Bladebound Magus and the Type of Black Blade Chosen

[DungeonmasterCal]

From the Archetype's description, "A black blade is always a one-handed slashing weapon, a rapier, or a sword cane. The magus chooses the blade’s type upon gaining the blade, and once chosen, it can’t be changed". I interpret this to mean any type of slashing, one handed blade, such as a khopesh, which normally RAW requires the feat Exotic Weapon Proficiency. Would the Bladebound Magus be able to ignore the necessity of taking the feat?

Thanks in advance!!

[Minigiant]

Yes it can be a khopesh, but you do not automatically gain proficiency. You would still need the appropriate weapon feta for that

[DungeonmasterCal]

Minigiant wrote:

Yes it can be a khopesh, but you do not automatically gain proficiency. You would still need the appropriate weapon feta for that

Excellent. Thank you very much!

[Azothath]

DungeonmasterCal wrote:

Minigiant wrote:

Yes it can be a khopesh, but you do not automatically gain proficiency. You would still need the appropriate weapon feta for that

Excellent. Thank you very much!

it's the cheese in tha system...

Bladebound Magus archetype

Magus proficiencies:

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A magus is proficient with all simple and martial weapons. A magus is also proficient with light armor. He can cast magus spells while wearing light armor without incurring the normal arcane spell failure chance. Like any other arcane spellcaster, a magus wearing medium armor, heavy armor, or a shield incurs a chance of arcane spell failure if the spell in question has a somatic component. A multiclass magus still incurs the normal arcane spell failure chance for arcane spells received from other classes.

Khopesh exotic & Horus Fv'd wpn.

[zza ni]

i would also house rule for any baldebound magus that has a claw attack or ways to use slashing unarmed strike to use his left hand as his blakblade.

going full chuni mode! ("the dark powers that lay dormant in my left hand are awakening! :)

[Dragonchess Player]

Interestingly enough, a whip could be the black blade chosen by a bladebound magus. 15 ft reach Spellstrikes!

Possibly a one level dip in mysterious avenger swashbuckler for the free whip proficiency and Weapon Finesse might be an OK tradeoff; assuming the character will be investing in Weapon Focus/Whip Mastery/Improved Whip Mastery/etc.

[Melkiador]

Dragonchess Player wrote:

Interestingly enough, a whip could be the black blade chosen by a bladebound magus. 15 ft reach Spellstrikes!

Possibly a one level dip in mysterious avenger swashbuckler for the free whip proficiency and Weapon Finesse might be an OK tradeoff; assuming the character will be investing in Weapon Focus/Whip Mastery/Improved Whip Mastery/etc.

Maybe even consider not going dex-based. Having such reach, you could play a lot of keep away, so won't need the extra early AC you need so much from a dex-based build.

[Chell Raighn]

Bladebound and Kensai magus stack… so you can easily get proficiency with any exotic melee weapon you want without ever leaving Magus… assuming the abilities of the Kensai are appealing to your build that is… which honestly I don’t see any reason NOT to take both archetypes together… Kensai complements the Bladebound Magus so perfectly…

Interestingly… the Black blade isn’t limited to Melee weapons… just Slashing… its a bit cheesy… but a Dagger Pistol is still a slashing weapon when used as a dagger… so it is technically a valid weapon to become a Black blade… you would still need to get proficiency with firearms (Kensai can’t help here) to properly use it, but it is an option… there are also a myriad of thrown slashing weapons to choose from… but who in their right mind would throw their precious black blade?

[Azothath]

just remember that if they have any sort of armor a regular whip isn't going to do any damage. No damage does not bode well for any rider effect.
scorpion whip is your next option AND it takes two proficiencies. Read the rules on threatened areas carefully. It is a rather feat intensive path that does less in the end than archery.
The best WpnFnss weapon is elven curve blade (BUT 2hnd). So for 1hnd with WpnFnss Aldori Dueling Sword (complex feats), Elven Thornblade (limited application) - Rapier(P) - Spiral rapier(P).
The best regular 1hnd use weapons: Split-blade Sword, Bastard Sword (limited application) - Broken-back Seax (limited application) - Dwarven dbl/reg war axe - Grt Terbutje. Crits are a thing so that adds Falcata.

[DungeonmasterCal]

Thanks for all the input, everyone!

[Dragonchess Player]

Azothath wrote:

just remember that if they have any sort of armor a regular whip isn't going to do any damage. No damage does not bode well for any rider effect.

That's what the Whip Mastery feat is for:

Quote:

Benefit: You no longer provoke attacks of opportunity when attacking with a whip. You can deal lethal damage with a whip, although you can still deal nonlethal damage when you want. Further, you can deal damage with a whip despite a creature’s armor bonus or natural armor bonus.

Mysterious avenger swashbuckler* 1/bladebound magus 2 can take Weapon Focus (Whip) at 1st level and Whip Mastery at 3rd character level. Then get a black blade whip at swashbuckler 1/magus 3.

The biggest issue with a whip is that it's a poor weapon for crit-fishing. A whip magus should probably focus on using Spellstrike with debuffs/status effects/etc. instead of damage; hexcrafter can be combined with bladebound and the Accursed Strike arcana would probably be worthwhile with the hexcrafter archetype adding "bestow curse, major curse, and all other spells of 6th level or lower that have the curse descriptor" to the class spell list.

*- or start with any full BAB class if you can also get whip proficiency in some way (half-elf Ancestral Arms, fighter bonus feat, etc.)

[Name Violation]

anyone can take the adopted social trait, choose half orc, and get the caravan drover race trait, which makes whips a martial weapon for them

Adopted
You were adopted and raised by someone not of your race, and raised in a society not your own. As a result, you picked up a race trait from your adoptive parents and society, and may immediately select a race trait from your adoptive parents’ race.

Caravan Drover
Requirement(s) Half-Orc
With your hand on the lash, your caravans always arrive on time. You treat whips as martial weapons, and up to 10 animals and humanoids traveling with you can hustle or make a forced march for 1 hour longer than normal before taking nonlethal damage and becoming fatigued.

[bbangerter]

Azothath wrote:

just remember that if they have any sort of armor a regular whip isn't going to do any damage. No damage does not bode well for any rider effect.

This is largely irrelevant to a magus. Delivering spells through spellstrike is not a rider effect dependent on the weapon dealing damage.

Spellstrike wrote:

If successful, this melee attack deals its normal damage as well as the effects of the spell.

The attack will deal whip damage (0 for an appropriately armored target). The attack will also deliver the spell, whether that be shocking grasp damage or applying an arcane mark to a target.

If it was a rider effect spellstrike would also be blocked by creature DR.

[Kaouse]

Dragonchess Player wrote:

Azothath wrote:

just remember that if they have any sort of armor a regular whip isn't going to do any damage. No damage does not bode well for any rider effect.

That's what the Whip Mastery feat is for:

Quote:

Benefit: You no longer provoke attacks of opportunity when attacking with a whip. You can deal lethal damage with a whip, although you can still deal nonlethal damage when you want. Further, you can deal damage with a whip despite a creature’s armor bonus or natural armor bonus.

Mysterious avenger swashbuckler* 1/bladebound magus 2 can take Weapon Focus (Whip) at 1st level and Whip Mastery at 3rd character level. Then get a black blade whip at swashbuckler 1/magus 3.

The biggest issue with a whip is that it's a poor weapon for crit-fishing. A whip magus should probably focus on using Spellstrike with debuffs/status effects/etc. instead of damage; hexcrafter can be combined with bladebound and the Accursed Strike arcana would probably be worthwhile with the hexcrafter archetype adding "bestow curse, major curse, and all other spells of 6th level or lower that have the curse descriptor" to the class spell list.

*- or start with any full BAB class if you can also get whip proficiency in some way (half-elf Ancestral Arms, fighter bonus feat, etc.)

Kensai already gets free Weapon Focus, and free Weapon Proficiency in their chosen item.

Just play a Kensai Bladebound if you want to go Whip Magus, IMHO.