Playtest: Arcanist in PFS


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Grand Lodge RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32

Played a brand-new 1st-level arcanist in a PFS session today (The Confirmation, if you're curious).

Had an 18 INT, so 3 spells/day, and 2 spells prepared. I prepared grease and burning hands, with the latter being my selection with Spell Specialization (go go human bonus feat).

My choice of arcane exploit at 1st level was Potent Magic, so that my one and only reservoir point could be spent for a +2 CL (or DC) to one spell as I cast it.

Spoilers below.

First encounter was a swarm. Since I was the only person in the party who could affect it at all, and I didn't want to spend multiple spell slots, I went ahead and blew my single point for the day to take my already-specialized burning hands up to CL 5 and thoroughly incinerated those mosquitoes. Felt really good as a 1/day trick to have available. I suppose at 2nd it'll be 2/day, which is probably fine.

I spent my other two slots casting grease against a minotaur, and also made decent use of acid splash as well as a wand found during the adventure.

All in all, it played very much like any other 1st-level arcane caster. I did notice two things:
1) Knowing both that if we learned something important about our mission during travel I could pick different spells and that I didn't have to worry about using the last slot of one while having a useless copy of the other was really nice. Relaxing, even.
2) Having all those spells in my book that I hadn't prepared kept making me long for a wizard's bonded item. I am actually weighing the costs of taking Skill Focus and Eldritch Heritage to get one for that extra versatility.

Overall, my arcanist felt very good to play. I was never thinking "Ugh, this is awful" (except when rolling initiative, since I didn't spend either of my feats on Improved Init) and I was also never feeling like "I really shouldn't be able to get away with this".

All in all, this class felt like a hit!


Since I'm going to be starting the Confirmation soon (first PFS character, whoo) I can't read this.

BUT! Do you think you'd play a sorcerer again? A wizard? What weaknesses did you find that you didn't see when reading through the class?

Grand Lodge RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32

The difference between the arcanist and the sorcerer is basically two things:
1) I can change my spells known each morning, which in PFS generally amounts to looking around the table and taking spells that will synergize well with the other PCs. ("Oh, you have a wand of haste as your bonded item? I won't prep that.")
2) I don't get a bloodline arcana. I don't get a bloodline arcana. I cast spells the way they come off the shelf, so to speak. And since my spell levels already come a level late, I can't afford a sorcerer dip to "steal" an arcana the way a wizard/witch/druid/cleric could. That matters.

The differences between the arcanist and the wizard are these:
1) I didn't have to decide how many of my three slots were going to go toward each of my two prepared spells. I ended up casting one burning hands and 2 grease, which is actually different than I'd have prepped if I were a wizard. So that was nice.
2) No opposed schools! Yay!
3) Same number of spells as a specialist wizard (later, it'll be less), but one important difference: the specialist wizard (at 1st level) could have prepared three different spells; I could only prepare two. The arcanist does not have the same versatility as the wizard, because the wizard can prepare as many different spells as he has slots; the arcanist HAS to use repeats (at least at his highest spell levels).
4) I kept wishing I had an arcane bond. I'd look at a situation, look at the perfect spell sitting in my spellbook unprepared, and I'd think "Man, if I had a bonded item, I'd be set." It really is enough to have me considering whether I should take Skill Focus and Eldritch Heritage (arcane).
5) Not having 2nd-level spells until 4th is painful. :(

In comparison to both classes, it was harsh not having any "3+stat per day" abilities or other cool bloodline/school powers. I mostly just had my spells, and my one, singular reservoir point.

Overall, I felt a sort of tension where I'd think of the wizard or sorcerer and think "Man, it sure is nice to be able to X, but not having Y is rough."

So far, I'd say the arcanist is an entirely different beast than either of those two classes. The next time I decide to make a full-on arcane caster, it'll be my specific goals/desires that determine which of the three I play. :)


Jiggy wrote:
4) I kept wishing I had an arcane bond. I'd look at a situation, look at the perfect spell sitting in my spellbook unprepared, and I'd think "Man, if I had a bonded item, I'd be set." It really is enough to have me considering whether I should take Skill Focus and Eldritch Heritage (arcane).

Do you think a Mnemonic Vestment would scratch that particular itch?

The Arcanist is not explicitly a spontaneous caster as written, so I don't know if it would even work for them.

Grand Lodge RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32

redward wrote:
Jiggy wrote:
4) I kept wishing I had an arcane bond. I'd look at a situation, look at the perfect spell sitting in my spellbook unprepared, and I'd think "Man, if I had a bonded item, I'd be set." It really is enough to have me considering whether I should take Skill Focus and Eldritch Heritage (arcane).

Do you think a Mnemonic Vestment would scratch that particular itch?

The Arcanist is not explicitly a spontaneous caster as written, so I don't know if it would even work for them.

Well, I prepare spells, and then I cast them spontaneously. I get no benefit from a pearl of power, but I *think* (don't have the text in front of me) I would benefit from a runestone of power. So I think the vestment might work.

EDIT: Though ironically, I don't "cast spells without preparation", so I also fail to qualify for Dragon Disciple. ;)

Liberty's Edge

Good playtest Jiggy. I like that the bonded item loss was big. That is very helpful.


How do you think your perceptions of the class would change if you were 11th level?


What if there were an Arcane Exploit that allowed you to burn Arcane Reservoir points to cast a spell unprepared? Essentially the reverse of Consume Spells. It would probably need some kind of opportunity cost for balance. Taking an Exploit slot would be part of that, but maybe the cost is double the spell level, or spell level +1?

Grand Lodge RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32

Cheapy wrote:
How do you think your perceptions of the class would change if you were 11th level?

Well, for starters, I'd have a whopping six points per day.

That means I've got to ration them carefully; I'd readily use one in almost any given fight (unless it's obviously an easy one), but I'd have to think carefully about using a second one.

"How badly do I need to suppress this spell effect?"

"Can I get by without the CL boost on this one?"

"Should I attempt to counter that spell, or let it through?"
^Hey look, identifying a spell finally matters!

Add in the chancey abilities to regain points...

"I have fewer 1st-level spells than a wizard; how badly do I need to eat one? What if I need to PfE or liberating command someone later?"

"Do I need a point more than I need this scroll of glitterdust?"

"I might get a return on countering that spell, but it costs a point to try, so I could fail and come out behind..."

So it becomes a dance. A glorious, resource-management dance. :)

In the meantime, I'm casting spells simultaneously more and less flexibly than the wizard and consistently less powerfully than a sorcerer. Oh, and I'm a spell level behind the wizard.

So I sort of become the "generalist" of the primary arcane casting trio*, which suits my playstyle just fine, but I think a lot of people will end up not liking as well as their impressions of its power level currently lead them to expect.

*Everyone knows the witch is a hex-gatling, not a caster.

Grand Lodge RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32

redward wrote:
What if there were an Arcane Exploit that allowed you to burn Arcane Reservoir points to cast a spell unprepared? Essentially the reverse of Consume Spells. It would probably need some kind of opportunity cost for balance. Taking an Exploit slot would be part of that, but maybe the cost is double the spell level, or spell level +1?

Honestly, I'd make the cost be a point per spell level.

At 1st level, it's your only point. Any exploit you pick is a 1/day trick. At 2nd you have 2 points, so it's half your allotment.

At 4th (when you get 2nd level spells), calling a 2nd-level spell is still a 1/day trick, or you could do up to 3 other things (calling 1st-level spells, using other exploits, etc).

At 6th, you have 4 points and 3rd-level spells.

At 8th, 5 points and 4th-level spells.

See the pattern? Your highest spell level would always leave you with a measly 1 point left. Your second-highest leaves you with 2, etc.

I think point-per-level would be fine for such an exploit. Alternatively, make it 1/day with either a flat cost or a "must have X left in your reservoir" to use.


I have played my Arcanist a couple of times now and I have the same feelings you do about spell availability. I have a feeling I will be taking Expanded Arcana a couple of times at least and taking the latter option that gives you 2 more spells known at one level lower than your highest level of spellcasting.

Blowing two feats to get a bonded object just seems like too much. If I take Expanded Arcana at level 5 and choose the latter option, I will have 6 level 1 spells prepared. With that many prepared spells I think I could probably get by without a bonded item. I'd probably throw in the mnemonic vestment for good measure though :)

Grand Lodge RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32

Expanded Arcana requires "spells known", which (near as I can tell) the arcanist doesn't have.


Correct but there is this:

Arcanist Revision wrote:
Feats and other effects that modify the number of spells known by a spellcaster affect the number of spells the arcanist can prepare.

Grand Lodge RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32

Shazam!


Strictly speaking it doesn't actually work as you cannot take Expanded Arcana in the first place as you don't qualify for it. You don't meet the special requirement of

"Special: You can only take this feat if you possess levels in a class whose spellcasting relies on a limited list of spells known, such as the bard, oracle, and sorcerer."

I am pretty sure the intention is that you should be able to take it but from a strict raw point of view I don't think you can.

You could also consider being a Samsaran. Mystic Past Life would definitely add 1+Int mod spells to your spells prepared but you would have to pick them at level 1 so might not be able to use them for a while.


Robert A Matthews wrote:

I have played my Arcanist a couple of times now and I have the same feelings you do about spell availability. I have a feeling I will be taking Expanded Arcana a couple of times at least and taking the latter option that gives you 2 more spells known at one level lower than your highest level of spellcasting.

Blowing two feats to get a bonded object just seems like too much. If I take Expanded Arcana at level 5 and choose the latter option, I will have 6 level 1 spells prepared. With that many prepared spells I think I could probably get by without a bonded item. I'd probably throw in the mnemonic vestment for good measure though :)

If it does actually work then I would be sorely tempted to take it a whole bunch of times. It does what the Human FCB bonus does for sorcerers, it significantly reduces the main limitation of the class. I also foresee quite a few Samsaran Arcanists.


andreww wrote:
You could also consider being a Samsaran. Mystic Past Life would definitely add 1+Int mod spells to your spells prepared but you would have to pick them at level 1 so might not be able to use them for a while.

I don't think so. Mystic Past Life just adds spells to your spell list. So you could grab some Witch spells, or some of the fun Bard stuff, but it won't give you more spells prepared.

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