Spore
2019-02-28, 07:11 AM
Greetings playground,
intelligence based gishes and more savage classes often represent a dichotomy in modern roleplaying games. Classes like the Magus, the Investigator or the Alchemist represent a scholarly approach to spellcasting (or "spellcasting" with the alchemy classes), while classes like barbarians and fighters, the original martial side of gishes are somewhat absent of these qualities. The bloodrager tops that odd dichotomy but concedes a fair bit of the actual gish idea towards more primal casters: sorcerers.
My initial idea was a magus character that used a greatclub (and fitting light armor, to a 'maximum' of hide armor to retain that savage feel). While the weapon is not ideal, it represents the idea of a savage with magical education best. But the base class not only advances armor to the point where the ideal magus casts out of plate armor, but it also heavily benefits from a weapon with a high critical hit chance, which a greatclub is not.
So while all the qualities I want are there:
- nova damage
- intelligence based casting
- good array of spells
they don't really mesh. Which brings me to the investigator and alchemist. Their casting is more basic in nature (abusing magical concoctions replicates the feel of a savage Germanic berserker very well), it is really more utility focussed and does not feel "right" if you get me. I do not want a compromise in flavor, I want actual spellbook magic with a melee brute. Last but not least the Bloodrager. While it provides what I enjoy about a melee brute (rage, light and medium armor, full BAB) it falls short as it keys its casting off of Charisma, and the casting is pretty lackluster even IF you reflavor the bloodline abilities as spells.
Taking the idea of a magus as a base however do you know of any tricks to
1) make a greatclub a viable weapon in mid optimization.
2) maybe switch the medium/heavy armor proficiency in favor of something useful?
(i know you can simply elect not to use them but using a greatclub I am NOT going towards a dex magus)
3) increase the BAB, even if just 'virtually' (I know the basic arcane pool ability does that.
Maybe even incorporate some build ideas that make use of "brutish" races (human tribal societies count too).
intelligence based gishes and more savage classes often represent a dichotomy in modern roleplaying games. Classes like the Magus, the Investigator or the Alchemist represent a scholarly approach to spellcasting (or "spellcasting" with the alchemy classes), while classes like barbarians and fighters, the original martial side of gishes are somewhat absent of these qualities. The bloodrager tops that odd dichotomy but concedes a fair bit of the actual gish idea towards more primal casters: sorcerers.
My initial idea was a magus character that used a greatclub (and fitting light armor, to a 'maximum' of hide armor to retain that savage feel). While the weapon is not ideal, it represents the idea of a savage with magical education best. But the base class not only advances armor to the point where the ideal magus casts out of plate armor, but it also heavily benefits from a weapon with a high critical hit chance, which a greatclub is not.
So while all the qualities I want are there:
- nova damage
- intelligence based casting
- good array of spells
they don't really mesh. Which brings me to the investigator and alchemist. Their casting is more basic in nature (abusing magical concoctions replicates the feel of a savage Germanic berserker very well), it is really more utility focussed and does not feel "right" if you get me. I do not want a compromise in flavor, I want actual spellbook magic with a melee brute. Last but not least the Bloodrager. While it provides what I enjoy about a melee brute (rage, light and medium armor, full BAB) it falls short as it keys its casting off of Charisma, and the casting is pretty lackluster even IF you reflavor the bloodline abilities as spells.
Taking the idea of a magus as a base however do you know of any tricks to
1) make a greatclub a viable weapon in mid optimization.
2) maybe switch the medium/heavy armor proficiency in favor of something useful?
(i know you can simply elect not to use them but using a greatclub I am NOT going towards a dex magus)
3) increase the BAB, even if just 'virtually' (I know the basic arcane pool ability does that.
Maybe even incorporate some build ideas that make use of "brutish" races (human tribal societies count too).