The most glaring thing I see here is that you're getting Flamboyant Arcana for--I assume--the sake of Opportune Parry and Riposte, but the Kensai is still a 2/3 BAB combatant. What arcana or spells are you planning on using to supplement your Dexterity and weapon enhancement bonus (and compensate for spell combat's -2 penalty)? That question may very well drive how you re-allocate some of the feats you've put on the table.
Something else: Critical Perfection is a class feature for the Kensai, not an arcana.
I completely forgot the Kensai gave up his level 9 arcana. Ignore me! :D
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Because slashing Grace does not work with spell combat. Don't you think I would know to use that if that were the case?I'm probably braindead, but why would you take duelist of the roaring falls and not just...slashing grace?
The aldori dueling sword is thematic, but it seems like many things are inferior to just doing basic scimitar stuff, or skill focus intimidation, etc.
I have very rarely found quick draw useful outside of a build that needs it specifically.
In general blackblade magus' is not in need of optimization so everything here works, just not quite what I'd pick for the biggest numbers.
but with kensai having reduced spells, how many spell combats are you actually using in a given day?
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Assuming you're good-aligned, I would take Devoted Blade over Maximize.
If you're going to use Enforcer, I'd add the Hurtful feat.
I'd drop Maximized Spellstrike because it's much too expensive; you have better things to use arcane pool on. That also means you don't need Quick Draw. Take a look at the Magus guide for alternatives.
Finally, you don't need Mock Gladiator if you're using the Frostbite spell.
Because slashing Grace does not work with spell combat. Don't you think I would know to use that if that were the case?
You are correct, but Dervish Dance does still work, and is cheaper than Roaring Falls.
The most glaring thing I see here is that you're getting Flamboyant Arcana for--I assume--the sake of Opportune Parry and Riposte, but the Kensai is still a 2/3 BAB combatant.
With his enchant weapon ability, the free enchantment on black blade, and possibly Heroism, the Magus has absolutely no problem using Parry & Riposte.
but with kensai having reduced spells, how many spell combats are you actually using in a given day?
As many as possible, using pearls of power and infinite-use cantrips as necessary. Because action economy wins combats, and Spell Combat is the strongest AA the Magus gets.
The most glaring thing I see here is that you're getting Flamboyant Arcana for--I assume--the sake of Opportune Parry and Riposte, but the Kensai is still a 2/3 BAB combatant.With his enchant weapon ability, the free enchantment on black blade, and possibly Heroism, the Magus has absolutely no problem using Parry & Riposte.
I would argue this depends on how a given GM runs a game (in terms of encounter design) and who a player uses said deed against, but I'll also happily concede that a lot of this also comes down to my own expectations.
I view the magus's arcane pool feature as something that puts him ahead of other 2/3 BAB classes--not something that puts them on par with full BAB classes, who have their own attack boosters. Within that context, I agree that opportune parry and riposte will work just fine as an insurance policy against a possible hit by an inferior opponent at an inopportune (pun intended) time. It just comes down to how many arcane pool points you're willing to sacrifice--considering that the bladebound kensai won't be regaining them as a swashbuckler would.
I also tend to assume a worst-case scenario, though, and if that involves a full BAB opponent of comparable level to the magus, the margins are either going to be razor-thin or against the magus. Admittedly, though, at this point we're talking about the BBEG's chief lieutenants--or the BBEF himself.
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Id rather not be reliant on frostbite to get my strategy going. Also everybody and their grandma runs a dervish dance dex magus I wanted to try something different
I get that, but instead of playing a Magus who spends a feat on dex-to-damage, you're playing a Magus who... spends another feat on dex-to-damage. That's not very different in gameplay, now is it?
I suggest either going strength-primary and work from there, or focusing on maneuvers/debuffs and not getting dex-to-damage. $.02
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If you can think of a way to make this strength based I'll go with that.
That's easy. You drop the feats Finesse and Roaring Falls, and make strength your highest ability score, that's it. This lets you e.g. get Enforcer at level 1, Dazzling Display at 3 and Equipment Trick at 5, meaning your primary shtick comes online MUCH earlier, and you have feats left over for e.g. Step Up, Blind Fight, Dimensional Agility, or Hasted Assault.
For what it's worth, the katana does everything the rhoka sword does, but also has the deadly property. Alternately, the estoc is the rapier version of the bastard sword, to include the 18-20 crit range. It can also be used with Weapon Finesse, if you decide to go the other route.
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Ok I made the modifications, now i just have one final question
Bastard sword vs Rhoka sword?(Higher base damage vs Higher crit chance)
On one hand Rhoka sword is probably mechanically superior, but the bastard sword would be more aesthetically pleasing, a 4 foot pronged sword just looks a bit too evil to me no matter how good the damage is.
Crit 18-20/x2 every time!
But Estoc has a bit better base dm. 2d4 vs. 1d8. And it looks like a bastard sword.But if you changed your stats for primary str, then a bastard sword gets better every time you two hand it and if you use power attack.
An estoc can also be used two-handed. Using the estoc instead of the bastard sword boils down to 0.5 less damage per non-critical hit, on average, while getting an extra 5 percent chance to score a crit (10 percent with keen or improved critical).
Thank you for that reminder. Take the Katana then, IMHO. The same thought process applies, re: critical range, but at the end of the day the rule of cool matters most and you should go with what makes the most sense thematically.
I’ve wondered for some time why there isn’t an exotic weapon proficiency option for wielding the falchion one-handed (as with the bastard sword and estoc).
If you're willing to drop down to d6 dmg the elven thornblade gets +2 to confirm crits.