I got bored pushing buttons on HeroLab, so some spells used are not in the spell book. There are only 5 or so spells in the spell book. I have lots to burn still, even after tons of augery type spells to figure out what and where to look for the BBEGs. Likewise, I have a 30+ perception and 3 feats to burn if I need to rely on old fashioned eye-balls.
note that Annie can do all the above without actually expending any spell slots thanks to the capstone for Arcanists. The DCs will not change (excepting the ones that go up thanks to the +2 DC from the capstone. . . ) With fewer useless enchants on her armor, she could have neigh infinite level 2 scrolls and dweomer's essences.
I reckon that with the ~80k she had left over, she could afford 40 essences (20,000 gold) and 400 scrolls (60,000 gold).
She could make the same run back and forth about 20 some odd times without any real effort.
Did not use any aging. Would be worse with a Tiefling using the +2 alt racial int and venerable age. Going invisible does not work on demons and angels as they can Truesight, but " It does not negate concealment, including that caused by fog and the like." Yay goz mask and smoking bottles.
Enemies without true sight cannot see through polymorph, so walking in as a rat or whatever vermin requests their lair should be sufficient to get in unnoticed.
Enemies with true sight see through polymorph. Doesn't work.
Finally, Annie has a +33 to all Knowledge skills, so 43 on all Knowledge rolls by the rules set forth. The Tarrasque has a CR of 25. So even on him the 10+CR gets me 10 above. I should know what the base weaknesses (weakest save) and special perception abilities (which have true sight).
All souls are dropped to the bottom of the ocean into the maelstrom.
The dino gets his soul back after the terrasque is properly de-souled and wished permanently dead.
No familiars were permanently harmed in the building of Annie.
All references to cramming souls in and our of creatures courtesy of Parasitic Soul:
Parasitic Soul:
This spell functions like magic jar except as noted above, and instead of your own soul, you may transfer a trapped soul (such as one trapped with soul bind or trap the soul) from the receptacle into an unwilling target’s body. If the target creature fails its saving throw, it dies, and the trapped soul in the receptacle inhabits the body as if using magic jar. The trapped soul does not get a saving throw to resist this transfer. To dismiss the spell, you must be within range of the possessed body.
So, I keep putting my familiar in better and better bodies. Upgrades all around.
In Homage to the Vacuum, I will go ahead and use it as a preferred spell for some occasions, just realize that by switching out the Preferred Spell to Parasitic Soul, you could easily do this run with just one spell, which happens to have a range of medium (100 ft. + 10 ft./level).
So in short, swap out all reference to Suffocation, insert Parasitic Soul in all slots, and swap out daze for reach. Poof! Just upgrade after upgrade with familiars as you move forward. Just remember to put the soul back when you are done playing with it. (your familiar's, drop the others in the ocean)
Annie Arcanist
Elf arcanist 20 (Pathfinder RPG Advanced Class Guide 8)
LG Medium humanoid (elf)
Init +30; Senses low-light vision; Perception +32
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Defense
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AC 35, touch 18, flat-footed 32 (+6 armor, +5 deflection, +3 Dex, +5 natural, +6 shield)
hp 162 (20d6+80)
Fort +16, Ref +15, Will +21; +2 vs. enchantments, +4 and one size larger to resist effects of wind
Defensive Abilities evasion, fortification 75%; Immune sleep
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Offense
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Speed 30 ft.
Melee +1 dueling spiked gauntlet +10/+5 (1d4-1)
Special Attacks arcane reservoir (10/43), arcanist exploits (consume magic items, dimensional slide, familiar, greater metamagic knowledge, lepidstadt shifter, metamagic knowledge, metamixing, potent magic, quick study, school understanding), consume spells, magical supremacy
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 20th; concentration +24)
. . 3/day—touch of fatigue (DC 16)
Arcanist Spells Prepared (CL 20th; concentration +33)
. . 9th—parasitic soul (DC 34), mass suffocation[APG] (DC 36)
. . 8th—trap the soul
. . 5th—magic jar (DC 30), suffocation[APG] (DC 30)
. . 3rd—hydraulic torrent[APG]
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Statistics
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Str 7, Dex 17, Con 18, Int 36, Wis 17, Cha 18
Base Atk +10; CMB +9 (+11 disarm); CMD 26 (28 vs. disarm, 31 vs. grapple)
Feats Additional Traits, Alertness, Dazing Spell[APG], Greater Spell Focus (necromancy), Improved Initiative, Persistent Spell[APG], Quicken Spell, Run, Spell Focus (necromancy), Spell Perfection[APG], Varisian Tattoo[ISWG]
Traits magical lineage, seeker, warrior of old
Skills Acrobatics +4 (+8 to jump with a running start), Appraise +14, Bluff +5 (+7 to Feint), Climb -1, Diplomacy +5, Disguise +5, Escape Artist +29, Fly +27, Heal +4, Intimidate +5, Knowledge (arcana) +37, Knowledge (dungeoneering) +37, Knowledge (engineering) +37, Knowledge (geography) +37, Knowledge (history) +37, Knowledge (local) +37, Knowledge (nature) +37, Knowledge (planes) +37, Knowledge (religion) +37, Linguistics +37, Perception +32, Ride +4, Sense Motive +6, Spellcraft +37 (+39 to identify magic item properties), Stealth +4, Survival +4, Swim -1, Use Magic Device +28; Racial Modifiers +2 Spellcraft to identify magic item properties
Languages Common, Elven
SQ elven magic, prescience, school (foresight)
Other Gear +5 amorphous fortification (heavy) glamered hosteling restful haramaki, +5 determination ghost touch mithral light steel shield, +1 dueling spiked gauntlet, pale green prism ioun stone, amulet of natural armor +5, belt of physical might +6 (Dex, Con), cloak of resistance +5, eversmoking bottle, goz mask, handy haversack, headband of mental superiority +6, ring of evasion, ring of protection +5, tome of clear thought +5, 82,433 gp
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Special Abilities
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Arcane Reservoir +2 DC or CL (43/day) (Su) Pool of points fuel exploits, or can expend to add +2 CL or DC while cast spell.
Consume Magic Items (Su) Move act, destroy potion/scroll or -5 wand chg for +1/2 spell level to reservoir. Staves better.
Consume Spells (Su) As a move action, expend a spell slot to add its spell levels to arcane reservoir.
Dazing Spell You can cast a spell that dazes those injured by it (duration = spell's level in rounds, Fort negates).
Deliver Touch Spells Through Familiar (Su) Your familiar can deliver touch spells for you.
Dimensional Slide (200 feet) (Su) Use 1 reservoir as part of move/withdraw, move to spot in sight for only 5 ft movement & no AoO.
Elven Immunities - Sleep You are immune to magic sleep effects.
Elven Magic +2 to spellcraft checks to determine the properties of a magic item.
Empathic Link with Familiar (Su) You have an empathic link with your Arcane Familiar.
Evasion (Ex) If you succeed at a Reflex save for half damage, you take none instead.
Familiar Bonus: +4 to Initiative checks You gain the Alertness feat while your familiar is within arm's reach.
Foresight Associated School: Divination
Fortification 75% You have a chance to negate critical hits on attacks.
Greater Metamagic Knowledge When preparing spells, can exchange bonus MM feat for another that qualify for.
Greater Spell Focus (Necromancy) +1 to the Save DC of spells from one school.
Lepidstadt Shifter (Su) Expend 1 Arc. Res. to cast a spell while polymorphed.
Low-Light Vision See twice as far as a human in low light, distinguishing color and detail.
Magical Lineage (Suffocation) A chosen spell counts as 1 level lower when metamagic feats are applied to it.
Magical Supremacy (Su) Spend 1+spell level reservoir to cast any prepared spell at +2 CL & DC (no slot expended).
Metamixing (Su) Use 1 reservoir while casting a spell, apply a known MM to spell without affect on casting time.
Persistent Spell Foes must succeed at 2 saves or suffer the spell's full effects.
Prescience (16/day) (Su) Roll a d20 at the beginning of the round, and use that result as the result of any other d20 roll before the next turn.
Quick Study (Ex) Use 1 reservoir as a full rd action, consult spellbook to switch out mem spell (provokes AoO).
Quicken Spell Cast a spell as a swift action. +4 Levels.
Ring of evasion No damage if you succeed on a Reflex save for half damage.
Run Run 5x your speed in light/medium armor or 4x speed in heavy armor and keep Dex when running.
School Understanding Use 1 reservoir as a swift action to treat school ability at full level & gain other ability for 4 rds.
Scry on Familiar (1/day) (Sp) You can scry on your familiar, as the spell.
Share Spells with Familiar Can cast spells with a target of "You" on the familiar with a range of touch.
Speak with Animals (Ex) Your familiar can communicate with animals similar to itself.
Speak with Familiar (Ex) You can communicate verbally with your familiar.
Spell Focus (Necromancy) Spells from one school of magic have +1 to their save DC.
Spell Perfection (Suffocation, Mass) The selected spell can have 1 metamagic feat applied for free, as long as the modified level stays at or below 9. Double the effects of feats like spell focus, weapon focus [ray], etc. on this spell.
Varisian Tattoo (Necromancy) Spells from chosen school gain +1 caster level.
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3 feats, one trait, and ~90k in gold unspent.
Additionally, a whole lot of gold spent on items that I know will not matter (Ex. Heavy Fortification on Armor)
Anyhow.
Annie has spent weeks preparing, casting as many Divinations as she could muster. Although she cannot know when or exactly when she will be attacked, she has some idea. She spends several tens of thousands of gold on level 2 scrolls she plans to consume for her resevoir.
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Round 1: Annie Archaist vs. The Shoggoth
Annie gets to the lake, and polymorphs into -pick a decent aquatic form-
Annie automatically goes first.
Annie casts her perfect suffocation, mass.
DC is 10 + 9 (Level) + 2 (Spell Focus) +2 (Greater Spell Focus) + 13 (Int) = 36
Shoggoth's roll = 19+10 = 39. Dead.
Round 2: Annie vs. The Demon
Annie is on her way to the demon when she pulls a gem out of her pocket, and traps the soul of her familiar inside. She knows this might be a tough one, so she puts her familiars spiritless body inside her hostelling armor. Thanks to her absurdly large arcane pool, Annie keeps her school power active, and acts during the surprise round along with the Balor. She goes first, as her Initiative is +30 and rolls a 20 per the class ability opposed to the balors horrible attempt.
Realizing the fights are getting harder, Annie comes up with a bold plan. Thanks to her permanently uncorked bottle, her intimate knowledge of the Balor's strengths and weaknesses, she is happy with the goz mask and bottle providing total concealment (true seeing allows darkness, invisibility, etc. but no mention of smoke, fog, etc.). Annie sees just fine, so decides she wants a new improved body for her familiar, and uses a dweller's essence to cast Parasitic Soul on the demon.
DC of Parasitic Soul is 10 + 9 (Spell Level) + 13 (Int) + 1 (Spell Focus) + 1 (Spell Focus) + 2 (Potent Magic) = 36. My loyal familiar is now a Balor. Might be handy.
Round 3: Annie vs. The Devil
Annie knows this was coming as well, so shifts into whatever form she likes best with dark vision 60+ Thanks Polymorph. She picks up another gem with 1g, probably a bit of quartz, and stuffs the soul of a clam inside. when she meets the devil, she soul swaps him, drops the gem to the bottom of the ocean, and continues on (his save is ridiculously low compared to the above, same tactic.)
Round 4: Annie vs. The Linnorm
Annie is a sparrow (why not) for this one. The Linnorm gets a surprise round, but knowing this was coming, Annie preempts because she had refilled her resevoir as needed using more scrolls as and was using her school ability. She again gets 50, trouncing the Linnorm.
not caring to waste any time, she uses her mastery of magic to suffocate the beast. (Magical Supremecy, 1 reservoir point, DC 36 v. 35 from Tor Linnorm, 30 for cairn linnorm)
Round 5: Annie vs. The Dragon
continuing on, this time as a moth or something ridiculous, The dragon solidly loses with is -1 initiative mod., Annie flutters in, passes the DC 30 will save (30 to 31) and again uses magical supremacy as above. As the dragon plummets to the ground gasping for breath having rolled a 33 (or 34 with luck gem) and needing a 36. SR wasn't an issue with dragons. Odd?
Round 6: Annie vs. The Angel
Again knowing is the key, and Annie acts first with her amazing init of 50. She lets the demon have fun, and it charges the angel. I assume the angel returns the favor. At any rate, Annie still has her mask and bottle on. No sense being anything odd for this.
Solar charges Balor, hits a bunch, much rolling of dice, it matters not.
Annie shifts 200' to much closer to Solar, and uses her Immediate action to put up her emergency force sphere if the angel opts to target her.
Realizing the angel is prettier than the Balor, she takes shoves her familiar into the prettier body, and the Balor into her pretty gem, which she some how loses at the bottom of an ocean some time later. The angels save is worse than the Balors.
Round 7: Annie vs. The Tarrasque
Annie laughs hysterically. Surely, this is the best familiar ever. Out with the Angel, in with the Tarrasque. With a mighty +12 will save. . . SR 36 is harsh, so Annie musters all her might as outlined above, and rolls a 10 for a total of 40. yay team. She wins with a Tarrasque familiar from this point on. Hope she isn't too evil.
Level 1 Oracle of Life w/ Channel (Dual Cursed)
Level 2 Necromancy School Wizard with Command Undead
Level 3 Cleric of Ranalc with Daze variant Channel (Travel and Nobility domains)
Level 4+ Back to Oracle
Race: Gnome
Stats:
6 Str (-2 Points); 12 Dex (2 Points); 12 Con (0 Points); 14 Int (5 Points); 12 Wis (12 Points); 19 Cha (13 points).
Traits:
Magical Knack (Oracle) and Sacred Conduit (+1 DC of Channels)
Level 1: Improved Channel - 5 1d6 channels / day, DC = 10 + 4 (cha) +2 (Improved Channel) + 1 (Sacred Conduit) = 17
Level 2: Spell Focus (Conjuration) - Wizard Bonus Channel to Command Undead DC 17, 5/day
Level 3: Selective Channel - Channel to Daze DC 17 5/day
Level 4: +1 Cha, 5/day channel Negative to Command Undead, 6/day channel Positive to heal 1d6, 8/day Channel Negative to Daze.
Level 5: Channel Ray - Misfortune Hex
Level 6:
Level 7: Versatile Channel
Level 8: +1 Cha
Level 9: Quick Channel
Level 10:
Level 11: Divine interference
Level 12: +1 Cha
+2 Int Ioun Stone, +2 Wis Ioun Stone, and +6 Cha Headband.
+4 Dex/Con belt
Circlet of Persuasion
Cha at 12 should be 28 ish, for +9
Daze DC will be 21
Command Undead DC will likewise be 21
Heal will be 5d6 with DC of 26
Channels will be DC 23 (Daze), 23 (Command), and 28 (heal) via Channel Ray.
I will be able to channel 12/Day (Daze) 6/Day (Command) And 12/Day (Heal) or half that quickened.
"We need cowbell for this fever." Zerika nods. "We not ever lose him in dead tower if he has cowbell with jerky fever Even if he wander away, we find him."
Silken Ceremonial Armor and Haramaki both have +1 AC, - Dex, 0 Arcane Failure.
Light Mithral Shield likewise has no dex penalty, 0 arcane failure.
I love using these together on wizards, though not for AC. The purpose is really to have something to hold enchantments for you.
I like: Amorphous, (+ 5 CMD against grapple and Escape Artist), Restful (get 8 hours rest in 2 hours), Glamered (looks like normal clothes), and Fortification if you can afford it.
on the Shield, I like: Determination (auto casts Breath of Life on self when at 0 or fewer HP)
For my oracle with misfortune, I just tell the GM in advance, "I save Misfortune for the natural '1' my party member rolls each day. If they roll less than a 10 on a Will or Fort save, I will likewise use misfortune. Finally, any time you would say 'critical threat' I will use Misfortune against the enemy in question." That way, my GM can do all the hidden rolls they like, and just let me know when I have burned off my Misfortune on any given target.
It also helps game flow as 75% of all my Misfortune rolls are auto-consumed by my GM.
Edit: Also, the true cost of misfortune comes with the class abilities Dual Cursed replaces, along with the revelation cost itself.
Example: Heavens Oracle cannot take both Awesome Display and Misfortune at level 1, without burning a feat, AND the Dual Cursed Oracle takes away the level 2 bonus spell (Color Spray) AND the Dual Cursed archetype takes away the class skills specific to the revelation.
I.Archetypes
If you plan on being a buffer or 3.5 style transmuter, Brown Fur transmuter is king.
If you plan on summoning, Occultist is king.
School Savant is good if you want a specific power (such as Teleportation sub school)
The rest seem kind of meh.
II. Races
Elf is great for same reason as for same reasons as for Wizards.
Human is great because it is Human.
Gnomes have best alt racial, but no int bonus.
III. Exploits
Dimensional Slide is my favorite if you can use to escape grapples. I see no reason you cannot.
Consume Magic Items is my second favorite since it is the only way to recharge your precious arcane pool. Not really necessary on the Occultist for summoning though, since you can move action to consume a spell slot, the five foot step, then standard action to summon.
School Understanding is my third favorite for Teleporation, otherwise I wouldn't bother.
Familiar is my fourth favorite since it is +4 initiative and later comes with huge action economy for a feat.
IV. Traits
Pragmatic Activator adds UMD to class list and lets you use Int in place of Cha. If Int and Cha are within +1 Stat Mod, then it is equivalent to Dangerously Curious.
Seeker grants +1 to Perception and makes Perception a Class Skill.
Other than that, same as wizard.
b]VI. Feats[/b]
For Occultists, Spell Focus Conjuration, Augment Summons, Superior Summons, Improved Initiative, Piercing Spell, etc.
VI. Stats
Int>Dex>Cha>Con>Wis>Str
Sample 20 point build for an Occultist (Before racial Mods) if you plan to choose exploits that have 3+ Cha Mod/Day uses,
7 Str (-4 Points), 14 Dex (+5 Points), 13 Con (+3 Points) 17 Int (13 Points) 8 Wis (-2 Points), 14 Cha (5 points)
Sample 20 point build for an Occultist (Before racial Mods) if you not planning to choose exploits that have 3+ Cha Mod/day uses,
7 Str (-4 Points) 14 Dex (5 points) 12 Con (2 points) 18 Int (17 points) 10 Wis (0 points) 10 Cha (0 Points)
If you chose a -Str race (Gnome or Halfling) swap Str and Cha so you don't die the first time you see a shadow.
Stepping a toe in, Quillen learns the water is about one foot deep, and increases to three feet just before the staircase leading up or down. The current appears to grow much stronger where the whirlpool has formed over the spiral staircase leading down. Luckily, Zahaz' clearing of the drain seems to have helped tame the whirlpool, and the water level is dropping, slowly.
This might indicate the level below is flooding faster.
The two in the boat gladly exchange one item for five, and promptly begin bickering over who gets the spare shining coin.
"If the lovely lady declares I get the extra shiny thing, I will accompany her to the sleeper and translate," offers the hawk headed creature.
"If the lovely lady says I get the coin, I will translate the papers for her, and help translate." offers the other.
"You cant even read!" objects the hawk.
"I can too! I was learnin' readin' from the clever cat-dog thing!"
"Don't believe him, he lies! He says he caught that paper, and I caught it! It is my fishy!"
"See! You cannot trust him to translate! He doesn't know the difference between a pile of sodden paper and a fishy! Fishies have scales not letters. You need me more."
"I know what a fishy is! It is what you catch with a fishy pole! I caught it with a fishy pole! Who ever hear of a papers pole? He is an idiot!"
The bickering continues on, and on. . . and on some more.
One paper is written in Sylvan. If you have that language, please let me know. Three other papers seem to be scrolls of some sort. The others are a sodden mess best suited for some mache project, perhaps a piñata.
"Honestly, I wouldn't know about potions to help swim. Virmil should have a better understanding than anyone else out her, Vermil?" The Paracountess answers, turning to address the acolyte, there is the barest glimpse as he rounds the stairs to the scriptorium. As he vanishes around a corner, without providing answer, a scrap of paper falls from his sodden pile.
"Ah, our useless acolyte continues to live down to his reputation," Shaine mutters as you read over the scrap. "There should not yet be a sufficient quantity of water to require much swimming if any. After all, when Virml came back out, the overflow left only this puddle. I don't expect that to last, though."
This build is designed as an "Anvil" as TarkXT has labeled such builds in his very well written post on such things.
The primary goal of this build is to exercise control using three main abilities:
Action Economy is better than average, thanks to readily available Swift, Immediate, Move, and Standard Actions. Better still, there is a Familiar with her own Swift, Immediate, and Standard Actions!
Rerolls are incredibly powerful. In some cases they are essential buffs, and in others, debuffs. See below. More importantly, this build can hand them out like crazy.
First, Misfortune allows you to force, as an immediate action, a re-roll of any d20 made by anyone (including yourself by RAW) within 30' of yourself.
Second, Ill Omen does not allow a save, but does have to overcome SR. This forces the enemy to roll 2 d20 and take the worst result on the next d20 roll.
Third, Fortune allows just you to re-roll any d20 you have just rolled.
Fourth, Divine Interference allows you to sacrifice a spell slot (level one or greater) to force a re-roll.
Battlefield Control is a little trickier, luckily, Black Tentacles, the amazing Wizard standard control spell is on the Dark Tapestry list. Additionally, all the standard Summon Monster spells are available to the Dark Tapestry Oracle (and all other Oracles).
Finally, the debuffs! First, lets be clear, rerolls are a form of debuff:
GM: Natural 20, BBEG threatens a critical.
Oracle: Shadowy black flame briefly engulfs the BBEG a profound feeling of dread permeates the air. . . Please re-roll that d20, Misfortune / Divine Interference.
Aditionally, this build focuses on the tried and true, good-old fashioned debuffs. The build even incorporates some relatively devastating to melee/ranged curses just for that purpose. Oracle's Burden places your curse(s) onto an enemy, without the bonuses. So Wrecker breaks their whatever the enemy is holding (sword and shield for example). (un)Fortunately, the Wrecker Curse is specific on held items, and you do not hold armor . . . Meh (After level 5, your armor is likely to be the Cloak of Darkness with some light weight thing enchanted up with other bonuses). At any rate, the condition imparts:
If the item is a weapon, any attacks made with the item suffer a –2 penalty on attack and damage rolls. Such weapons only score a critical hit on a natural 20 and only deal ×2 damage on a confirmed critical hit.
If the item is a suit of armor or a shield, the bonus it grants to AC is halved, rounding down. Broken armor doubles its armor check penalty on skills.
If the item is a tool needed for a skill, any skill check made with the item takes a –2 penalty.
If the item is a wand or staff, it uses up twice as many charges when used.
If the item does not fit into any of these categories, the broken condition has no effect on its use.
in addition to Wrecker, Oracle's Burden also delivers Haunted: "Retrieving any stored item from your gear requires a standard action, unless it would normally take longer. Any item you drop lands 10 feet away from you in a random direction." Think of all the fun your allies will have disarming the enemies! Don't just leave it to the allies though. Burning Disarm allows you to force enemies to drop items as well.
Other wonderful debuffs include: Murderous Command and Burning Disarm (Level 1), Burst of Radiance (Level 2), Hold Person for Melee, Silece for Casters (Level 3), Fleshworm Infestation and for the ultimate in Caster elimination, Dark Tapestry grants Feeblemind and then there is Boneshatter for the Melee types. Keep an eye out for enemies without SR, and make sure your wand-wielding familiar is ready for them with a wand of Ill Omen!
A final word on re-rolls. Once you have 2 re-roll pools readily available, make sure the use the right ones for the right job. At level 3, you have 3 re-roll pools, Fortune, Misfortune, and Divine Interference. Use Divine Interference on ENEMIES, Misfortune on ALLIES, and Fortune on YOU.
Final thought, not word, on re-rolls: Only force re-rolls that matter! Ex: Boris the Strong and Fair has 207 Hit Points. The BBEG just swung and threatened on a natural 20. Boris is thus far unscathed, and the 19 the BBEG rolled last round missed. DO NOT WASTE MISFORTUNE. Unless this boss is packing 5d10+56 damage, Boris is likely to be fine. Likewise, if a party member is throwing SOS spells around, get a feel for the BBEG save before you throw in your Misfortune. Rolling twice for a SoS at DC 20 with a +18 save is still cake. The same thing with a +2 really, really sucks.
Last word before the crunchy part: Always speak to your GM (if possible) prior to introducing something like this. A little politeness goes a long way.
Finally on to the meat!
Race: Half-Elf - Why? Access to Paragon Surge, Free level 1 Skill Focus as a Bonus Feat.
Alternate Race Traits: NONE - Why? Most replace Skill Focus or replace the bonus to the most rolled skill in the game, perception.
Deity: Arshea - Why? If you can squeeze in Celestial Obedience, you can gain: "a +4 sacred bonus on Charisma checks and Charisma-based skill checks when interacting with an intelligent creature who could be sexually attracted to you."
Alignment: Neutral Good - Why? To match Arshea
Traits: Warrior of Old (+2 Initiative) and Seeker (+1 Perception; Perception becomes a Class Skill) - Why? Perception is most rolled skill in the game, and Initiative is a primary for Anvil types.
Class: Oracle
Archetype: Dual-Cursed - Why? Misfortune
Curses: Haunted improving, Wrecker non-improving - Why? Great spells from Haunted!
Mystery: Dark Tapestry - Why? Flight, Armor, great spell list, and crazy good debut abilities.
Stats: Str: 8 (-2); Dex: 12 (+2); Con: 13 (+3); Int: 12 (+2); Wis: 8 (-2); Cha 18 (+17)
parentheticals indicate point buy cost, 20 points total
+2 Racial to Charisma for a total of 20 Charisma.
Revelations:
Level 1: Misfortune - Most powerful revelation in Pathfinder, IMHO
Level 3: Many Forms - Alter Self that grows with you as a revelation.
Level 5: Gift of Madness - Confusion 3+ Cha Mod times/day additionally, duration goes up at level 7 to rounds/oracle level. Very nice.
Level 5: Cloak of Darkness - Armor and . . . well in theory Stealth, but that is not a skill we use, and it is not a skill belonging to a stat we have invested much in.
Level 7: Wings of Darkness - Flight is very, very, very handy More or less the only reason I didn't completely tank Dex.
Level 11: Fortune - Yet another preroll ability!
Feats:
Half-Elf: Skill Focus (Knowledge: Planes) - Pre-Req that happens to be thematically relevant.
Level 1: Noble Scion of War (Cha in place of Dex to Initiative) - Initiative is win.
Level 3: Eldrich Heritage* (Arcane) for Arcane Familiar - Arcane Familiar = Imroved Initiative for levels 3-7, thereafter it is wand user allowing you additional spells/day and actions/round. As a bonus, you get Alertness as a bonus feat when close to your familiar!
Level 5: Additional Revelation (Cloak of Darkness) - Strength is kinda tanked, so may as well wear shadows for some decent AC
Level 7: Improved Familiar (What is the best PFS Legal Wand User?)
Level 9: Improved Eldritch Heritage or Improved Initiative - Same as other thoughts on initiative, but Arcane Improved Eldritch Heritage gets you 2 Wizard/Sorcerer Spells! . . . of level 3 or less . . . Keep in mind, you can Paragon Surge into whichever of these two you don't take. . .
Level 11: Divine Interference -More re-rolls!
Since I said Paragon Surge aloud:
Paragon Surge has dozens of uses. First, you can use it for Expanded Arcana. This is the first and biggest game changing feat you might want to take with Paragon Surge. The requirements are 1st Caster Level and having a limited list of spells known. Note that despite having the word Arcana in the title it is available to all spontaneous casters. This basically grants you full use of the entire cleric spell list for the cost of a single level 3 spell slot. Not too shabby.
Eldritch Heritage (Improved) Arcane bloodline is just amazing. Check out the level 9 power: gain sorc/wiz spells known of any level you can cast! Between this and Expanded Arcana, he now has access to the entire sorc/wiz and cleric/oracle spell lists!
Wish you had taken a revelation already? Pick Extra Revelations with Paragon Surge and you are all set . . for a while.
Anyhow, sick spell.
Skills:
Perception: Every level - Going first after the surprise round could mean bleeding before everyone else. Pay attention.
Use Magic Device at every level. Your Familiar uses YOUR ranks for this skill.
Diplomacy/Fly: Alternate ranks between the two. You will need Fly, and Diplomacy gives you a lot to do outside of combat. Additionally, CHA is your primary stat, and it will be a high one. Don't fret overly about all ranks into diplomacy, the end result will be obsurd enough.
Survival/Spellcraft: So, the thing about spell craft is that you don't really use it to identify things like everyone thinks. You use it to identify things after you have identified them the first time with Knowledge: Arcana. First you need to learn auras, then you learn what it means. Anyway, point is you won't use this early on. Put the ranks into Survival first. Spell craft for this build is mostly so you know what is worth wasting a misfortune on.
Example:
GM: The BBEG Caster waves his arms about, and Boris the Strong and Fair. . well make a will save, please, Boris?
BSF: I rolled the number bigger than 4 by one . . . Many! No. . . Five!
You:What was that spell? I want to know if I should use Misfortune on BSF. I kind of REALLY need him to stay alive. .
GM: Roll spellcraft to identify the spell as it is cast?
Knowledge: Planes (Most thematic for Dark Tapestry.) to 6 ranks, thereafter Knowledge: Local. Knowledge: Local deals with Humanoids, probably the single most commonly encountered enemy in PFS. If you know what you are getting yourself into, switch these two to two skills that will have more relevance to your particular campaign.
Anyhow, that was the thought process that created:
The Background:
Like many Half-Elves, Eleanor was born of an oversight in one of Calistria's many sacred brothels. Soon after her birth, she was handed over to her father, a low Kuthite. Eleanor's father loved his daughter deeply, and was extraordinarily proud when she began to exhibit traits indicating she was chosen by the Midnight Lord. He would tell her stories of her mother, and the strange overlap between his world of pain and Eleanor's mother's world of pleasure.
Unfortunately for his daughter, this elation was noticed by Mr. Savet's superiors, and he was subjected to the Kuthite ritual of "The Joymaking". Horrified by her father's acquiescence to having his limbs and non-vital organs amputated in an effort to remain a helpless head and torso, destined to live as the subject of limitless torture, Eleanor fled.
Like a great many runaways, Eleanor somehow ended up in Absalom. Searching for her calling, Eleanor quickly developed a deep love of the Empyreal Lord, Arshea. Her new devotee seemed to stand against all that had destroyed her father, while clinging to the need for some deep physical connection that she so longed for. Realizing there was a potential for some greatness in the young woman, her new pastor directed her to a large lodge in the Foreign Quarter.
Approaching the door, the shy elf knocked. . .
The Build:
Eleanor Savet
Female half-elf (Half Drow) oracle (dual-cursed oracle) 1 (Pathfinder RPG Advanced Player's Guide 42, Pathfinder RPG Ultimate Magic 58)
NG Medium humanoid (elf, human)
Deity: Arshea
Init +7; Senses low-light vision; Perception +6
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Defense
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AC 11, touch 11, flat-footed 10 (+1 Dex)
hp 10 (1d8+2)
Fort +1, Ref +1, Will +1; +2 vs. enchantments
Immune sleep
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Offense
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Speed 30 ft.
Oracle (Dual-Cursed Oracle) Spells Known (CL 1st; concentration +6)
. . 1st (5/day)—burning disarm (DC 16), cure light wounds, murderous command[UM] (DC 16)
. . 0 (at will)—create water, detect magic, ghost sound (DC 15), guidance, mage hand, read magic
. . Mystery Dark tapestry
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Statistics
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Str 8, Dex 12, Con 13, Int 12, Wis 8, Cha 20
Base Atk +0; CMB -1; CMD 10
Feats Noble Scion Of War[ISWG], Skill Focus (Knowledge [planes])
Traits seeker, warrior of old
Skills Diplomacy +9, Knowledge (planes) +8, Perception +6, Sense Motive +3, Use Magic Device +6; Racial Modifiers +2 Perception
Languages Aquan, Common, Elven
SQ disable by touch, elf blood, oracle's curses (haunted, wrecker), revelation (misfortune)
Other Gear 150 gp
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Special Abilities
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Disable By Touch Disable Device becomes a class skill for you and you can make Disable Device checks to destroy nonmagical traps as a move action without the need to use tools or take any action beyond simply touching it.
Elf Blood Half-elves count as both elves and humans for any effect related to race.
Elven Immunities - Sleep You are immune to magic sleep effects.
Haunted Retrieving stored gear is a Standard action or worse, dropped items land 10' away.
Low-Light Vision See twice as far as a human in low light, distinguishing color and detail.
Misfortune (Ex) At 1st level, as an immediate action, you can force a creature within 30 feet to reroll any one d20 roll that it has just made before the results of the roll are revealed. The creature must take the result of the reroll, even if it's worse than the o
Wrecker The destructive power of the Abyss and its teeming hordes of demons seeps from your very pores and into your belongings and surroundings. Held objects gain the broken condition when you use or equip them but regain their actual condition if employed
The Tactics:
Levels 1-3: Use Murderous Command on groups. Misfortune as needed.
Level 4: Much the same, with the addition of Oracle's Burden + Burning Disarm against weapon wielders.
Level 5-6: Again, much the same, with the addition of throwing around Gift of Madness in addition to the above.
Level 7-10: Still the same, but now a familiar is using a Wand of Misfortune immediately prior to the various debuffs mentioned above, or those on the Dark Tapestry spell list (such as Black Tentacles). Should the BBEG fail, throw on Misfortune (I think this means they would end up rolling twice, and taking the worse, then potentially rolling twice and taking the worse result again. . . )
Level 11+ Throw on top Divine Interference to force truly sickening numbers of rerolls. Save Divine Interference for when an ally is hit with a critical threat.
"This vaguely humanoid creature is about the size of a cat but looks more like a toothy, winged devil."
"A homunculus's creator determines its precise features; some are more refined looking, but most creators don't bother to improve the creature's appearance beyond the minimum necessary for functioning."
Although the photo is not on the PRD, the illustration is vaguely impish. The creature pictured does indeed have hands, legs, and wings. From these facts, I conclude that the Homunculus is, or can be, humanoid.
PRD wrote:
Str 8, Dex 15, Con —, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 7
From the above facts, I conclude that the Homunculus has the requisite intelligence to use a magical item (a homunculus is not of vermin or animal intelligence).
Unfortunately, it its native state, a Homunculus cannot speak:
PRD wrote:
Telepathic Link (Su) A homunculus cannot speak, but the process of creating one links it telepathically with its creator. A homunculus knows what its master knows and can convey to him or her everything it sees and hears, out to a distance of 1,500 feet.
However, this deficite can be overcome:
Alchemy Manual, Page 14 wrote:
Voice: By adding dew of lunary and platinum to the homunculus, a crafter can grant it the ability to speak in a voice that sounds eerily like a diminutive version of its master's. Price: +500 gp.
From the above facts, I conclude that a Homunculus can speak if the master pays an extra 500 gold.
Question: Can an Improved Familiar with the Hands slot, appropriate intelligence, and the ability to speak it is permanent, natural, and current form use magical items, such as wands?
I would say Pragmatic Activator for Int to UMD would be pretty handy.
If Half Orc. definitely Fate's Favored.
Student of Philosophy if you want to be a face.
Magical Lineage and Wayang spell hunter if you are planning to focus on a single spell.
Level 1) Inspired Blade for the Weapon Finesse (only for purposes of feats) and weapon focus (Rapier)
Level 2+ Investigator
Feats:
Bonus (Race:) Skill Focus Knowledge (Choose one)
Bonus (Inspired Blade) Weapon Focus
?Bonus (Inspired Blade): Weapon Finesse (NOTE: This only qualifies you for Feats, no Dex to hit with light weapons)
1) Fencing Grace
3) Eldritch Heritage (Arcane)
5) Extra Investigator Talent
7) Improved Familiar (Pick one capable of using wands)
9) Combat Reflexes (for use with Long Arm)
You will bet getting your Investigator Talents at level 4, 6, 8 etc. not 3, 5, 7 due to Inspired Blade at level 1.
Formulae:
Long Arm, Ant Haul and Alchemical Allocation . . . once you have alchemical allocation start buying top tier buff potions, and all of your level 2 should be alchemical allocation.
Ant Haul lasts 2 hours/level, so by time you start at level 6, your carrying capacity will be tripled for 12 hours, 4 hours longer than the typical adventuring day.
Extracts should be whatever you can't reasonably afford to turn into potions for alchemical allocation.
Traits: Reactionary and Fate's Favored come to mind. Since you will start at level 6, consider the Fate's Favored trait for use with Alchemical Allocation and a high level Potion of Divine Favor for buffing and Jingasa of the Fortunate Soldier for defense.
Items:
Jingasa of the Fortunate Soldier (+2 AC with Fate's Favored, and nullify 1 crit per day) 5000 gold, 8500 coins remain.
Potion of Divine Favor (Spell Level 1 x Caster Level 9 x 50 =450 gold), 8050 gold remain. (+4 to hit and damage, reusable with alchemical allocation.)
Wand of Cure Light Wounds 750 gold, 2280 gold remaining
Buy some armor, a backpack, etc. and hold onto the rest so at level 7 you can buy Poisoner's Gloves (5000 gold) for your improved familiar. Then your familiar can rock out some amazing things for you, like handling buffs while you focus on combat.
1) Dawnflower Dervish (free Dervish Dance), and Arcane Strike
2) High Cha, High Dex, High Con, don't need the rest, really. Int is best of the three.
3) Put one and only 1 rank in each Int based skill
4) Put every spare rank in Dance and Comedy. Wait for Versatile Performance!
5) When you get to level 2 spells, swap one slot for Pageant of the Peacock.
Eponine greets each newcomer politely, but is quickly bored and begins tinkering with her alchemy kit. "Pleased to meet you all. Is it traditional to get new jobs in out of the way taverns? I had always assumed the reason we had a lodge was . . . " The gnome's voice trails off as she suddenly pulls out a book clearly labeled "Alchemical Obsessions, Volume I, by E.L.S." and begins to scribble furiously. "I just had a great idea, a bag that explodes, and captures . . . wait. I think I already saw those. . tangle burn bags. Meh!"
"Oh, the title of my log, it is to imply that someday people all over Absalom will be obsessed with my alchemical creations, I am personally not the obsessive type." As the book gets placed back in the gnomes pack, it is relatively obvious that the remaining contents of her pack are merely oversized books, namely a journal labeled "The Amazing Adventures of an Astonishing Alchemist, E.L.S." and "The Fabulous Formulae of E.L.S."
"By the bye, if you need anything made by way of alchemical substances, I am more than happy to assist. I love to research and practice. If you need anything at all. . . " as she speaks the little gnome begins referencing her obsession log again, producing an alchemy kit as she does so, and begins to mix together a rather simple concoction.
Lets see, there are four of us, if we were attacked from all sides by swarms of blood sucking mosquitos, which would prove most valuable. . . There must be some formula involving citronella. . . What if we are beset by ogres though, surely a daisy subspecies will not prove valuable against ogres. . . Demons, now demons hate something I am sure.
Alchemical Formulae Prepared:
I will be preparing Target Bomb Admixture and Reduce Person today.
