So, I've been working on a particular Spiritualist build for a while, and I'm hoping to get a bit of advice on it.
Currently it's level 1, but I wanted to look at the future levels before I go past the point of no return for rebuilding.
The goal of the build is to have the Spiritualist and Phantom as flanking buddies, working together to take down opponents. The Phantom has some fun shenanigans with Intimidate, trying to slow down opponents in order to effectively deal with other opponents. In addition, the Phantom can be used to deliver a few different touch spells in incorporeal form, though the DC on them is probably pretty bad.
Mostly, I'm looking to focus the build a bit more and try to make it a bit more effective in combat.
The current statblocks are as follows:
Francis (Spiritualist 6)
Lawful Neutral Medium Humanoid (elf, human)
Init +5; Senses: Low-light vision; Perception +12
Defense
AC 15; Touch 11; Flat-Footed 14; (+1 Dex, +4 Armor)
HP 39 (6d8+6)
Fort +7; Ref +4; Will +10
Defensive Abilities n/a; Immune sleep; Resist none;
Offense
Speed 30 ft.
Space 5 ft; Reach 5 ft
Melee +1 Elven Curve Blade +8, 1d10+4, (18-20/x2)
PA +1 Elven Curve Blade +8, 1d10+10, (18-20/x2)
Ranged N/A
Special Attacks N/A
Spell-like Ability (CL 6)
Detect Undead (at will)
Spells Known (CL 6)
2nd (4/day, spontaneous only)— Ghoul Touch (DC 16), Invisibility, False Life, Touch of Idiocy (DC 16)
1st (5/day, spontaneous only)— Remove Fear, Shield, Touch of Gracelessness (DC 15), Doom
0 (at will, spontaneous only)— Detect Magic, Guidance, Stabilize, Mage Hand, Telekinetic Projectile, Detect Psychic Significance
Statistics
Str 16, Dex 12, Con 12, Int 10, Wis 18, Cha 8
Base Atk +4; CMB +7; CMD 18 (18 vs. trip)
Traits: Seeker (+1 Perception, Perception is a Class Skill), Courageous (+2 vs. fear)
Feats: Exotic Weapon Proficiency (Elven Curve Blade), Improved Initiative, Power Attack, Furious Focus
Skills: Perception +12, 3*6; Racial Modifiers: +2 Perception, +2 on saves against enchantment spells
Languages: Common, Elven
SQ: Etheric Tether, Phantom, Shared Consciousness (1 use), Bonded Senses (Standard Action, free to end), Bonded Manifestation (Swift Action, 9 rds/day, either +4 shield bonus or concealment vs. ranged), Spiritual Interference (Ectoplasmic: +2 shield when within reach of phantom, +2 circumstance on saves, Incorporeal: +2 circumstance vs mind-affecting when within 30 ft.), Phantom Recall (1/day), Deliver Touch Spells (30 ft.)
Combat Gear: +1 Elven Curve Blade, +1 Studded Leather, Cloak of Resistance +1
Other Gear: Wand of Cure Light Wounds (50 charges), Wand of Mage Armor (50 charges), Wayfinder (free), Handy Haversack, 4 Acid Flasks, 4 Alchemist’s Fire, 4 Antitoxin, Bedroll, Bell, 2 Caltrops, 9 Candles, 4 sq yds. Canvas, 1 map/scroll case, Chain (10 ft.), 5 Chalk, Dagger, Everburning Torch, Fishhook, Flint and Steel, Grappling hook, Hammer, 4 Holy Water (flask), 1 oz. Ink (vial), Inkpen, Javelin, Manacles (medium), Manacles (small), Small steel mirror, Clay mug, 4 1-pint flasks of oil, 1 sheet of paper, 1 sheet of parchment, 4 pitons, 1 Potion (cure light wounds), 1 Potion (endure elements), 7 days trail rations, 50 ft., silk rope, 4 empty sacks, 1 sewing needle, 1 signal whistle, 4 smokestick, 4 sunrod, 4 tanglefoot bag, 4 thunderstone, 10 tindertwig, 4 torches, 1 empty vial, 1 waterskin, 760 gp, X-4 Prestige
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Karen (Anger Phantom 6, Ectoplasmic)
Lawful Neutral Medium Outsider (native)
Init (Runs on Francis’ Initiative as per DM); Senses Darkvision 60 ft; Perception +9
Defense
AC 17; Touch 11; Flat-Footed 16; (+6 Natural Armor, +1 Dex)
HP 47 (5d10+10)
Fort +6; Ref +2; Will +4
Defensive Abilities ; DR 5/magic; Immune ; Resist ; SR
Offense
Speed 30 ft.
Space 5 ft; Reach 5 ft
Melee 2 slams +8, (3d6+3, 20/x2, bludgeoning, magic)
PA 2 slams +6, (3d6+7, 20/x2, bludgeoning, magic)
Ranged N/A
Spell-Like Abilities
3/day - Command (DC 11?)
Statistics
Str 16, Dex 12, Con 14, Int 7, Wis 10, Cha 15
Base Atk +5; CMB +8; CMD 19 (19 vs. trip)
Feats: Power Attack (-2, +4), Bludgeoner, Enforcer, Improved Natural Attack
Skills: Intimidate +18, Survival +9, Linguistics -1, Perception +9, Fly +4, Sense Motive +5;
Languages: Common, Elven, Ancient Thassilonian
SQ: Deliver Touch Spells (30 ft.), Devotion (+4 vs enchantments)
Combat Gear ghost touch Amulet of Mighty Fists, Maiden’s Helm
Other Gear Masterwork Tool (Intimidate)
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Karen (Anger Phantom 6, Incorporeal)
Lawful Neutral Medium Outsider (native, incorporeal)
Init (Runs on Francis’ Initiative as per DM); Senses Darkvision 60 ft; Perception +9
Defense
AC 19; Touch 19; Flat-Footed 16; (+1 Dex, +6 Deflection, +2 Dodge)
HP 47 (5d10+10)
Fort +6; Ref +2; Will +4
Defensive Abilities incorporeal; DR N/A; Immune none; Resist none; SR none
Offense
Speed 30 ft.
Space 5 ft; Reach 5 ft
Melee 2 slams +6, (3d6+3, 20/x2, bludgeoning, magic)
PA 2 slams +4, (3d6+7, 20/x2, bludgeoning, magic)
Deliver Touch Spell +6 (spell)
Ranged N/A
Spell-Like Abilities
3/day - Command (DC 11)
Statistics
Str -, Dex 12, Con 14, Int 7, Wis 10, Cha 15
Base Atk +5; CMB +6; CMD 16 (16 vs. trip)
Feats: Power Attack (-2, +4), Bludgeoner, Enforcer, Improved Natural Attack
Skills: Intimidate +11, Survival +9, Linguistics -1, Perception +9, Fly +4, Sense Motive +5;
Languages: Common, Elven, Ancient Thassilonian
SQ: Deliver Touch Spells (30 ft.), Devotion (+4 vs enchantments)
Combat Gear ghost touch Amulet of Mighty Fists
Other Gear
INA and the Anger phantom's effective size increase on its slams are the same kind of bonus I think (see the core rulebook FAQ on sizes), so wouldn't stack.
If they're going to be flanking then feats which use that might help. Outflank, Dirty Fighting or Wild Flanking, maybe other teamwork feats. Also at least one of them will want acrobatics to help get into position.
your wisdom seems much higher than it needs to be, like much higher. sounds like PFS, which since the majority of play ends before lv12 you're looking at max of 4th level spells. That means that a 14 wis is all that is needed by lv 10. So starting with a 12 or 14 is plenty. An 18 wis is only better than 14 by increasing your DC by 2. So unless you plan on casting a lot of offensive spells, (I suggest you don't) you don't need that high of a wisdom.
Also your con and dex seem really low for a front liner. Your AC is light armor +1 dex. that is +5 scaling up with magic. That is very low meaning you'll be taking lots of hits. sure at lv4 you get +2 AC if you're next to your phantom. But that's still pretty low.
Especially when coupled with your low HP. d8 with only 12 con seems low to me. so you might not last super long.
Aww... good catch though. That also frees up a feat slot so that's nice.
Outflank will take bit of work, namely freeing up a feat slot on the Spiritualist. Would you advise dropping Furious Focus for that? The Spiritualist can also invest a bit into Acrobatics as well, so that's nice.
I don't really want to stack too many teamwork feats at the moment, but we'll see how that goes.
EDIT: Dropping lower on Wis seems good. It does mean that the DCs on the touch spells will be worse though. Albeit, that means more spell slots for stuff like shield which will probably help on that front. 14 would free up a sizable amount of points for Dex and Con, probably bumping me to 14 Con and maybe 14 Dex? I need to run the numbers.
Dropping furious focus or the EWP would make sense, yes (though as an elf that feat only needs to be Martial WP, not that it matters much.) A longsword or a longspear is a decent weapon.
Do you think that makes up dropping Courageous? +2 vs. fear is nice to make sure my spellcasting stays online.
Furthermore, paying 3,000 more on my armor feels a bit expensive at this point. It's a delayed entry that would work out in higher levels, but might not be as good now. Then again, I can still pay for a masterwork mithral breastplate sooner and then enchant it later. Might be ok?
EDIT: The Exotic is from the Half-Elf racial trait. Maybe the reach for longspear or a regular longsword would be better? The only thing that dropping it gives me is Skill Focus, since it's the bonus feat.
I don't know how I misread that, but no, keep the EWP then.
I dislike the furious focus feat.
at lv 1-5 it's only a +1, that's weapon focus, but WF also works for AoO
at lv 5-7 it's a +2, so better than WF, but not for AoO which isn't a big deal or for a second attack from haste.
at lv 8-10 it's a +2 only on your first attack. WF is +1 to 2 or 3 with haste.
So outflank, assuming you flank often, is a +2, so that's as big a bonus as furious focus but to all your attacks. It's just conditional to being in a flank.
courageous isn't worth it to me, you can swap your EWP for dual minded to get +2 to all will saves.
3,000gp delayed for the armor is a great steal. And you can afford that probably at lv4 and for sure by lv5.
True. I suppose it depends on how consistently I can flank, which should be not bad? I'll have to see.
I think going for Armor Expert+Mithral Breastplate is also good. It'll provide me with a bonus +3 AC over the Studded Leather, and I'd be much more comfortable at that AC total.
Thoughts on switching to a reach weapon of some description like a longspear instead of the Elven Curve Blade? It means I can swap into Dual Minded, which would augment my Will save to help protect me from being feared. It would also help with flanking.
On a side note, what are people's thoughts on grabbing Phantom Ally and multiclassing into something? Some of the later class features for the Spiritualist are a bit mediocre, and I'd be ok shoring up my lack-luster BaB and perhaps grabbing a few more feats
Totally doable. Weapon Master fighter for some feats, weapon training and full BAB perhaps, and/or brawler or unchained monk if you want to use a reach weapon and still threaten adjacent squares.
the plus to staying pure spiritualist is getting high level spells, like level 3 spells for heroism. so dipping can give you maybe better combat stuff, but it's kinda hard to beat heroism.
Here's an updated version of this, running more of a reach build rather than the simpler old one. It also is based at level 4, rather than 6. This should, hopefully, work a bit better than the previous build.
Francis (Spiritualist 4)
Lawful Neutral Medium Humanoid (elf, human)
Init +2; Senses: Low-light vision; Perception +10
Defense
AC 16; Touch 12; Flat-Footed 14; (+2 Dex, +4 Armor)
HP 31 (4d8+8)
Fort +6; Ref +3; Will +8
Defensive Abilities n/a; Immune sleep; Resist none;
Offense
Speed 30 ft.
Space 5 ft; Reach 10 ft., can’t hit 5 ft.
Melee mwk longspear +7 (1d8+6, 20/x2, piercing)
PA mwk longspear +6 (1d8+12, 20/x2, piercing)
Ranged N/A
Special Attacks N/A
Spells Known (CL 4)
2nd (2/day, spontaneous only)— Touch of Idiocy, Invisibility
1st (4/day, spontaneous only)— Comprehend Languages, Doom, Protection from Evil, Touch of Gracelessness (DC 13)
0 (at will, spontaneous only)— Detect Magic, Detect Psychic Significance, Telekinetic Projectile, Guidance, Light, Mage Hand.
Statistics
Str 18, Dex 14, Con 14, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 8
Base Atk +3; CMB +7; CMD 18 (18 vs. trip)
Traits: Seeker (+1 Perception, Perception is a Class Skill), Armor Expert
Feats: Combat Reflexes, Power Attack (-2, +6), *Skill Focus (Intimidate), Skill Focus (Survival)*
Skills: Perception +10, 3*4; Racial Modifiers: +2 Perception, +2 on saves against enchantment spells
Languages: Common, Elven
SQ: Etheric Tether, Phantom, Shared Consciousness (1 use), Bonded Senses (Standard Action, free to end), Bonded Manifestation (Swift Action, 9 rds/day, either +4 shield bonus or concealment vs. ranged), Spiritual Interference (Ectoplasmic: +2 shield when within reach of phantom, +2 circumstance on saves, Incorporeal: +2 circumstance vs mind-affecting when within 30 ft.), Deliver Touch Spells (30 ft.)
Combat Gear: mwk longspear, chain shirt
Other Gear: 59 gp, 98 sp, 200 cp Handy Haversack, 4 Acid Flasks, 4 Alchemist’s Fire, 4 Antitoxin, Bedroll, Bell, 2 Caltrops, 9 Candles, 4 sq yds. Canvas, 1 map/scroll case, Chain (10 ft.), 5 Chalk, Dagger, Everburning Torch, Fishhook, Flint and Steel, Grappling hook, Hammer, 4 Holy Water (flask), 1 oz. Ink (vial), Inkpen, Javelin, Manacles (medium), Manacles (small), Small steel mirror, Clay mug, 4 1-pint flasks of oil, 1 sheet of paper, 1 sheet of parchment, 4 pitons, 1 Potion (cure light wounds), 1 Potion (endure elements), 7 days trail rations, 50 ft., silk rope, 4 empty sacks, 1 sewing needle, 1 signal whistle, 4 smokestick, 4 sunrod, 4 tanglefoot bag, 4 thunderstone, 10 tindertwig, 4 torches, 1 empty vial, 1 waterskin, Wand of Cure Light Wounds, Wand of Mage Armor, X-4 PP
Karen (Anger Phantom 4, Ectoplasmic)
Lawful Neutral Medium Outsider (native)
Init: Francis’; Senses: Darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +6
Defense
AC 15; Touch 11; Flat-Footed 14; (+1 Dex, +4 Natural Armor)
HP 39 (3d10+3+4)
Fort +4; Ref +2; Will +3
Defensive Abilities n/a; DR 5/slashing; Immune none; Resist none;
Offense
Speed 30 ft.
Space 5 ft; Reach 5 ft.
Melee 2 slams +X (1d8+2, 20/x2, magic, bludgeoning)
Ranged N/A
Special Attacks N/A
Spell-Like Abilities:
At-will: Command (DC 11?)
Statistics
Str 15, Dex 12, Con 13, Int 7, Wis 10, Cha 14
Base Atk +3; CMB +7; CMD 18 (18 vs. trip)
Feats: Power Attack, Bludgeoner, Enforcer
Skills: Intimidate +13, Survival +6, Perception +6, Linguistics -1, Acrobatics +6
Languages: Common, Elven, Ancient Thassilonian
SQ: Etheric Tether, Bonded Senses (Standard Action, free to end), Deliver Touch Spells (30 ft.), Link, Share Spells, Magic Attacks, Phase Lurch, Powerful Strike
Combat Gear:
Other Gear: Maiden’s Helm (+5 to Intimidate)