Trish Megistos's page

1. As I understand it allows you to pick Craft Magical Arms and Armor (at the expense of a feat of course) and then substitute the spellcraft check with your craft weapon check to craft the armor. But yes.

2. Yes.

3. Not as far as I know.

Since they arguably give you complete concealment and you can specifically attack through them, sure. Probably only once though, unless you have some possibility to move the other ring around and maybe more importantly, obscure it from the enemy's sight.

That seems fair.

The following numbers are shorthand for the different square distances you can threaten/attack, 1 being adjacent.

Medium sized: 1
Medium sized, long arm: 1 and 2
Medium sized, reach weapon: 2
Medium sized, long arm, reach weapon, 2 and 3
Enlarged: 1 and 2
Enlarged, long arm: 1, 2, 3
Enlarged, reach weapon 2 and 3
Enlarged, long arm, reach weapon: 2, 3 and 4

As I understand long arm is natural reach (doesn't specify, I further assume that this growth in arm length extends the reach for the weapons you're holding in them), so is enlarge. And enlarge gives +5 natural reach.

Correct?

By the same logic you could dual wield one weapon and hit twice by attacking once with the right hand (but actually holding it with both) and then attacking with the left hand (but again holding it with both).

I think I'll go with the notion, that if it can be saved for half damage, then it can be empowered for 1.5 damage.

Actually, I shouldn't take Empower Spell on 5th since I won't have 3rd level spells...

@darkerthought7
Not planning to take any of the exploits that depend on Arcanist level (Though I guess the familiar will be gimped, still, +4 initiative and a free and the Dimensional slide has a limited range, but should be enough to get out of trouble or into favorable positions).

@Dastis
The same as with the Arcanist, the Vivisectionist 1st level class feature.

Thanks to the Elf favored class bonus, by level 4 Arcanist he'd have an Arcane Reservoir of 9, but the lack of exploits really puts a damper in this. Though I think it can be somewhat mitigated by Paragon Surge, picking just the right exploit for this battle (well, for the whole day really).

Let's say he were to cast Eagle's splendor, for +6 charisma (thanks to Brown Fur Transmuter) just before casting Paragon Surge and picking up a some charisma based exploit, he'd get those at 16 charisma, not spectacular but still decent, right?

I rolled in order for abilities and got 13, 16, 12, 13, 15, 10, we are however allowed to switch out two abilities, so for this build I switched out wisdom and intelligence, intelligence gets a +2 from race features.
Half Elf (Paragon Surge, Elven Branched Staff as martial, multitalented)
DM allows for finessable Weapons to be wielded with DEX bonus on attack without Weapon Finesse Feat and also allows archetype stacking even if both archetypes add something to the same thing, so long as it doesn't get in the way of each other.

In this example, I'm allowed to take these two archetypes even though Bleeding Attack and Crippling Strike change discoveries, but since it's "only" adding an additional feat you "may" pick, it doesn't matter.

Final abilities array: STR 13, DEX 16, CON 12, INT 17, WIS 13, CHA 10

1. Vivisectionist/Bramble Brewer 1
1.level feat: Additional Traits
Traits: Bifurcated Magic (Alchemist/x), Heirloom Weapon (Elven Branched Staff), Magical Lineage (possibly Scorching Ray), Student of Philosophy, Strength of the Sun, Warded Against Nature

Route Arcanist
Favored Classes Arcanist (+1 Arcane Pool/Elf) and Alchemist (+1hp)

2. Brown-Fur-Transmuter 1
1. level exploit armored caster (maybe not, the dex gains could be huge)

3. Brown-Fur-Transmuter 2
3. level feat: Extra Arcanist Exploit: Familiar

4. Brown-Fur-Transmuter 3

5. Brown-Fur-Transmuter 4
5. level feat ???, most likely Extra Arcanist Exploit for Potent Magic or Dimensional Slide or Empower Spell

6. Sleepless Detective 1 (Alertness from Familiar)
Great synergy with Student of Philosophy

7. Arcane Trickster (x)
7. level feat: Multitalented Mastery, Accomplished Sneak Attacker, Metamagic Feats for Spell Perfection

Basically, this can be extremely buffed. Long Arm potion for better reach and touch spell sneak attacks without incurring AoO, Dendric Mutagen for +4 natural AC and fast healing 1, additional dexterity +2 at the cost of 2 wisdom. I don't suppose a mutagen is a transmuter spell, still, good enough.
There are some other nice transmutation spells though, like Cats Grace, Foxes Cunning...oh and of course Paragon surge, now with +2 +4 +trait. Probably to pick up School Understanding > Admixture if you don't want these fire elementals soaking up your damage.

Wizard Route
Wizard, Admixture, opposition schools Enchantment and Necromancy
2. Wizard 1
3. Wizard 2
3. Level Feat: Accomplished Sneak Attacker
4. Wizard 3
5. Arcane Trickster 1
5. Level Feat Empower Spell
6. Sleepless Detective 1 (Alertness from Familiar)
7. Arcane Trickster x
7. Level Feat Multitalented Mastery

More spells, earlier access to Arcane Trickster.

What do you think is better?