I have mixed feelings about D&D Beyond‘s new Magus class. Thematically, it’s pretty disjointed. This is a Gish half-caster that tries to be good at a little bit of what makes each class great. Buffs, debuffs, and damage? Let’s do them all. What’s a spellcaster’s biggest problem? Limited spells – let’s give ’em more. What’s a martial’s biggest problem? No spells – and that’s easily solved.
It’s tough to explain this class flavor-wise. Their magic is briefly described as a sigil-based, ‘mystic’ affair that’s enhanced by a Magus’ esoteric order (read: subclasses). It’s even tougher to explain it through class archetypes – the Magus is all over the place. I know one thing for sure, though: this is the one of the best multiclass dips in D&D 5.5e.
I took a look at the Magus’ early class abilities, and my first thought was ‘surely not’. First, we get Esoteric Eye, a bonus action that targets creatures you can see. Just looking at them gives you advantage on spell attacks against them until the end of your next turn. They also get disadvantage on saving throws against your Magus spells.
You can do this a number of times equal to your Intelligence modifier, so it’s not infinite. Still, you get one use back on a short rest and restore all of them on a long rest. This is literally the only limitation on it apart from sight. No range. No metacurrencies expended.
That seems like it would be ridiculous on a class that doesn’t need its bonus action often. My first thought was Fighter, though they might get less use out of the save disadvantage. Free advantage at level one is still a spicy prize.
Perhaps more enticing to a Fighter is the Magus’ spellcasting. A level-one dip gets you access to the Wizard’s best damage cantrips, plus a few new (slightly more meh) Magus-specific ones. The level-one spell list has many excellent options: Mage Armor, Chromatic Orb, Jump, Longstrider, and Grease, for example. You might end up ignoring them all, though, because Shield is also a Magus spell. ‘Spam Shield’ is a top tactic for any martial taking the Magic Initiate feat, and now you don’t even need to waste a feat.
The rest of the Magus’ spell list is a ‘who’s who’ of the best spells in the game. Misty Step is here, and so is Counterspell. We’ve got Haste and Dispel Magic. Fireball, Fly, Globe of Invulnerability? The Magus has pinched them all. This isn’t as great as it sounds, given how long a Magus has to wait for high-level spell slots. But it tells us a lot about the class’ core design philosophy – look at what works for everyone else, and copy that.
We get one more ability at level one, and it’s Weapon Mastery. That’s a nice addition for any spellcaster that wants to go full Gish by another route.
If you thought we were done with absurd low-level abilities, let me introduce you to level two. We first get a Fighting Style that, alternatively, offers the power to add your Intelligence modifier to concentration saves. If you ever actually lose concentration, you also gain Temporary Hit Points equal to twice the spell’s level plus your Intelligence modifier.
Slightly more in the ‘what the fuck’ department is Mystic Mark. It’s a bonus action that lets you choose a levelled spell and, spending a spell slot equal or higher than its level, choose a damage type.
That damage type is one the spell deals, or it can be Force damage. Your two options are ‘aegis’, which gives you resistance to the chosen damage type, or ‘enspel’, that lets you replace a weapon or unarmed strike’s damage with your chosen type. The bonus action’s effects last for one hour, or until you decide to cast the spell you chose at the start of this action.
Let me be clear. At level two, the Magus can give themself the ability to deal Force damage – the rarest damage resistance in the game – for one hour, uninterrupted. All it costs is holding off casting a level-one spell.
Things get a little less interesting from here, but that’s mainly because those first two levels overshadow everything else. Level five lets you add your Intelligence modifier to a failed ability check once per rest, because this class wants to be good at everything. It also lets you cast a Magus cantrip for free after attacking, provided you didn’t already benefit from an Extra Attack feature (something this class doesn’t have – a clear sign it was designed with multiclassing in mind).
Level six lets you regain spell slots with a combined level equal to half your Magus level, once per long rest. If Wizards can have Arcane Recovery, why can’t we?
Level nine tweaks your Mystic Mark so, when you cast the spell you were holding, you get the spell slot back. Level 10 offers another bonus action, but this one gives you 60 feet of Truesight for 10 minutes, and using Esoteric Eye in that time doesn’t expend its uses. Literally no one is safe.
Level 11 improves Mystic Mark again by offering Temporary HP or an extra 1d6 of attack damage, depending on whether you choose to use aegis or enspel. Level 15 brings Sorcerous Shielding, which gives you any one magic resistance and extra protection from spell saves and spell attacks. By level 18, you can cast one level-six spell without a slot once per day – and doing so actually recovers a level-five-or-lower spell slot.
Our capstone, finally, buffs Strength or Dexterity by 2, and it lets you use that level-six feature twice a day.
There’s some interesting stuff going on at higher levels, but my first impression is the Magus is a bit meh at higher tiers – at least, if you play it as a Gish. There’s simply not enough focus on improving your martial capabilities. Your constant source of advantage guarantees consistent hits, but without damage increases or abilities like Extra Attack, you’re never going to rival a Fighter. Your cantrips are all damage-focused, too, so you can’t even enhance your abilities the way an Eldritch Knight or Arcane Archer would.
Plus, you’re still MAD, making it tough to juggle your physical abilities. You’re basically a Paladin without the smite (though, thanks to all those free spell slots, you can spam a lot more spells).
That half-caster cap on your spell slots makes this less appealing than a full caster for an all-magic build, too. The progression is simply too slow.
A quick little multiclass dip, though? That sounds powerful.
Sure, you miss out on the Magus many, varied subclasses (all of which seem to be copying another class’ homework). There’s a Magus that offers teleporting abilities that look very easy to break. Another adds healing spells and Defender powers, while the next is all about necromancy. There’s a stealthy Rogue/Monk stand-in, plus a divination subclass that literally gives you Portent. The last one asks you to imagine a world where Druids have all the Rogue’s dexterous extra bonus actions.
I think the trade off is worth-it though. I want to stress think in the interest of fairness, because I haven’t finished all my simulations and whiteboard math-ing just yet. But, on first impression? The Magus looked at D&D 5.5e’s lackluster multiclass builds and said ‘hold my beer’.
Want to share your own takes on the Magus? I’m always happy to be proved wrong over in the Wargamer Discord. Tell me if I’ve missed something, I dare you. If you want to swot up beforehand, you can also check out our guide to DnD classes.
Source: Wargamer
