Class Features
All of the following are features of the Magus class.
Spells
A magus casts arcane spells drawn from the
Magus Spell List. A magus must choose and prepare their spells ahead of time.
To learn, prepare, or cast a spell, the magus must have an
Intelligence score equal to at least 10 + the
Spell Level. The
Difficulty Class for a saving throw against a magus’s spell is 10 + the
Spell Level + the magus’s
Intelligence modifier.
A magus can cast only a certain number of spells of each
Spell Level per day. Their base daily spell allotment is given on Table: Magus. In addition, they receive bonus spells per day if they have a high
Intelligence score.
A magus may know any number of spells. They must choose and prepare their spells ahead of time by getting 8 hours of sleep and spending 1 hour studying their spellbook. While studying, the magus decides which spells to prepare.
Cantrips: A magus can prepare a number of cantrips, or 0-level spells, each day, as noted on Table: Magus under “Spells per Day.” These spells are cast like any other spell, but they are not expended when cast and may be used again.
Spellbooks: A magus must study their
Spellbook each day to prepare their spells. They cannot prepare any spell not recorded in their spellbook except for
Read Magic, which all magi can prepare from memory. A magus begins play with a spellbook containing all 0-level magus spells plus three 1st-level magus spells of their choice. The magus also selects a number of additional 1st-level magus spells equal to their
Intelligence modifier to add to their spellbook. At each new magus level, they gain two new magus spells of any
Spell Level or levels that they can cast (based on their new magus level) for their spellbook. At any time, a magus can also add spells found in other
Spellbooks to their own. See
Learning New Spells for more information.
A magus can learn spells from a
Wizard’s spellbook, just as a
Wizard can from a magus’s spellbook. The spells learned must be on the
Magus Spell List, as normal. An
Alchemist can learn formulae from a magus’s spellbook if the spells are also on the
Alchemist spell list. A magus cannot learn spells from an
Alchemist.
Arcane Pool (Su)
At 1st level, the magus gains a reservoir of mystical arcane energy that they can draw upon to fuel their powers and enhance their weapon. This arcane pool has a number of points equal to 1/2 their magus level (minimum 1) + their
Intelligence modifier. The pool refreshes once per day when the magus prepares their spells.
At 1st level, a magus can expend 1 point from their arcane pool as a
Swift Action to grant any weapon they are holding a +1
Enhancement Bonus for 1 minute. For every four levels beyond 1st, the weapon gains another +1
Enhancement Bonus, to a maximum of +5 at 17th level. These bonuses can be added to the weapon, stacking with existing weapon enhancement to a maximum of +5. Multiple uses of this ability do not stack with themselves.
At 5th level, these bonuses can be used to add any of the following weapon properties: dancing, flaming, flaming burst, frost, icy burst, keen, shock, shocking burst, speed, or vorpal.
Adding these properties consumes an amount of bonus equal to the property’s base price modifier. These properties are added to any the weapon already has, but duplicates do not stack. If the weapon is not magical, at least a +1
Enhancement Bonus must be added before any other properties can be added. These bonuses and properties are decided when the arcane pool point is spent and cannot be changed until the next time the magus uses this ability. These bonuses do not function if the weapon is wielded by anyone other than the magus.
A magus can only enhance one weapon in this way at one time. If they use this ability again, the first use immediately ends.
Spell Combat ()
At 1st level, a magus learns to cast spells and wield their weapons at the same time. This functions much like
Two-Weapon Fighting, but the off-hand weapon is a spell that is being cast. To use this ability, the magus must have one hand free (even if the spell being cast does not have somatic components), while wielding a light or one-handed melee weapon in the other hand. As a
Full-Round Action, they can make all of their attacks with their melee weapon at a –2 penalty and can also cast any spell from the
Magus Spell List with a casting time of 1
Standard Action (any attack roll made as part of this spell also takes this penalty). If they cast this spell defensively, they can decide to take an additional penalty on their attack rolls, up to their
Intelligence bonus, and add the same amount as a
Circumstance Bonus on their
Concentration check. If the check fails, the spell is wasted, but the attacks still take the penalty. A magus can choose to cast the spell first or make the weapon attacks first, but if they have more than one attack, they cannot cast the spell between weapon attacks.
Spellstrike (Su)
At 2nd level, whenever a magus casts a spell with a range of “touch” from the
Magus Spell List, they can deliver the spell through any weapon they are wielding as part of a
Melee Attack. Instead of the free melee
Touch Attack normally allowed to deliver the spell, a magus can make one free
Melee Attack with their weapon (at their highest base attack bonus) as part of casting this spell. If successful, this
Melee Attack deals its normal damage as well as the effects of the spell. If the magus makes this attack in concert with spell combat, this
Melee Attack takes all the penalties accrued by spell combat melee attacks. This attack uses the weapon’s critical range, but the spell effect always deals double damage on a successful critical hit, while the weapon damage uses its own critical modifier.
Magus Arcana
As they gain levels, a magus learns arcane secrets tailored to their specific way of blending martial puissance and magical skill. Starting at 3rd level, a magus gains one
Magus Arcana. They gain an additional
Magus Arcana for every three levels of magus attained after 3rd level. Unless specifically noted in a
Magus Arcana’s description, a magus cannot select a particular
Magus Arcana more than once.
Magus Arcana that affect spells can only be used to modify spells from the
Magus Spell List unless otherwise noted.
A complete list of
Magus Arcana can be found here:
Magus Arcana
Spell Recall (Su)
At 4th level, the magus learns to use their arcane pool to recall spells they have already cast. With a
Swift Action, they can recall any single magus spell that they have already prepared and cast that day by expending a number of points from their arcane pool equal to the spell’s level (minimum 1). The spell is prepared again, just as if it had not been cast.
Bonus Feats
At 5th level, and every six levels thereafter, a magus gains a bonus feat in addition to those gained from normal advancement. These bonus feats must be selected from those listed as
Combat Feats,
Item Creation Feats, or
Metamagic Feats. They must meet the prerequisites for these feats as normal.
Knowledge Pool (Su)
At 7th level, when a magus prepares their magus spells, they can decide to expend 1 or more points from their arcane pool, up to their
Intelligence bonus. For each point they expend, they can treat any one spell from the
Magus Spell List as if it were in their spellbook and can prepare that spell as normal that day. If they do not cast spells prepared in this way before the next time they prepare spells, they lose those spells. They can also cast spells added in this way using their spell recall ability, but only until they prepare spells again.
Medium Armor ()
At 7th level, a magus gains proficiency with medium armor. A magus can cast magus spells while wearing medium armor without incurring the normal arcane spell failure chance. Like any other arcane spellcaster, a magus wearing heavy armor or using a shield incurs a chance of arcane spell failure if the spell in question has a somatic component.
Improved Spell Combat ()
At 8th level, the magus’s ability to cast spells and make melee attacks improves. When using the spell combat ability, the magus receives a +2
Circumstance Bonus on
Concentration checks, in addition to any bonus granted by taking an additional penalty on the attack roll.
Fighter Training ()
Starting at 10th level, a magus counts 1/2 their total magus level as their
Fighter level for the purpose of qualifying for feats. If they have levels in
Fighter, these levels stack.
Improved Spell Recall (Su)
At 11th level, the magus’s ability to recall spells using their arcane pool becomes more efficient. Whenever they recall a spell with spell recall, they expends a number of points from their arcane pool equal to 1/2 the spell’s level (minimum 1). Furthermore, instead of recalling a used spell, as a
Swift Action the magus can prepare a spell of the same level that they have in their spellbook. They do so by expending a number of points from their arcane pool equal to the spell’s level (minimum 1). The magus cannot apply
Metamagic Feats to a spell prepared in this way. The magus does not need to reference their spellbook to prepare a spell in this way.
Heavy Armor ()
At 13th level, a magus gains proficiency with heavy armor. A magus can cast magus spells while wearing heavy armor without incurring the normal arcane spell failure chance. Like any other arcane spellcaster, a magus using a shield incurs a chance of arcane spell failure if the spell in question has a somatic component.
Greater Spell Combat ()
At 14th level, the magus gains the ability to seamlessly cast spells and make melee attacks. Whenever they use the spell combat ability, their
Concentration check bonus equals double the amount of the attack penalty taken.
Counterstrike ()
At 16th level, whenever an enemy within reach of the magus successfully casts a spell defensively, that enemy provokes an
Attack of Opportunity from the magus after the spell is complete. This
Attack of Opportunity cannot disrupt the spell.
Greater Spell Access (Su)
At 19th level, the magus gains access to an expanded spell list. They learn and place 14 spells from the
Wizard Spell List into their spellbook as magus spells of the same level. They gain two
Wizard spells of each
Spell Level from 0 to 6 not already on the
Magus Spell List. They can ignore the somatic component of these spells, casting them without the normal chance of spell failure.
True Magus (Su)
At 20th level, the magus becomes a master of spells and combat. Whenever they use their spell combat ability, they do not need to make a
Concentration check to cast the spell defensively. Whenever the magus uses spell combat and their spell targets the same creature as their melee attacks, they can choose to either increase the DC to resist the spell by +2, grant themselves a +2
Circumstance Bonus on any checks made to overcome
Spell Resistance, or grant themselves a +2
Circumstance Bonus on all attack rolls made against the target during their turn.
Magus Variants
Several variations exist that alter or replace aspects of the Magus class.
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