"Disruptive" + "Foil Casting" = Viable strategy?

[Salabrian]

I've been working on a mage hunter build using an Inquisitor of the Spellbreaker archetype with the spellkiller inquisition. Among other things, this will net a +6 to the DC of defensive casting around me, which sounded pretty good to me. However, I've recently heard some talk about how the Disruptive ability never really pans out for PCs/ just isn't that good (sort of like SR never really working). Can someone who has more experience with a Disruptive character (or even better, someone who's played a PC with Disruptive *and* Foil Casting) shed some more light on this?

With the the Foil Casting bumping up the Disruptive DC to a +6 DC, will this ability actually make a difference?

p.s. I will also have Step Up, so I can avoid the 5 foot step dance with casters.

[Nezthalak]

6 DC increase is 3 levels of spell caster difference (+1 skill rank concentration, +1 level caster). I'd say it makes a huge difference in them being able to cast defensively.

[Reko]

Um, concentration isn't a skill in Pathfinder as opposed to 3.5:

PRD wrote:

When you make a concentration check, you roll d20 and add your caster level and the ability score modifier used to determine bonus spells of the same type.

So I guess that makes it even more effective, which is nice.

[Salabrian]

Well that's reassuring-- thanks. Anyone out there actually played a character with this setup before?

[ashern]

Salabrian wrote:

Well that's reassuring-- thanks. Anyone out there actually played a character with this setup before?

I haven't played a character with that setup, but I've seen casters totally neutered by a similiar setup. The main thing is you just need to find a way to get next to the enemy caster.

[Salabrian]

ashern wrote:

Salabrian wrote:

Well that's reassuring-- thanks. Anyone out there actually played a character with this setup before?

I haven't played a character with that setup, but I've seen casters totally neutered by a similiar setup. The main thing is you just need to find a way to get next to the enemy caster.

Heck, I'll run if I have to... :)

[ashern]

Salabrian wrote:

ashern wrote:

Salabrian wrote:

Well that's reassuring-- thanks. Anyone out there actually played a character with this setup before?

I haven't played a character with that setup, but I've seen casters totally neutered by a similiar setup. The main thing is you just need to find a way to get next to the enemy caster.

Heck, I'll run if I have to... :)

Haha, I'd probably just suggest mobility if you have the feats for it, and eat the AoOs on the way.

[Salabrian]

ashern wrote:

Haha, I'd probably just suggest mobility if you have the feats for it, and eat the AoOs on the way.

Sure, but I'm more worried about when I get there if my disruption is actually going to do much.

[Serum]

With a +6 to the DC of casting defensively, most casters will fail to do so with their highest level spells more than 50% (closer to 75%) of the time unless their primary casting attribute is getting pumped incredibly high.

You'll find that most casters won't try to cast defensively until they try to 5-foot away and fail. Make sure you hit hard with Step-Up so they don't decide they can take AoOs from you.

Something that hinders this archetype is the fact that many spell-casting monsters use spell-like abilities, which means they don't provoke when casting, and have no need to do it defensively. Luckily, the other half of the spellkiller inquisition affects these monsters.

[Serum]

Nevermind, I keep mixing things up between spell-like abilities and supernaturals. Disregard the last line.

[Salabrian]

I guess the flipside of not finding anyone who has played with this setup to tell me if it works is that the people who tell me it doesn't work haven't played with this setup.