So I was looking at prestige classes recently, and I noticed that the "Mage of the third eye" got a few significant bonuses to crafting constructs (like Arcane Architect). So I decided to look at building a "contructor", or construct master. I'm looking to get tips to make this build even more effective at building constructs (all of them, not just a single golem like the arcane discovery).
Here's a basic build (race independent):
Ibn Al Jaffa (race/alignment to be determined), Metal School Wizard
Str 10 Dex 16 Con 12 Int 16 Wis 12 Cha 10
1 Improved Initiative
2
3 Craft wondrous items
4
5 Eldritch eye, Craft magic arms and armor
6
7 Craft Construct
8
9 Improved Familiar
10 Scholiast (?)
11 Arcane discovery: Fast study
12
13 Feat? (scholiast ?)
Constructs:
-A number if lesser animated objects
-A few Terra-Cotta warriors (great stuff if more than 2 of them)
-A single "powerful" construct to act as his protector (to be determined)
So I'm looking for tips on useful feats, interesting races (though not elf please), a good improved familiar as well as the best abilities for the scholiast power. I'm also looking for a good opposition school to the "metal" school (I'm thinking wood, both thematically and mechanically).
Just to note, scholiast allows you to gain any 3+ int skill of ANY arcane school (so basically the best arcane school powers).
As for alignement, I think I'll make him Lawful Neutral, to match the "mechanistic" aspect of constructs.
I'd love to know whatever ideas you guys have!
Really? No one... Sigh
In any case, I think the defender of the wizard would likely be some sort of shield guardian. I wonder, can you give that upgrade to non-golems?
As for the scholiast power, the only one of note i can think of is the teleportation power of the conjurer (teleportation subschool)
I was just about to make a thread asking for advice on making a construct-creating character as well. I will have to look over the options you took before ican say anything. If you want to be able to create different constructs you will need a lot of craft skills so this is going to be interesting.
With that said human is probably very interesting, with your favored class bonus going into skill ranks, to be able to get all those craft skills up to a reasonable level. putting the racial bonus into int is a no brainer, since it both directly affects the skill, adds another skill point per level and will be your casting attribute.
Personally i would go with craft construct before eldritch eye, since you need both for the PrC the order doesn't matter there and you can start making constructs earlier through your career.
The reason I took eldritch eye first because most of the necessary spells to make constructs dont appear until the later levels (so getting it early gives you very little). Animate objects at spell level 6, Geas/quest spell level 6. Those are the most common spells, and NOBODY can get them before character level 12. I'm sure you could get away with the whole +5 DC shenanigans, but it wouldnt allow you much more than small animated objects.
However, I'm not sure if the craft skills are necessary. I'm currently runnning another construct-crafter type, and according to the DM and the other players, the only skill you need for crafting/repair is spellcraft, and the other skills are alternatives (for, let's say, somebody with the master craftsman feat).
Then again, that might not be true (and just homebrew). Personally, I'd take craft: sculpture and craft: clockwork as priorities (they seem to give the coolest stuff). I know for pure "animated objects", you do need to actually build the item beforehand (I'm building a custom mecha-worm as a sort of underground vehicle), so I'm taking craft: clockwork.
Note: One thing that might help get around the skill requirement is the use of headbands of intelligence. Each one can be "attuned" to a single skil where it give maximum skill ranks (IE, as many skill ranks in one skill as you have hit dice). As a crafter, you could have several cheap +2 belts with each different craft skill you need (although you'd have to weart it for 24 hours in preparation). 5 belts=10000 gold and 10 days of work, and you've got any 5 craft skills you want.
Note 2: I'm thinking of either a clockwork familiar (thematically appropriate) or a LN familiar like an Inevitable ( I believe one of the little ones can become a familiar).
Sorry, read the thread title as "Creating a Constructicon" and thought, "Ask Megatron".
I literally just had a player ask me about playing a PF version of this class.
Well, the mage of the third eye looks cool (though, like all prestige classes, you lose a lot for relatively little power). Still, it's nice to be able to build constructs faster.
I love the prestige classes, since here they are more about flavor than mechanical advantage (save a few like the horizon walker). I've yet to DM a pathfinder game, but I think I wouldnt refuse most of them (even the weird ones). As long as the player warned me in advance, I'd love to make it work.
I've been looking at some more stuff, and it looks like I must choose fire as my opposition school (oh well). However, it looks like I could chose the arcane builder discovery as a feat later. Would it stack with arcane architect, I wonder?
Edit: I did a run-through of the wizard abilities for scholiast. As far as I can tell, the best is prescience (foresight school), since it's can basically give you an "insurance" roll. The second is versatile evocation (admixture school), which is basically free use of a metamagic feat 3+ int times per day.
Other potentially useful ones include:
Shift (teleportation school)
Blinding ray (illusion)
Protective ward (an AC bonus is always good, especially if it spreads to your allies).
If anybody has some insight on the other 3+int abilities, I'd be interested.
Still, I think I might have to go to a traditional wizard school because of the forced opposition schools for the elemental schools. Metal school gives me useful spells, but I loose too much with fire as an opposition school.
A little question: Would the "opposition research" discovery cover the elemental opposition schools?
Well, I've finally finished the full level 13 build. This guys has a small group of Terra-Cotta Warriors as a core defense, with the spells to allow him to animate large parts of his environement against his enemies.
The backstory would be that he comes from a vaguely "arabian nights"-type nation, went east, discovered the secrets of terra cotta soldiers, and made his own.
The only doubtful thing I've put is my use of a terra cotta solder as shield guardian.
I'm also wondering how to carry these dudes. Shrink object maybe? Dragging around large groups of dudes is rather inconspicuous.
Looks like LN alignement would also works best, since the "Arbiter" improved familiar has a spell that can heal constructs (always useful)
I think I might have him carry around a few small/medium "puppets" to use as temporary soldiers with animate objects.