Hello guys, i'm doing some theory-crafting for a friend of mine which is starting a new Adventure Path in few weeks. He has choosed an Archer Inquisitor and asked me an opinion about multiclassing.
Since i'm not really knowledgeable on the Inquisitor and multiclassing in general i'm begging for your help :D
As far as i know he is headed toward a Infiltrator Inquisitor, probably with the Night or Travel Domain.
Now about multiclassing, those are the option that we thought about:
Zen Archer 2-3-4/Inquisitor X
Ranger 2/Inquisitor X
Weapon Master Fighter 3/Inquisitor X
Other optimized option? Any perspective on those above?
Every feedback is really appreciated :)
I like Zen Archer 1/ Inquisitor X...
You never use WIS to Ranged, but honestly that's horrible trying to slog thru lower levels anyways.
(it only really pays off if you dump DEX/ have at zero modifier in order to max WIS and STR, but then your Ranged sucks for first two levels while you're putting all Feats/Class Abilities into that. if you don't do that, and build for DEX=WIS>STR, you will eventually benefit by being able to only BOOST WIS (not DEX) later on, but pay-off is less... you benefit from higher AC but basically are forced into putting more combined point buy into DEX and WIS than you would have otherwise)
You basically get the effects of Rapid Fire & Full BAB:1 for free, with Perfect Strike, another Ranged Feat (Precise Shot?),
and of course great Saves and WIS to AC while you're unarmored...
It doesn't quite match Rapid Fire + Multishot 1:1, but you save Feats for other stuff and you get up to speed quicker,
as in effective Rapid Shot AND PRecise Shot at level 1, while barely hurting Inquisitor ability and spell progression...
Perfect Strike on top of Bane/Judgement may very well equal Multishot,
and even if it doens't quite add up on high end, you've saved a bunch of feats, and have more Inquisitor abilities to boot.
(Since you don't get ability to shoot bows without provoking in melee, taking Stunning Fist via Feat is a decent melee option that leverages your WIS, and you get an extra usage/day from your 1 Monk level. There's several ways to boost the Stunning Fist DC to make it more reliable. And since your Inquisitor abilities are weapon-agnostic, Judgement or even Bane can go on top of that Unarmed Strike/Stunning Fist attack, too.)
Feral Hunter may be a strong choice, didn't even thought about it :)
I considered dropping dex to 10 and just wait till lvl 3, but my friend pointed out that doing nothig for 2 lvls really suck.
I feel that a mono archer inquisitor really lacks some bonus feat, that was the main reason for the weapon master/zen archer multiclassing.
Specifically about zen archer, if we plan to put everything we have on WIS, then is mandatory to go at least to lvl 4, for WIS to AC and Ki Pool. But when you it zen archer 4 i'm sure we'll think "let's go to lvl 6, so we get Weapon Specialization & Improved precise shot for free" and then it won't be an Inquisitor anymore :D
In the end, probably zen archer 2 is the better choice, assuming non-human race, we'll have Point Blank Shot & Precise Shot at lvl 1 and Weapon Focus + Rapid Shot at lvl 2
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The best advice I can give on multiclassing an inquisitor is don’t do it. The inquisitor has too many level dependent class features to make it worth dipping into another class. Spells, Judgements, Bane, Stern Gaze, Tracking, and Discern Lies are all level dependent. They also gain multiple other abilities as they level up. Seriously the inquisitor is the absolute worst class to multiclass.
The best advice I can give on multiclassing an inquisitor is don’t do it. The inquisitor has too many level dependent class features to make it worth dipping into another class. Spells, Judgements, Bane, Stern Gaze, Tracking, and Discern Lies are all level dependent. They also gain multiple other abilities as they level up. Seriously the inquisitor is the absolute worst class to multiclass.
I surely agree that delaying important class abitilies like Greater Bane and Stalwart is bad, but i somehow feel that taking most of the crucial feat way earlier might be better
In the end, probably zen archer 2 is the better choice, assuming non-human race, we'll have Point Blank Shot & Precise Shot at lvl 1 and Weapon Focus + Rapid Shot at lvl 2
There is basically ZERO point in picking up Rapid Shot since it doesn't work with Flurry...
If you want to go for the real Rapid Shot + Multishot route, you are better off dipping Fighter. Thus why I recommend the 1 level Zen Archer dip, which doesn't delay Inquisitor as much, because the only other Archery Feat you really want will be Improved Precise Shot when you get BAB +11 (or Monk Level 6 if you went that deep). ZA1 gives you everything you need before then.
If you were going to consider a 2 level dip, then Ranger/Fighter would probably be a bit better, because you will get real Rapid Shot + Multishot, with the latter being an advantage over Zen Archer 2. (it is tempting to go 3 levels into Weapon Master Fighter, and pick up Weapon Training which can be boosted with Gloves)
I prefer the ZA dip because besides only needing 1 level, it boosts alot of other stuff like Saves, while Fighter doesn't give you much else (although since you're only in it for Bonus Feats for first 2 levels, you can potentially pick up some nice extras from Fighter Archetypes, which may have nothing to do with Archery)
Instead of Multiclassing, and if the GM allows it, you can use the Variant Multiclassing option to create a Human Sanctified Slayer Inquisitor with Rogue VMC as shown here by kBro.
There is basically ZERO point in picking up Rapid Shot since it doesn't work with Flurry...
The point is that when he starts taking Inquisitors lvl he won't use flurry anyway.
BTW, we both forgotten something REALLY important: Manyshot requires BaB +6 :D
Instead of Multiclassing, and if the GM allows it, you can use the Variant Multiclassing option to create a Human Sanctified Slayer Inquisitor with Rogue VMC as shown here by kBro.
This would be an interesting option, but the GM has some kind of grudge with sneaks attack and in his campagin there always are A LOT of BBEGs that are immune to precision damage...
The point is that when he starts taking Inquisitors lvl he won't use flurry anyway.
No reason not to...?
BTW, we both forgotten something REALLY important: Manyshot requires BaB +6 :D
Sure, except when Bonus Feats bypass Pre-Reqs, e.g. Ranger or Monk (added to list at 6th level).
But yeah, this is why ZA1 kicks ass up front, and possibly trails a bit behind at higher levels.(by my book, it's good enough that you don't need to care, and gets other awesome stuff to boot)
The best advice I can give on multiclassing an inquisitor is don’t do it. The inquisitor has too many level dependent class features to make it worth dipping into another class. Spells, Judgements, Bane, Stern Gaze, Tracking, and Discern Lies are all level dependent. They also gain multiple other abilities as they level up. Seriously the inquisitor is the absolute worst class to multiclass.I surely agree that delaying important class abitilies like Greater Bane and Stalwart is bad, but i somehow feel that taking most of the crucial feat way earlier might be better
Are you more interested in being an archer or an inquisitor? If you want to be an archer there are classes that do this better than the inquisitor. Zen Archers are some of the best archers but to make it worthwhile you need to take too many level in monk.
Without the ability to fire a bow without provoking an attack of opportunity you will also need to be able to handle melee. The inquisitor class abilities work equally well on melee or ranged combat. This means that you are not completely shut down if you are not able to use your bow.
Inquisitors already are behind in gaining spell levels and only have limited number of spells per day. Multiclassing makes this even worse. Assuming a 3 level dip, at 12th level your highest level spell is 3rd. A straight inquisitor has 4th level spells and the cleric has 6th level spells. Your caster level is also way nerfed so the spells you do have are less effective.
To make the Zen Archer worthwhile you need to max out WIS, but you still need at least a 13 DEX. Any archer needs Deadly Aim and it requires at least a 13 DEX. You are also going to want to go to at least 3rd level for both Point Blank Master and Zen Archery. This basically means you are almost useless for the first two levels.
At 5th level the straight inquisitor picks up bane and a teamwork feat (Coordinated Shot). He also can use judgements twice a day, and the bonus for judgement of Justice is +2 compared to the +1 of the multiclass inquisitor. At this point the straight inquisitor when fully buffed will be much better than the multiclass. The Multiclass will have a slight advantage in a long fight with lots of different opponents, but for taking down the BBEG the straight inquisitor much better. He also has second level spells like Invisibility and Flames of the Faithful.
Taking a couple levels in magus (eldritch archer), then a couple levels in arcane archer (once the character qualifies) isn't a bad trade-off.
Ranged Spellstrike with acid splash, disrupt undead, or ray of frost can be used at will; ray of enfeeblement can be useful as a short-term debuff; if you take three levels in arcane archer (or magus, if you want the magus arcana over the free elemental damage on arrows), you can use 2nd-level magus spells like acid arrow and scorching ray (or a Reach shocking grasp). Imbue Arrow can be used with either inquisitor or magus area spells.
He is definitely more interested in playing an inquisitor. There are already enough melee in his campaign, so he choosed the archer route.
You are slowly convincing me, Mysterious Stranger...Full Inquisitor is maybe the way to go
Dipping DOES improve your saves quite a bit. But it's more attractive when you already start at a high enough level to have Zen Archery and Bane.
What makes an inquisitor unique is the ability to stack buffs. Judgements are sacred/profane bonuses; they also get access to divine favor/power which is a luck bonus, and also heroism for a morale bonus. All of these stack with Bane. All of these work equally well with both melee and ranged combat. While you may be going for an archer it is nice not to be completely nerfed when you cannot use a bow. Many archer builds are useless when not using a bow the inquisitor is not one of them.
Inquisitors already have good will and fort saves and can boost them further with judgements if needed.
Oh, yeah, you should probably stay Inquisitor the whole time. That spell list is actually really solid.
You can stack even more potentially, with Rage and destructive Smite, Tactical Accumen for Insight, teamwork feats, and more.
Also, I'm now firmly of the opinion that the Sacred Huntmaster is stupid good, and better than the vanilla Inquisitor by a country mile. Improved Spell Sharing is broken with a big cat.