Build check, Magus

[stormsouldevil]

I always forget to ask direct questions so this time I will start with them. "Is there anything you'd change in this build? Including tactics and strategy. Additionally is there anything you can forecast me needing?"

Human Bladebound Hexcrafter (GM has approved the 2 together.)
Stats: 20 point buy. Level 10
Str: 18¹ (Yes, a Stragus Build.)(22)
Dex: 14 (16)
Con: 14
Int: 16 (20)
Wis: 10
Cha: 07* (My GM despises how roll heavy conversation stuff can be, so he tends to let us really slide around unless we are doing something really crazy or out of character. That's not my circus tho)

Skills: (rank/total) Fly (10/13) Intimidate (5/8) Know Arc 10/18) Know Dung (5/13) K Planes (5/13) Linguistics 3/8 Abyssal, Thassilonian, Orcish. Perception (10/19) S. Craft (10/18) Swim (1/10)

HP: 98 (Toughness, Favored Class, and decent rolls)
AC: 27 (+ Shield of course) fort:9. Rex:6. Will:7. +2 amulet/ring, snake skin tunic (bonus to dex), +4 Adamantine Breastplate (GM treasure drop). Cloak of resistance +1

Other items: Belt of Str+4, Goggles of the eagle, Mask of Goz, Ring of Wiz I, headband of vast int (History and engineering)

Spells preped: Cantrips:Open/Close, Dancing Lights, Detect Magic, Prestidigitation, Ghost Sound. Level 1: S. Graspx3 (intensified), Keep watch, Obscuring Mistx2, Hydraulic Pushx2,Vanish x2, Shieldx2 Level : Bladed Dash x2, Scorching Ray x2, Mirror Image. Level 3 Spells: Haste, Fireball, Bestow Curse, Vampiric Touch. Level 4: Black Tentacles, greater Invisibility (We have a rogue...)

Arcana: Level 3 (Black Blade). Level 6: Enduring Arcana (3rd party GM Approved. Turns arcane points into minute/level. VERY useful for me now....) Level 9: Arcane Accuracy
Hex: Flight
Feats: Human: Toughness, Lv1: Weapon Prof Bastard Sword, Lvl 3 Arcane Strike, lvl 5: Power Attack, Bonus 1: Intensify Spell, Level 7 Furious Focus, Level 9:Weapon focus

Traits: Magical Lineage, Pride

Black Blade/Arcane Pool load out: +2/Keen (general purpose) +2d6 (Flaming shocking)/Keen (High HP, Low AC enemies) Speed (Mobs)


Strategy: General purpose is pretty straight forward Magi stuff. Hit hard, hit well. Most of my spells are based around helping that or bolstering my defenses.

Arcane Points; with a pool of 8 I keep half of them in reserve for encounters (often I can siphon from this since the GM prefers quick successive encounters a lot and generally he gives us room enough for duration spells and the like to carry over.) the other 4-5 points I use to boost my accuracy when it counts.

Special strategy: Mask of Goz/Obscuring Mist- Party retreat/me kicking ass. Often used while large (wand) to hit some enemies with relative impunity. Party has typically used the time to buff up, heal up, or ready a trap. On occasion I've been able to use it to trivialize major encounters by tossing it like a smoke bomb. Screwing over ranged enemies and making melees file into a bottle neck. (Reaaaalllllly pissed my GM off the first time I did that, but he laughed like a mad man about it as well.)

[Kurald Galain]

Here's a Magus guide for you (www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?423754-Myrrh-Frankincense-and-Steel-Kurald-Galain-s-Guide-to-the-Magus).

I'd sell the ring of wiz and buy a bunch of Pearls of Power, much more value for your money. Scorching Ray is kind of meh, closing melee will deal much more damage (e.g. take Dimension Door). I recommend prepping more defensive spells, e.g. Mirror Image or Displacement; and of course Greater Invis is great on yourself as well. WP: Bastard Sword isn't particularly worth a feat. HTH!

[stormsouldevil]

Ooooh that's not a Walter guide, I'll read through it at my earliest convenience. For guide, on more then one occasion Ive made some mis-steps. The bastard sword being one of them (and thats a locked in scenario Im afraid). I find justifying my choices and having folks take a baseball bat to my build is 1.) better and 2.) more fun

I take it that's a vote for D. Door over B. Tentacles?

[stormsouldevil]

1.) def thank you kindly for the guide.

2.) Brand, boots of haste (which Im a shoe in to pick up), balderic of bane (which I will grab after upgrading my belt probably) are all grabbers. Also missing a trait so bruiding intellect it shal be!

Based on your guide it looks like Power strike, Furious Focus, and Arcane strike are feats I should be bailing from. I can def bail on arcane strike still, Improved initiative or dodge for the spare feat?

[upho]

I definitely agree with Kurald. If you're locked into bastard sword, I recommend you try to find/craft/buy a cracked Opalescent White Pyramid (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic-items/wondrous-items/wondrous-items/h-l/ioun-stones/opalescent-white-pyramid-ioun-stone) ioun (only 1,500 gp) and retrain the WP feat as soon as possible.

I'd keep Black Tentacles but wouldn't bother with Scorching Ray. Like Kurald wrote, being able to close, deal damage and keep yourself alive in melee should be your priorities. Since you have the Flight hex, bladed dash and enough offense magic, I'd prep more defensive stuff like mirror image, blur and displacement. Later you may complement that with Dimension Door and the Dimensional Agility feat.

When it comes to feats, if you're getting the Bruising Intellect trait I think you might as well take advantage of it in combat as well, and since you're Str based I'd look to improve especially initiative and go something like (feat order may not be perfect):

Human: Toughness Improved Initiative, Lv1: Weapon Prof Bastard Sword (get an ioun instead) Extra Arcana (compsognathus familiar), Lvl 3 Arcane Strike Intensify Spell, lvl 5: Power Attack, Bonus 1: Furious Focus, Level 7 Cornugon Smash, Level 9:Weapon focus (put your ioun into a wayfinder for 500 gp instead) Lunge

This nets you +8 initiative and a cute little friend who has most magic item slots and is able to hold stuff like wands (get a familiar satchel (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/equipment---final/goods-and-services/containers-bags-boxes-more#TOC-Familiar-Satchel) for her/him). And with 10 ranks in Intimidate, you also get a pretty sure-fire free action +18 vs DC 10 + (enemy HD + Wis mod) demoralize with every Power Attack (provided the enemy isn't immune to fear/mind-affecting of course). If you really wanna boost demoralization, you may look into the Soulless Gaze (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/feats/damnation-feats/soulless-gaze-damnation) and Fiendskin damnation feats as well, though they have rather serious consequences so they may not suit your character and the game, and you should discuss them with your DM first.

[stormsouldevil]

Good advice but bladebound kills the familiar idea.

Will def. be using more defensive spells and the like. And will consider selling my ring for some pearls. The math is a bit funkier but looking at how Im doubling up my spells anyways I think it'll work out. Also I like the fact that I can basically turn my level 1 spells into the 5e casting. And that nets me 15,000 GP that I can hold onto either to trade up for better mobility (DR2 has saved my bacon on occasion. But that's as much because I didn't have enough defensive spells for the day.) Also my GM would be down with me making adamantine Elven chain.... so I may not have to say good bye after all.

Annnnnd my GM would totally be a douche about Ioun stones. "Uhhhhh! Looooks like my enemy rogue just stole your Ioun stone! No more spell casting for you!!!!" So I'll stick with the feat.

And I'll grab improved initiative Cornugon smash I'll train out for or grab at 11 (I'll replace the Keen replacement that I cant recall the name of.... go team hang over)

[stormsouldevil]

Baaah it explicitly states mithral....

Ah well. I will....probably stick with what I got and just wait for celestial plate at 13. I am planning on taking advantage of a +6 dex.

And GM is really cool about letting us sell stuff back at closer to price. I'll sell the ring and either save for celestial plate or upgrade my belt with Con or something.