Pathfinder Archivist
Abilities: The most important characteristic for an archivist is a keen Intelligence.
Races: Elves tend to make the best archivists, due both to their longevity and to their natural proclivity for magic. Humans and gnomes can be drawn to the class as well, often becoming the most ambitious of seekers. Dwarves make fine archivists but tend to view the entire profession as a little too morally gray for their liking. Halflings and half-orcs rarely take up the mantle of the archivist.
Alignment: Characters of any alignment can become archivists, but the class does require some measure of academic detachment. As a result, archivists of an ethically lawful bent are quite common.
Class Features
The archivist's class features all serve to further his overall purpose, which is to seek out mystical, divine lore from strange and forbidden sources, and to gain both understanding and mastery thereof.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Archivists are proficient with all simple weapons and with medium armor as well as all shields except tower shields.
Spellcasting: An archivist casts divine spells, drawn primarily from the cleric spell list although he can eventually uncover, learn, and prepare non-cleric divine spells spells. Unlike clerics, archivists prepare spells from a prayerbook, a collection of copied divine spells. To learn, prepare, or cast a spell, an archivist must have an Intelligence score equal to at least 10 + the spell level. The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against an archivist's spell is 10 + the spell level + the archivist's Int modifier.
Like other spellcasters, an archivist can cast only a certain number of spells of each level per day. His base daily allotment is given in Table 1-1: The Archivist. In addition, he receives bonus spells per day if he has a high Wisdom score. He must choose and prepare his spells ahead of time by getting a good night's sleep and then spending 1 hour studying his prayerbook. The archivist decides which spells to prepare while studying.
The Archivist Hit Die: d8
Lvl BAB FortRefWill Special 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
1 +0 +2 +0 +2 Scribe Scroll, Orisons, Dark 3 2
Knowledge
2 +1 +3 +0 +3 Lore Mastery 4 3
3 +2 +3 +1 +3 Still Mind 4 3 2
4 +3 +4 +1 +4 Dark Knowledge 4 4 3
5 +3 +4 +1 +4 Eclectic Teaching 4 4 3 2
6 +4 +5 +2 +5 4 4 4 3
7 +5 +5 +2 +5 Dark Knowledge 4 5 4 3 2
8 +6/+1 +6 +2 +6 4 5 4 4 3
9 +6/+1 +6 +3 +6 Eclectic Teaching 4 5 5 4 3 2
10+7/+2 +7 +3 +7 4 5 5 4 4 3
11+8/+3 +7 +3 +7 Dark Knowledge 4 5 5 5 4 3 2
12+9/+4 +8 +4 +8 4 5 5 5 4 4 3
13+9/+4 +8 +4 +8 Eclectic Teaching 4 5 5 5 5 4 3 2
14+10/+5 +9 +4 +9 Dark Knowledge 4 5 5 5 5 4 4 3
15+11/+6/+1 +9 +5 +9 4 5 5 5 5 5 4 3 2
16+12/+7/+2 +10 +5 +10 4 5 5 5 5 5 4 4 3
17+12/+7/+2 +10 +5 +10 Dark Knowledge, Eclectic 4 5 5 5 5 5 5 4 3 2
Teaching
18+13/+8/+3 +11 +6 +11 4 5 5 5 5 5 5 4 4 3
19+14/+9/+4 +11 +6 +11 4 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 4 4
19+15/+10/+5+12 +6 +12 Dark Knowledge, Dark Mastery 4 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5
Class Skills (4 + Int modifier per level): Appraise, Craft, Diplomacy, Fly, Heal, Knowledge (all skills, taken individually), Linguistics, Profession, Perception and Spellcraft.
Prayerbook: Unlike a cleric, an archivist does not receive his daily spell complement from whatever deity or cosmic force he worships. Rather, he must seek out and collect new spells much as a wizard does, but from such esoteric sources as holy tablets, ancient steles, or other magical scriptures. He cannot prepare any spell not recorded in his prayerbook except for read magic, which archivists can prepare from memory.
An archivist begins play with a prayerbook containing all 0-level cleric spells plus three 1st-level cleric spells of the player's choice. For each point of Intelligence bonus the archivist has, the prayerbook has an additional 1st-level cleric spell. At each new class level, the archivist gains two new cleric spells for his prayerbook; these can be of any spell level or levels that he can cast (based on his new archivist level). At any time, an archivist can also add spells found on scrolls containing divine spells to his prayerbook, but he must make any rolls and spend the time required (see Adding Spells to a Wizard's Spellbook). The archivist can learn and thus prepare nonclerical divine spells in this fashion but the two free spells he gains for advancing in class level must be selected from the cleric spell list.
The archivist draws from the cleric spell list. If a spell exists on more than one divine spell list but not on the cleric list, the archivist must choose version from the full caster (druid, etc) over that of a partial caster (ranger, paladin, etc.). If, for example, the archivist wants to learn the spell lesser restoration, he must choose to learn it as a second level cleric or druid spell and not as a level 1 paladin spell. If he finds a scroll created by a paladin, it will still be considered a second level spell for the archivist. An archivist may also not learn spells with descriptors opposed to his alignment.
Orisons: An archivist can prepare a number of orisons, or 0-level spells, each day, as noted on Table 1-1: Archivist under “Spells per Day.” These spells are cast like any other spell, but they are not expended when cast and may be used again.
Dark Knowledge: Several times per day, an archivist can draw upon his expansive knowledge of monsters, granting his allies benefits against the creatures they face. Doing this counts as a move action that does not provoke an attack of opportunity. An archivist may use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + his Intelligence modifier. An archivist picks one ability from those available each time he gains a new Dark Knowledge.
Using dark knowledge requires a Knowledge check of a type appropriate to the creature faced. The DC of such a check equals 10 + the monster's CR. For unique monsters, such as the tarrasque, the DC of this check equals 15 + the monster's CR.
The archivist's dark knowledge can affect a single creature or all creatures of the same race, depending on the effect used. A target creature must be within 60 feet, and the archivist must be aware of the creature's presence, although he need not have a line of sight to it. The effects of dark knowledge last for 1 minute, unless stated otherwise. Allies must be able to hear the archivist to gain any benefits from dark knowledge.
Tactics: The archivist knows the general combat behaviors of creatures of that race, granting his allies a +1 bonus on attack rolls made against them. This ability increases by +1 for every five archivist class levels the character has.
Puissance: The archivist can use his dark knowledge to help his allies fight off the corrupting influence of other creatures. Allies gain a +1 bonus on saving throws against the affected creature's natural abilities. This ability increases by +1 for every five archivist class levels the character has.
Foe: The archivist can direct his allies to attack vital spots of his enemies. On a successful Knowledge check, he grants them a bonus to weapon damage rolls made against the target creature(s) equal to 1d6 points of damage. This ability increases by +1 for every five archivist class levels the character has. This damage is not multiplied on a critical hit. This Dark Knowledge cannot be taken before level 7.
Dread Secret: An archivist can dazzle a target creature for 1 round. Unlike other dark knowledge, this ability can be used only against a single creature. At level 10 the archivist can daze the target for one round and at level 20 the archivist can stun the target for one round. This ability may only be used once per day on any individual. This ability works even on creatures normally immune to these abilities.
Foreknowledge: Allies gain a +1 insight bonus to Armor Class that applies to attacks by the affected creature only. This ability increases by +1 for every five archivist class levels the character has.
Guidance: An archivist knows not only his enemies well but also his allies. By using an immediate action and spending a dark knowledge use, the archivist may give an ally the ability to reroll a to hit roll, skill check, ability check or saving throw. This ability cannot be taken before level 7
Weakness: An archivist with this power not only strengthens his allies but hinders his foes. The archivist gives a target creature a -1 penalty on attack rows, damage rolls, CMB, and skill checks. This penalty increases by 1 for every eight archivist class levels the character has. This ability cannot be taken before level 11
Vulnerability: An archivist with this power not only strengthens his allies but hinders his foes. The archivist gives a target creature a -1 penalty on saving throws and spell resistance. This penalty increases by 1 for every eight archivist class levels the character has. This ability cannot be taken before level 11
Piercing: Allies weapons gain the effects of align weapon in regards to piercing target creatures damage reduction. This ability cannot be taken before level 11
Scribe Scroll: Archivists gain Scribe Scroll as a bonus feat.
Lore Mastery: Upon reaching 2nd level, an archivist gains a +2 bonus on all linguistics checks. An archivist also adds half of his archivist level to all knowledge checks (minimum 1).
Still Mind (Ex): Starting at 4th level, an archivist gains a +2 bonus on saving throws against spells and effects from the school of enchantment, due to his rigorous focus and intense mental discipline.
Eclectic Teaching: An archivist can learn a small number of divine spells not on the cleric spell list. At 5th level and again every four levels thereafter the archivist may learn 1 spell of their highest casting level or 2 spells of any lower level from any other divine spellcasting list. The archivist must still pay for the cost of adding these spells to their spellbook.
Dark Mastery: 1/day a archivist who has achieved this level of mastery may use 2 dark knowledge abilities at the same time with the same knowledge check.
