Telziri's page

I think that one thing that may allow the Mesmerist to keep up with casting without making it a full 9 level caster would be to give it some Enchantment and Illusion SLAs somewhat like the summoner's Summon Monster SLAs.

I quickly jotted down a spell from each spell level of Wizard spells, alternating Enchantment and Illusion, that I thought fit the archetype of the mesmerist the best. (Narrative archetype... not class archetype)

Having these additional options lets them feel like powerful enchanters or illusionists without pushing their spell level up.

I would suggest save for these as 10 + 1/2 Lvl + Cha since they will not get 9th Level casting. This could be modified by spell focus or other feats. (not metamagic)

Usage, much like the summon monster SLA, would be 3 + Cha / day.

The list could be tinkered with obviously, this is just a quick list of ones that popped out.

Mes Lvl - Spell
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Lvl 1 -- Charm Person
Lvl 3 -- Minor Image
Lvl 5 -- Hold Person
Lvl 7 -- Phantasmal Killer
Lvl 9 -- Dominate Person
Lvl 11 - Permanent Image
Lvl 13 - Insanity
Lvl 15 - Scintillating Pattern
Lvl 17 - Dominate Monster
Lvl 19 - Shades

Dominate Monster and Shades are both 9th level on the wizard spell list but I thought that Shades fit nicely as the Gate equivalent since it is so versatile.

Thoughts anyone?

So... Is there a save against the effects of drugs? I didn't know drugs were statted out and I don't see an save against any of the effects, positive or negative.

Some of the side effects seem like drugs would be a great alternative to poisons since I am not seeing a save...

First of all I want to say that I love the concept for this class, specifically the implement based casting and powers. It's a really neat casting system I would not have expected and allows for a lot of customization.

It may be a bit early to start thinking about archetypes but I love the idea of an archetype for Occultist that gains inspiration or some other investigator skill abilities or an archetype for Investigator that trades out Alchemy for some Occultist implement casting / focus powers.

Since entire schools are unlocked at once when an implement is selected it feels more "researchy" than standard spell casting or even alchemy and is a concept I would love to see on the Investigator.

One of the biggest parts about a sorcerer is its bloodline. There are a whole lot of different bloodlines that can offer mechanical advantages but may not be what you are looking for flavor wise. Since the bloodline has to do with family heritage having something like the abyssal bloodline (not what I would suggest for this build but just an example) may be something you want to avoid.

Have you decided on a bloodline or are you looking for one that will maximize your illusion and evocation abilities?

If you aren't sure, the arcane bloodline is strong and fairly general (no strong ties to any outsiders or stuff like that) so that's what I would recommend.

Some other details would be helpful as well. How do you want to play this character? Evocation can be pretty blasty which can be fun and Illusion can do a lot of interesting things. Do you want to focus on the "slight of hands" aspect of traveling performance or the showy fireworks aspect of it?

I like my character's personalities to match how they participate in combat. If you want to play a showy, energetic outgoing person then blasty may be how you want to play. If you feel like playing more of a subtle person perhaps illusion?

Remember as a Sorcerer you don't have opposition schools or anything like that so you want to make sure you know a diverse number of spells even if you like to focus on specific schools.

Oh and what level will you be starting at? (Out of curiosity)

The army idea is actually really interesting! If the party tries to fall back to rest their allies would take heavy casualties. This means that while it would totally be possible for them to snag some resource recovery, doing so would be a major moral conundrum. It also allows the plays to still feel awesome and powerful(like mythic campaigns should) while still providing a challenge.

A well built enemy army would challenge them greatly and a war would take place over a variety of terrains which could provide even more of a challenge. Difficult terrain would severely hamper a fully melee party from reaching smart ranged enemies.

This may not work for the story though, can you give us a brief description of the overall plot so we can see if we can find a solution that fits well?

I think it's also important to not just focus on beating the party but to challenge them. While some crazy optimized Wizard (If build for the sole purpose of killing the party) could win, it wouldn't be satisfying to the players or probably the DM. (Though throwing in some battlefield control lower lever casters could help any group fighting the party)