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First of all I would like to introduce myself.
This is my first post on the Paizo Messageboards.
My name is Josh and I'm from Chicago, I have not played a lot of PnP d20 except for a few campaigns of 3.5.
A friend of mine informed me he is starting a Pathfinder Game starting in January so I ran out and got the chronicles campaign setting for its flavor, the core rulebook and the bestiary just to have.
We are ONLY using pathfinder products for this campaign no 3rd party, no converts from 3.5
I would like to run an elven eldritch knight that wields an Elven Curve Blade
I want to get the most out of this character (fully optimized build)
I was thinking Fighter/Wiz or Fighter/Sorcerer(ArcaneBloodline)
I am not experienced in making builds for pnp and im not entirely familiar with pathfinder (although i've been reading the heck out of my new books)
If you guys could help me lay something out I need to know what feats I should be taking at what levels obviously and which spells I should be taking at which levels as well as what kind of equipment I should try to take at creation and what gear I should be shooting for as I progress
This campaign will start at level 1 and we want to take it to 20.
oh and I looked at http://paizo.com/paizo/messageboards/paizoPublishing/pathfinder/pathfinderR PG/general/clericEldritchKnight
and
http://paizo.com/paizo/blog/v5748dyo5lafg
and
http://paizo.com/paizo/messageboards/paizoPublishing/pathfinder/pathfinderR PG/general/anElderitchKnightThatCANFight
I want the build to be POWERFUL as bad ass as you guys can come up with.
Happy Holidays and Thank you!
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Hello and welcome to the boards.
For an Elven Eldritch Knight, I would start off as an high Dex, high Int, Fighter- however, you should choose Wizard as your favored class, since you don't need more than 1 level of Fighter. Proficiency with the Elven Curve Blade will be gratis for you, since you treat it as a martial weapon, and start off with prficiency with all martial weapons. Weapon Finesse is really the only must-have feat for this build, although combat casting is probably a good idea.
Since, you only need 1 level of Fighter to become an Eldritch Knight, upon advancing to second level I would start advancing as a Wizard. I think Transmuter Wizard makes the most sense, since you can get a free Dex boost.
For the Arcane Bond class feature, choose object and make your Curve Blade, your focus object. When your caster level reaches 5, you will be able to enchant your blade as if you had the Craft Arms and Armor feat.
When you reach 5th level as a Wizard (total levels/HD = 6), you should qualify for Eldritch Knight, although if you advance 1 more level as a Wizard, your saving throws will improve- so you might want to wait one more level.
If your DM is allowing you to choose Traits, the Magical Knack trait is a good idea for Eldritch Knight builds.
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Welcome to the Boards.
To pick between Wizard and Sorcerer you have to answer the following: do you want to only have to deal with a few options (a Sor/ only knows a few spells) so you don't have to deal with more in-game decisions and learn lots and lots and lots of spells (like a Wiz/)?
A Sor/ is gonna have fewer options, fewer things for you the Player to learn. A Wiz/ is gonna have more options, more things for you to learn.
Now, since you're playing a gish you have to realize that in combat you only get to do one thing per round in a fight (not swing your sword and cast your spell). D&D is is about "team" balance since it is a social game: one PC is good at this one is good at that, etc., that way no one PC is broken and better than all the others. Thus you can't do both (sword & spell) really really well.
. . . .
I suggest one of two options,
One, a Ftr/ Sor whose Sor/ spells are ranged combat. So in melee you either take your sword and get close to your enemy or you stay far away and blast them with your Standard Action. Never buy a bow in this case. Now you are a pure fighter: sword for up close and spell for range. The Weakness: In armor your spells may fail. This sucks.
Two, a Ftr/ Wiz/ whose Wiz/ spells are all utility, trouble shooting and out-of-combat spells. Now in a fight you only ever use your sword, no combat spells necessary. Then, when fighting is over you can cast divinations for info, teleport and stuff, not-combat, troubleshooting stuff, etc. There's tons of spells out there like that that are useful every once in a while. And, since you're not in the middle of combat you can take your armor off before you cast. You have the luxury to wait the night and prepare just the one or two you'll need that day. The Weakness: Since you're a gish your caster level is gonna be so low that if there's another caster in the party you are a useless lump of flesh on god's green earth.
Good luck deciding.
First of all I would like to introduce myself.
This is my first post on the Paizo Messageboards.
My name is Josh and I'm from Chicago, I have not played a lot of PnP d20 except for a few campaigns of 3.5.
A friend of mine informed me he is starting a Pathfinder Game starting in January so I ran out and got the chronicles campaign setting for its flavor, the core rulebook and the bestiary just to have.
We are ONLY using pathfinder products for this campaign no 3rd party, no converts from 3.5
I would like to run an elven eldritch knight that wields an Elven Curve Blade
I want to get the most out of this character (fully optimized build)
I was thinking Fighter/Wiz or Fighter/Sorcerer(ArcaneBloodline)
I am not experienced in making builds for pnp and im not entirely familiar with pathfinder (although i've been reading the heck out of my new books)
If you guys could help me lay something out I need to know what feats I should be taking at what levels obviously and which spells I should be taking at which levels as well as what kind of equipment I should try to take at creation and what gear I should be shooting for as I progress
This campaign will start at level 1 and we want to take it to 20.
oh and I looked at http://paizo.com/paizo/messageboards/paizoPublishing/pathfinder/pathfinderR PG/general/clericEldritchKnight
and
http://paizo.com/paizo/blog/v5748dyo5lafg
and
http://paizo.com/paizo/messageboards/paizoPublishing/pathfinder/pathfinderR PG/general/anElderitchKnightThatCANFightI want the build to be POWERFUL as bad ass as you guys can come up with.
Happy Holidays and Thank you!
Ok. If you want a nice EK for melee, I'm gonna suggest you look at 2FTR 8bard/10 EK
You will get almost full spellcasting and almost full BAB, you will lose 2 BAB over 8 bard levels. Bards can cast in light armor and not use up their swift action, and have more HP and skill points than fighter/sorcerer. They also have access to more powerful fighter/sorc spells through the use magic device skill. Magical knack and a +1 caster level ioun stone will give you full casting. Anyways, that's my suggestion if you want to melee. If you want to specialize in ray spells I would suggest paladin, sorcerer, EK
Favored Class means you get a bonus hit point or skill point (player chooses), every level you have in your favored class. You can't select prestige classes as favored classes. Half elf is a good choice if you plan on gaining several levels as a fighter. If you are only going for one level as a fighter, I would pick Elf.
If you make your character a half elf, you can't treat the Curve Blade as a martial weapon, so you will have to take the Exotic Weapon proficiency feat (or use a Greatsword instead). Also elves get the +2 bonus to overcome Spell Resistance, which is sometimes useful (although most monsters don't have Spell Resistance).
Fighter/wizard, IMO, is the superior choice for several reasons.
1) Scribe scroll. You can prepare spells you may need, utility spells.
2) Arcane bond - weapon. You get to have a MW weapon and, more importantly, enchant it without taking a feat. Make it spiffy and nice.
3) Universalist school. Why? Hand of the Apprentice. Combined with a bonded weapon and being all fighterly with (hopefully) decent strength, you can fling your oversized flaming burst Greatsword 3+Int times per day. BOOM, baby
You also likely want arcane armor training, so if you have to cast in combat, it's fairly easy to do so with no arcane penalty (or less).
Now, sorcerer has some good options, too, though you'll have to wait an extra level before going Eldritch Knight (which is a downer).
Arcane sorcerers also get arcane bond, which is good for aforementioned reasons. They also get Metamagic Adept early enough to kick in before taking Eldritch Knight levels.
Elemental ain't bad. Range supernatural effect, resistance to an energy type at 3rd level.
All in all, though, I think the wizard option leverages knighthood more strongly.
with regards to favored class bonuses, you've got it right, but extra hit points are extra hit points and always nice to have.
For BAB, only fully martial classes (like Fighter, Paladin & Ranger) give full BAB (meaning that your BAB=HD). Any Arcane spellcasting class has BAB = 1/2 HD or BAB = 3/4 HD.
There are no feats or traits that raise your BAB.
Thanks for the warm welcomes, and advice thus far.
Is there no way to overcome arcane spell failure because of armor besides good rolls? no feats?
What is the benefit of "favored class" and would being a half elf benefit me more since it can have 2 favored classes?
thanks again.
Again, welcome aboard.
You can overcome arcane spell failure with the feats Arcane Armor Training and Arcane Armor Mastery. Doing so requires the expenditure of a Swift action, which precludes the use of Quickened spells at higher levels. You can also reduce ASF by purchasing or crafting Mithrail armor.
When you advance a level in a Favored Class, you get either an extra hit point or an extra skill point.
Half Elf is a good choice, but you won't get elven curve blade as a bonus weapon.
Personally, I would recommend a slightly different build than those above, especially with a half-elf.
Fighter 2
Wizard (Diviner 8)
Eldritch Knight 10.
It's easy, playable, and fills up all 20 lvls nicely.
Two levels of fighter nets you 2 bonus feats and very good hit points.
Diviners get some very nice bonus abilities including a solid bonus to initiative and the ability to act in surprise rounds (which is huge, imho) the ability to provide some nice bonuses to your team mates, and a nice (tho noncombat) 8th lvl specialist ability.
The feat tree would look like this:
1. Exotic Weapon Prof-Curve Blade, Power Attack, Skill Focus-Spellcraft(1/2Elf Bonus)
2. Cleave
3. Arcane Armor Training, Scribe Scroll(Wiz Bonus)
5. Craft Wand
7. Arcane Strike, Craft Wondrous Item(Wiz Bonus)
9. Craft Arms and Armor
11. Vital Strike, Improved Initiative(E.K. Bonus)
13. Quicken Spell (Pretty Much a must have for Arcane Casters)
14+ Whatever you want.
For the first 2 lvls you behave as a typical two handed fighter. You're using a 2Handed weapon, and these feats lets you make the most out of it. Cleave is a must have, imho, since it lets you double your attacks in many situations (Note: always swing at the easiest to hit target first to get the most value out of the feat).
At 3rd level, AAT allows you cast any spell you want in a Mithrail chain shirt, and since you can't use swift actions to cast until you have 5th lvl spell slots (at 12th lvl), you'll get many levels of goodness out of it.
At 5th lvl, Craft Wand allows you cast a few specific spells without worrying about spell failure at all.
At 7th lvl, Arcane Adds some punch to your swing, while Craft Wondrous Item let's you customize your magic items (Note: This is important because you will probably be competing with a dedicated fighter for combat items and a dedicated caster for arcane gear).
At 9th lvl, Same with crafting your own weapons.
At 11th lvl, Vital Strike let's you double your weapon damage (but remember it can't be used in conjunction with Cleave), and Imp. Init. will stack with your initiative bonus from being a Diviner for +8 to your initiative. You go first, even when surprised. You rock.
At 13th lvl, Quickened Spell allows you to cast 2 spells/rd, but you'll either suffer a 10% chance of spell failure or need to rely on spells like mage armor. Instead, use it to quicken Verbal only spells like True Strike, and Blindness/Deafness to supplement your physical attacks.
This build is heavy on crafting feats, so talk to your DM to make sure you are both on the same page. IMHO, being able to choose your items is a must have for an arcane warrior.
Whew. Sorry this turned into a tome.
Hope this helps.
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why doesnt eldritch knight have an ability or something like at 3rd level can cast in light or medium armor
this class seems like its missing some umph! (ooomff!)
it seems more like a blend of weaknesses more than strengths when you multi class because you dont stay in either long enough for the REALLY nice bonuses and abilities/spells
Hmm. While I like the universalist approach, Divination's bonuses ARE pretty dang handy for a melee type.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
First of all I would like to introduce myself.
This is my first post on the Paizo Messageboards.
My name is Josh and I'm from Chicago, I have not played a lot of PnP d20 except for a few campaigns of 3.5.
A friend of mine informed me he is starting a Pathfinder Game starting in January so I ran out and got the chronicles campaign setting for its flavor, the core rulebook and the bestiary just to have.
We are ONLY using pathfinder products for this campaign no 3rd party, no converts from 3.5
I would like to run an elven eldritch knight that wields an Elven Curve Blade
I want to get the most out of this character (fully optimized build)
I was thinking Fighter/Wiz or Fighter/Sorcerer(ArcaneBloodline)
I am not experienced in making builds for pnp and im not entirely familiar with pathfinder (although i've been reading the heck out of my new books)
If you guys could help me lay something out I need to know what feats I should be taking at what levels obviously and which spells I should be taking at which levels as well as what kind of equipment I should try to take at creation and what gear I should be shooting for as I progress
This campaign will start at level 1 and we want to take it to 20.
I want the build to be POWERFUL as bad ass as you guys can come up with.
Happy Holidays and Thank you!
As previously posted, the conventional wisdom holds for your request that you are looking at an Elf Fighter/Wizard/Eldritch Knight 'build'.
DEX, INT, STR, CON, WIS [10 minimum], CHA are ability scores highest to lowest
Fighter 1, Wizard 6, Eldritch Knight 10, remaining levels in Wizard
Arcane Bond - Elven Curve Blade - you start with a masterwork weapon for free, adding a very valuable +1 enhancement bonus to attack rolls. Later you can enchant it for free (no feat requirement that is), as pointed out above. Be sure you do not get this weapon destroyed, although if it has even 1 hit point remaining repairing it is a simple matter of your next spell preparation period.
School - Divination (enchantment and illusion as opposition schools): this ramps up your Initiative bonus and provides some very nice bonuses for the Eldritch Knight.
FEATS
1st: Weapon Finesse
Fighter 1st: Weapon Focus - Elven Curve Blade
2nd (Wizard 1): Scribe Scroll (you're stuck with it) - this is your best friend in terms of 'spells I don't normally prepare'.
3rd: Arcane Strike
5th: Dodge
6th (Wizard 5): Still Spell
7th (base attack +4): Mobility
8th(Eldritch Knight 1, base attack +5): Improved Initiative
9th: Spring Attack
11th (base attack +8): Vital Strike
12th (Eldritch Knight 5 - base attack +9): Greater Weapon Focus - Elven Curve Blade
13th (base attack +10): Improved Critical - Elven Curve Blade
15th (base attack +12): Improved Vital Strike
15th (Eldritch Knight 9 - base attack +13): Critical Focus
<16th is Eldritch Knight 10, base attack +14)
17th (Wizard 7, base attack +14): Bleeding Critical
<base attack +15 at Wizard 8 / 18th level>
19th (Wizard 9, base attack +15): Weapon Specialization - Elven Curve Blade
20th (Wizard 10, base attack +16): up to you
SKILLS:
Craft (weapons), Perception, Sense Motive and Spellcraft are your big four to get. Climb and Swim are worth some investment as well.
Your class skills list at 2nd level is Appraise, Climb, Craft, Fly, Handle Animal, Intimidate, Knowledge (all), Linguistics, Profession, Ride, Spellcraft, Survival and Swim. Eldritch Knight adds Sense Motive to this list at 7th level.
While Perception is not a class skill, it is simply too important not to invest ranks into. Sense Motive is your primary defense against being Feinted in Combat.
GEAR:
Best Armor: Mithral Shirt, Mithral Heavy Shield - later to be made +5 as fast as possible (15th level or later). Celestial Armor and a Mithral Shield is also an excellent combination of gear. Amulet of Natural Armor is of course good in combination with a Ring of Protection. Cloak of Resistance, Ring of Sustenance, Belt of Physical Perfection, Headband of Intellectual Prowess , Quiver of Elhonna, Handy Haversack.
"Mandatory Item": If you can possibly get it, a Blessed Book is a godsend - free spells added to your repetoire, only takes time!
Feargivenflesh:
Eh, arcane armor training is easy, now. And you're unlikely to be casting a lot of quickened spells down the road.
Another option is to look at Spellsword, which is an obscenely useful dip to lower ASF.
Other options:
Mithral chainshirt has a 10% ASF. Add Twilight enchantment for another -10% to bring it to 0.
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Thanks for the warm welcomes, and advice thus far.
Is there no way to overcome arcane spell failure because of armor besides good rolls? no feats?
What is the benefit of "favored class" and would being a half elf benefit me more since it can have 2 favored classes?
thanks again.
Again, welcome aboard.
You can overcome arcane spell failure with the feats Arcane Armor Training and Arcane Armor Mastery. Doing so requires the expenditure of a Swift action, which precludes the use of Quickened spells at higher levels. You can also reduce ASF by purchasing or crafting Mithrail armor.
When you advance a level in a Favored Class, you get either an extra hit point or an extra skill point.
Half Elf is a good choice, but you won't get elven curve blade as a bonus weapon.
Personally, I would recommend a slightly different build than those above, especially with a half-elf.
Fighter 2
Wizard (Diviner 8)
Eldritch Knight 10.It's easy, playable, and fills up all 20 lvls nicely.
Two levels of fighter nets you 2 bonus feats and very good hit points.
Diviners get some very nice bonus abilities including a solid bonus to initiative and the ability to act in surprise rounds (which is huge, imho) the ability to provide some nice bonuses to your team mates, and a nice (tho noncombat) 8th lvl specialist ability.The feat tree would look like this:
1. Exotic Weapon Prof-Curve Blade, Power Attack, Skill Focus-Spellcraft(1/2Elf Bonus)
2. Cleave
3. Arcane Armor Training, Scribe Scroll(Wiz Bonus)
5. Craft Wand
7. Arcane Strike, Craft Wondrous Item(Wiz Bonus)
9. Craft Arms and Armor
11. Vital Strike, Improved Initiative(E.K. Bonus)
13. Quicken Spell (Pretty Much a must have for Arcane Casters)
14+ Whatever you want.For the first 2 lvls you behave as a typical two handed fighter. You're using a 2Handed weapon, and these feats lets you make the most out of it. Cleave is a must have, imho, since it lets you double your attacks in many situations (Note:...
A tome was what I was hoping for, laying it out like you did is what I need, since im really not familiar with the rules and capabilities
Glad I could help. I did forget that the elven Curve Blade is Weapon Finesse-able. You might want to consider a full elf instead, and take Weapon finesse instead of the Exotic Weapon Proficiency.
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Mithral Heavy Shield - later to be made +5 as fast as possible (15th level or later). Celestial Armor and a Mithral Shield is also an excellent combination of gear
the elven curve blade is 2 handed
but everything else looks cool
im going to read up on everything you guys are talking about..
if anyone else has something to add keep it up
thanks!
Mithral Heavy Shield - later to be made +5 as fast as possible (15th level or later). Celestial Armor and a Mithral Shield is also an excellent combination of gear
the elven curve blade is 2 handed
but everything else looks cool
im going to read up on everything you guys are talking about..
if anyone else has something to add keep it up
thanks!
d'oh - sorry about that, I've not statted up anything in PRPG using one, so I forgot about that detail. :/
I suggested an EK built around skirmish warfare (Spring Attack and Vital Strike), although the Fighter 2/Diviner 8/EK 10 path is a more solid and easier to adjudicate 20 level progression, giving you a nice capstone (from EK 10) ability.
That's the beauty of PRPG - so many ways to take the same basic concept!
Your best bet for armor is probably Mage Armor and a Shield spell at lower levels, then you will need to add Blur, Mirror Image and Displacement type spells. Once magic armors become better, then get the Arcane Armor Training, and a mithral chainshirt +2. A magic buckler can be a good option as well.
As much as Dex is nice, don't neglect Strength, or Con. If you intend to be in the thick of it, you will need all 3. I would advise against Weapon Finesse. Later you can use spells such as Beastshape, Elemental body, Dragondform, and Form of the dragon, and you physical abilities will matter. Don't forget about Transformation.
Use Bulls strength, Bears Endurance, and Cats Grace to increase your abilities, and use other spells such as Heroism to increase you attack modifiers.
Eldritch Knights are a tough class to play, especially if you want them optimized for melee combat. Often a shocking grasp or scorching ray can be better then swords or arrows. I would suggest not getting too specialized with you weapons and keep your attack and movement options open as you gain access to more powerful magic.
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Your best bet for armor is probably Mage Armor and a Shield spell at lower levels, then you will need to add Blur, Mirror Image and Displacement type spells. Once magic armors become better, then get the Arcane Armor Training, and a mithral chainshirt +2. A magic buckler can be a good option as well.
Add Blink so area effects may not get you.
As much as Dex is nice, don't neglect Strength, or Con. If you intend to be in the thick of it, you will need all 3. I would advise against Weapon Finesse. Later you can use spells such as Beastshape, Elemental body, Dragondform, and Form of the dragon, and you physical abilities will matter. Don't forget about Transformation.
True, those spells do increase physical scores, but what happens when he can't use them? He doesn't even need them. He also said he wanted to use his curved blade, something he can't do using those spells.
Use Bulls strength, Bears Endurance, and Cats Grace to increase your abilities, and use other spells such as Heroism to increase you attack modifiers.
Cou;dn't agree more. Don't forget about Invisibility and Greater Invisibility. Things may get blindsense/sight and True Seeing eventually, but these are still good choices.
Instead of telling you WHAT do you, I'm going to focus on WHY you should do it.
First off all, let's look at what you're losing by taking EK, because we'll need to compensate for that. Assuming you take the most direct path, then by level 20 you will end up having lost 3 BAB and 2 spell levels. This means that you won't hit much as a fighter OR as a caster.
The casting problem can easily be made up by reading Treantmonk's guide to playing a God Wizard. Basically, you do NOT want to blast things. Your DCs are going to be 2 points lower AND you'll be doing (on average) 2d6 less damage. Focus your arcane might on buffing and terrain manipulation. These things don't usually care about DCs or caster levels. Plus, that haste spell you just cast? EVERYBODY on your team will benefit, no rolls required. Walls of force are almost just as good, even with a reduced power and summoning spells can still harry the enemy just fine.
This leaves the BAB problem. If you take Wiz(transmutation)5. By the time you go into EK, you'll have 2 ability points to put into your to-hit stat, thus bridging the gap by one point. Then you can use spells to make up the rest. Alter Self gives a "size" bonus to strength or dex and haste gives a +1 to your entire team (plus bonus attacks). If you go the dex route, you can even use reduce person to give you a +2 to hit, but your damage is going to drop even more.
While bard IS a viable option, I'm not a big fan. The choice between wizard and sorcerer, though, is a matter of preference. Either one will ultimately cost you the same BAB hit.
With wizard, you get more utility, but weaken your arcane stamina.
With sorcerer, you can focus on the spells that will help you do what you do best and be certain to almost always have them available. This is my personal choice, but wizard isn't bad.
This leaves the problem of AC. Heavy armors are going to restrict casting and that 2h weapon isn't going to allow for a shield. You could always cast shield, but unless you have prep time before a fight, you don't want to spend more than one (maybe two) rounds buffing ... and you already need to cast haste. Arcane armor training can help, but you might want to resign yourself to the fact that you're a glass cannon and make the most of Spring Attack and similar skirmish tactics.
Anyway, no matter what build you go with, remember that you don't want to blast. Take maybe one or two AoEs to handle mooks and swarms, but you will NOT be doing dps via magic.
I suggest the Form of... spells not for the ability increases (which are nice) but as a good way to stay mobile, gain resistances or abilities, and pull off stuff like pounce and trip. You can even do poisons, breath weapons, rend, roar, and spikes later on.
The one I forgot to mention was Giantform I and II. You keep your casting, and can still use you weapons and armor as a large or huge humanoid.
Good idea on the invisibility, and I would also add Dimension Door, and Teleport to the list.
BTW - think twice about taking meta-magic feats. Your feats are precious, as are your spells. Avoid things that require a lot of either.
It may not sound like a good idea, but you can get damage if you mix web with fireball. Each square of web deals 2d4 points of fire damage when burning(no save), which means the larger creatures are, the more damage they'll take.
I don't think this is accurate. The spell says "All creatures within flaming webs take 2d4 points of fire damage". It does not say "2d4 damage per 5' square the creature is in." If you wish to discuss this further, than please open a thread in the rules forum.
You may want to drop armor altogether and rely on spells for protection. See the discussion here: Linky
Welcome indeed, to a very nice (mostly) friendly and very helpful community :)
I've been reading around this one .. and how about just going with a Ranged Elven Eldritch Knight (+2 dex, +2 int and proficient with the longbow).
Since getting into melee is not good with only a d6 for HPs imho.
I've come up with this, I did include Light Armor Training so at that point you can start wearing a Mithral Chainshirt. No arcane failure at all and a decent +4 armor bonus. Enhance it later with more magic ofcourse :)
I've taken the Transmutation school as my Arcane school, so I can take that +1 ability to enhance my dexterity. And I took the longbow as an Arcane bond. Essentially a free masterwork longbow with the much needed +1 attack bonus.
Here we go, stats for a new character (20 point stat buy)
Str 10
Dex 16 +2 racial +1 transmutation school
Con 12 -2 racial
Int 16 +2 racial
Wis 7 (-2 perception is taken care of with the +2 racial perception bonus)
Cha 12
Level 4 add +1 dex
Level 8 add +1 dex or int
Level 12 add +1 dex or int
Feats
Char 1 / Fighter 1 - Feat(Point Blank Shot)
Char 1 / Fighter 1 - Bonus Fighter Feat(Precise Shot)
Char 2 / Wizard 1 - Bonus Feat(Scribe Scroll)
Char 3 / Wizard 2 - Feat(Rapid Shot)
Char 5 / Wizard 4 - Feat(Deadly Aim)
Char 6 / Wizard 5 - Bonus Wizard Feat(Craft Magic Arms & Armor)
Char 7 / Eldritch Knight 1 - Feat(Light Armor Training : Mithral Chain Shirt +1)
Char 7 / Eldritch Knight 1 - Bonus Eldritch Knight Feat(Weapon Focus: Longbow)
Char 9 / Eldritch Knight 3 - Feat(Many Shot)
Char 11 / Eldritch Knight 5 - Feat(Craft Wondrous Items)
Char 11 / Eldritch Knight 5 - Bonus Eldritch Knight Feat(Weapon Specialization: Longbow)
Char 13 / Eldritch Knight 7 - Feat(Greater Weapon Focus: Longbow)
Didn't go any further than level 13 ... so you can choose some other feats. Perhaps going the Critical or Vital Strike chain.
-TDL
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Welcome indeed, to a very nice (mostly) friendly and very helpful community :)
I've been reading around this one .. and how about just going with a Ranged Elven Eldritch Knight (+2 dex, +2 int and proficient with the longbow).
Since getting into melee is not good with only a d6 for HPs imho.
I've come up with this, I did include Light Armor Training so at that point you can start wearing a Mithral Chainshirt. No arcane failure at all and a decent +4 armor bonus. Enhance it later with more magic ofcourse :)
I've taken the Transmutation school as my Arcane school, so I can take that +1 ability to enhance my dexterity. And I took the longbow as an Arcane bond. Essentially a free masterwork longbow with the much needed +1 attack bonus.
-TDL
It sure is a different way to go, but It seems to me, and I may be wrong, since I don't know this game in and out as well as any of you yet, but if I was going to go the ranged route Arcane Archer would be a better choice?
As for being softer how can this be overcome, how can I become harder to hit, are there potions or spells that increase your HPs a lot?
why dont you guys share your experiences with the eldritch knight in some of your campaigns, I'm sure there are tons of clever things that can be done with this class with its combat ability and magic prowess.
why doesnt eldritch knight have an ability or something like at 3rd level can cast in light or medium armor
this class seems like its missing some umph! (ooomff!)
Almost all the Prestige Classes got left in the dust when Paizo was fixing classes. Eldritch Knight was not one of the exceptions. Why they didn't update all of the PrCs is beyond me.
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Almost all the Prestige Classes got left in the dust when Paizo was fixing classes. Eldritch Knight was not one of the exceptions. Why they didn't update all of the PrCs is beyond me.why doesnt eldritch knight have an ability or something like at 3rd level can cast in light or medium armor
this class seems like its missing some umph! (ooomff!)
I want to play it for the flavor and to be different but I myself also want it to be powerful as well
with the way paizo gives something at every level with the base classes all the prestige classes seem a bit handicapped..
EK got a huge boost by going from d6 to d10. They also get 2 more combat feats, and a capstone ability. Oh yeah, and diverse training which opens the door to several previously unavailable feats.
My experience with an EK was in 3.5, and it was pretty disappointing. I tried to go for an archery build, but quickly found that my spells were much more powerful then arrows. I was good with the range touch spells, but lacked any melee abilities and had to work really hard to keep my magic relevant (Spell Penetration was helpful). When I finally replaced the character with a straight wizard at around level 16, it blew the EK out of the water! I think the Pathfinder EK is better, but you need to be careful not to just become a second rate caster who can swing a sword like a bard.
"you speak like a poet, but you punch like one too!"
BTW Barbarian is a great way toward EK. Big d12, +10 speed, rage (for emergency hp or attacking). Also, more skill points and useful skills.
why dont you guys share your experiences with the eldritch knight in some of your campaigns, I'm sure there are tons of clever things that can be done with this class with its combat ability and magic prowess.
Here's my favorite.
"Once again, Professor Jones, we prove that there is nothing you can have, that I cannot take." Combine Imp. Disarm with True Strike to make melee specialists (or item bonded wizards) cry. Snatch her two handed greatsword of doom out of her locked gauntlets and beat her with it. Or just snatch bonded items, or spell component pouches, to neutralize enemy spellcasters. Much fun.
Taking Barbarian instead of fighter is what I was originally thinking but then I lose out on Diverse Training as EK and some feats or am I wrong?
BTW Barbarian is a great way toward EK. Big d12, +10 speed, rage (for emergency hp or attacking). Also, more skill points and useful skills.
You don't need to do that - EK levels count as Fighter levels if you have none.
It sure is a different way to go, but It seems to me, and I may be wrong, since I don't know this game in and out as well as any of you yet, but if I was going to go the ranged route Arcane Archer would be a better choice?
That depends .. I also looked into this one .. and it's a Ranged Beast .. but at level 13(!) you only have access to level 3(!) spells.
Since the pre-reqs are the other way around, focusing more on the fighter side then the casting side.
But, with my suggestion you will shoot (almost) just as well as the Arcane Archer(-3 BAB and a little damage) but you are a much more powerful caster.
So, you buff yourself/party and do some battlefield control with spells, after which you start to shoot your bow at the enemies.
With Craft Arms & Armors you can have a vast amount of utility arrows.
However I do agree, it's a completely different approach to the Eldritch Knight .. yes ..
I just think (IMHO) that the Eldritch Knight is .. kind of useless in frontline combat. You need 5 levels of wizard, which is only 5d6. You loose 3 BAB with the 5 wizard levels. The idea is very nice, but he will be somewhat of an underdog until higher levels.
-TDL
Zero will suffice. By going EK, you get an ability that deals damage without spending a single spell: Hit A Guy In The Face With A Sword. You don't also need spells that do damage. Especially don't do something silly like taking one blasting spell at each level, like ohako's example list.three things you need
3. spells! Prevailing wisdom is correct about not going whole hog with blasting spells. One or two will suffice.
Swords aren't exactly the ultimate weapon for every situation. I highly recommend at least one AoE for taking care of swarms and the occasional room full of mooks. With this kind of build, your fireball will become a utility spell for these few select purposes, but you'll REALLY want it when those times come up.
If you go Wizard, I suggest Transmutation. Most of your spells will probably be buffs and the +2 Stat will come in handy.
Although I prefer sorcerer, most of the bloodlines won't do much for you. Here are some thoughts on them. Two of these are from the expanded bloodline download.
Arcane: You don't want to be casting a lot of spells that HAVE DCs, so the arcana power is wasted on you. Metamagic Adept will only be once per day (not worth it). Then there's arcane bond. The bonded object pretty much sucks for wizards (see Treantmonk's guide) and sucks doubly for sorcerers. You could take a familiar, but it won't level past 6.
Destined: This usually isn't very good, but you probably WILL be casting a lot of "personal" range spells and the arcana power will actually scale very well throughout EK. Touch of Destiny will allow you to give a +3 to all saves, which is circumstantially handy, but it's far better than the weak blast that most other bloodlines give you. Fated is some more (circumstantial) defenses. Nothing wrong there. You do get stuck with know:History and the alarm spell though.
Seer: This is going to grant you +1 to initiative and AC. You also get +2 perception and sense motive. It also makes you trained in all knowledge skills which you are know trained in (too bad you don't have enough skill points to go around). You also get saddled with the identify spell. Ouch.
Greed: Whenever you cast a "personal" range spell, you gain +2 to a physical stat for a couple of rounds (which helps with your lower BAB). You also (effectively) get one more spell per day *shrugs*. Negative energy resist is nice. The problem is that the class skill sucks and you get alarm again.
Not sure if this was mentioned yet (scanned through, didn't see it):
Based on what I've seen a player of mine do, the nice thing about a Sorcerer-Arcane Bloodline based Eldritch Knight is the Metamagic Adept Ability. It combines with the EK's Spell Critical very nicely, because you can then apply Still Spell to the spell you cast with Spell Critical and thus negate the chance for Arcane spell failure if you're wearing armor. (Because you can't activate Arcane Armor Training the same turn you use Spell Critical)
Of course if you go the wizard route, the trick is just to remember to prepare some useful spells with Still Spell. (Or if you don't want to worry about it, wear very light armor. You'll have a Dex build so that's feasible.)
And since you are going to use an Elven Curve Blade, which IIRC has a decent crit threat range, I would definitely work on a Critical Build with Improved Crit, Critical Mastery, etc. Combine in the EK capstone ability and you are death with a sword.
Depending on your build, you might take your fighter levels to 3 for Armor Training to be able to move full speed in medium armor and to reduce your ACPs, but OTOH, most EKs end up in Mithril Breastplates so that becomes kind of moot.
Spells--I would do a lot of buff as suggested, but make sure you do have a few damage dealers for things like clearing out hordes of weak enemies, and things like Disintegrate which can get you out of a number of jams in addition to being a good damage spell. You'll want some kind of damage or save-or-suck spell to add to your Spell Critical.
why doesnt eldritch knight have an ability or something like at 3rd level can cast in light or medium armor
Because it's not supposed to be a Duskblade (Thank god for that, too).
this class seems like its missing some umph! (ooomff!)
it seems more like a blend of weaknesses more than strengths when you multi class because you dont stay in either long enough for the REALLY nice bonuses and abilities/spells
Bingo. Paizo made staying in your base class to 20 the most desirable way to go. The level 20 goodies are just too good to pass up by taking a prestige class or multiclassing in any way imo.
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Because it's not supposed to be a Duskblade (Thank god for that, too).
uhh ok i dont even know what that is
Bingo. Paizo made staying in your base class to 20 the most desirable way to go. The level 20 goodies are just too good to pass up by taking a prestige class or multiclassing in any way imo.
you make that sound like a good thing? this game is all about roleplaying obviously and people wanting to create a character with more depth and play something more interesting should be punished? if your going to be hindered early on the end result should be just as, if not more powerful than its single classed counterparts come mid-late levels.. thats my 2cents.. otherwise whats the point? might as well not have prestige classes or multiclassing.. but that would suck obviously because a lot of people enjoy this type of thing.
I find that a half elf paladin/sorcerer/eldtritch knight to be unbelievably awesome. So much stuff runs off your Charisma!
Because it's not supposed to be a Duskblade (Thank god for that, too).uhh ok i dont even know what that is
Bingo. Paizo made staying in your base class to 20 the most desirable way to go. The level 20 goodies are just too good to pass up by taking a prestige class or multiclassing in any way imo.you make that sound like a good thing? this game is all about roleplaying obviously and people wanting to create a character with more depth and play something more interesting should be punished? if your going to be hindered early on the end result should be just as, if not more powerful than its single classed counterparts come mid-late levels.. thats my 2cents.. otherwise whats the point? might as well not have prestige classes or multiclassing.. but that would suck obviously because a lot of people enjoy this type of thing.
I think the idea is that "more depth" and "something more interesting" was built into the core classes, and that you don't necessarily need a prestige class to get you or your character to feel special.
Personally, I think the updated Prestige Classes are fine and fill a certain flavor/ability niche that some people will want to help flesh out a character concept. They also do a good job of helping multiclass builds that often get weak at high levels with only pure base class multiclassing (you'll usually get, generally speaking, a more effective character building an Eldritch Knight or Arcane Archer or Mystic Theurge than building a pure Fighter/Wizard or Ranger/Sorcerer or Cleric/Wizard or what have you). Not everyone will want to take one, but that jives with my own understanding of what PrCs were supposed to be about, when they first came out.
Because it's not supposed to be a Duskblade (Thank god for that, too).uhh ok i dont even know what that is
It was a very broken melee arcanist that could wear medium armor from 3.5.
Bingo. Paizo made staying in your base class to 20 the most desirable way to go. The level 20 goodies are just too good to pass up by taking a prestige class or multiclassing in any way imo.you make that sound like a good thing? this game is all about roleplaying obviously and people wanting to create a character with more depth and play something more interesting should be punished? if your going to be hindered early on the end result should be just as, if not more powerful than its single classed counterparts come mid-late levels.. thats my 2cents.. otherwise whats the point? might as well not have prestige classes or multiclassing.. but that would suck obviously because a lot of people enjoy this type of thing.
Multiclassing will 9 times out of 10 gimp your character. The same generally applies to taking a prestige class. You can make your Mystic Theurge who theoretically sounds cool (wow, I can cast so many spells per day!), but you'll quickly discover that only being able to cast one spell a round coupled with the fact that you will straight up not be as powerful as a straight to 20 caster defeats the purpose of the class. An Eldritch Knight is not supposed to be a way to get around a Fighter not being able to cast spells or a Wizard not being good at melee. It's supposed to make you fairly good at spellcasting and fairly good at melee, but a master of neither. If you're truly looking for a "best of both worlds" class, you're looking at the wrong game. They tried that with the Duskblade and it didn't go well.
In the end, DeathQuaker is correct in that a Prestige Class is a better option that multiclassing the base classes together, but personally I love it that Paizo has actually made taking a base class to 20 worthwhile, because that's not how it used to be... especially with classes like Paladin.