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Sounds like you have a good idea of a build. Regarding psychic, imaginary weapon is the biggest power boost, and you really want three focus points to use (and maybe even an ancestry option to regain one) - which you probably won't have if archetyping at lvl 9.
Maybe you can consider going psychic first and wizard second? The low level wizard archetype options are kind of bad, and expert spellcasting is at lvl 12.
For my own magus i used investigator (before psychic) to make sure that my spellstrike is going to land (or crit), and after getting imaginary weapon i use my spell slots for utility mainly.
You're DM wants some serious pain. I don't allow fighter/magus or fighter and any other martial in my dual class games. Breaks the game pretty badly with Legendary accuracy with weapons and Speollstrike.
I tried to talk him out of it, but he is insisting... I suspect he will change his mind or just buff foes to ludicrous proportions after our first fight :)
Enjoy the chance to break the system a bit. Build to crush.
Instead of dual class fighter and laughing shadow magus, you might want to consider dual class rogue and laughing shadow magus.
The increase in arcade cascade damage when attacking off-guard opponents synergizes nicely with the rogue's sneak attack. Rogue also has abilities to make it easier to impose off-guard on opponents, along with Distracting Spellstrike, Dimensional Disappearance, etc. from the magus side.
The ruffian racket may give a better choice of weapons to apply sneak attack to (such as katana [one-handed]).
Rogue might work better with Laughing Shadow. I played a rogue/starlit starlit span magus, pretty broken combination.
For cantrips until you get imaginary weapon, go for damage diversity.
1. Gouging Claw: bread and butter.
2. Ignition
3. Needle Darts: Allows you to access materials while striking.
Then mix it up as you wish.
If you want to stick with fighter, I'd try building up to Dueling Style Dance so you can have AC while you're doing your thing. Try to pick passive bonuses that mesh with spellstrike. It's almost always going to be best for you to spellstrike, then recharge to maximize brutal crit opportunities with your one big hit.
The most terrifying amount of damage would come from a way of the sniper gunslinger with the starlit span magus. But not sure if the actions will work out. Otherwise fighter starlit would be best I think, for the higher accuracy.
For melee I'd choose to go with thief rogue/ flurry ranger, for a bizarre amount of attacks with low map. Stack any kind of damage onto you weapons for maximum effect (damage runes, exemplar archetype for gleaming blade doglsicers or shadow stealth using the Tamral chakram)
The ruffian racket may give a better choice of weapons to apply sneak attack to (such as katana [one-handed]).
I meant to add, before a storm knocked out my Internet access for a bit, that the Feint benefits with the scoundrel racket would be a better fit for a laughing shadow magus.
Plus, the additional skill increases from rogue allow the character to max out Acrobatics, Arcana, Deception, Stealth, and Thievery (and one other skill)...
Here are the feats I took as a thief rogue/starlit span magus give you an idea of feats I like with the combination. You're going melee, so you'll want different stuff. But many of these are very good for a rogue /magus.
1. Trap Finder (Rogue 1): You gain a +2 circumstance bonus to Perception checks to find traps, to AC against attacks made by traps, and to saves against traps. Even if you aren’t Searching, you get a check to find traps that normally require you to be Searching. You still need to meet any other requirements to find the trap. You can disable traps that require a proficiency rank of legendary in Thievery.
2. Arcane Fists (Magus 1/Natural Ambition): The damage die for your fist changes to 1d6 instead of 1d4. You don't take the normal –2 circumstance penalty when making a lethal attack with your fist or any other unarmed attacks. Your unarmed attacks gain the arcane trait, making them magical. At 5th level, you also gain the critical specialization effects of unarmed attacks in the brawling group and weapons in the brawling group.
3. Force Fang (Magus 2): You learn the force fang conflux spell. Increase the number of Focus Points in your focus pool by 1.
4. Archer Dedication (Rogue 2): You become trained in all simple and martial weapons in the bow weapon group. Whenever you gain a class feature that grants you expert or greater proficiency in certain weapons, you also gain that proficiency rank in all simple and martial weapons in the bow weapon group. If you are at least an expert in the bow you are using, you gain access to the critical specialization effect with that bow.
5. Point-Blank Shot (Magus 4): 1 action. Open. Stance. Archetype Archer. Requirements You are wielding a ranged weapon. When using a ranged volley weapon while you are in this stance, you don't take the penalty to your attack rolls from the volley trait. When using a ranged weapon that doesn't have the volley trait, you gain a +2 circumstance bonus to damage rolls on attacks against targets within the weapon's first range increment.
6. Mobility (Rogue 4): When you take a Stride action to move half your Speed or less, that movement does not trigger reactions. You can use Mobility when Climbing, Flying, or Swimming instead of Striding if you have the corresponding movement type.
7. Gang Up (Rogue 6): Any enemy is flat-footed against your melee attacks due to flanking as long as the enemy is within both your reach and your ally’s. Your allies must still flank an enemy for it to be flat-footed to them.
8. Parting Shot (Magus 6): Archetype. 2 actions. Requirements You are wielding a loaded ranged weapon or a ranged weapon with reload 0. You Step and then make a ranged Strike with the required weapon. Your target is flat-footed against the attack.
9. Sly Striker (Rogue 8): Your attacks deal more damage, even against creatures that aren’t flat-footed. When you succeed or critically succeed at a Strike against a creature that isn’t flat-footed, you also deal 2d6 precision damage. This applies only if you’re using a weapon or unarmed attack you could deal sneak attack damage with.
10. Runic Impression (Magus 8): You can temporarily replicate the effects of a property rune for your weapon or unarmed attacks. You learn the runic impression conflux spell. Increase the number of Focus Points in your focus pool by 1.
11. Psychic Dedication: The Tangible Dream (Multitalented): Archetype Dedication Multiclass. You feel something awaken within your mind. You become trained in Undead Lore. You cast spells like a psychic and gain the Cast a Spell activity; as you don't have a subconscious mind, your thought components are simple intentions. Choose a conscious mind. You gain a spell repertoire with one standard psi cantrip of your choice from your conscious mind, which you cast as a psi cantrip. You gain the normal benefits and the amp for this psi cantrip, but not any other benefits from the conscious mind. If you don't have one, you gain a focus pool of 1 Focus Point, which you can use to amp your psi cantrips, and you can Refocus by meditating on your new powers. If you already have a focus pool, increase the number of points in your pool by 1. You're trained in occult spell attack rolls and occult spell DCs. Your key spellcasting ability for psychic archetype spells is intelligence, and they are occult psychic spells.
12. Precise Debilitations (Rog 10): Add the following debilitations to the list you can choose from when you use Debilitating Strike.
Debilitation The target takes an additional 2d6 precision damage from your attacks.
Debilitation The target becomes flat-footed.
13. Psi Development (Magus 10): Archetype Psychic. You gain another psi cantrip from your conscious mind: either the standard cantrip you didn't take with Psychic Dedication, or the unique surface psi cantrip. You gain the benefits and the amp for this second psi cantrip. Increase the number of Focus Points in your focus pool by 1.
14. Expansive Spellstrike (Magus 12): You don't need this anymore, so pick something else.
15. Opportune Backstab (Rogue 12): Reaction. Trigger A creature within your melee reach is hit by a melee attack from one of your allies. When your enemy is hit by your ally, you capitalize upon the distraction. Make a Strike against the triggering creature.
16. Blind-Fight (Rogue 14): You don't need to succeed at a flat check to target concealed creatures. You're not flat-footed to creatures that are hidden from you (unless you're flat-footed to them for reasons other than the hidden condition), and you need only a successful DC 5 flat check to target a hidden creature. While you're adjacent to an undetected creature of your level or lower, it is instead only hidden from you.
17. Standby Spell (Magus 14): Arrow Salvo. Choose a spell in your spellbook that you could use with Spellstrike and that has a level no higher than the highest-level magus spell slot you have. You can Cast this Spell without having it prepared ahead of time by expending a spell slot of a sufficient level to cast your chosen spell. You can change this spell whenever you add new spells to your spellbook, or by studying your spellbook for 1 hour.
18. Blank Slate (Rogue 16): Detection, revelation, and scrying effects pass right over you, your possessions, and your auras, detecting nothing unless the detecting effect has a counteract level of 10 or higher.
19. Basic Psychic Spellcasting (Magus 16): You gain the basic spellcasting benefits. When you gain a spell slot of a new level from the psychic archetype, add a spell of the appropriate spell level to your repertoire: a common occult spell, one of the granted spells from your conscious mind, or another spell you've learned or discovered. These feats grant a 1st-level spell slot. At 6th level, they grant you a 2nd-level spell slot. At 8th level, they grant you a 3rd-level spell slot.
20. Sneak Savant (Rogue 18): When you roll a failure on a Sneak action, you get a success instead. You can still critically fail.
21. Striker's Scroll (Magus 18): You can attach a scroll to your weapon or handwraps of mighty blows to blend its spell into an attack, carefully folding it around a part of the weapon or sealing it to the weapon's surface. Attaching a scroll requires using the Affix a Talisman action. You can have only one scroll affixed to a weapon at a time, and you can't have both a talisman and scroll attached. You can Cast the Spell from the scroll as part of a Spellstrike, assuming the spell is one you could normally use with Spellstrike. You can't Cast the Spell in any other way while it's affixed, though you can use Affix a Talisman again to remove the scroll and use it as a normal—if a bit crumpled—scroll.
22. Supreme Spellstrike (Magus 20): You're permanently quickened. You can use your extra action only to Strike or to recharge Spellstrike.
23. Impossible Striker (Rogue 20): Nothing can prevent you from making a sneak attack, even if your opponent can see every blow coming. Instead of dealing the damage from Sly Striker, you can deal your full sneak attack damage to a target even if the target isn’t flat-footed.
Here are the feats I took as a thief rogue/starlit span magus give you an idea of feats I like with the combination. You're going melee, so you'll want different stuff. But many of these are very good for a rogue /magus.
This seems like a very bizarre build to be honest:
Arcane Fists + Point Blank Stance + Gang Up + Opportune Backstab makes me think you wanted to be up close and personal, which completely defeats the purpose of Starlit Span.
Especially because while your fists are d6s, pre-remaster Thief Rogue didn't add DEX to damage on Unarmed Attacks, so you'd actually be better off with a free-hand finesse weapon like a Bladed Gauntlet or Tekko-Kagi.
I am curious, what was the play pattern idea here?
Thanks for the all the replies. You've given me a LOT to think about. Having a skill monkey rogue/magus with crazy and consistent high damage is really pressing all the right buttons. Are there any spells in particular I should prioritize at various levels (this is going to be an 11-20 campaign).
For a magus (Laughing Shadow)/rogue (Scoundrel) dual class, I'd recommend something like:
Human/Aiuvarin (as mentioned in OP); maximize both Dex and Int1st- Natural Ambition (rogue/Tumble Behind); (background of choice as long as it boosts either Dex or Int, plus a free for the other); Trap Finder
2nd- Expansive Spellstrike (almost a must-have for a magus); Acrobat Dedication (Expert Acrobatics)*; Expert Arcana; Magical Shorthand
3rd- Fleet; Expert Thievery; Wary Disarmament
4th- Distracting Spellstrike; Dread Striker (very useful, especially if one of the other characters is investing in Intimidation); Expert Deception; Tumbling Teamwork
5th- Nimble Elf; Expert Stealth; Quiet Allies
6th- Dodge Away*; Gang Up; Expert Occultism; Recognize Spell
7th- Toughness; Master Acrobatics*; Master Deception; Kip Up
8th- Capture Magic; Opportune Backstab; Master Thievery; Quick Unlock
9th- Multitalented (Psychic; Oscillating Wave, ignition**); Master Occultism; Disturbing Knowledge
10th- Dimensional Disappearance; Tumbling Opportunist (free action Trip using Acrobatics instead of Athletics on Tumble Through)*; Master Stealth; Swift Sneak
11th- Incredible Initiative; Master Arcana; Quick Recognition
Switch around things if you find a better combination. I was mostly looking at ways to consistently impose off-guard so that the character doesn't have to Spellstrike as much while still doing elevated damage in Arcane Cascade.
For spells, cantrips that target AC and other damaging spells that can be heightened for "nova" potential are good pickups. Because a magus doesn't lose spells in their spellbook, you can have some flexibility on preparing good heightened spells or on-rank spells.
*- free skill increases in Acrobatics plus some unique feat options
**- people talk about imaginary weapon, but the Psychic Dedication feat only allows a standard psi cantrip; you need to take the Psi Development feat to gain the unique surface cantrip; also, the amp for ignition increases damage dice to d12s for melee attacks (such as with a Spellstrike) and adds splash damage as well (fire damage instead of force, but still pretty good; plus the non-amped version can still be cast at range)
Here are the feats I took as a thief rogue/starlit span magus give you an idea of feats I like with the combination. You're going melee, so you'll want different stuff. But many of these are very good for a rogue /magus.
This seems like a very bizarre build to be honest:
Arcane Fists + Point Blank Stance + Gang Up + Opportune Backstab makes me think you wanted to be up close and personal, which completely defeats the purpose of Starlit Span.
Especially because while your fists are d6s, pre-remaster Thief Rogue didn't add DEX to damage on Unarmed Attacks, so you'd actually be better off with a free-hand finesse weapon like a Bladed Gauntlet or Tekko-Kagi.
I am curious, what was the play pattern idea here?
When I got to higher level, I retrained to Arcane Fists so I could punch people with Opportune Backstab. I got up close and personal when there wasn't an aura or Reactive Strike I had to worry about. A little extra way to do some damage.
With a ranged build, there are not many reactions. Since I was using invis and disappearance at high level I had pretty good defenses. So I could stand in melee range and shoot with Point Blank Shot stance. So that's what I did. Shot them with Spellstrike in their face, then punched them with Sneak Attack with Opportune Backstab when my allies hit them. Had a built up set of Handwraps with property runes. Why waste a good reaction.
And the nice thing about Starlit Span is it doesn't stop you from melee spellstriking. So when I felt like it, I went to town beating enemies up spellstriking with Sneak Attack in melee then Opportune Backstab as well. All in all, a fun build.
It added some versatility to be a switch hitter without limiting my bow use.
I consider this my Spellstrike invisible ninja build. It was real fun and powerful.
Thanks for the all the replies. You've given me a LOT to think about. Having a skill monkey rogue/magus with crazy and consistent high damage is really pressing all the right buttons. Are there any spells in particular I should prioritize at various levels (this is going to be an 11-20 campaign).For a magus (Laughing Shadow)/rogue (Scoundrel) dual class, I'd recommend something like:
Human/Aiuvarin (as mentioned in OP); maximize both Dex and Int
1st- Natural Ambition (rogue/Tumble Behind); (background of choice as long as it boosts either Dex or Int, plus a free for the other); Trap Finder
2nd- Expansive Spellstrike (almost a must-have for a magus); Acrobat Dedication (Expert Acrobatics)*; Expert Arcana; Magical Shorthand
3rd- Fleet; Expert Thievery; Wary Disarmament
4th- Distracting Spellstrike; Dread Striker (very useful, especially if one of the other characters is investing in Intimidation); Expert Deception; Tumbling Teamwork
5th- Nimble Elf; Expert Stealth; Quiet Allies
6th- Dodge Away*; Gang Up; Expert Occultism; Recognize Spell
7th- Toughness; Master Acrobatics*; Master Deception; Kip Up
8th- Capture Magic; Opportune Backstab; Master Thievery; Quick Unlock
9th- Multitalented (Psychic; Oscillating Wave, ignition**); Master Occultism; Disturbing Knowledge
10th- Dimensional Disappearance; Tumbling Opportunist (free action Trip using Acrobatics instead of Athletics on Tumble Through)*; Master Stealth; Swift Sneak
11th- Incredible Initiative; Master Arcana; Quick RecognitionSwitch around things if you find a better combination. I was mostly looking at ways to consistently impose off-guard so that the character doesn't have to Spellstrike as much while still doing elevated damage in Arcane Cascade.
For spells, cantrips that target AC and other damaging spells that can be heightened for "nova" potential are good pickups. Because a magus doesn't lose spells in their spellbook, you can have some flexibility on preparing good heightened...
The Remaster incorporated Expansive Spellstrike into the magus base spellstrike now I believe.
The Remaster incorporated Expansive Spellstrike into the magus base spellstrike now I believe.Thanks for the all the replies. You've given me a LOT to think about. Having a skill monkey rogue/magus with crazy and consistent high damage is really pressing all the right buttons. Are there any spells in particular I should prioritize at various levels (this is going to be an 11-20 campaign).For a magus (Laughing Shadow)/rogue (Scoundrel) dual class, I'd recommend something like:
Human/Aiuvarin (as mentioned in OP); maximize both Dex and Int
1st- Natural Ambition (rogue/Tumble Behind); (background of choice as long as it boosts either Dex or Int, plus a free for the other); Trap Finder
2nd- Expansive Spellstrike (almost a must-have for a magus); Acrobat Dedication (Expert Acrobatics)*; Expert Arcana; Magical Shorthand
Force Fang might be a good replacement, then.