I'm going back and forth between a Herald Caller and an Occultist, with the core concept being a character who can effectively summon creatures, provide either buffs or battlefield control as well as utility, and work towards the ability to use Planeshift as a devastating save-or-suck weapon. This is the Occultist that I'm considering - its my first Arcanist, so any thoughts are most welcome. Thanks in advance!
Human Arcanist (Occultist)
STR - 8
DEX - 14
CON - 14
INT - 18
WIS - 12
CHA - 10
Traits:
Reactionary
Magical Lineage (Planeshift)
Feats & Exploits:
1st - Improved Initiative or Scribe Scroll
1st - Spell Focus: Conjuration
3rd - Augment Summoning
3rd - [Ex] Potent Magic
5th - Extra Exploit [Ex] Dimensional Slide
5th - [Ex] Quick Study
7th - Superior Summoning or Evolved Summon Monster
9th - Reach Spell
9th - [Ex] Meta-Magic Knowledge: Persistent Spell
11th - Greater Spell Focus: Conjuration
11th - [Ex] Greater Meta-Magic Knowledge: Piercing Spell
13th - Quicken Spell
13th - [Ex] Dimensional Seal
15th - Spell Perfection: Planeshift
15th - [Ex] Consume Magic Items or Item Crafting: Scribe Scroll
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One completely random point. Your table mates may get upset with you, if the spell you focus on messes with their wealth by level, because you sent the creature (and it’s gear) away. You are dedicating a LOT to resources towards that trick.
That having been said, the Occultist is a very strong archtype, and it is hard to go wrong choosing it.
When you look at superior summ vs evolved, remember that the more creatures you put out there, the longer your turn gets, and thus also takes away from other players at the table. It is not wrong, but unless you know exactly what you are doing, with each crature, it can bog things down.
Summoning is a powerful play style, but it takes a lot of prep outside the game, and rules knowledge to pull off.
One completely random point. Your table mates may get upset with you, if the spell you focus on messes with their wealth by level, because you sent the creature (and it’s gear) away. You are dedicating a LOT to resources towards that trick.
That having been said, the Occultist is a very strong archtype, and it is hard to go wrong choosing it.
When you look at superior summ vs evolved, remember that the more creatures you put out there, the longer your turn gets, and thus also takes away from other players at the table. It is not wrong, but unless you know exactly what you are doing, with each crature, it can bog things down.
Summoning is a powerful play style, but it takes a lot of prep outside the game, and rules knowledge to pull off.
I appreciate that input. The Arcanist is new to me, certainly, but playing a Summoner is not. I ran a Master Summoner all the way through Skull n' Shackles with most of this same group - trust me, I take my responsibilities when it comes to summoning very seriously. This particular character would be much less summoning-focused than that one was.
That's an interesting point about being wary of losing important gear and possibly even clues necessary to advance the story. Our GM tends to customize a lot of stuff for us, including our magical gear, but I'll have a talk with her about the potential pitfalls of using this trick. It IS damned effective, though... as an aside, you have to laugh at how much easier it is to send an enemy to the 9th level of Hell than it is to teleport them across the room against their will.
What do you think about the Arcanist choices, specifically Exploit and Feat selection? How do they look?
The funny thing about an arcanist is that you want either Cha 14+, or you might as well dump it harder than strength. Unless you can get a charisma bonus of +2 or higher it makes no difference to them.
Also plane shift is a touch spell, ranged touch with reach spell. You don't have any investment in making melee touch work (like decent Str or weapon finesse and/or lunging spell touch/lunge, or a familiar to deliver the spell) and aside from reach spell and 14 dex nothing to make the second work (like point blank shot and precise shot, mainly). Without hitting on the attack your perfect spell won't work.
I agree with avr cha is either 7 or get it to 14..personally I would go for the 14 since your arcane points are a premium for summons. Personally I think you are putting too much into a single spell.
I strongly recommend getting that charisma up with the occultist. Past very low levels, their pool gets used up very fast and you will need to consume X often to keep it topped up. It’s probably not a good idea to mix that archetype with save based spells either. If you want to do that, you’d be better served to go with spell specialist and not worry about the summoning overhead.
Herald Caller is good, but a really slow starter. You probably won’t even summon anything in the first few levels.
I really wanted to like the herald caller but honestly I found him a bit lacking. Should have given it longer summons and maybe a standard cast.
I really wanted to like the herald caller but honestly I found him a bit lacking. Should have given it longer summons and maybe a standard cast.
Yeah. Adding one or the other would have been good. You can speed up the casting with sacred summons, but that only works for a very small number of your summon options. And you can eventually increase the duration with summon guardian spirit, but that only works for one specific creature and isn't PFS legal. Those two options can play well together though, as you can choose your guardian spirit to fulfill your sacred summons requirements.
Personally I would take a level of fighter just to get everything going but yeah sacred summon is too limited...pretty annoying there are a bunch of other summoners that gain a standard summon...wish the herald got that.
It’s probably not a good idea to mix that archetype with save based spells either.
Old thread but hopefully not old enough to show my build that attempts to do just that
Peri Blooded Aasimar Arcanist (Occultist)
Take the alternative racial trait for Aasimar, crusading magic that gives them +2 against spell resistance
STR - 7
DEX - 14
CON - 14
INT - 18
WIS - 09
CHA - 16
Traits:
Fate's favored, with four leaf clover and later a lucky horseshoe
Irrepressible (use charisma instead of wisdom for charms and compulsions)
Feats & Exploits:
1st - Spell Focus: Conjuration
3rd - Augment Summoning
3rd - [Ex] Potent Magic
5th - Improved initiative
5th - [Ex] your choice, I took familiar, most may take quick study
7th - Your choice, I took improved familiar
9th - Extra exploit: School knowledge, void school
9th - [Ex] Metamagic knowledge: persistent
2nd level spells you can drop the create pit spell or glitterdust
3rd level spells you drop aqueous orb
4th level spells you can drop black tentacles, with potent magic and some cheap alchemical items you can get +3 to the grapple
5th level spells can be the topic creators planeshift or persist a 3rd level spell
The purpose of the familiar is that you spend 750gp and give it a 50 charge wand of Ill Omen, that's almost like a free persist on single target.
The void school lets take a colossal chunk out of your opponents saves and AC, now you may think this only helps you personally when you can quicken spells but if you have some of the summons out with good or high DC save spells or abilities they will almost certainly land.
Not bad I'll have to tinker with it, but honestly I put quick study up there only for that moment you really wish you had a spell prepared that you didnt...it comes in handy imo
I use quick study at least once per day. Cast mage armor on myself and then quick study to replace that spell with something useful.