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I'm still relatively new to pathfinder and would like some help in a build. I'm in a Rise of the Runelords campaign (no spoilers please) and my lvl 8 Hedge Witch died of massive damage due to a trap. I decided to reroll a lvl 9 Alchemist (we gained a lvl)

I was the group healer but we rarely took enough dmg to justify the amount of healing stuff I took. I don't mind a slight healing roll. My DM okayed a Healing bomb discovery. I'm kind of looking for a buff/controller build or just mainly support.

We have heavy damage dealing monk, a bow and Dorn Dergar toting dwarven ranger, an Ifrit Magus that will always go first, and the other guy is going to reroll a summoner.

I am open to suggestions everything including equipment, potions and poisons to carry around. I will have about 23,000gp to play with I think. I was thinking about using a heavy crossbow and taking some of the crossbow feats.

I've played an alchemist with a crossbow once, as far as i can remember using a heavy xbow isnt a good idea (or at least it was back then). Had to do with reloading and multiple attacks per round, might be different now with the new books.

What you could do is ignore bombs that do damage and pick things like dispelling bomb, poison, confusion so more utility and control.

If you want to buff others make sure you take the infusion discovery so you can give your ''spells'' to team mates.

Also, make sure to take the level 2 extract alchemical allocation, nothing like using high level potions every day...again and again... and again.

You could take an archtype that has some extra controlling options, or utility, bestmorph can grant things like blindsight at 10. Or the alchemist that gives summons for some more control/utility etc.

Race human and gnome give some extra favored class abilities that can be nice. Though gnome has kinda bad stats.

Just a few minor things to start with, alchemist has tons of options, good luck.

Dear fellow pathfinders,

Im in a homebrew campaign and need some guidance on what to do with a 9th level monk. Other classes are psion controller / alchemist bomb tosser / cleric touch spells.

15 pt. buy

Human, hungy ghost qinggong monk

Core/apg/UM/UC allowed -> level 9 wealth

str 16 (10) +2
dex 13 (3)
con 14 (5)
int 7 (-4)
wis 14 (5)
cha 7 (-4)

Vows:
- celibacy / truth and cleanness

feats:
1 crane style / toughness m: dodge
2 m: deflect arrows
3 power attack
5 crane wing
6 m: ???
7 crane reposte
9 weapon focus temple sword

skills:
acrobatics 7
climb 1
perception 9
stealth 9
swim 1

gear:
+1 keen temple sword
+2 str belt
+2 wis headband
+2 cloack of res
Handy haversack
+1 deflection ring

slowfall -> barkskin
high jump -> scorching ray (to have a fall back ranged option)

Ki-pool: 11 (2 wis / 4 level / 2 human favorite class bonus / 3 vows)

HP: 71
AC 30 (4 inertia armor + 1 dex + 5 wis + 1 deflec + 1 dodge + 4 fight def + 4 barkskin)
Saves 10/9/11

Hit 12/12/7/7
Dmg 1d8 + 13 17-20 /x2

As a campaign specific thing everyone gets a level 8 cleric domain power, so anything thats great for monks ? (destruction aura gives more ki-points true crits / teleport from travel / liberation aura / rage domain...)

so feat at level 6 / traits / lvl 8 domain / magical items that would help? And any further advice,

Thanks in advance, Kage

Im starting to get somewhere with this

@Gherrick
Ill try to raise my intel somewhat to make it worthwhile , thanks

@Grimmy
Port Salut...one of my favorites... GIVE !

@Mathwei ap Niall
While i love the idea of attacking 10 times in a round ill try not to do it till we get overrun with higher CR foes and the party strugels, good to know how to do it though,

Thanks !

Getting higher intel is hard on a 15 point buy...guess i could go :
Level 4 increase in either con/str or intel and hmm... a circlet asap so my intel is 18...

16
10
15
16
9
7

How would you do in Mathwei ?

Thanks for the replies thus far !

Regards Kage

Thanks again for the replies everyone

@Matt2vk
Im using a wand of shield already. And got Wand Wielder both for wands and staffs, though im a bit unsure how i can cast spells when i have a sword/wand equiped since some spells have somatic components, wouldnt that cause problems?

@Mathwei ap Niall
I usually do it with reach (enlarged) 5-foot stepping between spellcasting and attacking etc. You are right however when the monster is smart enough to hug me and has reach it gets tougher, that doesnt happen that often (blame my dm)

On a site note lets stop our discussion about my offence, i get it…i suck, i have to suck not to overshadow the rest of the group damage wise, I really dont mind, we have been playing for almost 10 years now and the highest we’ve been is level 9. So As soon as we get a hard time at CR 9-10-11 encounters they might wanne change a bit…or not, we shall see ;)

Yes i cast haste about 3 times a day, mostly on toucher mobs, so yes you are right we wont be hasted all the time, but we are at the fights that count.

Hmm the combat reflexes thing i should have known highest ill ever have is 15 dex though so dont think it will work for me.
Afaik you cast frostbite on 1 hand (or claw or bite or weapon as a magus) so 7 natural weapons wont get you 7 frostbite attacks. The same applies with the hair unless you make 7 attacks with just the hair. And even if it worked like that (from a balance point of view) you know i will never be able to do something like that in THIS group.

@Gherrick
Although everyone is yelling arcane accuracy is awsome, it gives a small buff for 1 round i dont like it. The only reason i would like it is making a nova build where is just have to kill stuff asap. I agree completly on enchanting the weapon thats a small buff that actually lasts 10 rounds.

Can’t use shocking grasp because the damage is quite high compared to my party.

Once i get high enough level i probably will get me a mithril plate, just dont wanne spend a feat for something ill get for free later. Blur might help, thanks.

@Mach1.9pants
Ye Intensified spell

Kinds regards Kage

Thanks again for replying


@Mathwei ap Nia
ll
I use about 5 of the charges (3 in the first round and 2 in the second), i usually use that second round for some other control or buff spell.



Every fight i kinda cast haste (3 encounters on average)...probably since both me and the barbarian get another attack...dunno what would be stronger then that.



How would you have MORE attacks then 3 at level 7 to do more attacks, also i dont consider fatigue as a strong debuff, but i might be mistaken. Chill touch does 1d6 dmg...thats even less then 1d6+7...at what point will that increase my dmg that is already too low by your standards.?

My DM thinks 2d6+15 is allot...i disagree with him but the rest of the group kinda sides with him since our barb at level 7 (in rage) does like 2d8+16 with allot lower crit range and all buffs coming from me. So heaven forbid i out dmg him...

So yes this isnt a typical group, i need to survive those full attacks for multiple rounds precicly because our group dmg is so low

@Gherrick
Ye thats pretty close to my new point buy overview i posted. Also im using defencive spells its just not enough in melee. Ive never found spending 1 arcane pool point worth it to get a 1 round buff, thats mostly because it fits a nova-build (shocking grasp for example that i cant use).

Kind regards Kage, thanks again.

Thanks for all the feedback thus far



First of all i agree with almost everything that has been said, i was playing a half-elf magus with high intel and str and somewhat class canon feel...i just wasnt allowed to be a cannon since that would have been ‘’ze-overpowerdz’’ compared to the rest of the group... so i want defences that keep me alive against a CR7 anything, atleast for some time.

Small update its with a 15 point buy:

(10) str. 17 (19 with belt)

(3) dex 13

(5) con 16

(5) intel 14

(-4) wis 9

(-4) cha 5



@andrew R
I
agree it’s not optimal, for saves its rather good (+4 aint a bad thing, considering the magus is bad in that departement), for hp its also fine.

thus far having low saves and hp (unlucky rolls...42 at level 7) has hurt me allot more then any int. score could have.

@Grimmy

allot of things that are considered normal/legal here are frowned upon by my group, they kinda play basic chars. (1 considers fireball an awsome dmg spell ;) )



@GeraintElberion

The barbarian will never listen to me and refuses to use anything non core...i did get him to pick power attack though...
The psion is actually quite good, its just that battlefield control doesnt kill stuff...and because of that the dm doesnt really get annoyed by it.

Besides that, i kinda dislike advicing people unless they ask for advice...



@James Maissen

I guess i never should have played that druid in 3.0 .... they have been nerfing stuff that i played ever since

@Gherrick and Lightbulb
You are both completly right
(21 was from my pref char, half elf with+2 racial bonus....thats what i get for having 2 sheets next to each other and not paying attention...)
see stats above hopefully that clears stuff, also im now thinking of dropping power attack again....bah -_- ...

I’ill probably sit down a bit and digest everything that has been said thus far and update my char completly soon.



Kind regards Kage, the more insights the merrier, keep em coming !

Thanks again for the replies,

@Matt2vk
After reading multiple comments I will go for Power attack as my 5th level feat to make myself a bit more of a treat, specially since it scales with level.

Im actually the wand/staff craftsman in our campaign, the psion makes wonderous items, our barbarian makes weapons/armor and the alchemist (I think I missed him in the first post) makes potions and some other stuff. So yes we use wands.

UMD, im actually taking full ranks In it to give my familiar the ability to use wands of shield other (don’t think the trait helps my familiar)

@Gjorbjond
Even if my int is higher (16 for example…hard with 15 point buy and a dwarf) the check will still be very hard. Usually I am enlarged and use reach+5foot step between casting and attacking and that kinda stuff to ignore AoOs from monsters. So casting defensively rarely happens.

Wont UMD help me use a wand with Shield Other, or my familiar for that matter ?

@Mathwei ap Niall
Well…basically I’m stronger in terms of damage then our barbarian/alchemist and psion (and yes…they don’t optimize and consider anything higher that 2d6+15 at our level overpowered) so I am not at all concerned about my damage because frankly if its higher my dm will complain im powerplaying... sad but true. At level 8 a magus (spellstriking + spellcombat + haste) makes 3 or 4 attacks per round each capable of doing 2d6+21 dmg (power attack), that should at least be okay. (I know that some people think frostbite doesn’t work on 2th/3th attacks, my DM said it does so)

I changed the dex to int…so now its 14 int (still low…but with a 15 point buy I really cant affort more imo), I don’t use many DC spells, lots of awesome spells don’t use DCs at all. Buffs and channeled spells don’t use DC either. Since I have around 12 arcane pool points I can cast quite a bit extra spells each day.

Extra arcane pool gives me allot of versatility once you get improved spell recall, I just didn’t see anything that’s better… but I guess opinions on that vary.

Be more effective at what btw ? Because I see him as way more effective then what I had before, mostly because I wont die as fast and actually have proper saves. And still do (for our group) dmg and have plenty of spells to cast.

Regards Kage, futher advice is appreciated!

First of all, thank you all for the advice.

@Matt2vk
Ive thought about it in the start, but then my dm banned the books that grant dex to dmg (scimitar dance and agile weapon enchant), without those i kinda dislike going dex.

Also…’’that be for tha silly treehuggers, we dwarfs be strong’’

@Kaisc006
That would help my AC, Mithrill fullplate is really expensive though and im really into the extra arcane points for added versatility.

@Jiggy
I’m real men enough since im playing the only race that drinks all day and still functions !

@Cartmanbeck
I’ve taken another look at extra arcana and i agree there are some nice picks, though anything related to intel is a bad idea considering my score. Spell Blending ill probably take at 12 and i will be taking a familiar, read below :)

Small update on the build:
Either going for regular magus or staff magus

staff magus because of this miniature (im a sucker for flavor and cool looks :p)
http://www.ljparkerphotography.com/Items-For-Sale/RPG-Gear/Minis-Med/111263 14_TfL3v7/783368431_eXDB2#!i=783368431&k=eXDB2

But mostly because the arcana that stood out the most for me was familiar, taking a LN (perfect for a dwarf) Inevitable Arbiter with Regeneration 2 (chaos). Shield self spell so it takes 50% of my damage and voila damage sponge :D (found that somewhere on the forums).

Nothing really changed except i took wand wielder as my level six arcana and improved familiar at level 7. Tripping seems like to feat intense for my taste so if i go the staff route that wont be happening.

Still wondering what 5th level feat and traits i should take.

Any other suggestions ?

I’ve been playing a magus since level 1 and it’s been a blast. Currently we are level 7 and growing strong. Or so i though, last session our DM was a meany and insta killed me with a high level blasting spell. So now i want to make a v. 2.0 magus.

Houserules in effect:
- Core, APG, UM, (the psionic book…guess there aint anything in there for a magus but i might be wrong) only
- Frigid touch does lethal dmg
- Favorite class bonus ½ arcane pool point (yes my dm is a nice guy sometimes :P)
- DM didnt like rime-spell frigid touch so i havent tried intensified shocking graps yet…he will probably throw a book at me

Party composition:
Barbarian (core only), Psion (battefield control, summoning astral constructs), magus

My main issue the past 7 levels (even with mirror images up etc.) is survivability, i went down/out of numerous fights (either unconsious or stunned/feared etc).

So general goal is higher saves/hp/ac in combination with defencive spells without totally sucking offencively =>

Dwarf Bladebound Magus level 7
Str 21
Dex 14
Con 16
Int 13
Wis 8
Cha 8

Feats:
1. Steel Soul
3. Extra arcane pool
5. Extra arcane pool
5. A combat feat…euhm improved ini? / power attack? Or something else…
7. Extra arcane pool

HP: 56
AC: 23 (27 when shields up)

Saves:
Fort: 9 (+4)
reflex: 5 (+4)
Will: 5 (+4)

Scimitar +3 Keen (when enchanted) 1d6+8 +1d6+7 (frigid touch)

Gear:
Breastplate +2 / ring of prot +2 / neck of nat armor +1 / Belt of str +2 / pearl of power level 1 / Cloack of resistance +1 / other minor stuff

Any advice on how to improve this ? (doesnt need to be dwarf…i just like the higher saves)