This question my look dumb but I fail to see why conjuration is better than universalist at low levels (1-3).
Conjuration gets 1 extra spells however pay it with limited access for two schools. Acid dart is not better than hand of the apprentice and Summoner's Charm don't have a huge impact or I am wrong? So why it is better? Again this question assume levels 1-3.
Conjuration (Teleportation) is superior to straight conjuration.
Summoner's Charm helps immensely at low levels. At first level, your summons last twice as long. With a trait, you can have 3 turn summons at level 1. That is quite good.
+1 spell per level as a specialist is very nice; in your level range that is two extra spells over the universalist. That is great.
Hand of the apprentice makes me want to slit my own throat it is such a stupid ability.
Conjuration (Teleportation) is superior to straight conjuration.
Why? 5-feet at level 1 actually helps?
Much more than piddly acid dart damage.
Shift lets you five foot into difficult terrain. You can still take a normal five foot adjustment. You can also shift out of a threatened square, walk away, and then cast a spell. You can also outpace anyone with the same speed as you. If knocked prone, you can shift and then stand up so you don't provoke. And so on, and so on.
Utility trumps crappy damage. As a 1-3 wizard, that isn't your job yet.
Conjuration (Teleportation) is superior to straight conjuration.Why? 5-feet at level 1 actually helps?
It's saved my keister a few times.
Oh, look through keyhole and shift through is a nice one as well. Combine with an adamantine hand drill and you can pierce most barriers.
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You can also shift out of a threatened square, walk away, and then cast a spell.
This doesn't actually work, since Shift acts "as if using dimension door", which means using it ends your turn, and you can take no other actions until your next turn (not even immediate actions.)
You can also shift out of a threatened square, walk away, and then cast a spell.This doesn't actually work, since Shift acts "as if using dimension door", which means using it ends your turn, and you can take no other actions until your next turn (not even immediate actions.)
Well I'll be damnned! I don't know why I missed that, especially as I just ran a campaign that had some dimension dooring that properly followed that rule.
Merci.
Edit: Still think it is better than acid dart by an order of magnitude.
Acid Dart is good for disrupting spellcasters, but that's about it. It will hit more reliably than a crossbow, but you probably won't use it once you get to midlevels.
Yes, one spell per day does mean a lot. Unlike a sorcerer, you've actually got to prepare these things ahead of time, and every extra spell slot adds to your flexibility. A 1st level universalist, under the best of circumstances, gets 3 spell slots per day. One extra spell slot gives you a lot more flexibility to prepare duplicates or different spells.
Yes, specific problem-solving methods are not in a specialist's disposal, but the generalist is in no better a position if he didn't learn and prepare the spell. If you need to charm person right now, a generalist who didn't prepare the spell is in the same boat as a specialist who opposed the enchantment school. For the six schools of magic he does have full access to, the specialist is more likely to have the right spell prepared due to that additional spell slot.
On top of this, you can still cast from your opposition school. Yes, it costs an extra spell slot, but you get an extra spell slot as a specialist anyways so you'll still net even. And if you've got another spellcaster in your party, there's often a lot of overlap they can manage anyways.
Why? 5-feet at level 1 actually helps?
It's a swift action, which is pretty convenient. You can do this and a 5-foot step in succession, meaning the monster cannot use a 5-foot step to chase after you.
Actually you can't shift and then take a 5' step since Shift acts like Dimension Door (so once you shift you can't take further actions including immediate actions).
But you can 5-foot-step and then Shift.
I have played Wizards my entire gaming career. I have not yet seen a reason to play a Universalist in this system. There is a huge plus in the Specialist, adding a free spell per level really adds up. Some of the School powers are nice and the addition of the sub-school option is also nice. Hand of the Apprentice is the worst reason to go Universalist. If the powers that be can right that wrong and grant the Univeralist some bonus like a free feat or something...maybe. I also always thought that Specialist should receive a +1 bonus to their school DCs.
I guess it can not be done but there is any way to use shift to avoid an attack?
Yes, there is:
Readying an Action: You can ready a standard action, a move action, a swift action, or a free action. To do so, specify the action you will take and the conditions under which you will take it. Then, anytime before your next action, you may take the readied action in response to that condition. The action occurs just before the action that triggers it. If the triggered action is part of another character's activities, you interrupt the other character. Assuming he is still capable of doing so, he continues his actions once you complete your readied action. Your initiative result changes. For the rest of the encounter, your initiative result is the count on which you took the readied action, and you act immediately ahead of the character whose action triggered your readied action.
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There's virtually no advantage of going universalist: there will probably only be a handful of spells on the schools you prohibit and if you really want them, spend two spell slots. Also you can take opposition research at level 9, permitting you to remove this requirement.
You can only take Opposition Research once. If you play a specialist wizard, you will always have at least one opposed school.
Drejk: So after every turn, your Teleportation specialist says, "and I ready my swift action to TP over to this square here if anybody takes a swing at me." And then you get stuck on their iniative +1 if they do. Am I reading that right?
Thats better than all the AC in the world.
Readying is a standard action (even if you're readying a free action or swift action.) This can help you avoid attacks, but you won't be able to cast or do anything else besides move.
Drejk: So after every turn, your Teleportation specialist says, "and I ready my swift action to TP over to this square here if anybody takes a swing at me." And then you get stuck on their iniative +1 if they do. Am I reading that right?
Thats better than all the AC in the world.
This brings up an interesting question I hadn't considered. Can you ready a swift action and still perform your standard and moves during that round?
I've never considered that before. It's always been "I ready an action to attack the first guy I see" kind of thing.
I never thought of "I move over here and cast a spell. I ready my swift action teleport to get away from anyone charging me". Does it work this way?
*EDIT - Never-mind RR answered the question ninja-style.
Shift is probably too good.
Swift action, ok.
Supernatural ability, ok.
Scaling to 20, ok.
All three. . . eh. . . I'd pick 2 of the above.
The universalist would probably be the best choice if you wanted to use the Mage of the Third Eye PRC, or if you desperately hate opposition schools (mid level you could get opposition research and lessen that for specialized schools, if you use an elemental school then you get rid of the opposition entirely).
Otherwise, I'd also probably say that Conjuration, specifically the teleportation sub-school would be better.
Readying is a standard action (even if you're readying a free action or swift action.) This can help you avoid attacks, but you won't be able to cast or do anything else besides move.Drejk: So after every turn, your Teleportation specialist says, "and I ready my swift action to TP over to this square here if anybody takes a swing at me." And then you get stuck on their iniative +1 if they do. Am I reading that right?
Thats better than all the AC in the world.
What about if the PC has the dimensional agility feat?
What about if the PC has the dimensional agility feat?Readying is a standard action (even if you're readying a free action or swift action.) This can help you avoid attacks, but you won't be able to cast or do anything else besides move.Drejk: So after every turn, your Teleportation specialist says, "and I ready my swift action to TP over to this square here if anybody takes a swing at me." And then you get stuck on their iniative +1 if they do. Am I reading that right?
Thats better than all the AC in the world.
Not by RAW. There are a number of threads about this.
It's saved my keister a few times.Conjuration (Teleportation) is superior to straight conjuration.Why? 5-feet at level 1 actually helps?
How?
Not by RAW. There are a number of threads about this.
Sorry Whale_Cancer! I value your usual wisdom but it seems to me that with all the restriction (5-foot, your turn is over, etc) that shift is only good for RP or flavor at level 1. Please fell free to educate me if I am wrong!
Sorry Whale_Cancer I value your usual wisdom but it seems to me that with all the restriction (5-foot, your turn is over, etc) that shift is only good for RP or flavor at level 1. Please fell free to educate me if I am wrong!
Not by RAW. There are a number of threads about this.
Some of this might really depend on playstyle. If your DM runs a lot of 'basic' combats, acid dart might be better.
But shift can get you out of grapples and some engulfs (gelatinous cube). It can help a lot in dealing with difficult terrain (which I don't think DMs use enough of, most people I've played with largely ignore the terrain guidelines).
Some of this might really depend on party composition. If you have a really good rogue you can't get around a lot of traps or blockages.
But shift can get you through a locked door (keyhole or drill), through bars if you are capture, through portcullis traps, past pressure plates once you get up to 10' shifts, etc.,
There are also really situational uses that can save your butt.
Shift out of prison, shift to hide by denying LOS (your opponent has no way to know how far you have teleported), shift to maximize your tactical movement in order to escape an enemy with a similiar speed.
Also, acid dart just... stinks.
1d6+1/2 levels...
Compare it to acid splash. 1d3 damage. Not as good, of course. But if you use a vial of acid as a component (adventurer's armory) you do 1d3 first round and 1d3 the next. That is comparable damage (at 10 gp a pop) with no use per day limit. Acid dart also just doesn't scale with level in any useful way (I know you are talking about level 1-3, but assuredly the character will get above that eventually).
Take that for what you will!
You can only take Opposition Research once. If you play a specialist wizard, you will always have at least one opposed school.
Not if you specialize in one of the elemental schools.
Not by RAW. There are a number of threads about this.What about if the PC has the dimensional agility feat?Readying is a standard action (even if you're readying a free action or swift action.) This can help you avoid attacks, but you won't be able to cast or do anything else besides move.Drejk: So after every turn, your Teleportation specialist says, "and I ready my swift action to TP over to this square here if anybody takes a swing at me." And then you get stuck on their iniative +1 if they do. Am I reading that right?
Thats better than all the AC in the world.
And none of those threads ever came to anything conclusive. Just a lot of varied opinions being bandied about.
You can only take Opposition Research once. If you play a specialist wizard, you will always have at least one opposed school.Not if you specialize in one of the elemental schools.
Fair enough. I was referring to wizard specialists, not wizard archetypes.
shift to hide by denying LOS (your opponent has no way to know how far you have teleported)
LOS???
But if you use a vial of acid as a component (adventurer's armory) you do 1d3 first round and 1d3 the next.
Expensive at level 1 but I get the idea!
And none of those threads ever came to anything conclusive. Just a lot of varied opinions being bandied about.
I thought it did (insofar as anything can be conclusive short of a Dev chiming in or actual errata; there will always be people claiming erroneous interpretations) via the reasoning...
1) SUs are not spells.
2) Shift is a SU.
3) Shift is not dimension door, even though it uses the same restriction.
4) Shift doesn't count as dimension door.
5) Dimensional agility requires the ability to cast dimension door or have the abundant steps ability.
6) Shift is neither of those (so it doesn't qualify you for the feat).
7) The text specifically calls out the benefit of dimensional agility only apply when casting dimension door or using abundant steps (so shift can't be used with the feat).
I'd like it to work with shift, and have gotten my DM to allow me to have it work with shift, but I can't see how it is RAW.
shift to hide by denying LOS (your opponent has no way to know how far you have teleported)LOS???
Line of sight.
So, you shift behind a wall where your enemy doesn't have LOS to you. Your enemy doesn't know whether you just teleported to Magnamar, the 14th level of the Abyss, or into deep space.
If your DM takes that into account, you could perform some interesting combat tricks (as well as escapes or stealthy maneuverings).
Example:
Citadel of Flame (PFS)
I cannot think of a time I ever seen that kind of game changing situation based on the use of Acid Dart...
Re-edit: Can you think of a Conjuration spell you will cast every single day? for each spell slot?
Level 1 Spell: Mage armor. Put it in bonus spell slot.
Level 2 Spell: Eh? Glitterdust. Not certain, but blinding in a AoE is always nice. Not much else to do. This is a bad level :/ On the bright side, it is the only bad level, and glitter dust is not a bad spell. just not as awesome as 3-9.
Level 3+ Spell: Summon Monster N
Ok! Now you have a spell you would have memorized anyway in each spell slot. So what?
So now, you don't bother to memorize one (or later, two) spells at each level. Huzzah, you now have some of the power of a sorcerer, as long as you are willing to wait a little bit to memorize the needed spell. Not on the fly, but not waiting 24 hours.
This "I would always memorize the Conjuration spell anyway! Now I have a free spell slot!" feature is part of what I like about Conjuration school.
as long as you are willing to wait a little bit to memorize the needed spell. Not on the fly, but not waiting 24 hours.
Do you mean by using the fast study arcane discovery?
So, you shift behind a wall where your enemy doesn't have LOS to you. Your enemy doesn't know whether you just teleported to Magnamar, the 14th level of the Abyss, or into deep space.
I understand! However I think this particular one won't work cause I need to see behind the wall and again the 5-foot restriction at level 1 will make it even harder. Even so I liked the grapple and keyhole examples!
Example:
Citadel of Flame (PFS) ** spoiler omitted **
I cannot think of a time I ever seen that kind of game changing situation based on the use of Acid Dart...
Re-edit: Can you think of a Conjuration spell you will cast every single day? for each spell slot?
Level 1 Spell: Mage armor. Put it in bonus spell slot.
Level 2 Spell: Eh? Glitterdust. Not certain, but blinding in a AoE is always nice. Not much else to do. This is a bad level :/ On the bright side, it is the only bad level, and glitter dust is not a bad spell. just not as awesome as 3-9.
Create pit says hello.
Level 3+ Spell: Summon Monster N
4th: dimension door, 5th: teleport, 6th: planar binding, 7th: greater teleport, 8th: maze, 9th: create greater demiplane (who needs premanency anyway?) to name a few.
Ok! Now you have a spell you would have memorized anyway in each spell slot. So what?
Prepared. Cut out that memorize crap. You are spreading wrong terminology among newbies.
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Fair enough. I was referring to wizard specialists, not wizard archetypes.
Elemental schools aren't archetypes, though. They're not like Wildblooded bloodlines. They're just other schools you can choose.
Yeah the Archetypes are like where you hit people with rolled up scrolls like they are a naughty puppy or where your spellllll gunnnnnnn shoots like magic missiles instead of bullets and such.
I will roll up a scrollmaster just to hit bbegs on the nose with rolled-up scrolls while sternly telling them "NO, BAD!".
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Shift is good, it's just not ridiculously good. Things I have used it for:
- We were in a rowboat trying to get to a ship ten feet up. I hopped on the fighter's shoulders and then shifted up, then lowered some rope down.
- At low levels I was providing a flank with my cute little dagger so that the melee people could hit better. I could 5-foot step away from melee, cast daze, and then shift back to end my turn.
- I can move a little bit faster than just about anyone. I can take a double-move, and then shift forward five or more feet.
It's a limited dimension door. If you can't find ways to use an extra six or more free teleportations, you are not trying hard enough.
- At low levels I was providing a flank with my cute little dagger so that the melee people could hit better. I could 5-foot step away from melee, cast daze, and then shift back to end my turn.
This one doesn't actually work either. You can't flank an opponent unless you threaten him, and you don't threaten him unless you would be allowed to make a melee attack against him. Since you can take no actions until your next turn after dim dooring, you can't make a melee attack against him, don't threaten, and therefore don't provide a flank.
I understand! However I think this particular one won't work cause I need to see behind the wall and again the 5-foot restriction at level 1 will make it even harder. Even so I liked the grapple and keyhole examples!
So, you shift behind a wall where your enemy doesn't have LOS to you. Your enemy doesn't know whether you just teleported to Magnamar, the 14th level of the Abyss, or into deep space.
You would be shifting at an angle perpendicular to your enemy. You can see places your enemy cannot.
Elemental schools aren't archetypes, though. They're not like Wildblooded bloodlines. They're just other schools you can choose.
Yes, I know. But as far as I'm concerned, anything that involves alternate class abilities and isn't in the Core rulebook is pretty much an archetype.
Yes, I know. But as far as I'm concerned, anything that involves alternate class abilities and isn't in the Core rulebook is pretty much an archetype.
Arcane Discoveries are in Ultimate Magic; the elemental schools are in the APG. Opposition Research is less core than elemental schools.
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- At low levels I was providing a flank with my cute little dagger so that the melee people could hit better. I could 5-foot step away from melee, cast daze, and then shift back to end my turn.This one doesn't actually work either. You can't flank an opponent unless you threaten him, and you don't threaten him unless you would be allowed to make a melee attack against him. Since you can take no actions until your next turn after dim dooring, you can't make a melee attack against him, don't threaten, and therefore don't provide a flank.
I have to disagree with this interpretation. If this were true, any enemy without Combat Reflexes could not flank after taking a single attack of opportunity.
Flanking only requires that you threaten. Threatening only requires being within reach of an opponent that you could attack. If you're saying I can't make an attack and therefore don't threaten because I've just used shift, then a person who has taken their one and only AoO can't flank either.
- At low levels I was providing a flank with my cute little dagger so that the melee people could hit better. I could 5-foot step away from melee, cast daze, and then shift back to end my turn.This one doesn't actually work either. You can't flank an opponent unless you threaten him, and you don't threaten him unless you would be allowed to make a melee attack against him. Since you can take no actions until your next turn after dim dooring, you can't make a melee attack against him, don't threaten, and therefore don't provide a flank.I have to disagree with this interpretation. If this were true, any enemy without Combat Reflexes could not flank after taking a single attack of opportunity.
Flanking only requires that you threaten. Threatening only requires being within reach of an opponent that you could attack. If you're saying I can't make an attack and therefore don't threaten because I've just used shift, then a person who has taken their one and only AoO can't flank either.
After using this spell, you can't take any other actions until your next turn.
You threaten all squares into which you can make a melee attack, even when it is not your turn
After dimension door, you cannot take an action until your next turn. Thus, you cannot make a melee attack and thus do not threaten.
At least, that is how I (now) read it.
As far as I'm concerned, you can flank even while taking Total Defence. That's just my opinion though.
You can defend yourself as a standard action. You get a +4 dodge bonus to your AC for 1 round. Your AC improves at the start of this action. You can't combine total defense with fighting defensively or with the benefit of the Combat Expertise feat. You can't make attacks of opportunity while using total defense.
I'm not sure what you mean by 'opinion'? Houserule?
What's your response to someone without Combat Reflexes who has used his attack of opportunity? If he's already used it, he can't make any melee attacks, so does he still threaten?
I read the 'can' in the threaten description as being legally allowed to attack a square, not whether you have an AoO available. I see how this can be nitpicked, however.