PFS Arcanist - Advice for someone playing their first caster

[Woodenman]

Im playing an Arcanist in PFS whom has just finished his 3rd scenario. So I'm trying to put 3 scenarios experience together and rebuilding him before playing him as level 2.

He is a Human School Savant (Admixture/Evocation).
Stats 7/14/14/20/10/7.
Traits: Reactionary, Pragmatic Activator
Feats: Spell Focus (Evocation), Varisian Tattoo (Evocation)

Specifically I would like advice on feat choices (for the future, im happy with my current ones), traits (not particularly in love with them currently), equipment (ive essentially got 1500 gp to spend and no idea what to spend it on) & what schools of magic I should use as my opposition schools (currently settled on Necromancy plus 1 other - thinking Divination / Illusion / Enchantment with more of a lean towards Divination).

Is it worth spending money on a light Darkleaf armour for the +2 armor?
Ive spent 2 PP on a Wand of Infernal Healing and figure spending the other PP on wands is a good idea but I've no idea what spells. Seems like the best options are niche spells that you don't really want to prepare for the day or spells you use a lot of (although Arcanist spell setup sort of covers that already).

Probably the Arcanist equivalent of Pearls of Power? (I think they are runestones from memory although I cant purchase until I have 9 fame)

[Ryzoken]

Spells for PA wands:
Mage Armor, Comp Lang, Endure Elements, Magic Missile (I call it "Killstealer")

Spells for PA wands if you invest in UMD:
Faerie Fire, Ill Omen, Cure Light (might want to buy this regardless), Bless Weapon, Longstrider

Spells for PA scrolls:
Lesser Restoration x5, Stone Call x5, Haste x2, Fly x2, Pyrotechnics x5, Spider Climb x5

Remember that you suffer arcane spell failure when wearing armor. To that end, skip the darkleaf and get comfortable with that wand of Mage Armor. In the long run, consider investing in obtaining a familiar, as having one around to activate a wand of Ill Omen is a really nice way to bootstrap the effect of Irrestible Spell metamagic to your spells on the cheap. I like a Lyrakien Azata for this, thanks to its high Cha, but other options are available too. Just don't neglect your UMD skill ranks.

You seem to be building toward a blaster, but I'm unsure I'd take that tack with an Arcanist. You don't have the spells per day of a Sorcerer, so you might find yourself running out of juice. That may just be my gut talking, though, but still something to keep in mind.

Enchantment is pretty much school #1 for selecting opposition schools, and Divination is a really good school. Absolutely do not drop Illusion, as that's where all your defensive abilities are (Blur, Displacement, Mirror Image.) Necromancy is fine to drop, though not having easy access to False Life or Enervation might end up being a thing.

Hold onto your cash for scribing costs or for a +Int headband once you have the fame. Alternately, see if you don't have a Cloak of Resistance +1 on your chronicles.

[pipedreamsam]

+1 to the cloak. It's pretty much the first item I always buy.

Necromancy and Enchantment are the opposition schools I would pick with your current set-up. Yes enervation is good but it has the benefit of not relying on a save DC and can therefore make a decent scroll assuming SR isn't an issue.

Some will recommend a wand of magic missile but realistically you can get just about as much bang from a cantrip. Skip it. Mage armor would probably be my wand choice but I tend to focus more on scrolls when it comes to consumables anyway.

[RainyDayNinja]

You can get a haramaki or silken ceremonial robes for +1 AC with no spell failure chance. And since you don't need bracers of armor, it opens up your wrist slot for something like spellguard bracers later.

Another good wand is silent image. If you use it right, the opponent won't even get to make a save, and the duration is concentration with a large affected area, so the low CL doesn't matter.

[Ryzoken]

RainyDayNinja wrote:

You can get a haramaki or silken ceremonial robes for +1 AC with no spell failure chance. And since you don't need bracers of armor, it opens up your wrist slot for something like spellguard bracers later.

Or just get a wand of Mage Armor for +4 AC.

A haramaki is still not a bad investment down the line, but Mage Armor is going to be your go to armor source until you're staring at 16k gp after having bought a +6 headband and +4 mithril buckler, at which point you might consider swapping to a +4 haramaki instead of burning charges from incredibly cheap wands.

A mithril buckler is 1k and change and isn't a bad addition to your defenses, if you can't find a cloak of resist on your chronicles. 0 ACF, 0 ACP, +1 AC and able to be enchanted. Stacks with Mage Armor, too.