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I'm looking for general advice. Which is better for a caster? A +1 effective Caster Level or a +1 Spell DC?
Specifically, I'm looking at Wayangs. With the release of Blood of Shadows, they now have the option to choose between the two for spells of the Shadow subschool.
The base Wayang gets:
The Alternate Racial Trait is:
Shadow Inheritor looks to apply to more spells, as it applies to anything with the Darkness descriptor as well. But I'm more concerned with which option is generally better. +1 CL or +1 DC.
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Are you casting more buffs/utility or save or suck spells?
And is CL likely to be an issue? Say if you're fighting lots of things with SR, or want to cast spells like Holy Word with CL dependent effects.
Basically..it depends.
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Here is my working build:
Omarin
Wayang Arcanist
STR 8 DEX 12 CON 12 INT 19 WIS 8 CHA 15 (Including racial adjustments)
Traits: Wayang Spellhunter (Shadow Enchantment), Magical Lineage (Shadow Conjuration)
Feats: 1) Spell Focus(Illusion), 3) Greater Spell Focus (Illusion), 5) Tenebrous Spell, 7, 9, 11) Extra Preparation or a Metamagic Feat or TBD
Exploits: 1) Potent Spell, 3) Quick Study, 5) Metamixing, 7) Metamagic Knowledge (Solid Shadows), 9) Dimensional Slide, 11) Greater Metamagic Knowledge (Quicken Spell)
Primary Spells By Level
1) Color Spray (at low levels), Silent Image, Shadow Trap, Touch of Blindness
2) Shadow Anchor, Twilight Haze, Dust of Twilight
3) Shadow Enchantment
4) Shadow Conjuration, Enervation
5) Shadow Evocation
Equipment of note: Shadow Stencils, Bottle of Shadows, Rod of Persistent Spell, Rod of Reach Spell, Shadow Fletching, Globe of Moonlight, Dust of Darkness, Spell Lattices, the usual stat, AC, and save boosting items.
With focusing on Shadow spells, both CL and DC seem important. Shadow Evocation would benefit from the CL (more damage) as would Shadow Conjuration (More damage or longer duration) or Shadow Enchantment (Longer duration). But all of them also need a high DC to achieve full effect. I'm seeing more ways to boost DC than CL. The Shadow Stencils, Potent Spell, Tenebrous Spell, and Shadow Magic.
Again, though, also looking in general for which is preferable. CL seems to be valued more highly based on the cost of items that increase it.
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Good advice. Still listening if others want to weigh in.
Re: Charisma. The Arcanist's Arcane Resevoir is based on Charisma as are many of the Arcane Exploits. You can only use Consume Spells a number of times per day equal to your Charisma modifier. Although I've mostly avoided Exploits with a CHA restriction. But basically it's either take a 14 or better Charisma or take a 7, since you can use Consume Spells a minimum 1 time. I figured a 15 would let me boost it to 16 at 8th and eventually 18 via an ioun stone, which would potentially give me 4 more uses of Potent Magic per day. It doesn't hurt that it helps social skills, since this is for PFS.
At any rate, my DC for a level 1 spell, if I'm using potent Magic, the Shadow Stencil, and if Tenebrous Spell applies, will be 21. By 4th that will be 23 or 24 depending on if I have an Int Headband yet.
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But I'm more concerned with which option is generally better. +1 CL or +1 DC.
+1 DC applies way more often than +1 CL does. For many spells caster level isn't even all that relevant since it only increases range.
To deal with enemies with spell resistance, either carry a metarod of Piercing, or learn a few spells that bypass SR. Even at higher levels, most enemies don't have SR but everybody gets a save against your DC.
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I could move Solid Shadows to my level 7 feat and take Dimensional Slide as my level 7 Exploit. I could then take Metamagic Knowledge as my level 9 exploit. Not sure which Metamagic feat yet.
My two traits are what will let me put Solid Shadows on my main spells for level 3 and 4 all the time. Bumping them to 40% real even for someone who makes the save is pretty important to the build. So I don't think I have room to pick up any of the Int to social skill traits.
I'll consider lowering Charisma. I don't like the idea of completely dumping it, or of having 3 dump stats. I think if I lowered it to 12, leaving the possibility of bumpin it to 14 via ioun stone, I could bump CON to 14 and WIS to 10. Doing the math in my head, so that might not be right. That could work.
I'm a little surprised there isn't a stronger argument for Caster Level. The only way I can see to boost that is with a 30,000 gold ioun stone. I went into this thinking CL would be more important, but the arguments for DC are persuasive.
This depends on what kind of spells you're casting. A lot of spells generally have a Caster Level Limit. When you reach that limit (eventually), having a bonus to your Caster Level is pointless (Intensified Spells aside).
Simultaneously, if a spell have no Saving Throw required, an increase to your spell DCs is likewise useless. However, there is zero limit to your DCs, so in a general sense, increasing your DC will be infinitely more important than increasing your CL, if we presume a spell scales with both Spell DC and CL.
I have been told many times that the real reason to play a wayang is not for the good stats, but for the opportunity to drop WIS to 5 and have ANCIENT WAYANG WISDOM.
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I might dump Wis to 5 on a different character, but I don't like the idea of an illusionist being that weak minded. Even an 8 was a stretch.
Ok, so I think everyone has convinced me to stick with the bonus to DC. Now I have to decide if an extra miss chance is worth giving up a bonus on saves vs shadow magic and negative energy affinity once per day. I think that one probably is.
It is worth noting that there seem to be fewer ways to boost your CLs than your DCs and bonuses to CL will help overcome spell resistance. All of the shadow school spells (evocation, conjuration, and enchantment) check spell resistance. I'd probably still go with the DC boost since it will always apply when you cast them, but it might be worth reviewing the average monster stats table and gaming out how your character would fare vs. monsters at different levels.
Note that you do have ways to up your CL. Spell Specialization is especially powerful on a Shadow X based build, and you can take Varisian Tattoo as well, not to mention Potent Spell when you care less about the DC. All of the above included you can get to a +5 to CL when you want.
As for Scion of Shadows, it is definitely better.
Oh, and don't forget Shadow Enchantment exists.
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Ok, I forgot about Varisian Tattoo. That should be a likely level 7 or 9 feat in my build. Despite being tied to Varisia, the tattoo aspect is also appropriate for a Wayang. Spell Specialization might find its way in there. It's a single spell, though, and not a whole school/subschool. So it's not quite as appealing. I would either put it on Shadow Conjuration or Shadow Evocation. By the time I get Shadow Evocation (10th level), I'll be capping out most of the damage dice on blasting spells, except for Dragon's Breath. So probably Shadow Conjuration for longer durations on summons/pits/etc.
I've got Shadow Enchantment listed as my main 3rd level spell. I'm not sure yet how PFS GMs will rule on it. I'm hoping I can just tell the martial types I'm casting a buff spell on them and if they don't question that, it will work at full effect. If they do have to make a Will save, at least it is likely one of their poorer saves. I might mix in a real enchantment every once in a while. Though, there aren't that many 1st or 2nd level buff spells in the Enchantment school. For enemies, it'll be a two save or die situation (Hideous Laughter with a DC 26 or so).
Shadow Transmutation also now exists, but it's out of the scope of normal PFS scenarios unless you're a Wizard.
@My Self - This is for PFS, so the answers to your questions are:
A) Yes, negative channelers show up.
B) I've seen a couple, but they aren't too common.
C) Rangers exist, but I doubt there will be any with favored enemy Wayang. I think I've seen one with favored enemy Outsider (native)
D) Expect table variation, though also expect me to try to find areas of Dim light and stay in them. I'll definitely remind GMs when I'm doing that. I'm more worried about it being negated by all those creatures with Darkvision or Low Light.
Remember you can change the subject spell of Spell Specialization every second level, so it remains useful at all levels, and for a shadow caster it being applied to only one spell isn't much of a bummer.
Btw, is there any reason for you to take Arcanist instead of Exploiter Wizard? If this was for something with higher levels than PFS I'd say take the Shadowcaster Wizard, but its main attraction only comes online at lvl 10, so not much of a plus.
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Mainly because I've never played an Arcanist. But also more total exploits and the flexibility of the Arcanist compared to the Wizard. Being PFS, it's likely I'll run into things that are essentially immune to the Shadow spells, so having the flexibility to swap out of I prepare wrong or use all my slots on a regular blasting spell is appealing. Since Exploiter Wizard gives up Arcane bond and their school, they lose a lot of what it means to be a wizard. The Wizard bonus feats might make up for fewer exploits. I'd need to track through it and see how many of them overlap. Spell Focus would be a bonus at 1st instead of Scribe Scroll for PFS, so that would help.
Exploiter Wizard doesn't get Consume Spells at all, though, right?
EDIT: I was disappointed when Arcanist didn't get a Wayang favored class bonus in Blood of Shadows. The Arcanist FCB for Fetchlings is sweet. +2% real on Shadow spells.
+1 DC is way more useful, and comes into play way more often, too.
its not really a real choice.
No, they don't get Consume Spells, but they do get lvl 6 spells. In the end the choice depends on your preferences. There are also some wizard only choices, like Resilient Illusions and Infectious Charms. If (and this is a big if) Resilient Illusions use your caster level for the casting of the spell, which means with Varisian Tattoo, Potent Spell and Spell Specialization, then it's pretty amazing.
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Resilient Illusions looks good. I'm going to stay Arcanist for now, just because I want to try the class. But I might change my mind before I lock the character in (currently at level 2 from GM credit).
Exploiter Wizard would lose 3 Exploits compared to Arcanist, but I'd get 2 of them back from bonus feats (Metmagic Feats I'd have taken with Metamagic Knowledge and Greater Metamagic Knowledge). I also wouldn't need Quick Study, because I don't think it does anything for a Wizard. And I'd get Spell Focus as a Bonus Feat. So it's about even.
I'd lose Consume Spells, and Arcanist looks to have about 2 more high level spell slots than Wizard, but Wizard gets higher level slots faster.
It seems pretty much a wash, with the choice being between the flexibility of the Arcanist and getting to higher level spells faster.
Being PFS, it's likely I'll run into things that are essentially immune to the Shadow spells
What enemies are immune to shadow spells? Obviously the mind effecting stuff from Shadow Evocation won't work on a lot of things, but Shadow Evocation and Conjurations should work against almost everything.
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I said essentially... anything immune to magic (constructs) is only going to take 20% (or 40% with Solid Shadows) effect. Throw DR or Resistances on top of that, and it's not doing enough to matter.
Incorporeal creatures that save are taking 50% of 20% (or 40%).
True Seeing is rarer, but it has shown up in higher tier scenarios.
Anything with a high enough Will save. Even with boosted DCs, eventually I'll run into something that makes the save on a single digit roll.
It's not as bad as being purely Mind-affecting and running into a bunch of undead, but there are things that can essentially shrug off the Shadow spells. Being able to switch up and throw out real spells is useful.
@My Self - Yes... having a real Snowball prepared or being able to switch a higher level slot to something else with Quick Study is the idea. I just don't want to run into the situation where we enter a dungeon and realize we're fighting all constructs, but I've already prepared my spells for the day. There's utility value, too, to being able to switch a slot to get access to a situational spell that might be needed multiple times.
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Ah, yes, I was thinking it worked slightly differently. So, yeah, no effect against immunity to magic. Anyway, that's why I usually prefer Sorcerers to Wizards. If I need to throw 5 snowballs at something to kill it, I can, without having to prepare 5 snowballs. With a Wizard, if I've only prepared 1, then I'm only going to be casting every other round as I use Pearls of Power in between to get it back.
I really enjoyed turning my (now 14th level) Sorcerer into a flexible caster. Between Pages of Spell Knowledge, Favored Class Bonus to known spells, Mnemonic Vestments, a Ring of Spell Storing, a ton of scrolls (Arcane and Divine) a high UMD, and several Metamagic feats, he can pull out about whatever trick he wants. That character was built initially without an understanding of Pathfinder, then cobbled together from there. So I'm looking forward to seeing what a more thought out and focused build can do, while still remaining versatile enough.