I'm interested in making an arcane blaster for my next PFS character, but I want something off the beaten path. I'm interested in the Magician archetype for bards, because it gives access to other arcane spells, and provides a CL boost that will stack with things like Spell Specialization. The problem is, there don't seem to be many great blasting spells before getting fireball at level 10. Any suggestions?
Sound Striker, or Thundercaller?
Eh, I could, but they don't thrill me. I'd rather figure out a way to take the Magician archetype and use normal blasting spells, than just grab some damage-dealing performance and call it a day.
I bet it could be done with Burning Hands or Shocking Grasp. The idea revolves around Intensified Spell, Empower Spell and Reach Spell.
I really want to make an Undine Watersinger who throws Dazing Aqueous Orb at level 7.
Actually, I'm wondering about going for Conjuration, with Snowball, Acid Arrow, and Ice Spears. But using Snowball feels cheap...
I had a Magician bard in a campaign recently who made good use of Scorching Ray.
He wouldn't have been PFS legal, though, since it was a campaign that used 3.5 books too and he had the Firey burst reserve feat to get some legs out of the firepower he had available. :(
But scorching ray is a good blasting spell until you get fireball, if you like flashy damage, IMHO.
I'm curious since you are giving up the bard's core abilities...what's so appealing about the Magician?
I like the idea of tweaking the Bard to make it do something it wasn't intended to do.
Although I just realized that when I get a new arcane spell at level 6, if I include Spell Specialization, Varisian Tattoo, and the +2 performance, that gives me a CL of 11, which is good enough for 3 scorching rays. Hmm...
I just thought of something. What if you dip into a full casting prestige class for one level between your fifth and sixth levels of Magician, so that you hit Magician 6 at character level 7 with full casting and can take Fireball at 7th?
I just thought of something. What if you dip into a full casting prestige class for one level between your fifth and sixth levels of Magician, so that you hit Magician 6 at character level 7 with full casting and can take Fireball at 7th?
Ooh, I like how you think!
From what I see, the only options are Mystic Theurge (with the right race, I can get the divine spell requirement from an SLA), Veiled Illusionist (although that requires me to spend a feat on a Spell Focus I don't especially want), and Cyphermage (it's legal, but it requires a feat with an illegal prerequisite, so...?).
Going with evocation, the blasting spells at our disposal are:
1-Ear-Piercing Scream (1d6/2 levels, plus daze)
1-Magic Missile? (from arcane list at level 2)
2-Sound Burst
2-Scorching Ray (from arcane list at level 6)
3-Thundering Drums (1d8/level plus prone in a 15-foot cone, max 5d8)
3-Fireball (from arcane list at level 10)
4-Wall of Sound (just like Wall of Fire, but sonic)
4-Shout
I was thinking Bloatmage, though to be useful you would have to be an Aasimar. So PFS legal, but you need all the splat.
Magician 5/ Bloatmage 1/ Magician 1/ Bloatmage 4 or Magician 5/ Bloatmage 1/ Magician 5 are both vaiable progressions and vanilla Aasimar is a good if not great race for Bards.
Just use Bloatmage Initiate instead of Varisian Tattoo in the build to make it work feat wise. Spell Focus (Evocation), Bloatmage Initiate, Intensified Spell, Spell Specialization will get you blasting away by 7th.
don't forget the mandatory dip into crossblooded sorcerer, withc increase your damage by approximately 57%
OK, so now I'm looking at something like this:
Aasimar (Agathion-blooded) bard (magician)
7/14/14/13/11/19
Bard1: Spell Focus (evocation), Spell Specialization
Bard2: Bonus Spell: Snowball
Bard3: Varisian Tattoo (evocation)
Bard4:
Bard5: Intensify Spell
MysticTheurge*1: +1 level spellcasting
Bard6: Bloatmage Initiate (evocation), Bonus Spell: Fireball
Ear-Piercing Scream will be the go-to spell (CL 6 for 3d6 damage at level 3 before the song starts), with Snowball as a back-up when I need something different. Sound Burst and Blistering Invective will be more debuff-focused blasting for my 2nd-levels. At 7th-level, I get Thundering Drums and Fireball for real blasting power. Using the Aasimar favored class bonus, I also get my Dweomercraft to scale faster, which means more CL boost sooner.
*Summon Nature's Ally II from race lets me qualify.
don't forget the mandatory dip into crossblooded sorcerer, withc increase your damage by approximately 57%
*Sigh* But that slows down my already slow spell progression... *pout*
Kn(Engineering) to create a ghetto blaster bard.
I... have no idea what that's supposed to mean.
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Kn(Engineering) to create a ghetto blaster bard.I... have no idea what that's supposed to mean.
Use kn(engineering) to make a ghetto blaster.
There is a feat or something that requires Kn (engineering) to allow you to increase your DC inside of a building or something like that. I dont remember exactly what it is called. I do know you have to make the Knowledge check to "understand" the acoustics of the room.
EDIT: Found it. Harmonic Sage.
While inside an artificial structure, you can spend a free action to make a DC 15 Knowledge (engineering) check when you begin your bardic performance. Success on this check allows you to do one of the following.
Self-Harmonize: By performing over the acoustic reverberations of your performance, you increase the DC of your bardic performance effects +1.
Reverberation: You can choose to have the effect of your current bardic performance continue for 1 round after you cease maintaining it, regardless of why you cease maintaining it.
You can still have no more than one bardic performance in effect at one time.Normal: A bardic performance lasts only as long as you
maintain it.
So it would increase your caster level by 1, but only inside a artificial building.
EDIT2: It only affects DC's so no caster level increase. Kind of sucks now that I think about it.
Use kn(engineering) to make a ghetto blaster.Kn(Engineering) to create a ghetto blaster bard.I... have no idea what that's supposed to mean.
Shouldnt he also have a "Gat" with his BoomBox?
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Use kn(engineering) to make a ghetto blaster.Kn(Engineering) to create a ghetto blaster bard.I... have no idea what that's supposed to mean.
Can you wear multiple items in the neck slot so long as they're gold?
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Can you wear multiple items in the neck slot so long as they're gold?Use kn(engineering) to make a ghetto blaster.Kn(Engineering) to create a ghetto blaster bard.I... have no idea what that's supposed to mean.
No, because that leads to OG. Too many young people are dying from OverGold.
@Imbicatus, Where do you find this stuff? Where do you get the time?
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Dweomercraft affects the Bard, since you are your own ally. However, reading the ability, Dweomercraft doesn't actually raise your CL. It raises CL checks to overcome spell resistance, concentration checks, and attack rolls. It doesn't increase any effect like damage dice, duration, or number of rays that increase with caster level.
Dweomercraft affects the Bard, since you are your own ally. However, reading the ability, Dweomercraft doesn't actually raise your CL. It raises CL checks to overcome spell resistance, concentration checks, and attack rolls. It doesn't increase any effect like damage dice, duration, or number of rays that increase with caster level.
...crap. Nevermind then.