[PF] A Call to Arms!!

[arkangel111]

As a few of you may know I have been recreating the Warlock Class for PF. Anyways I recently created a "mock" character at 16th level using that class. The damage potential I got was in my opinion pretty outstanding. I want the class to be balanced, so i thought i'd ask you guys. So I am curious, using the following rules what is the most amount of damage you can pull off.

Character level 16
No Items.
the following stat scores placed wherever you wish: 18, 16, 16, 14, 14, 12 (never done point buy and these were the stats I pulled out of my head when I did the exercise)
Any Race/class combinations off of D20pfsrd.com including listed 3rd party materials. This does not include 3.5 material, it is not allowed.
The advanced classes (i think thats what they are called) I'd link but I am not sure if its allowed.
You can use stat boosts from leveling (+4 total, Aging categories prohibited)
If the damage is situational like a rogue SA include with and without or at least a minumum without and a max with.
i'd like to see minumum and max damage not average (so 100-300)

thanks in advance and enjoy!

[NightbringerGGZ]

You only care about damage potential right now? I have my Strength Magus planned out to level 15 so I can bump it up a level and run some numbers for you.

Note: that stat array is something like a 49 point buy, or almost double the max suggested by rules.

[arkangel111]

I play with rolls not stat buy, and we typically roll till we get one 18. Aside from that I am figuring some of the boosts would likely come from items dropped during a game anyways as typically crafting your own is rare. Plus, by raw most cities can't give you a +6 stat item, even if they could it would be months for delivery.

(oh and yea I am only looking at damage, because in my groups typically combat is the focus as there is always one guy who believes every problem is a nail)

[NightbringerGGZ]

Race: Human
Class: Magus (Kensai/Bladebound)

Level 01 Ability Scores: Str 20 Dex 16 Con 14 Int 16 Wis 14 Cha 12
Level 16 Ability Scores: Str 30 Dex 20 Con 14 Int 22 Wis 14 Cha 12

Traits: Reactionary, Magical Lineage (Shocking Grasp)

Feats / Arcana
01 - Weapon Focus Katana, Weapon Prof Katana, Arcane Strike, Nemesis
03 - Power Attack
05 - Furious Focus, Intensified Spell
06 - Spell Blending (Mage Armor, Touch of Gracelessness)
07 - Weapon Specialization Katana
09 - Critical Focus
11 - Greater Weapon Focus Katana, Bleeding Critical
12 - Maximized Magic
13 - Extra Arcane Pool
15 - Greater Weapon Spec Katana, Ghost Blade

Note: Assume Nemesis story requirements are met. I gain +2 Str and take 1 HP and 1/4 Arcane Pool each level for my favored class bonuses.

Gear:
+4 Katana (Free).
Belt of Physical Might (Str/Dex) +4
Headband of Vast Intellect +6
Amulet of Natural Armor +4
Cloak of Resistance +5
Ring of Protecton +4
150000 gold left to spend


I don't have all the stats in the build but I can add them later if you care. Here's how combat goes:

Round 1 (Preparation): Standard Action to cast Intensified Shocking Grasp and hold the charge. Swift Action to spend 1 Arcane Point and enhance my Black Blade (+1, Keen, Shocking Burst). Free Action to activate activate Black Blade Strike (+4 damage for 1 min).

Round 2 (Attack & Crit): Let's assume I move and attack (no charging). Swift Action to Arcane Strike and I'm going to Power Attack and Spell Strike holding the sword 2 handed. On this round I get a lucky crit, so I spend 2 more Arcane Points to increase my crit multiplier to x3 thanks to my Perfect Strike ability.

Damage:
Sword: 3d8 + 129, +1d6 Electricity, +2d10 Electricity, +2d6 Bleed
Shocking Grasp: 30d10
Min Damage: 168 + 2 Bleed
Max Damage: 479 + 12 Bleed

I will have enough resources to reasonably pull this off 4 times a day. I could optimize more for higher damage but I thought this would be good comparison point.

[watchwood]

Pretty good, but it does rely on a crit and it's only doable a few times a day. Consider the following (as a level 10 Magus I played recently):


haste/frostbite pre casted
intensified shocking grasp +10d6 electrical (critable), +3 to hit
4 attacks, 4d6+11 damage each (flaming/frost/shocking properties)
Frostbite, +d6+13 damage per hit
song of arcane triump +10d6 (critable)
~184 damage average, before crits

@OP, take all this with a grain of salt. A Magus is basically designed as a pure damage dealer, and has limited versatility.

[arkangel111]

Bumping because I am hoping for a larger sample size.

[Ailowynn]

Damage isn't that concerning, even in combat. First off, you'll always be able to break into ridiculous damage, almost regardless of class. And second, the real killers are going to be spells and effects that can end an encounter at once.

That said, the numbers Watchwood put up are just about bang on, although I've seen Gunslinger builds that can dish out something like 225 damage per round on average. On the other hand, fighters often hit more like 150/rd.


@OP, take all this with a grain of salt. A Magus is basically designed as a pure damage dealer, and has limited versatility.
I have to disagree. The Magus can become a pure damage-dealer, but the class has a very versatile spell list and can learn as many spells as wanted. It's at least as versatile as the Bard.

[Keneth]

I have recreated the Warlock class for Pathfinder three times, and I am currently working on the fourth incarnation.

In my experience, damage was never a balance issue, even with an optimized Hellfire Adept archetype which could deal well in excess of 300 damage at that level.

The actual balancing factor comes from the abilities (invocations and class features), so make sure those are in order.