So after realizing how bored I am with core classes, I've branched out into other books. Upon reading the kineticist, I became intrigued - can a kineticist be the "Big Gun" of a party?
I'm looking more for ranged builds, but I'll do Melee if it's the only option for good damage.
Mostly, I'm looking to go either fire or air, though that is almost entirely for aesthetics.
But having never played a kineticist or even seen one played, I'm looking to the good people of the forums for help - how do I build this character?
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I know some will disagree with the following but :D they're wrong.
Statistics are the main thing with kineticist. I would go PFS-legal dual talent human with:
STR 7
DEX 20
CON 20
INT 7
WIS 8
CHA 7
and increase CON at every opportunity. Just realize that basically none of your stats matter except DEX and CON. You will have enough hitpoints to ride out problems with your weak will save, asumming you get just a couple of items. You will have a billion hit points, since you will also buy +con items. You will have godly fort and reflex saves. Your only weakness is will saves. You are literally unkillable by anything remotely close to your CR except for will saves. Buy a clear spindle ioun stone with wayfinder and probably one of those head items (cap of the free thinker? I think there are others) that lets you resist mental control.
Every night, put one point in the buffer. Every morning, spend all of your points by pumping them into your defensive power to max out the elemental overflow reward for your level. THEN DON'T SPEND ANY MORE BURN THAT DAY. Use the point in your buffer if you really need to. This has the result of:
(1) Maximizing elemental overflow benefit.
(2) Making it so you don't have to do computations on the fly. Just record on your sheet the relevant to hit and damage for this one situation.
(3) Making it so you are always getting full use of your defensive power.
I would get kinetic blade early on as an option. The idea is that you rarely use it, but it is there if you want to attack without generating an AoO.
For the first few levels, you will just do the basic blast.
When you get free empower damage, do empowered blast.
Around level 11, you can start the composite blasts.
A sample build is:
Human
Neutral
Worships Ymeri, Queen of the Inferno
Traits:
(1) Reactionary Initiative
(2) Affinity of the elements: Add 1 to the DC of saving throws made to resist the effects of spells cast by you that have either the air, earth, FIRE, or water descriptor, depending on which elemental lord you worship. Which bonus you receive is chosen when you take the trait and may not be changed.
Human dual talent alternate trait to get +2 to two abilities.
Stats:
STR: 7
DEX: 20
CON: 20 +1 at lvl 4,8,12,16
INT: 7
WIS: 8
CHA: 7
New:
1: Point Blank Shot, Burning Infusion
2: Fire's Fury
3: Precise Shot, Kinetic Blade
4: Searing Flame
5: Weapon Finesse, Extended Range
6: Heat Adaptation
7: Expanded Element(Aether), Elemental Focus (Fire)
8: Flame Jet
9: Toughness, Eruption
10: Greater Flame Jet
11: Extra Wild Talent(Touchsight), Flash Infusion, Telekinetic Invisibility (Favored Class)
12: Expanded Defense (Aether)
13: Greater Elemental Focus(Fire), Foe Throw
14: Reactive Touchsight
15: Expanded Element (Fire), Improved Precise Shot, Heat Wave
16: Reverse Shift
EDIT: And yes, you will easily be the big gun of the party. Memorable moments for me are:
(1) Soloing a +3 CR adult black dragon in two rounds with basically no damage to me.
(2) Being lured away (solo) to be surprised by 3 flying creatures (forget what they were? rocs? something else?) and having one of them try to grapple my flame-ridden body after I had attacked it. I was sad that it died instantly, because I was ready to kinetic blade it.
Do fire blasts by default, aether blasts if enemy has spell resistance, kinetic blade if you would provoke. Since fire blasts target touch AC, you will rapidly get to the situation where you always hit unless you roll a 1.
The only weakness I found for the character is the standard weakness of combat bulldogs with few skills. You will have two skill points a level to distribute among fly, stealth and perception. You get bored when the skill rolls start getting called for...
In threads, people talk about sorcerers and wizards being gods at level 20, but they gloss over the ride there. Kineticists can both blast and take a hit, and they can do it pretty consistently at any level. I would easily put my money over a level 8 kineticist soloing tough enemies than a level 8 wizard or sorcerer. You just have to realize that if one of them got a surprise round attack against them by 3 rocs, they would be dead little wizard/sorcerer meatbags.
Remember if you go air you will want some available skill points for the Fly skill, as permanent flying is available quite early. So don't dump Int to much.