I am starting a Magus in a Pathfinder campaign. Assuming a scenario where the Magus of at least 2nd level starts 5 feet away from a enemy. Using the Magus' "Spell Combat" power can I do the following?
Note that the first hit will deliver my touch spell as well as regular damage.
Everything I've read seems to suggest this, then I saw this FAQ from Paizo:
Can a magus use spellstrike (Ultimate Magic, page 10) to cast a touch spell, move, and make a melee attack with a weapon to deliver the touch spell, all in the same round?
Yes. Other than deploying the spell with a melee weapon attack instead of a melee touch attack, the magus spellstrike ability doesn’t change the normal rules for using touch spells in combat (Core Rulebook 185). So, just like casting a touch spell, a magus could use spellstrike to cast a touch spell, take a move toward an enemy, then (as a free action) make a melee attack with his weapon to deliver the spell.
On a related topic, the magus touching his held weapon doesn’t count as “touching anything or anyone” when determining if he discharges the spell. A magus could even use the spellstrike ability, miss with his melee attack to deliver the spell, be disarmed by an opponent (or drop the weapon voluntarily, for whatever reason), and still be holding the charge in his hand, just like a normal spellcaster. Furthermore, the weaponless magus could pick up a weapon (even that same weapon) with that hand without automatically discharging the spell, and then attempt to use the weapon to deliver the spell. However, if the magus touches anything other than a weapon with that hand (such as retrieving a potion), that discharges the spell as normal.
Basically, the spellstrike gives the magus more options when it comes to delivering touch spells; it’s not supposed to make it more difficult for the magus to use touch spells.
Offhand (sorry, had to pun) it seems that you would totally be able to.
The FAQ answer is regarding spellstrike only. So, by the FAQ, you can cast a touch spell, take a move action to move up, and then you use the free action granted by the touch spell to attack with your sword and deliver the spell.
However, what you want to do is also possible, provided you can take a 5' step. You can cast, 5' step up, take your free action from your touch spell, and then take your other attack since you are using Spell Combat. If you're high enough level to get iterative attacks, then you would get to make your iterative attacks as well. If you were standing in difficult terrain, then you would not be able to 5' step. You'd have to spend a move action to move up instead, so you wouldn't be able to use Spell Combat.
You can also use a 2H reach weapon to cast, 5' step or move, and then take your free attack to smack something. This is possible since you can take your hand off your weapon as a free action.
Spell Combat treats the spell being cast as an off-hand weapon, and so generally is a full attack and uses those rules, which state
The only movement you can take during a full attack is a 5-foot step. You may take the step before, after, or between your attacks.
Touch spells use this rule:
You may take your move before casting the spell, after touching the target, or between casting the spell and touching the target.
So if you were casting and discharging the spell, then moving, then attacking again, that would obviously be legal. And casting the spell, moving, and then discharging it without the Spell Combat attack would also be legal.
The rules let you cast a spell as though it were an attack in a full attack, which means before you make the five-foot step you are allowed anywhere in your attack sequence. You are also allowed not to use the touch attack granted by casting a touch spell immediately. Between those facts, what you propose is clearly wholly justified, and I would allow it.
