You can trade spells into summons on a 1-to-1 basis, i.e. summon monster V in exchange for a 5th-level slot.Is there something other than actions preventing arcanist from consuming nine level 1 slots to gain 9 arcane reservoir points and cast SMIX with them?
He most likely dosent have 9 level slots but other than that, no.
He most likely dosent have 9 level slots but other than that, no.You can trade spells into summons on a 1-to-1 basis, i.e. summon monster V in exchange for a 5th-level slot.Is there something other than actions preventing arcanist from consuming nine level 1 slots to gain 9 arcane reservoir points and cast SMIX with them?But with enough Runestones he does! Or Pearls, if you roll that way.
I'm actually curious about the cost-benefit ratio of scrolls vs. Runestones now, factoring for time. Might run those numbers this afternoon.
I think the above ide is a great reason to not Roll with runestones or pearls for the Arcanists. There are Lots of ways to get extra points but 1000-2000 pr point is silly good.
Are you considering adding races from Companion books? I ask, because I would love to see your review of Lashunta - particularly female Lashunta - and Androids.
I'll get to the companion races this weekend or perhaps next week. I'm a little busy at the moment.
Under ice missile, you should probably fix the "no charge pounce" stuff. If you are limited to a standard action, you can still charge and pounce
Yeah, but they don't get double their speed, so for a Medium biped, they won't be able to keep up with a character taking the withdraw action.
Oh, and one other thing I'd like to point out about the Occultist Archetype, am I wrong in thinking that his summoning ability is cast as a spell?
relevant text:An occultist can spend 1 point from her arcane reservoir to cast summon monster I. She can cast this spell as a standard action and the summoned creatures remain for 1 minute per level (instead of 1 round per level).
you might get smacked by your DM, but it would seem to me that by RAW this means Metamagic rods would work on your summon ability right?
I know what you're going to say, that this is a spell-like ability, however, the way its worded indicates that the SLA is actually just giving you the ability to "cast a spell". So thus Metamagic could be applied to the spell you cast. You can't change the level on it so preparing or casting it using metamagic is out, but by RAW it seems that Rods would be viable.
I'd expect errata, but if this is truly how it works the Arcanist Occultist edges out the straight summoner for being the best summoner in the game IMHO. Standard action summons + superior summons+augmented +(empowered mm rod) = 2d3+1 summoned critters at the earliest that any summoning build could ever do this. Not sure you can optimize it any better.
Rods don't work on SLAs.
Taking bloodline development like fey, serpentine, undead or impossible is also silly good. Especially when playing a Kitsune^^
Add in potent magic! Works surely well for enchanting.
Might also work for illusions, taking a gnome and a single level dip oracle of heavens with awesome display.
What's the typo in school understanding?
Is standard action summoning really worth picking Occultist over School Savant (conjuration(teleportation))? There was no such a thing in 3.5 and wizards didn't complain.
Is standard action summoning really worth picking Occultist over School Savant (conjuration(teleportation))? There was no such a thing in 3.5 and wizards didn't complain.You say that like School Savant is the only option you'd ever want. What if you want to focus on summoning? Standard action summoning is huge for several reasons. One, you have your move action? Two, you don't risk concentration checks from damage during the round. Three, you can always get Shift from and exploit.
You do know that you need to spend Arcane Reservoir points equal to the level of spell being duplicated, right? Summon Monster VII eats up a whopping 7 points from your daily total. That's a huge limitation!
A 20th-level arcanist generally only has 23 uses per day. If your Arcane Reservoir was used ONLY for summoning things, that might be okay, but since nearly all your class abilities use up that same resource, you will likely only be able to summon your most powerful creatures two, maybe three times each day.
Compare that to a summoner who can use his greatest summons a half dozen times a day at least, without any impact to his other class abilities whatsoever.
The occultist is pretty neat, but hardly the end all be all conjurer some people make it out to be.
RD, the real benefit of the Occultist is the minutes per level duration. You can simply eat a spell slot to fill your reservoir, then use those points to create beasts that last minutes/level, then waltz down the dungeon corridor.
Even in combat its still worth it because it is a move action to consume a spell, so you can spit out summons without worrying about waiting until the next turn.
RD, the real benefit of the Occultist is the minutes per level duration. You can simply eat a spell slot to fill your reservoir, then use those points to create beasts that last minutes/level, then waltz down the dungeon corridor.
Even in combat its still worth it because it is a move action to consume a spell, so you can spit out summons without worrying about waiting until the next turn.
Is the Arcane Reservoir daily limit not a hard limit then? If it is, then sacrificing spell slots won't help you much. If it isn't then, well, I can see the power in that.
Is the Arcane Reservoir daily limit not a hard limit then? If it is, then sacrificing spell slots won't help you much. If it isn't then, well, I can see the power in that.RD, the real benefit of the Occultist is the minutes per level duration. You can simply eat a spell slot to fill your reservoir, then use those points to create beasts that last minutes/level, then waltz down the dungeon corridor.
Even in combat its still worth it because it is a move action to consume a spell, so you can spit out summons without worrying about waiting until the next turn.
3+arcanist level is the max at any given time, not the total that can be spent in a day. The text doesn't seem to support it being a daily limit.
Also with the right exploit (Consume Magic Items) you can refill it from scrolls and similar rather than your own spell slots.
I figured that was the case, but it seems pretty silly to have a maximum limit at all in that case. Why not just go with a limit and call it a day? Seems unnecessarily complicated if it wasn't meant to be a hard limit for the day.
It's the same as simpler systems like Grit, RD, just with larger numbers involved. An Amateur Gunslinger starts the day with 1 grit and can gain a max of their WIS at any particular moment. An arcanist starts with some amount based off level and can gain up to their reservoir max at any given moment.
Some Other Guy, it's better because you can "spontaneously" summon without needing to waste prepared slots, and it lasts minutes/level like a summoner's SLA.
I can prep Teleport and convert it to Summon Monster V when I decide I don't need to teleport but do need to drown an enemy in tigers.
I can prep Teleport and convert it to Summon Monster V when I decide I don't need to teleport but do need to drown an enemy in tigers.
You can expend one level 5 spell slot to cast SM V, not "convert" prepared spells, that's what Quick Study does. If you need to teleport later, you still can do so if you have an unused level 5 spell slot.
Or you can be conjuration school savant, gain additional spells prepared each day and fill them with SM or other conjuration spells.
You do know that you need to spend Arcane Reservoir points equal to the level of spell being duplicated, right? Summon Monster VII eats up a whopping 7 points from your daily total. That's a huge limitation!A 20th-level arcanist generally only has 23 uses per day. If your Arcane Reservoir was used ONLY for summoning things, that might be okay, but since nearly all your class abilities use up that same resource, you will likely only be able to summon your most powerful creatures two, maybe three times each day.
Compare that to a summoner who can use his greatest summons a half dozen times a day at least, without any impact to his other class abilities whatsoever.
The occultist is pretty neat, but hardly the end all be all conjurer some people make it out to be.
Out of combat, you can refill the pool with lower level spells. It's not as if a 20th level arcanist would need his 1st-6th level spells on an average day. All of those can be used to refill the pool between encounters. In general, you'll only need to use the SLA once per combat. Maybe twice on a rough encounter.
I think the occultist is a better summoner than the Summoner class on most days. At least compared to the base Summoner, because the Master Summoner is OP.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
...I was mearly pointing out that that School Savant isn't the end all be all of Arcanists.
Somebody was actually saying that? ૅ.ે
The guide still seems to be missing an analysis of the Sonic Blast exploit from Advanced Class Origins.
While normally it's probably only marginally better than the other blast options, and only because hardly anything in the game has sonic resistance, I've been considering various gestalt builds for the Arcanist, and realized that when paired with Vivisectionist, you could apply sneak attack to your blasts as long as the target was flat-footed or otherwise denied its Dex bonus to AC, thus achieving enough damage to be worth the standard action, especially for finishing off an enemy at low hp (Touch attack vs flat-footed opponent to deal 5d6+CHA sonic + 5d6 sneak attack at level 9, unsure whether sneak attack applies before or after save for half). A bit more difficult at higher level when opponents can see through invisibility, but there's plenty of conditions that deny Dex to AC, and inflicting those conditions is what makes arcane casters so awesome, since the whole party benefits. Thoughts?
Some comments about the Blade Adept:
1. This is a fascinating gish idea. Compared to a full Magus, you'd end up with a slightly higher BAB (depending on when you went into Eldritch Knight), and access to 5th level spells at character level 12, and more flexibility with spells. The Magus would be better in armor, have more spells per day (and spell recall), be able to use Spell Combat and some more utility options with arcana.
2. For the martial dip, the two most likely choices are Fighter (for armor proficiency and the bonus feat) or Swashbuckler (for Finesse and deeds). The Inspired Swashbuckler archetype lets you add your Intelligence modifier to your Panache pool, so you don't have to worry about Charisma, and you get Weapon Finesse and Weapon Focus (Rapier). This lets you take Fencing Grace without any other feats or skills, and get Dexterity-to-damage.
3. Another option to satisfy the Martial Weapon Proficiency would be the Magus. In addition to proficiency, you would get the Spell Combat feature, letting you attack and cast in the same turn, and the ability to cast in light armor. You'd lose a point of BAB and at least one feat compared to the Fighter or Swashbuckler, but Spell Combat is probably worth that. Of course, you might still be better off, optimization wise, to stick with Magus.
4. You mention taking three levels of Arcanist, and then take Extra Exploit (Eldritch Blade) at level 5. Unfortunately, because the level 1 and 3 exploits were replaced by archetype features, you can't take Extra Exploit as you don't have the Arcanist Exploit class feature. You'd have to take 5 levels of Arcanist to qualify.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Well, to get the Eldritch Blade exploit, you need 5 levels of Arcanist anyway. The big advantage of the Blade Adept is the black blade. The Scryer Wizard or Arcanist might be able to qualify for EK faster, but they'd have to bring their own weapon.
Spell Combat does only work for Magus spells, but those are probably quite a few that you'd want to use in close combat anyway, as those are the spells that wouldn't be affected by the ASF. Otherwise, you'd have to take Arcane Armor Training and burn a swift action to not be affected by the ASF. In addition, you wouldn't get that lovely attack and a spell in the same turn.
Actually, I posted an arcanist build for blasting that I thought was pretty good. It was deleted because the build name was a portmanteau of "arcanist" and the name of a certain organization known for blowing things up whose name also starts with "a."
Potent Magic is better than Spell Specialization because it can be used with ANY blast spell for a +2 caster level, rather than just burning hands (and later fireball). But in a dedicated blaster build, you will want to have both, since they stack.
And you want school savant for the Intense Spells power.
With caster level boosts, spell penetration feats are not necessary.
** spoiler omitted **...
So at 20th level your Wizard's Initiative modifier will be 0 + Dex bonus. I know fitting non blast abilities is tough but the fight could easily be over one way or the other before you go.
Hoping this in the right place, is there an Arcanist that can be used that is as good or better than the admixture wizard plus elemental sorcerer level dip?
Hoping this in the right place, is there an Anarchist that can be used that is as good or better than the admixture wizard plus elemental sorcerer level dip?That really depends on what kind of government is in control.
Thanks for the friendly advice, I hope someone finds the time to follow you around the boards, point out all your typos, and make sarcastic posts.
2015, thought we were done with Internet shenanigans ::sigh::
My the difference one word can make. :P
The only arcanist builds I've seen do as well or better than the "admixture wizard plus elemental sorcerer level dip" basically were the admixture wizard plus elemental sorcerer level dip build, just with lots of arcanist levels.
You have come to a message board filled with geeks. This is probably the most likely place you could go to find people to point out grammar errors. Especially if they are funny.
My advice: develop a thicker skin and a sense of humor. I thought it was a rather funny mistake. *shrug*
On topic: Arcanists (and perhaps anarchists) can use wizard schools.
From what I have read, the admixture wizard plus elemental sorcerer level dip makes the best versatile blaster, which is what I want to create. I hate a level dip, I also hate classes that come on after a few levels.
So the intent of my original question (typo not withstanding, though a few more comments and I will have no choice but to topple these message boards), was "Is there an optimal Arcanist that mimics the abilities of the admixture wizard plus elemental sorcerer level dip and is on par DPR/ability/ect.-wise?"
So character A concept = admixture wizard plus elemental sorcerer level dip
character B concept = some type of Arcanist, maybe chose the Bloodline Development ....?
In which both character concepts are equal(ish)
@ Some other guy I accept your apology, now we can be BFFs! PM me your address and I'll send you the other half of the charm.
@ Lune See how I take advice so well ;)
I'm flagging that post for making a threat to topple these boards! Thats where I like to talk about all my Pathfinder stuffs!
TheBobJones: Arcanist seems like the class for you as you can take both Bloodline Development and some good parts of Wizard Schools. Basically lets you do the same things without dipping.
Topple all the boards!!!
(/ .□.)\ ︵╰(゜Д゜)╯︵ /(.□. \)
@ Raving Dork You wouldn't have a admixture wizard in your crazy emporium?
I did a search for "admixture" and didn't see one pop up. I do have a couple of highly focused blasters that can do obscene damage though.
I'm working on a brown fur transmuter to replace my just-got-killed Oradin. Probably going to be a ratfolk, probably going to go into Pathfinder Savant starting at level 10 to steal a few spells off of other lists.
Given that I intend to primarily be buffing my party, I'm not seeing any pressing need for the typical full caster's DC boosting Spell Penetration / Metamagic feats. I'll probably spend one feat on an extra exploit, but that still means having a couple feat slots completely up in the air. I also can't decide what spells I'll want to add to my spell list once I get to Savant 2 and above.
I'm working on a brown fur transmuter to replace my just-got-killed Oradin. Probably going to be a ratfolk, probably going to go into Pathfinder Savant starting at level 10 to steal a few spells off of other lists.
Given that I intend to primarily be buffing my party, I'm not seeing any pressing need for the typical full caster's DC boosting Spell Penetration / Metamagic feats. I'll probably spend one feat on an extra exploit, but that still means having a couple feat slots completely up in the air. I also can't decide what spells I'll want to add to my spell list once I get to Savant 2 and above.
I would recommend things that enhance your buffs, such as Extend Spell. Eschew Materials, Silent Spell, and Still Spell will also allow you to get you and your friends out of tight spots, such as when you are captured. It may even allow you to discreetly buff your party during the bad guy's monologue if your GM isn't stingy about Spellcraft spell identification. Other than that, you should consider using those extra feats to increase your survivability with things like Toughness and Great Fortitude. After all, a dead buffer won't be helping anyone.
If it's a mythic game, definitely take the Shapeshifting Mastery archmage path ability and then do everything you can to max out your caster level. You can easily have a base attack bonus higher than the party fighter as a result. In this case, I would take all those ability score points you didn't put into your spellcasting stat, and start increasing your physical ability scores to enhance your melee combat abilities.