enables you to Spell Combat / Spell Strike each round with your weapon and essentially gain a free attack. Think of it like Flurry of Blows with a scimitar. However, this is likely not how paizo intended spell combat work, so some GMs may find your Zorro-esque magical sword-signing a tad “munchkiny”
However I can't see anything in spell combat or arcane mark that would allow this spell to do anything actually beneficial to the mage since your essentially choosing to go attack,, attack instead of attack, attack + spell as arcane touch doesn't do any damage so all your doing is choosing to use a spell that doesn't do damage instead of one that does. The best I can see is he somehow thinks the magus abiltiies allow you to spell combat + spell cast and spell strike and spell cast. However wouldn't that run up against the usual casting durations of spells and render this not an option unless your using a quickened spell?
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GRICK'S GUIDE TO TOUCH SPELLS, SPELLSTRIKE AND SPELL COMBAT
Seriously, read it. It'll answer your question.
Essentially when you cast a Touch Spell you get a free touch attack. With Spellstrike that changes the touch attack to a weapon attack. With Spell Combat that allows you to cast and make a weapon attack in the same round, so with Spell Combat AND Spellstrike you cast a spell with a touch weapon attack and make a weapon attack in the same round.
Clear as mud right? Read the guide.
Spell Strike = Cast a touch spell, but make a normal attack roll by delivering through your weapon.
Spell Combat= Make your normal attacks and cast a spell.
Spell Strike + Spell Combat= Make your normal attacks and if you cast a touch spell, you can make a normal attack roll by delivering it through your weapon.
Arcane Mark is a touch spell that deals no damage, but Spellstrike still deals the weapon damage. Ergo, Arcane Mark is just a free extra attack if you have nothing better to do.
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GRICK'S GUIDE TO TOUCH SPELLS, SPELLSTRIKE AND SPELL COMBAT
Seriously, read it. It'll answer your question.
Essentially when you cast a Touch Spell you get a free touch attack. With Spellstrike that changes the touch attack to a weapon attack. With Spell Combat that allows you to cast and make a weapon attack in the same round, so with Spell Combat AND Spellstrike you cast a spell with a
touchweapon attack and make a weapon attack in the same round.Clear as mud right? Read the guide.
Yes I understood that part what is puzzling me (and may not after I read your link) was how arcane mark offers a benefit over say shocking grasp. That is if you combine spell strike/arcane mark/spell combat you make 2 attacks and "arcane mark" on the second. However if you combine spell strike/shocking grasp/spell combat you get a greater benefit by making 2 attacks and "shocking grasp" on the second.
Basically I'm trying to see how arcane mark offers any unique benefit over using any damaging spell.
GRICK'S GUIDE TO TOUCH SPELLS, SPELLSTRIKE AND SPELL COMBAT
Seriously, read it. It'll answer your question.
Essentially when you cast a Touch Spell you get a free touch attack. With Spellstrike that changes the touch attack to a weapon attack. With Spell Combat that allows you to cast and make a weapon attack in the same round, so with Spell Combat AND Spellstrike you cast a spell with a
touchweapon attack and make a weapon attack in the same round.Clear as mud right? Read the guide.
Yes I understood that part what is puzzling me (and may not after I read your link) was how arcane mark offers a benefit over say shocking grasp. That is if you combine spell strike/arcane mark/spell combat you make 2 attacks and "arcane mark" on the second. However if you combine spell strike/shocking grasp/spell combat you get a greater benefit by making 2 attacks and "shocking grasp" on the second.
Basically I'm trying to see how arcane mark offers any unique benefit over using any damaging spell.
It doesn't. But it's a cantrip so you can always get the bonus attack from Spell Combat + Spellstrike. So Magi will use it to save resources and keep their Shocking Grasp full attacks for later.
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Ah I see so its basically a "free attack" when your out of higher level spells till you get close combat and use ray of frost instead.
So another question can you use a weapon 2 handed when using spell combat? Specifically thinking of the staff magus (quarter staff 2 handed) or kensai (katana 2 handed, elven curve blade 2 handed). So you take a hand off the hilt to cast (spell combat) then make a full round attack using two hands to hold the weapon? Since while you can wield a katana one handed you can take a curve blade but get no option to 1 hand it.
So another question can you use a weapon 2 handed when using spell combat?
No.
The only exception I know of is the MINDBLADE archetype, who can use a 2-handed weapon with Spell Combat at level 13 .
Oh, and the Staff Magus gets Quarterstaff Master at level 1, allowing them to wield a Quarterstaff 1-handed. It can still be used 2-handed if you want, but if you want to use Spell Clmbat you have to wield it 1-handed.
Also Spell Combat commits a Magus to 1-handed attacks for the entire full-round action, though you can wield it 2-handed between turns for AoOs.
Hmm a 1 handed full attack with quarterstaff . . . that would look odd.
Nah. You're using the other hand for magic wibblies. Probably holding it halfway and just clubbing people or jabbing them.
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One example of a quarterstaff one-handed: blow: [hurl=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DagVAmbBC38]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DagVAmbBC38[/url]. I recall seeing several films with people dealing blows with staves keeping them under the armpit and controlling it with their body and the hand on the same arm. Not the most common stance, but it seems to work.