Tamur Mirza's page

Frankly the changes to the two abilities (Consume Magic and Consume Magic Items) were utterly terrible and I believe in most cases, people will only cherry pick from the Errata. I know I will.

They should not have done things this way if they wanted to make CHA more appealing to take as an Arcanist. There are several CHA based exploits that could have been improved to solve that issue, and if they didn't want CHA to be a dumpstat, Making it 3+CHA (no minimum) mod for Consume Magic(Items) would have been almost the same change. It would also make CHA damaging spells, poisons, have more of an impact on the player.

For example, with 3+CHA mod. A dumpstat of 7 CHA would give you 1 use
8-9 = 2 uses
11 = 3 uses, and so on. - and a +CHA item regardless of whether or not you dumped it on or not, would improve -all- aspects of CHA related things - as it should - instead of locking the core ability to a specific stat range.

At lower end of Arcanist, Consume Magic is already a pricey thing to do, and you get so few points. Consume Magic Items is also pricey as it's hitting your wealth hard, even if you make your own scrolls. (At the lower end.)

At higher levels, Even if you dumped 14 CHA base, and have a +6 Item. (A costly investment) 5 times a day - May still not be enough depending on your Archetype. (Brown Fur, Occultist. Poor Occultists, brutalized by this)

Most changes were terrible, MMO style knee jerk reaction nerfs and double nerfs. Arcanists for example, it's clear they want more emphasis on being a INT and CHA based caster, yet... all the CHA based exploits still suck, and are not worth taking, yet they nerf the core ability, Consume Magic to be CHA number of times a day. . There is literally no difference between stats of 7-13. Which is stupid. (Aside from later adding magic items)

(Aside from not changing it at all because it already costs spell slots to use, or money, money less of an issue)

Instead, both consume magic items and consume magic should have been changed to 3+CHA mod.

This way a base of 10 has 3 uses. Someone who completely dumped CHA (7) has 1 use. (8-9) has 2 uses, and so each stat increase is increasingly more attractive. Going from CHA of 7 to 14 in a point buy based system is ALOT of points for very little gain.

So I realize this is only a good idea if you are starting play at higher levels... but wouldn't a one level dip into a Lame Oracle make the Eldritch Font freaking bonkers once it becomes immune to Fatigued? Like, +2 CL and DC on every spell you cast? And do the Improved and Greater Surge require a swift to activate still? Even if you can only use one form of surge a turn, that's a pretty nuts boost in power and versatility, especially if you're one of those blaster types.

She becomes fatigued upon using this ability. If she is already fatigued, she becomes exhausted. If she's already exhausted, or something would prevent her from becoming fatigued or exhausted, she cannot use this ability.

Prevents that from working I'm afraid.

With Pathfinder Unchained out, it offers some unique opportunities to optimize certain builds of Arcanists in unique ways. Namely through the 'secondary class' variant multi-classing, with Wizard.

They do give up several feats in exchange for the powers, at 3,7,11,15,and 19.

3. Familiar. Always useful.

7. Pick a School, Functions as your character level = wizard level. You do not gain the 20th level capstone ability of the school, however you do not need to spend points to power it to be at your level like school understanding.

11. A cantrip, probably the worst trade at such a high powered feat level but, whatever.

15. A wizard arcane discovery!

19. The 8th level ability of the school.

Take a Blood Arcanist, blaster, for example. Taking Orc Bloodline, and Evocation Admixture from the secondary class wizard. +1 Damage per dice for all spells, as well as a +1 Damage for every 2 levels, without needing to fuel it with your arcane pool, as well as the ability to change the element, and have it be INT/day instead of CHA/day.

Essentially becoming a 'slower progressed' blockbuster wizard. Of course the admixture doesn't 'come online' until 7th level, but usually you won't need it by then anyway.

The biggest downside in my opinion would be setting back Spell Perfection to 17th level, as the 15th level feat is given up for an Arcane Discovery, which is very powerful in it's own right. (True Name anyone?)

Then there is a Brown Fur Transmuter with - Oh let's say Conjuration Teleportation. (Again, not having to spend points on 'upping the level' of how far you can teleport is wonderful. Those points are spent on buffing people, after all.) With Dimensional Agility (Feat) you can move around the battlefield like a crazy person, coupled with the Dimensional Slide ability. - Slide in, Buff the Fighter, Step out. - INT based, as well for uses per day.

Eventually gaining, Idealize as an Arcane Discovery, at which point you could Bull's Strength someone for 8. Higher than the best non-epic item, at 20th, Both the BFT buffing increases by +2 as well as Idealize. +12 STR Bull's Strength, coupled with crazy size alterations that you could toss on your fighter. Of course nothing is stopping you from just buffing your int by +12, coupled with Potent Magic to raise DCs. Truly become a God of Perfection.

I've searched and searched, but can find nothing official or discussed about School Understanding. I've seen the question asked, but never answered.

Does School Understanding, allow an Arcanist, upon choosing a school. (Aside from Universalist) to use one extra spell slot per level, for the purposes of casting that school's area? (Taking Divination school would allow you to cast another True Strike, if you had it prepared, for example.)

If this feature is not considered an ability of the school (aside from the universalist school) Why is it necessary to include this line in School Understanding, if it too, were not an 'ability' of the School?

but does not have to select any

opposition schools

School Understanding: The arcanist can select one arcane

school from any of the schools available to arcane school
wizard class feature, but does not have to select any
opposition schools. The arcanist gains the abilities of
that arcane school as though she were a 1st-level wizard,
using her Charisma modifier in place of her Intelligence
modifier for these abilities. As a swift action, the arcanist
can expend one point from her arcane reservoir to bolster
her understanding, allowing her to treat here arcanist level
as her wizard level for these abilities for 1 minute for the
purposes of those arcane school abilities granted at 1st level.
(For example, a 7th-level arcanist with the enhancement
school normally gains an enhancement bonus of +2 from
the enchanting smile ability, but by expending one point
from her arcane reservoir, the enhancement bonus is
instead +3.) She does not gain any new abilities from this
use, such as those gained at 8th level.