[PF] tricks for a Magus BBEG

[Almaseti]

So I think I might be in a little over my head.

To start with, I have never Dmed before in my life. Played a few games, but only just got to level 5 for the first time, with a paladin. I've been playing for maybe a year.

Aaand I decided it would be a brilliant idea to run a oneshot for some people in a chatroom I frequent. Starting at level 6. The response was enthusiastic. No one wants to break the game, but these are people with a lot more experience than me, and now I'm a little nervous, so I'm hoping you could help me come up with a few good tricks and maybe some suggestions

What I was mostly planning was a few traps before a fight with a Magus. The backstory for her, mostly, is that she made a bargain with an Erinyes to get revenge for the death of (most of) her family, and now she's hired or otherwise manipulated the party into killing her before the Erinyes has fully delivered on every part of the bargain. She has the Devil-Bound template as a result. To be precise, I'm going to have her take rulership of a small nation/city-state by seducing, marrying and then killing her way into the ruling family (who deserved it, mostly) and then leaving her (significantly less evil) younger sibling in charge. (Though the sibling might burst into the battle and try to interfere for some drama.)

For the fight, I am a little short on good tricks for her to use. My main one so far is for the walls in the room to be illusory, concealing spiked pits which she knocks her opponents into.

I'm also going to have the route to get to her trapped, but nothing that should take them too long to bypass, though suggestions there are very welcome. (It's only a oneshot game.)

[Arutema]

Minor Image + Invisibility is a killer way to set up for a spellstrike ambush. You see me here, but I'm actually right behind you.

That's how I killed my first PC as a GM.

[horngeek]

Depends. From your post, she almost sounds like she's trying to die?

I need to know more about motivation here. Because someone who's trying to die might intentionally fight sloppy (unless they're a Warhammer Dwarf, but I doubt your Magus is a Warhammer Dwarf), in which case, don't use her nastiest tricks- use stuff that makes it appear as if she's fighting seriously, while in reality, she's trying to lose and die.

[Doorhandle]

If she wants to die then you shouldn't be too brutal, as being too succesful in the fight is contray to her goal. Why DOES she want to die anyway?

That being said...

Is she going to be using dervish dance or not? If so, seeing as she has no use for armour, you could have her dressed in civillain clothes and act harmless right up untill she attacks.

If not, then you have another, even better trick to abuse. Whips are one-handed melee weapons, but they still give you 15ft reach, which you can use to spell-striker If you get whip mastery (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/feats/combat-feats/whip-mastery-combat) and similar feats focusing on them, they can do leathal damage to everyone regardless of armour, thus allowing the offending magus to fly above the party and whip furiously down upon them, out of reach of melee retaliation, and maybe tripping people using enlarge person with improved whip mastery. This could allow you to use some nice area attacks on the party whenever you want. You should add flaming enchantments and the like if you do this, to improve the whip's terribad damage.

If you're going to knock them onto spikes, then force punch is a godsend, as is enlarge person, but bull-rushing isn't really the magus's forte: although the mauver mastery arcarna can help with this.

Spell-blending is your friend: using the archtypical wizard save-or-sucks against your foes before charging in. Many of them are on your spell-list anyway, and you can cast/full-attack at the same time, although incuring checks.

Abuse spell-recall in order to have more ammuniton to use against the party.

Some manner of avoiding provoking attacks of oppertunity for casting would also be nice, but most of them are not for your level: concider a scroll.

Concider summons to ensure they don't focus fire on her and thus one-shot her, but again, contray to her goals.

What does devil-bonding give her?

edit: Allright, true-seeing. Use illision spells to make illisionary darkness in the area, so that she can see you but you can't see her. Alternatly, use the actual darkness spell.

[Almaseti]

They're going to go after her, know who she is, and she doesn't want them to know that she wants to die because she doesn't want to risk tipping off the Erinyes she made the deal with, so she does need to fight convincingly. Yes on Dervish Dance,

She also will have the Devil-Bound template (Erinyes) (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/bestiary/monster-listings/templates/devil-bound-creature-template), use the force-punch spell liberally,

Using Darkness is an excellent idea. Maybe have a few pits in the middle of the floor that she or a minion uncovers after they think they have the lay of the land? They should probably have some kind of access to flight by this level, though, so maybe I need something that hurts fliers...

Her main motivation is spite. Spite for the guy that used to rule this place, who wronged her in a way I haven't totally decided on and spite for the Erinyes who she feels tricked her into this bargain in order to avenge herself. So things that harm people who attack her would probably be good.

[Doorhandle]

Look into sheild spells, I am sure at least ONE is at your level where it hurts your attack when they attempt to attack you. Hopefully, it's one other than bursting pustles...

[stack]

Intensified shocking grasp (using the magic lineage trait) for dealing damage (intensified bumps the cap to 10d6 instead of 5d6). What level is the BBEG? If you can get the maximize or empower arcanas you can do some nasty burst damage to make them pay attention.

A spell storing weapon is also a requirement. Either put your shocking grasp into it or a fun save or X spell. If you go invisible you should get a chance to re-fill it too.