So really trying to focus on making a occultist. Sadly between work, a newborn and playing maybe once a month...I usually lose my train of thought. I have a rough idea of where to go but curious what people tend to go. Leaning towards a half elf (1/2 favored bonus toward PP and skill focus: umd) I plan on him to be mainly a martial with expanding skills. Thought right now is to go trans to abj to div to illusion and then necro not sure if the order is right. Feats are extra mental focus, power attack, heavy armor and then extra focus power
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Occultists are great!
Half-elf is a good race choice, and you've got the right idea for implements. Keep in mind that even as a melee build you will want a very high Int - possibly even higher than your Str - to get lots of Focus. I've got a melee occultist right now at level 2 with Int 16 and Str 15 (+2=17 with Physical Enhancement) and I am happy with that prioritization.
If you're making a martial occultist, you definitely want to take Transmutation right away. The Physical Enhancement resonant power and Legacy Weapon are gold, not to mention the buff spells.
For the rest, the order looks fine, but it's worth considering which focus powers you want and timing schools accordingly. For example, Necromantic Servant is probably Necromancy's best power and it's available at first level, so it may be worth taking that school a little earlier - possibly even at level 1. Abjuration is good, but you can delay it to level 2 or even 6.
I love the Mind Eye power, which makes Divination a great pick at level 2 (Mind Eye at 5) or 6 (Mind Eye at 7). However, keep in mind that getting much use out of the resonant power requires you to sink a lot of mental focus into it - points that as a melee occultist you'll probably want to put in Transmutation.
You might want to look into the Haunt Collector archetype, since the Champion's spirit bonus is very nice for a melee occultist. Necromancy is a great school to haunt (thematic and resonant power is pretty useless) though Illusion would also do.
Yeah was leaning towards haunt. For divination I'm mainly going for the spells and mind eye, while the resonant is nice I really dont know if it is worth the investment. Illusion mainly for the defensive spells. So maybe trans to necro to abj to div and then illusion Sigh tough call
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So this is for PFS and today I played my V1.0 which really for a level 1 a battle host is the way to go until level 2. A Ac 20 and sudden speed with a 20 str is hard to beat.
After looking at necromancy, it is good but the 10 min per level for the necromatic servant makes me want to move it back a little. I am debating on putting champion on abjuration...I know probably a gasp but the cloaks are relatively cheap and they is the one I could see putting points in as much as transmutation...but that is money saved so maybe not
Have you considered Panoplys?
Every day, sadly PFS banned the warrior and wizard (otherwise I would go warrior in a heartbeat.) I relooked at the bard and healer, not really worth it imo.
I'm going through the guides again, trying to aim at accessory for spells and as many "quick" actions I can do. If I had a round or two to prep before combat he would be set... but best to assume I can do 1 round of buff without being left in the dust...probably legacy weapon.
Was debating on going with a sword and shield but that would probably interfere with casting
I've got an archer inquisitor 9 in PFS, no archetype. I went Transmutation, Abjuration, Divination, Conjuration for implements. Current powers are Sudden Speed, Philosopher's Touch, Mind Eye, Side Step, and Powerful Connection, though Powerful Connection is definitely due to theme more than mechanics. Typical daily assignment at this point is 4 abj, 3 conj, 6 div, 6 trans (total 19).
For melee, sword and shield is fine. You're a psychic caster, so you don't use your hands at all. For melee, Side Step is extremely helpful, especially if you're planning on heavy armor. I use the abjuration points almost exclusively for Mind Barrier, though it is effectively my cloak currently (I could change that, I have module gold sitting).
Yeah artful dodge would be fun and yeah battle host is needed for feats..actually debated on it.
I was debating on doing a archer but feats would be rough. Hmm conjuration wasn't really on the list but might be worth some thought. I'm thinking at later levels I would like the option to summon some help. For movement I was thinking about mind over gravity. Sorry crunching the post.
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Serisan is right, no somatic components means no hands required for casting.
I would hesitate to do TWF because of a combination of feat requirements being steep and Legacy Weapon only affecting a single weapon (double weapons still being enchanted/enhanced separately).
Having a haunted Abjuration implement wouldn't be terrible. Another possibility is Divination, if you don't expect to be able to invest enough mental focus to get the Darkvision and See Invisibility resonant powers. Or if you do take Conjuration for Side Step (and the ability to use a wand of CLW), that's also a pretty lame resonant power.
What are you thinking for your focus power selection? You want Sudden Speed (level 1), Mind Eye (level 5+), Mind over Gravity (7+), and probably Shadow Beast (9+) and/or Necromantic Servant (1+). Do you have an idea for level 3?
I find that the particulars of focus powers and mental focus allocation mean that building a good occultist, moreso than other classes, rewards planning ahead.
Hmm so I could do a sword and shield.. I would lose a little damage but not sure if it would make a huge difference.
Divination might work..I would like to keep a handful of points in it figure bonus to hit and scouting requires a bit.
Agreed I need to sit down and map him out...getting less than a hour to get things in order hasn't been working, but I'll try and flesh him out in the next day or two
Baby steps I guess...anyways I realized that the 3 implements by level 2 really hits my points...really should take the extra point feat at one...then either power attack or heavy armor at 3. Debating on losing the skill focus to get the exotic prof...probably bastard sword. Idea is he would mainly sword and shield...in a pinch drop the shield and two hand the bastard sword.
So my current occultist character is a spireborn half elf who uses azlanti implements in his casting. Given the party make up, a mesmerist, a ninja, and a gunslinger, I kinda gear him to be a frontline combatant in battle, but out of combat, he's sorta designed to be a social roguelike character. So his skill points are spread rather thin to suggest a wide variety, as his background kinda suggests that he is trained to be dropped into far corners of the world, blend in, and "Reclaim" azlanti artifacts for the spire, which make it past their area of influence and end up in places like Absolum or Katapesh.
I'm tending towards transmutation and divination, but I also wanted abjuration as it helps him be more tanky. Obviously, the class is designed with a lot of useful features that make them useful for those around them as much as they can pull their own weight. So even a transmutation focused "Fighter" type of occultist may be able to move between party members and transmute their weapons to cold iron, assuming they have the focus for it. So utility is certainly one of the core strengths of the class, no matter how you spec them.
I'm kinda thinking along the same line. Have him be a bit of a tank and then spells/abilites to tweak him elsewhere.
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I'd agree with Andric's assessment. Legacy Weapon is one of the few weapon-enhancing class abilities that will work on your allies' weapons. Size Alteration can be cast on non-humanoids, which among other things makes it a nice buff for another party member's animal companion.
I've played two occultists, one similar to what you're going for: a dwarf with a battleaxe and shield. The party has a lot of ranged damage, so my job is mostly to stand in front, but I do respectable damage and can buff and heal a little, and have some nice utility as well. I'm only level 2 at the moment, but in case it's useful for you my planned progression is:
Implements:
(1) Transmutation and Conjuration (needed someone able to cast CLW from level 1)
(2) Divination
(6) Abjuration
(10) Illusion or Trappings of the Warrior (depending on how I'm doing in combat)
Powers: (1) Size Alteration, (3) Danger Sense, (5) Mind Eye, (7) Mind over Gravity, (9) Side Step (11) Shadow Beast?
Feats: (1) Extra Focus (3) Craft Wondrous Item (5) Craft Arms & Armour (7+) Extra Power - Purge Corruption, Weapon Focus, Shield Focus
Pretty well-balanced character so far and fun to play.
I will have to look into it more Weirdo here is my thought atm:
Str 17, Dex 12, Con 14, Int 16, Wis 10 and Cha 7
Level 1: Transmutation (3) Lead Blade
Abjuration (2) Shield
Feat: Extra Mental Focus
Level 2: Divination (1)(Champion) Spell: Heightened awareness
Level 3: Power: Energy Shield
Feat: Heavy armor prof
Level 4: Str +1
Spells: Darkvision, Resist energy and see invisibility
Level 5: Power: Mind Eye
Feat: Power attack
Level 6: School: Illusion Haunted Trickster Spell: mirror image.
I'm trying to pick up things to avoid using standard actions. Planning on spending a feat for telekinetic mastery later on