New to PF, need help with an arcane build


Advice


Hello guys

i play in a well established very experienced 3.5 group, one of the group is dming pathfinder for the first time and i need help building a character for it.

I usually play clerics archers and rogues, initially i was building a necromancer (i wanted minions) but one of ours is playing an undead hunter and his toon has been submitted and accepted so i need to choose something else.

I did go for master summoner but the dm ruled it ott.

So here is what i have to work with. Pretty much any core book, races already allowed inc tengu and merfolk.

The adventure is water based and were be on a boat for a lot of it but were to be prepared for the worst.

I was looking at the riverfolk race but am open to options also looked at cartmenbecks options in a previous thread

'take one level of Tattooed sorcerer (crossblooded(Draconic(white)/Rime-Blooded[Boreal])), choosing evocation as your Varisian tattoo focus, and then after that take Wizard with the Evocation[Admixture] school.'

I liked the look of that.

I want to be able to deal reliable damage throughout the entire adventure not just low level, we start at level 3 and i have 5000g.

My witnessed rolls (dm witnessed, i was lucky)

15, 18, 16, 15, 14, 16

Suggestions? I want something along the lines of a world of warcraft warlock or frost mage but don't know what kind of resistances water themed adventures will bring in pathfinder.

I like the idea of tattoed sorc but it looks very restricted.


Relevant material

Frost Mage

D20 said wrote:

Elemental Arcane Schools

Instead of specializing in a focused arcane school of magic, a wizard can choose to specialize in one of the four elemental schools of magic. Like a normal arcane school, an elemental school grants a number of school powers and one bonus spell slot of each level the wizard can cast, from 1st on up. This bonus spell slot must be used to prepare a spell from the elemental school’s spell list. Unlike a normal arcane school, each elemental school requires the wizard to select his opposed element as his opposition school (Air opposes earth, fire opposes water). He does not need to select a second opposition school. He must expend two spell slots to prepare a spell from his opposed elemental school as normal.

Thats how you get the base for frost mage. :)


So how would you optimise that

I;ve read numerous builds that increase dice damage if you specialise etc.

Also for water based campaign would fire be better?

RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32

if you're looking for something sort of WoW-ish, you'd probably be better off with a spontaneous caster... the play style will be more similar to the video game than having to learn to prepare spells each day. For dealing with water, think about the following race options:

- Undine have a natural swim speed and can take a racial alternative to gain the amphibious subtype (allows them to naturally breathe air or water). that would be awfully useful, their stat adjustments aren't ideal for a spontaneous caster though.

- a Human could take racial heritage [undine] and aquatic ancestry for its starting feats and also gain the amphibious subtype. that eats up both 1st level feats but allows you to put +2 racial in Cha.

- an Aasimar has better racial bonuses than humans (with lots of ways to get +2 cha) and can take the 'scion of humanity' alternate to qualify for racial heritage/aquatic ancestry (though then you're investing your 1st and 3rd level feats...)

For a frost mage type:
- a winter oracle could actually be a really good route; they get a bunch of the decent cold spells plus a ton of special cold-based powers (including freezing spells, which is very frost mage-esque). you could also add to their special powers by picking up the eldritch heritage feats for boreal, elemental[cold], or marid.
- obviously you could do something similar with an actual sorcerer. they get a wider selection of cold spells, but less powers. you can make up for that somewhat by also picking another bloodline through eldritch heritage (but there's no way to get freezing spell here unless you multiclass).
- this isn't a spontaneous build but the winter witch (both an archetype and a prestige class- both worth taking) gets the spells you want and some decent hexes that go with the theme. you're stats are good enough that you could easily still take eldritch heritage even being Int based.

For a summoner type- unfortunately, you can't really pull this off in pathfinder (unless you're playing a gestalt campaign) but here's the closest ways i can come:
- a summoner. the eidolon is exactly what you want to build a Void Walker, Fel Hunter/Hound, or whatever they use nowadays; unfortunately they don't really get any of the right spells- make a samsaran with the 'mystic past life' alternate to add a handful of signature warlock-type spells to your list and take the eldritch heritage [arcane] feats to add a few more starting at 11th level.
- an oracle... the focus here is on getting the powers right. the bones and occult mysteries both have some really appropriate powers. take the arcane heritage feats again, use the 11th level to add a few signature spells; take improved familiar at 5th or 7th and grab an Imp for your pet.
- a sorcerer... this is all about getting the spells right. the arcane bloodline sets you up for improved familiar; the abyssal bloodline has some nice perks if you want to be summoning evil outsiders to help you (would pair nicely with augment/superior summoning feats); the infernal bloodline has some nice fear based things. if you choose either of the second 2 you can always add the Imp through eldritch heritage too (or crossblooded, but i've always felt like the penalty for crossblooded is pretty stiff).

edit: in a water based game you will definitely run into more things with cold resistance than usual... if you want to go fire based there are plenty of ways to do that- remember that casting fire spells underwater requires checks and stuff (but look at the "steam caster" feat available to undine, or anyone with racial heritage[undine])


TY Nate.

I do like the idea of a familiar/aiding boost, summoner is out DM rules them over powered

RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32

Decrementis wrote:
summoner is out DM rules them over powered

i don't blame him- they're easy to make very powerful (which makes them fitting warlocks, lol).

i hope there is something in there that will be useful to you. if you have specific questions about anything don't be afraid to post them (or even PM me)

Liberty's Edge

With many ice spells having additional affects above damage, and the Rime Spell metamagic to freeze the target in place, water or ice specialization can be fun. Just pick up the energy substitution metamagic feat for electricity or acid to bypass any ice immunities or resistances.


pendo isn't there a bloodline or similar that does that instead of feats? Was going to take a item creation feat as were be on our own for a fair bit

A frost mage winter oracle sounds good, is that a independent class?

RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32

winter is an oracle mystery. you can find it here.

(that website, d20pfsrd, is an incredible resource for pathfinder rules elements)

edit: you're new to pathfinder... oracle is like a divine sorcerer- here's the class info from the advanced players guide.


Nate.

I like the oracle but am put of by the curses.


What about an Arcane Archer? How would that work?

RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32

you have to pick your curse carefully... some of them are devastating and some have very little negative impact. you weren't planning to be the face (or at least didn't say you were) so 'wasting' would have virtually no downside- and you could have it look like some kind of chronic frostbite instead of being more leperosy-like. tongues can totally be negated by party members taking your curse language as a language known (in that campaign it sounds like Aquan is probably a language most/all will want anyways). haunted isn't that bad to begin with and (i think) a handy haversack largely negates the mechanical effect.

edit: you certainly have the stats to pull off arcane archer. Undine have decent stats for it too (if you want to take that route)- for your casting take a wildblooded sorcerer with the empyreal bloodline (it switches your casting to Wis which you get a racial +2 to). the only real downside is that ranged weapons utterly suck underwater (but your stats are good enough to have a back up plan).

potent way to build this:
make an aasimar. take 1 fighter level and 1 level of sorcerer; the aasimar's racial daylight ability lets you start taking eldritch knight levels at 3rd (because it counts as casting 3rd level spells), so take 5 EK levels and then start Arcane Archer. you can still take scion of humanity/racial heritage/aquatic ancestry too if you want, though archery is feat intensive.


Nate, is that Daylight 3rd level counting as casting a 3rd level spell?


Ok i am going against AA as it's just to feat intensive we have an optimised archer in the group and his damage will be nasty i want to compare.

So blaster sorc.

Undine or Gillman Tattooed Sorcerer, Ork/draconic (no idea on colour) or draconic/rime bloodied boreal using evocation or conjuration as my tattoo focus.

rest of levels in wizard, (making me a 1s/2w) Wizard/Evoker -Admixture Specialist

sound ok? What would i spell focus on?

What do i buy with 5000g lol

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