You study spells so you can combine them with your attacks or solve problems that strength of arms alone can't handle. You can cast arcane spells using the Cast A Spell activity, and you can supply material, somatic, and verbal components when casting spells.

Because you're a magus, you can draw replacement sigils with the tip of your weapon or your free hand for spells requiring material components, replacing them with somatic components instead of needing a material component pouch.

At 1st level, you can prepare one 1st-rank spell and five cantrips each morning from the spells in your spellbook. Prepared spells remain available to you until you cast them or until you prepare your spells again. The number of spells you can prepare is called your spell slots.

As you increase in level as a magus, your number of spell slots and the highest rank of spells you can cast from spell slots increase. Because you split your focus between physical training and magical scholarship, you have no more than two spell slots of your highest rank and, if you can cast 2nd-rank spells or higher, two spell slots of 1 rank lower than your highest spell rank. For anything that requires the ability to cast spells of a certain rank that's lower than the highest slots you have, you still qualify even if you no longer have spell slots at those ranks.

Some of your spells require you to attempt a spell attack roll to see how effective they are, or have your enemies roll against your spell DC (typically by attempting a saving throw). Your spell attack rolls and spell DCs use your Intelligence modifier.

Heightening Spells

When you get spell slots of 2nd rank and higher, you can fill those slots with stronger versions of lower-rank spells. This increases the spell's rank, heightening it to match the spell slot. Many spells have specific improvements when they're heightened to certain ranks.

Cantrips

A cantrip is a special type of spell that doesn't use spell slots. You can cast a cantrip at will, any number of times per day. A cantrip is always automatically heightened to half your level rounded up—this is usually equal to the highest rank of spell you can cast as a magus. For example, as a 1st-level magus, your cantrips are 1st-rank spells, and as a 5th-level magus, your cantrips are 3rd-rank spells.

Spellbook

Every arcane spell has a written version, usually recorded in a spellbook. You start with a spellbook worth 10 sp or less, which you receive for free and must study to prepare your spells each day. The spellbook contains your choice of eight arcane cantrips and four 1st-rank arcane spells. You choose these from the common spells on the arcane spell list or from other arcane spells you gain access to. Your spellbook's form and name are up to you. It might be anything from a sturdy book with a secure latch entitled Theses on the Stratagems of Supernatural Warfare to a tattered collection of training pamphlets with your name scrawled on the cover.

Each time you gain a level, you add two more arcane spells to your spellbook, of any rank of spell you can cast. You can also use the Arcana skill to add other spells that you find in your adventures. Though you lose some lower spell slots as you increase in level, you keep the spells in your spellbook and can prepare them in your higher-rank slots as normal.

If you have a spellbook from multiple sources (such as being a magus with the Wizard Dedication feat), you can use the same spellbook for all your spells.

You've learned the fundamental magus technique that lets you combine magical and physical attacks together. You gain the Spellstrike activity.

Spellstrike Specifics

Though the base Spellstrike rules cover most spells, various modifications apply to more complicated spells when loaded into your fist, blade, or other attack.

One Target The spell targets only the target of your Strike, even if it normally allows more targets. This includes area spells, which only the target attempts a saving throw against. Any ongoing effects of the area, such as the difficult terrain from scatter scree, affect only the target's space. Some feats let you affect more creatures.

Reach: The coupled spell affects the target using the reach of the weapon or unarmed attack you make your Spellstrike with. For instance, gouging claw would affect a creature beyond the reach of your hand if you used a weapon with reach, and frostbite would affect only a creature in your weapon's reach, even though the spell's range is longer.

Ancillary Effects Your spell still has any non-targeted effects that might affect creatures other than the target, as well as any ongoing effects starting from the moment you hit with the Strike. For example, scatter scree would still create difficult terrain in the target's space (as mentioned above) and tangle vine's circumstance penalty would last for its normal duration. The spell takes effect after the Strike deals damage; if the Strike has other special effects, the GM determines whether they happen before or after the spell.

Multiple Defenses Any additional rolls after the initial spell attack still happen normally, such as the Fortitude save attempted by the target of a disintegrate spell. Similarly, a spell that allows you to attack with it again on subsequent rounds would only combine a Strike with its initial attack roll, not with any later ones. Invalid or Immune Target: If the target you hit wouldn't be a valid target for the spell, the spell is still expended but doesn't affect the target. If the target is immune to your attack but not the spell, it can still be affected by the spell.

Variable Actions Some spells have different effects based on the number of actions you spend to cast them. You choose whether to use the effects of the 1- or 2-action version of the spell when you use Spellstrike. A spell has to take exactly 1 or 2 actions; you can't use Spellstrike with a spell that takes a free action, reaction, or 3 or more actions.

Spellshape You typically can't use spellshape with Spellstrike because spellshape actions require the next action you take to be Cast a Spell, and Spellstrike is a combined activity that doesn't qualify.

After you wield magic, you can enter a special stance to make your attacks more effective.

Arcane Cascade

Your extensive physical training and carefully chosen magic combine to form a unique and dangerous fighting style that's more than the sum of its parts. You choose one field of hybrid study to represent your particular combination of skills. Your hybrid study gives you a special ability, usually tied to Spellstrike or Arcane Cascade, and it determines your initial conflux spell. The hybrid studies presented in this book are as follows.

• Aloof Firmament
• Inexorable Iron
• Laughing Shadow
• Sparkling Targe
• Starlit Span
• Twisting Tree
• Unfurling Brocade
• Resurgent Maelstrom

You learn a conflux spell from your hybrid study, and you can cast additional conflux spells by selecting certain feats. Conflux spells are magus-specific spells created for combat and are a type of focus spell. It costs 1 Focus Point to cast a focus spell, and you start with a focus pool of 1 Focus Point. You refill your focus pool during your daily preparations, and you can regain 1 Focus Point by spending 10 minutes using the Refocus activity to both study your spellbook and perform a physical regimen.

Focus spells are automatically heightened to half your level rounded up. Focus spells don't require spell slots, nor can you cast them using spell slots. Taking feats can give you more focus spells and increase the size of your focus pool, though your focus pool can never hold more than 3 points. The full rules can be found on page 300 of the Core Rulebook.

Your hybrid study grants you additional spells that can enhance your power in combat. You gain two special 2nd-rank studious spell slots, which can be used to prepare Gecko Grip, Sure Strike, Water Breathing, and an additional spell depending on your hybrid study. You add any spells from this class feature to your spellbook. At 11th level, the extra slots increase to 3rd-rank and you add Haste and an additional spell depending on your hybrid study. At 13th level, the extra slots increase to 4th-rank and you add Fly and an additional spell depending on your hybrid study.

Aloof Firmament 7th: Water Walk; 11th: Wall Of Wind; 13th: Variable Gravity

Inexorable Iron 7th: Enlarge; 11th: Earthbind; 13th: Planar Tether

Laughing Shadow 7th: Blur; 11th: Time Jump; 13th: Translocate

Sparkling Targe 7th: Resist Energy; 11th: Warding Aggression; 13th: Mountain Resilience

Starlit Span 7th: Darkvision; 11th: Wall Of Wind; 13th: Unfettered Movement

Twisting Tree 7th: Embed Message; 11th: Slow; 13th: Flicker

Unfurling Brocade 7th: Web; 11th: Whirling Scarves; 13th: Planar Tether

Resurgent Maelstrom 7th: Water Walk, 11th: Aqueous Orb, 13th: Unfettered Movement

You've learned how to inflict greater injuries with the weapons you know best. You deal an additional 2 damage with weapons and unarmed attacks in which you are an expert. This damage increases to 3 if you're a master, and 4 if you're legendary.

You've steeled your mind with resolve. Your proficiency rank for Will saves increases to master. When you roll a success on a Will save, you get a critical success instead.

You've learned to defend yourself better against attacks. Your proficiency ranks for light armor, medium armor, and unarmored defense increase to expert.

Your damage from weapon specialization increases to 4 with weapons and unarmed attacks in which you're an expert, 6 if you're a master, and 8 if you're legendary.

Your skill with light and medium armor improves, increasing your ability to avoid blows. Your proficiency ranks for light and medium armor, as well as for unarmored defense, increase to master.

You can extend the magic of spells you store with Spellstrike. After you make a Spellstrike with a spell cast from a spell slot, you retain an echo of the spell, stored in your body. The next time you Spellstrike, you can cast the same spell again without expending a spell slot.

If you choose to cast a different spell with Spellstrike, or you go 1 minute without using the stored spell, the stored spell dissipates harmlessly.