So after the horrific death of the most unlucky character I've ever had the displeasure to play, I find myself in need of a new character for our Wrath of the Righteous game. And seeing as my last character was heavily into melee, I think a caster would be a nice change.
The current roster of characters is an Aasimar Paladin of Iomedae, an Aasimar Zen Archer Monk, and a Tiefling Magus. We have a couple of heavy hitters as well as some long distance combat covered.
Does anyone have any fun arcane caster builds or concepts they would like to share? As of now I'm undecided as to what kind I should play. I'm open to pretty much anything, but I'd like to have the character be capable of dealing with the primary foes of the AP: Demons, as well as some undead, vermin, and aberrations.
The one thing I have decided on is that the character will be a Half-Orc; I'll be playing the oft mentioned younger brother of my last character.
Character creation:
3rd level, 1 trait plus the campaign trait, and we rolled for stats. I got lucky a came out with some good ones: 18, 17, 13, 13, 10, 10.
Right now the top contenders are either a witch (scarred witchdoctor) or some kind of sorcerer, although I'm open for any arcane caster as long as I can be useful to the party. Outside of specific build ideas, I want to beable to handle the unique challenges of this AP:
~ Dealing with demonic energy resistance and spell resistance, as well as their ability to teleport at will and summon others of their kind.
~ I'm guessing there will be all kinds of icky creepy crawlies in the form of swarms and giant insects.
~ Evil cults abound, so being able to match them magically would be great.
Any thoughts?
Le bump.
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for energy and spell resistance, there is summoning. as a conjuror, you can still use area spells for swarms as well. and in general, would a chelish infernal summoner sent by the clergy of Asmodius to beat down a common enemy work with the rest of the party? i thought the evil guy with the same enemy(demons) would be lots of fun since they announced wrath of the righteous.
Well, witch certainly seems appealing since you have to deal with a lot of enemies trying to summon. Since most of the good debuffing hexes are more about "only use once on any single opponent per 24 hrs", then you would be able to have things covered since you can just keep spamming.
Plus, you have some more access to healing, which can be nice, I suppose. Having a couple of character able to do that is good in case one of them gets knocked out. Witches also have access to summoning spells themselves, which can always be useful.
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IMO, there's a pretty big opportunity for an Oracle or Cleric here - you could make a pretty kickass divine caster. That being said:
-blasters are out* - demons have immunity to electricity and resistance to the other common energy types
-enchanters/illusionists are out* - too many mindless foes
How about... a Summoner? Your party could probably use another melee bro, you get Dimensional Anchor, Control Summoned Creature, Dismissal, and Banishment on your spell list, your Eidolon doesn't worry about SR (nor do some primo Conjuration spells on your list), and it essentially turns your 4-man party into a 5-man party. You could make your Eidolon look like a demon, an angel, or anything else. You can give it Alignment Smite, Celestial Appearance, and most importantly, the ability to see in Deeper Darkness.
What do you think?
*and by out I mean suboptimal
I'll be completely honest with you - I absolutely hate prepared casters. Never enough of what you need right when you need it, always stuck with spells the right situation never came up for... and that's even if you have a GM that lets you 'divine' everything ahead of time. The situation is always fluid and as such, spontaneous casters seem to always have an advantage.
Our group consists of a Tiefling Paladin, two Aasimar Dervishes of Dawn (twins) and a Human Sorcerer/Dragon Disciple (the only survivor of a small group of Terendelev's inheiritors after the fall of Kenabres. Now sticking with your query, I'm not going to reccomend the Dragon Disciple build, but I would like to say that a Human sorcerer, using the human's favored class option always seems to have the right spell on hand and as many available as needed. Take the Arcane Bloodline to further that and then metamagic your heart out.
If your GM allows Scarred Witch Doctor for half-orcs and that's something you're seriously interested in, its a great character option - but keep in mind that the Witch's strengths tend to be single-target debuffs and it sounds like your existing party won't have many problems with single target foes.
Another exceptional option would be the Master Summoner - far and away my favorite class and one who always has an answer for everything. I'd be more than happy to help you build one for your campaign if interested.
Arcane Duelist switch-hitter bard that gets Deadly Dealer at 5th level to throw magically enchanted cards?
A ray sorcerer?
A blockbuster wizard?
A summoner?
A spellslinger wizard or 1 gunslinger / 2 wizard?
A witch? Actually a witch would work great, even a vanilla one.
I agree that this stat spread would make for a good ranged gish build.
Actually, a diabolist or necromancer would work well here- fight fire with fire, and all that rot. The ability to wrest control of beasts your foes summon or animate can easily turn the tables on them.
Alternately, a master summoner with the Summon Good Monster feat and a celestial eidolon would be a perfect hunter of the foes you'll likely meet.
Thematically and mechanically, you could work towards Riftwarden. Riftwarden starting with a banishment abjurer could be nice.
Link.
This could also work well with an empyreal blooded sorcerer ( sorc 6/riftwarden x). You would want magical knack as a trait, since riftwardens lose caster levels
Riftwardens orphan would be the the obvious campaign trait.
...and in general, would a chelish infernal summoner sent by the clergy of Asmodius to beat down a common enemy work with the rest of the party? i thought the evil guy with the same enemy(demons) would be lots of fun since they announced wrath of the righteous.
I had originally thought of something along those lines, but my Dm has *ahem* "suggested" against it; after what our characters ended up doing in his Skulls and Shackles game, he'd prefer us to firmly be on the side of good.
He's a spoil sport. :p
Given the opportunity, always play a necromancer. :P
What about a hex magus? Pretty good versatility and capable of doing all sorts of fun stuff.
We've already got a hex magus in the party, and I would hate to step on his toes.
I would leap at the chance to play a Scarred Witch Doctor.
STR 13 DEX 17 CON 20 INT 13 WIS 10 CHA 10
You'll be a caster that has the HP of a front-line fighter.
Trade Orc Ferocity for Sacred Tattoo for +1 to all saves
Take Improved Initiative and Extra Hex as your feats, or Extra Hex twice.
Evil Eye, Cackle, Slumber, Misfortune: Pick 2 or 3 depending on feat choices. I'd probably go with Evil Eye, Cackle, and Slumber. Pick up Misfortune next level.
Hexes ignore spell resistance, being supernatural abilities.
IMO, there's a pretty big opportunity for an Oracle or Cleric here - you could make a pretty kickass divine caster. That being said:
-blasters are out* - demons have immunity to electricity and resistance to the other common energy types
-enchanters/illusionists are out* - too many mindless foes
How about... a Summoner? Your party could probably use another melee bro, you get Dimensional Anchor, Control Summoned Creature, Dismissal, and Banishment on your spell list, your Eidolon doesn't worry about SR (nor do some primo Conjuration spells on your list), and it essentially turns your 4-man party into a 5-man party. You could make your Eidolon look like a demon, an angel, or anything else. You can give it Alignment Smite, Celestial Appearance, and most importantly, the ability to see in Deeper Darkness.
What do you think?
*and by out I mean suboptimal
You're right about a divine caster kicking a lot of ass in this AP. I just can't seem to keep any interest in clerics/oracles; I don't like the idea of playing a character that is dependent on the good will of another being for their powers. It just rubs me the wrong way.
And on the mechanical side, cleric divine magic is so boring. It doesn't have the flare of arcane magic; it's just dull and tedious buffing. Every attempt I've made of playing a cleric or oracle eventually leaves me so bored that I retire the character.
That being said, you may be on to something with the summoner. I haven't played one since the original playtest. I eventually retired my summoner once the final version came out, due to disliking some of the changes made.
I'm hesitant, mainly because playing a summoner would effectively mean our party has no full casters, and that makes me nervous. Another meatshield would be nice, but how does it compare to a full caster?
It should, epecially as the paladin is the only PC on the current roster with healing abilities due to the lay on hands class feature. (Assuming the paladin is 3rd level, he (or she) doesn't gain healing spells until 4th level. I'm also assuming that aasimars would not want to be subject to the fiendish healing spell).
Witches at least have access to healing spells, especially if they take the healing domain. (I'd also note that, because the scarred witchdoctor archetype doesn't have a hex at first level, you can't take the Extra Hex feat until 3rd level, as your witch PC doesn't gain the hex class feature until 2nd level. As the character is starting at 3rd level, this isn't an issue, but I suggest that your witch take both Improved Initiative and Extra Hex).
Ooops- I meant "As the character is starting at 3rd level" in the last sentence.
If you dislike the spell selection of the cleric/oracle but want divine, go caster druid and pick up a unique and appropriate domain. New spells have made the caster druid more usable, though it's still a tricky class to play imo.
If you find divine boring, check out this build: Jargonaut.
Granted, your DM would have to allow words of power and the Paladin would have to be ok with you animating dead foes, but it could be a lot of fun.
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I’m currently playing an Elven Evoker in Wrath of the Righteous and he is a blast (pun intended) Specializing in fire spells and going with a dip in Tattooed Sorcerer for pluses to Fire damage I can justify the build as everything seems to have fire resistance of some type. I usually play Conjurers but that would be too easy so in this one so I dropped Conjuration and Abjuration … Probably not the best choice but it forces you to think differently.
So far I have melted several Demons … we are only 4th level. Favorite phrase: “Resistance is futile” as another Demon is burnt to death. Heading for Mythic Fireball with Spell Specialization.
Sic
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Maagambyan Arcanist....if allowed.
Seriously: Permanant Prot. from Evil, Add spells from Druid List. Spontaneous casting with your favorite spells. Gain Good Domain spells and have all Good-subtype Spells boosted extremely.
Just think: once your High enough level you could Spontainously Cast Holy Word or Holy Aura!! Plus it allows you to greate a great diversity of different Builds.
Im Currently Designing a Wood Wizard/MA and he looks awesome!! once I get him all statted I could share him.
Not sure if this is up your alley, but there's an interesting synergy between the Heirophant mythic ability "Channel Shockwave" and an Aasimar (Angelkin) Oracle of Life. You use the Aasimar Oracle's favored class ability to supercharge his channel energy and then wield a high crit weapon so you can crit more often and boost your damage numbers through the roof.
I recommend 1 level of fighter at level 1 for heavy armor proficiency, martial weapon proficiency, and the bonus feat. Then use full plate, a heavy shield, and a scimitar (or cutlass). You'll be tanky and dealing significant damage if you buff yourself with Divine Favor, etc. And don't forget the Fate's Fortuned trait to increase your luck bonuses...
Your stats would probably be:
STR 20
DEX 13
CON 17
INT 10
WIS 10
CHA 15
You're not really an offensive caster, but you'll still have 9 levels of spellcasting and you'll be heck of a buffer...
Maagambyan Arcanist....if allowed.
Seriously: Permanant Prot. from Evil, Add spells from Druid List. Spontaneous casting with your favorite spells. Gain Good Domain spells and have all Good-subtype Spells boosted extremely.
Just think: once your High enough level you could Spontainously Cast Holy Word or Holy Aura!! Plus it allows you to greate a great diversity of different Builds.
Im Currently Designing a Wood Wizard/MA and he looks awesome!! once I get him all statted I could share him.
I find that I'm both intrigued by this prestige class and disappointed in myself that I wasn't aware of it before now. Wow, that's a really awesome prestige class! Especially since Paizo seems to have it out against prestige classes.
That's for pointing it out, Quintin Belmont! It's a shame that wizards are the only class that seems to qualify for it.
Yes Maagambyan Arcanist is an awesome prestige class King Of The Crossroads. However its not without its weaknesses. Yes you do gain a druid spell every class level, but it must be two levels less than your highest-level spells. And while you do gain access to the Good domain at 9th level, several spells in that domain are already in the sorceror/wizard spell list, so it's not as useful as it might seem.
(Especially Protection from Evil. Not only is it on the sorceror/wizard spell list, but the permanent Protection From Evil is gained at the 5th level of Maagambyan Arcanist). And , while Spell Mastery has 1st level wizard as a prerequisite, the FAQ at d20PSFRD.com.does state that your DM can, as a house rule, apply the benefits of Spell Mastery to an alchemist's formula book, magus's spellbook, or witch's familiar.
Yes Maagambyan Arcanist is an awesome prestige class King Of The Crossroads. However its not without its weaknesses. Yes you do gain a druid spell every class level, but it must be two levels less than your highest-level spells. And while you do gain access to the Good domain at 9th level, several spells in that domain are already in the sorceror/wizard spell list, so it's not as useful as it might seem.
(Especially Protection from Evil. Not only is it on the sorceror/wizard spell list, but the permanent Protection From Evil is gained at the 5th level of Maagambyan Arcanist). And , while Spell Mastery has 1st level wizard as a prerequisite, the FAQ at d20PSFRD.com.does state that your DM can, as a house rule, apply the benefits of Spell Mastery to an alchemist's formula book, magus's spellbook, or witch's familiar.
Those are some valid points, Morgan Champion. Lol, I must have overlooked Halcyon Magic class feature when I first read through it.
Okay, so game is going to be happening this coming monday, so I'm running out of time. Thanks to everyone who has contributed thus far. :)
I think I've narrowed it down to three possibilities (unless anyone has any other ideas or suggestions) that appeal to me:
1. Scarred Witchdoctor- A Constitution based caster is tempting, especially since witches are by nature kind of flimsy.
Pros- High hit points, healing ability to complement the paladin, and hexes that are supernatural and thus bypass demon spell resistance.
Cons- A very specialized spell list that I honestly don't know what to do with and being required to stay within 30 feet of any opponents to use my hexes.
2. A wizard leading into Maagambyan Arcanist- Despite some of the aforementioned flaws, it's a solid, flavorful prestige class that would lend itself well to this AP.
Pros- Constant protection from evil, druid spells added to spellbook, and having an aura of good, thus opening up Sacred Summons.
Cons- Less than optimal feat requirements, role playing requirements, and the standard wizard weaknesses coupled with dealing with demonic resistances.
3. False Priest sorcerer leading into Cyphermage- These two classes combined grants an absurd boost to the sorcerer's spell list, allowing him to use his spell slots to fuel divine scrolls and wands. And Cypher Mage will make scroll use even better.
Pros- Use Magic Device with divine items will be a breeze, allowing the character to cover the arcane and divine roles. In addition to the standard benefits of whatever bloodline I choose; so far, sylvan is *very* tempting.
Cons- A long wait period for the awesome. You don't get to use the False Channel feature until 9th level, which can be a life time of waiting. And it will get expensive hoarding divine scrolls and wands.
Here are some witch guides to help you out: Hubble, bubble, toil and trouble. Fire burn and cauldron bubble (A guide to Witches: Pathfinder Rules) , The Viking Irishman's Witch Guide and A Witch's Guide to Shutting Down Enemies.
You might also want to look in Guide-to-the-Class-Guides.
Here are some witch guides to help you out: Hubble, bubble, toil and trouble. Fire burn and cauldron bubble (A guide to Witches: Pathfinder Rules) , The Viking Irishman's Witch Guide and A Witch's Guide to Shutting Down Enemies.
You might also want to look in Guide-to-the-Class-Guides.
Those are some good guides, thanks for the links. I'll take a look. :)
Any thoughts?
I suggest for the witch, take Evil Eye as your 2nd level hex, and use your 3rd level feat to pick up Extra Hex (Cackle). Feiya (Iconic Witch 1) is one example of a witch.