PFS Build: The agile archaeologist

[Peter J]

The archaeologist seems to satisfy my need to be a skill monkey with a dash of magic. He can disable traps like a rogue, but without the pain and heartbreak of trying to set up sneak attacks. He can cover both the roles of being a trapfinder while also having some controlling/buffing abilities with spells and the whip. He's support, not a damage monster So, here's the build I was thinking of:

Human bard 1

Str 10
Dex 16(+2 racial)
Con 12
Int 13
Wis 10
Cha 14

The attribute advances at level 4 and 8 will go into Charisma. Charisma will help more at higher levels. Dexterity pays off now.

For traits, I'm going with Gold Finger to make Disable Device a class skill, and Maestro of the Society to increase my daily rounds of archaeologist's luck from 6 to 9.

Two feats for being human: First is Lingering Performance to effectively triple my use of luck. The second is Weapon Finesse. My weapons of choice are rapier and whip. Finesse not only makes my attack bonuses with both to not suck, and they also allows me to use Dexterity instead of Strength when making trips and disarms with the whip.

For skills, I have eight picks, or a ninth if I'm willing to give up a hit point. These five I should take at every level:
Acrobatics
Spellcraft
Perception
Use Magic Device
Disable Device

Knowledges can be dipped into just for the +3 class skill bonus. Bardic Knowledge will give me a hefty bonus, and eventually I'll be able to take 10, so once I get my bonus up to +10, that should be enough for a knowledge skill.

Sleight of Hand is another choice for a one or two rank dip, as are some of the social skills.

As for future feats, I went with 13 Intelligence to open up Combat Expertise for the improved/greater trip and disarm chains, but I'm cool on them. The Whip Mastery chain is another possibility that offers some nice utility. I could also shift a bit more towards melee damage with Arcane Strike.

What do you think, sirs?

[blackbloodtroll]

Check out the Scorpion Whip. Use it like a whip, but it's better. Whip feats still apply.

[Peter J]

Could you elaborate on how the Scorpion Whip is better?

[blackbloodtroll]

Deals lethal, even to armored foes.

[Jiggy]

What's it in? Is it PFS-legal?

[blackbloodtroll]

Ultimate Combat. Yes.

Whip, Scorpion 1d4 ×2 Slashing, Light.

Benefit: It deals lethal damage, even to creatures with armor bonuses. If you are proficient with whips, you can use a scorpion whip as a whip.

Weapon Feature(s): performance (plus disarm, reach, and trip if you are proficient with whip.)

[Jess Door]

I built a similar character for non-PFS play. I stuck with the regular whip for now, but will upgrade to a Scorpion whip in a level or two, when my other tricks are not really useful anymore.

[Mattastrophic]

You've got quite a solid build there, Peter, especially with Gold Finger to top it off. I would suggest at least taking a look at the Whip Mastery chain of feats from Ultimate Combat.

FYI, I did find one advantage to using a regular whip with Whip Mastery over a Scorpion Whip, and that was the ability to use the Enforcer feat to impose Shaken a lot. The build's intent was to make the bad guys prone, disarmed, and Shaken as often as possible.

-Matt

[blackbloodtroll]

Yes, the whip feats will allow you to threaten. Until then, wear Armor Spikes or a Spiked Gauntlet.

[Gwen Smith]

There's a new trait, too, called Prehensile Whip, that lets you use your whip to grab things (without a skill roll or attack roll). It might not be worth it, game-effect wise, but it would be really appropriate for the character.

[Jess Door]

mine is doing dazzling display, then trying to trip and disarm all over the place. :)

[blackbloodtroll]

Is this a PFS PC?

[Jess Door]

Peter's is. Mine is not.

[Rudy2]

I built a archaeologist build recently, myself, though it's an archery build.

Link.

Anyway, I *strongly* recommend considering the Azata-Blooded Aasimar as your race. +2 Dex, +2 Cha, first of all. Most importantly, though, is the favored class racial alternative for Aasimar:

increase your effective bard level for one type of bardic performance by 1/2. Since Archaeologist's Luck counts as bardic performance, you can greatly speed up the rate at which you increase your luck bonus. Specifically, you can get +2 one level early, +3 three levels early, and +4 five levels early (at level 12). The optimal way to do it is to use your first two levels for bonus hp (or skill points, if you prefer), and then take the racial alternate every level after that. You don't get them any faster by taking the racial alternate from the beginning.

[Rudy2]

It's also fun, and works well with Archaeologist, to take the Truespeaker Aasimar alternative, and be the party linguist. Two languages for each rank adds up to a lot. Plus the +2 Sense Motive & Linguistics is more useful for the Archaologist than the +2 Diplomacy and Perform that the Azata-Blooded has by default.

[Peter J]

I'm leery of taking the Enforcer build, just because I think it borders on cheese. Anyway, I have a rapier in my other hand so I can do my damage and threaten with that instead.

As nice as the Prehensile Whip trait is, Improved Whip Mastery gives you everything in that trait and then some, so I would only pick the Prehensile Whip trait if I was certain I wouldn't take the Whip Mastery chain.

Is the Aasimar PFS legal?

[Jiggy]

Aasimars became PFS-legal about a month ago. There's also some legal content in Blood of Angels, if you have it.

[Peter J]

*reads up on aasimars*

Wow, that is sweet. Perception up the wazoo.

Let me think now...

1: Weapon Finesse
3: Lingering Peformance
4: Rogue Talent> Weapon Training: Whip
5: Whip Mastery
7: Improved Whip Mastery
8: Rogue Talent> Resiliency?

Hmm, then what?

[Rudy2]

Bear in mind that if you go with the Azata-blooded aasimar you are trading the +2 Wisdom, +2 Charisma for +2 Dex, +2 Charisma, and trading the +2 Perception, +2 Diplomacy for +2 Perform & +2 Diplomacy.

Though, you can further trade the +2 Perform, +2 Diplomacy for the Truespeaker which gives the +2 Linguistics, +2 Sense Motive, and 2 languages per linguistics rank.

I think the Azata-blooded bonuses are better for your particular build, but either could work well.

[Burrito Al Pastor]

blackbloodtroll wrote:

Ultimate Combat. Yes.

Whip, Scorpion 1d4 ×2 Slashing, Light.

Benefit: It deals lethal damage, even to creatures with armor bonuses. If you are proficient with whips, you can use a scorpion whip as a whip.

Weapon Feature(s): performance (plus disarm, reach, and trip if you are proficient with whip.)

I know the scorpion whip has had a muddled rules history, so you might want to check Ultimate Equipment and see if it's been reprinted without change.

If memory serves, you also need exotic weapon proficiency with the scorpion whip in addition to whip proficiency to use it. Maybe. Like I said: it doesn't come from a tradition of clearly-written rules.

[Peter J]

Rudy2 wrote:

Bear in mind that if you go with the Azata-blooded aasimar you are trading the +2 Wisdom, +2 Charisma for +2 Dex, +2 Charisma, and trading the +2 Perception, +2 Diplomacy for +2 Perform & +2 Diplomacy.

Though, you can further trade the +2 Perform, +2 Diplomacy for the Truespeaker which gives the +2 Linguistics, +2 Sense Motive, and 2 languages per linguistics rank.

I think the Azata-blooded bonuses are better for your particular build, but either could work well.

Oddly enough the archaeologist is a bard with no use for the Perform skill! Azata-blooded also exchanges daylight for glitter dust as a spell-like ability, which is just sick. It's kind of odd, aasimars having dark vision and the ability to cast daylight.

[Peter J]

Alright, here's the current plan. I took Whip Mastery before Enforcer because you need mastery to be able to deal damage to armored creatures with a whip.

1: Weapon Finesse
3: Lingering Performance
4: Weapon Training talent (gives Weapon Focus: Whip)
5: Whip Mastery
7: Enforcer
8: Combat Trick talent (gives Improved Whip Mastery)
9: Dazzling Display?
11: Greater Whip Mastery

I'm iffy on Dazzling Display, but I already have a good Intimidate skill, so why not. At level 12, I get an advanced rogue talent. Any suggestions?

[Jem'Nai]

For a trait loomk at prehinsle(spelling sorry work a night 12 shift it 0422 am right now) whip in equipment works great as Indy's whip trick.

[TeShen]

Peter J wrote:

. . . I'm iffy on Dazzling Display, but I already have a good Intimidate skill, so why not. At level 12, I get an advanced rogue talent. Any suggestions?

As far as rogue talents go, I honestly think Familiar is a good one for aid another, though technically you don't qualify as you don't have the minor magic and major magic talents, which is admittedly screwy since you cast spells.

The Feat talent would always be useful. Fast tumble might be as well or any of the trap related advanced talents or talents... it just depend on your focus.

[Mercurial]

No intention to hi-jack the thread but since we've got some experts on here, I wouldn't mind a little critique of the build I'm about to use for an upcoming RotRL campaign. The concept is a Halfling Archeologist who's fascinated with ancient Thassilon. He's the party's '5th member', with the others being taken up by a Human Barbarian, an Elven Paladin, a Half-Elven Master Summoner and a Kitsune Sorceress - as such he's really the skill-monkey and party 'hook', and anything he adds to combat is just laginappe. Personally I always considered investing in the whip-trip concept to have diminishing returns as by the time you get really good at it fewer and fewer things can be tripped (especially when you have a low Strength), so archery seemed the best way to go.

Halfling Archeologist
alternate racial trait: fleet of foot

Attributes: 20 point buy
STR 10
DEX 15 (+1 at 4th, 8th, 12th, 16th and 20th)
CON 14
INT 14
WIS 10
CHA 16

Traits:
Maestro of the Society
Goldfinger

Feats & Talents:
1st - Lingering Performance
3rd - Point Blank Shot
4th - Trap Spotter (Rogue Talent)
5th - Rapid Shot
7th - Precise Shot
8th - Combat Trick: Manyshot (Rogue Talent)
9th - Weapon Focus: Bow
11th - Arcane Strike
12th - Feat: Snap Shot (Advanced Rogue Talent)
13th - Improved Snap Shot
15th - Combat Reflexes
16th - Opportunist (Advanced Rogue Talent)
17th - Deadly Aim
19th - Iron Will
20th - Slippery Mind or Hard to Fool (Advanced Rogue Talent)

Skills:
Acrobatics (1/level)
Disable Device (1/level)
Knowledge: History (1/even level)
Knowledge: Local (1/odd level)
Linguistics (1/level)
Perception (1/level)
Spellcraft (1/level)
Stealth (1/level)
Use Magic Device (1/level)