Magus gestalt

[Beardyface]

Our dm is restarting his game at first level, and I finally get to play a Magus. We're also allowed to gestalt, and I'm torn between a Magus/Slayer and a Magus/Inspired Blade Swashbuckler. Both seem to have tremendous damage potential, but I was wondering if anyone had any thoughts or suggestions on what would work best.

Before you ask, here are my level 1 ability scores
Race: Tiefling
Strength: 16
Dexterity: 19
Constitution: 16
Intelligence: 20
Wisdom: 14
Charisma: 12
These are after ability adjustments, obviously.

I took Fiend Sight as my first level feat, because who wouldn't want darkvision to 120' and low light vision? I'm thinking about taking the Meticulous drawback to get three traits, Reactionary (+2 initiative), Ever Wary (add half Dexterity mod to AC in surprise round) and Magical Lineage (for Intensified Shocking Grasp).

I also want to go Bladebound Magus, because I like the flavor. If I go Magus/Slayer I'll pick up sneak attack and rogue talents and/or Combat Tricks for free combat feats, but Inspired Blade will let me utilize my high Int for panache, and I get free Weapon Finesse and Weapon Focus (granted, only for a rapier) and Precise Strike (which I just noticed won't work with Spell Combat)

[Hogsy]

Our dm is restarting his game at first level, and I finally get to play a Magus. We're also allowed to gestalt, and I'm torn between a Magus/Slayer and a Magus/Inspired Blade Swashbuckler. Both seem to have tremendous damage potential, but I was wondering if anyone had any thoughts or suggestions on what would work best.

Before you ask, here are my level 1 ability scores
Race: Tiefling
Strength: 16
Dexterity: 19
Constitution: 16
Intelligence: 20
Wisdom: 14
Charisma: 12
These are after ability adjustments, obviously.

I took Fiend Sight as my first level feat, because who wouldn't want darkvision to 120' and low light vision? I'm thinking about taking the Meticulous drawback to get three traits, Reactionary (+2 initiative), Ever Wary (add half Dexterity mod to AC in surprise round) and Magical Lineage (for Intensified Shocking Grasp).

I also want to go Bladebound Magus, because I like the flavor. If I go Magus/Slayer I'll pick up sneak attack and rogue talents and/or Combat Tricks for free combat feats, but Inspired Blade will let me utilize my high Int for panache, and I get free Weapon Finesse and Weapon Focus (granted, only for a rapier) and Precise Strike (which I just noticed won't work with Spell Combat)


Rapier is one of the best weapons for a magus, 15-20 crit threat range on all your melee touch spells? That's wicked! Despite the choices you've listed, you could always go Magus/Any Initiator Class(like Stalker-> Vigilante archetype) or anything else that scales with Int in order use maneuvers along with spells. That gives more versatility than damage in most cases though, but there are some wicked combos.

For the SA you've mentioned, you can always pick the Hidden Blade archetype, which scales with Int as its initiation modifier mind you, to gain maneuvers, awesome abilities, and the hidden's blade own warlord gambits. Picture this, you "initiate" a stealth gambit, which lets you roll a stealth check against an opposed roll with your initiation modifier as a LUCK bonus to the roll. Success means you're invisible for rounds equal to your int modifier. Not bad, huh? Another gambit is rolling an attack against a flat-footed or flanked enemy and again, you gain +int to that attack roll. Success? Allies gain a bonus on damage rolls equal to init mod for one round. That's not all, bub, in case you thought it was. ANOTHER gambit the hidden blade gains is making an attack roll against an enemy adjacent to an ally. Success? You are considered to be flanking that guy now.

STEALTH GAMBIT (SU) Risk: The hidden blade makes a Stealth check to hide. Reward: The hidden blade becomes invisible for a number of rounds equal to her initiation modifier, as if under the effect of an invisibility spell.

FLANKER’S GAMBIT Risk: The hidden blade attacks an opponent adjacent to one of the hidden blade’s other allies. Reward: The hidden blade is considered to be flanking that opponent until the end of her next turn, even if the hidden blade is not in a position that would allow her to flank them.

COWARD’S GAMBIT Risk: The hidden blade attacks a flat-footed opponent or an opponent she is flanking. Reward: The hidden blade’s allies gain a bonus on damage rolls against that opponent equal to the hidden blade’s Intelligence modifier for one round.

[exelsisxax]

Rapier is one of the best weapons for a magus, 15-20 crit threat range on all your melee touch spells? That's wicked! Despite the choices you've listed, you could always go Magus/Any Initiator Class(like Stalker-> Vigilante archetype) or anything else that scales with Int in order use maneuvers along with spells. That gives more versatility than damage in most cases though, but there are some wicked combos.

For the SA you've mentioned, you can always pick the Hidden Blade archetype, which scales with Int as its initiation modifier mind you, to gain maneuvers, awesome abilities, and the hidden's blade own warlord gambits. Picture this, you "initiate" a stealth gambit, which lets you roll a stealth check against an opposed roll with your initiation modifier as a LUCK bonus to the roll. Success means you're invisible for rounds equal to your int modifier. Not bad, huh? Another gambit is rolling an attack against a flat-footed or flanked enemy and again, you gain +int to that attack roll. Success? Allies gain a bonus on damage rolls equal to init mod for one round. That's not all, bub, in case you thought it was. ANOTHER gambit the hidden blade gains is making an attack roll against an enemy adjacent to an ally. Success? You are considered to be flanking that guy now.

STEALTH GAMBIT (SU) Risk: The hidden blade makes a Stealth check to hide. Reward: The hidden blade becomes invisible for a number of rounds equal to her initiation modifier, as if under the effect of an invisibility spell.

FLANKER’S GAMBIT Risk: The hidden blade attacks an opponent adjacent to one of the hidden blade’s other allies. Reward: The hidden blade is considered to be flanking that opponent until the end of her next turn, even if the hidden blade is not in a position that would allow her to flank them.

COWARD’S GAMBIT Risk: The hidden blade attacks a flat-footed opponent or an opponent she is flanking. Reward: The hidden blade’s allies gain a bonus on damage rolls against that opponent equal to the hidden blade’s Intelligence modifier for one round.

A magus dips initiators completely different than everybody else. Spell combat is better than anything else you can do unless you need to move, and spellstrike is incompatible with any martial strike. Using anything that takes move or standard actions reduces your power. BUT, stances, counters, and boosts could seriously benefit you. The aforementioned attack vs. touch or vs. flat footed can help you land spellstrikes. Counters can deflect hits that would normally 1HKO you, and stances can be bother powerful defensive or offensive buffs.
So remember: most strikes are garbage.

Hidden blade will get you craptons of sneak damage to add to your spell combat devestation, so that's nice. Warders are super tough, INT-based, and have plenty of passive and active defensive effects, best with a reach weapon though. Harbingers are also int-based, have plenty of passive offensive bonuses. It would also let a magus use strikes, because they can use them as immediate actions after killing something(which you should be doing all the damn time with spell combat).

There certainly are some good options in there.