Building an ultimate Magus [PF]

[Chained Birds]

So, I've been interested in this class for some time but found I really had no idea what to do with it past giving it Arcane Strike and maybe going down the Dervish path if roll/point-buy were low. But I don't really know what become of the class past the first 2 levels or so or whether any of the Archetypes are even worthwhile as they all seem to remove at least some of the versatility of the class for something... nifty.

My question is, what do any of you guys think is the most optimal build for a Magus going 20 levels?

Could it dip into other classes to make it stronger down the line? What feats would be something the class strives for? Is Dervish really the best option at higher levels?

tl;dr: I really don't know what to do with the class after a few levels so I'm really just curious about what the class can become down the line with some optimization.

[Corlindale]

Your title may be a little misleading - I went into this thread expecting discussion of an ultimate magus (the 3.5 prc) Pathfinder conversion.

The most popular magus builds focus on optimizing Shocking Grasp for use with spell combat + spellstrike, since this seems to be one of the most potent damage options. Which means taking all the traits and feats that help facilitate this - such as Intensify Spell and Magical Lineage.

Opinion is a bit divided as to whether dex (and Dervish) or strength-based magus is best - both have their pros and cons. Dex magus is more expensive feat-wise and limits your weapon options, but strength suffers from lower defenses (especially early in the game, before the heavier armors unlock). If you can survive the low levels with weaker armor, strength might be preferable long-term, since it frees up feats for other things. Dex does have some other nice perks, such as reflex save, initiative and skills, so a case can still be made for both.

Dipping is generally not that useful for magus, because it gets so many nice class features through its progression, and you don't want to delay your casting. A notable exception can be a 1-level dip in crossblooded sorceror, grabbing some combination of Primal/Draconic or Orc/Draconic or similar to really optimize damage of a certain class of blasting spells. It's still a big tradeoff because you're delaying your magus progression, so it's not an automatic choice.

[Chained Birds]

Your title may be a little misleading - I went into this thread expecting discussion of an ultimate magus (the 3.5 prc) Pathfinder conversion.

Changed the title to make it clear...

[Andreaz]

The magus gets goodies every other level, even up to 19 (the capstone is nothing to write home about, but it's not bad), and his spell pool scales with level. Improved Spell Recall alone is worth sticking to magus past 13.

Class levels wise you can very well stick to Magus 20.
Feats-wise... well, almost everything from a gish guide. Extend and Intensify spell are great, and you'll likely want the arcana to resolve attacks as touch attacks.

I'm fond of dedicating skill points to UMD and getting an improved familiar, to give it low goodies like wands of Shield, grease, knock and the like. Once money starts getting easy to gather, I even give it more gear. (Imps and Arbiters are good candidates, as are Lyrakiens if you don't mind something without Fast Healing).

To maximize spellstrike, you'll want a weapon with a high threat range, like kukris and scimitars (the latter is a favorite everywhere, in every build).

[Chained Birds]

There is also a mechanic question I want to bring up. If I combine Spell Combat and Strike during the same full-round attack, do I not provoke an AoO from the enemy and get a free attack in?
So regular attack (at -2) and spellstrike attack using touch spell (at -2) with no AoO?

[Andreaz]

Neither spellstrike or spell combat exempt you from provoking AoOs.
Spell Combat: Do a full attack and cast a spell. (no exemptions, but it gives you a way to beef your concentration check for defensive casting)
Spell Strike: When you cast a touch spell, you can deliver it with a melee weapon attack instead of touch attack. (again no exemptions)

These two effects do not behave differently when used together (you do a full attack and cast a spell, which happens to be touch and may be delivered through the weapon)

[Corlindale]

You would still provoke an AAO, yes. Ways to circumvent this might be the Lunge feat or a reach weapon.

Also note that you can take a 5-foot step between your attacks and the spell - not helpful for spellstrike, but useful if you're just using spell combat on its own.

[AttilaTheGeek]

I'd recommend playing an Elf wiith Dervish Dance and a dex build, especially if you're starting at a lower level and you have a dedicated tank or two. Elves get +2 DEX and +2 INT at the cost of -2 CON, giving you bonuses to both of your damage stats while making you a little squishier. You also get the Elven Curveblade, which hits for 1d10 on ann 18-20 crit. By being an elf, you even get access to a special racial archetype, the Spell Dancer, which focuses on movement and agility around the battlefield in light armor.

[Chained Birds]

I'd recommend playing an Elf wiith Dervish Dance and a dex build, especially if you're starting at a lower level and you have a dedicated tank or two. Elves get +2 DEX and +2 INT at the cost of -2 CON, giving you bonuses to both of your damage stats while making you a little squishier. You also get the Elven Curveblade, which hits for 1d10 on ann 18-20 crit. By being an elf, you even get access to a special racial archetype, the Spell Dancer, which focuses on movement and agility around the battlefield in light armor.

I thought you only get Dervish with Scimitars? So wouldn't a Curveblade be kind of useless?

[AttilaTheGeek]

I thought you only get Dervish with Scimitars? So wouldn't a Curveblade be kind of useless?

That is...correct. Huge derp on my part, sorry. My magus was going to be an elf, but was human for plot reasons-I'm glad I didn't have to find out that I had been using an illegal weapon the entire campaign. Still, everything else I said about elves was true...right? *nervously tabs over to check*