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The Base Magus

This build will be a demonstration of the raw damage capability of the Magus, from the get go all the way to 20th level.

Class

Magus 20

Race

We will be going for an Elf here, we will take the Fleet Footed Alternate Racial Feature.

Ability Scores

15Point-Buy

Str 13/Dex 18/Con 11/Int 15/Wis 10/Cha 7

Round up Intelligence, then everything in Dexterity

20Point-Buy

Str 13/Dex 18/Con 12/Int 16/Wis 11/Cha 7 Everything in Dexterity

25Point-Buy

Str 13/Dex 19/Con 12/Int 16/Wis 10/Cha 9 Everything in Dexterity

Traits

We will take Warrior of Old which will give us a +2 to Initiative, along with Magical Lineage, with which we will take Shocking Grasp to pair with. This is a particular shenanigan involving the feat Heightened Spell which lets you count your spell as a second level spell while it still being only a 1st lvl spell, meaning the damage cap of Shocking Grasp goes from 5d6 to 10d6, letting you maximize the effectiveness of this 1st lvl spell for 10 levels instead of 5 which is amazingly good and pairs ridiculously well with your Spell Combat and Spellstrike abilities, and also lets you keep your more valuable higher level spells ready for when you need them.

Favored Class Bonus

Look, let’s be honest here. Despite the fact that they make only 13% of the melee characters population, magus commit 56% of all the melee damage, meaning that you will get a massive crosshair on your back from the enemies. Put that darned thing in HP and thank me later.

Skills

Pick Spellcraft and Knowledge(Arcana), everything else is really up to you, though I would recommend picking up Use Magic Devices and Perception.

Feats by Level

1-Weapon Finesse Elf

Bonus-Run

3-Weapon Focus(Rapier)

5-Heightened Spell Bonus

5-Fencing Grace

7-Power Attack

9-Arcane Strike

11-Empower Spell

Bonus 11-Quicken Spell

13-Improved Initiative

15-Maximize Spell

17-Enlarge Spell Bonus

17-Widen Spell

19-Toughness

As we will be using primarily Dexterity, Weapon Finesse+Fencing Grace increase our damage significantly, unfortunately the Rapier not being a Light weapon, we cannot apply Piranha Strike to it meaning we needed to invest at least 13 in Strength for Power Attack. Swift Action Arcane Strike further increases our damage. Finally, various Metamagic such as Empower Spell, Heightened Spell and especially Quickened Spell will let us do even more damage.

Magus Arcana by Level

3-Familiar (Pick a Scorpion for +4 Initiative)

6-Close Range

9-Accurate Strike

12-Hasted Assault

15-Quickened Magic

18-Reflection

Familiars are nice. Switch Ranged Touch spell to melee touch spell, enabling their use with Spellstrike. Accurate Strike lets you attack against Touch AC, Hasted Assault lets you use your Arcana Pool to cast Haste on yourself, Quickened Magic lets you Quicken a spell for free once per day and Reflection allows you to throw back a spell at sender which is hilarious.

Spells Learned by Level

1-Shocking Grasp, Blade Lash, Corrosive Touch, Shield, Infernal Healing
2-Keep Watch, Long Arm
3-Mirror Strike, Enlarge Person
4-Cat’s Grace, Mirror Image
5-Acid Arrow, Raven’s Flight
6-Scorching Ray, Shadow Claw
7-Fly, Vampiric Touch
8-Fireball, Haste
9-Water Breathing, Wind Wall
10-Black Tentacles, Stoneskin
11-Dimension Door, Fire Shield
12-Forceful Strike, Greater Invisibility
13-Greater Bladed Dash, Cosmic Ray
14-Vampiric Shadow Shield, Wall of Force
15-Telekinesis, Monstrous Physique III
16-Hellfire Ray, True Seeing
17-Explode Head, Sirocco
18-Disintegrate, Chain Lightning
19-Flesh to Stone, Stone to Flesh, True Strike, Color Spray, Invisibility, Spider Climb, Dispel
Magic, Slow, Animate Dead, Scrying, Cone of Cold, Magic Jar, Contingency, Eyebite
20-Contagious Flame, Wall of Iron

Equipment

A Rapier and a Chain Shirt. You could get yourself a Shortbow for first few levels range support, a Spellbook and a Component Pouch. You want to get a Rapier of Spell Storing.

Final Thoughts on the Build

Let’s examine your regular combat round vs a prepared combat round and their damage at lvl 20.

Regular Combat Round:

Swift Action activate Arcane Strike, Spell Combat cast Cosmic Ray and deliver it via Spellstrike for an attack routine that will deal 24d6+80 for an average of 152 damage. Impressive, pretty nice. Let’s see Paul Allen’s Prepared Round Damage Output.

Assuming a Rapier +1 of Spell Storing which contains Cosmic Ray, a Haste spell precast and a Contingency that states “Cast Cosmic Ray on any target I hit with Spellstrike”.

Prior round cast Cosmic Ray and hold it. You will deliver it next round with your full attack action via a Spellstrike.

Round start, deliver your prior round’s Cosmic Ray via Spellstrike with your Full Attack+Haste, which will also deliver your Contingency and your Spell Storing, Spell Combat will let you cast Cosmic Ray again and deliver it via Spellstrike again. Then use your Arcana Quickened Magic to cast Cosmic Ray again as a Swift action and deliver it again via Spellstrike. Your damage in one round is now:

106d6+96, for an average of 414 damage in one round.

Add a Wandweapon prior casting with a Wand of Arcane Mark to even leave a watermark on your target.

We still get to a maximum damage of 732 damage and that’s assuming we haven’t buffed even further here and no other magic weapon than a mere +1 Spell Storing.

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