This is about which 3 I should choose.
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Here is a simple build for the Wizard and Arcanist(as they both use INT).
STR 10 DEX 14 CON 14 INT 16 WIS 12 CHA 7, 20points
and here is a cheesy min-maxed version
STR 7 DEX 16 CON 14 INT 18 WIS 7 CHA 7, 20 points
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Now the Sorcerer regular and min-maxed
STR 10 DEX 14 CON 14 INT 10 WIS 10 CHA 16, 20 points
STR 7 DEX 14 CON 14 INT 11 WIS 7 CHA 18, 20 points
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Feats(in no particular order): Spell focus(Conjuration), Augment Summoning, Superior Summoning, Intensify spell, Quicken Spell.
Race varies, so long as it adds to INT or CHA. I like the Half-orc with Sacred tattoos generally.
They use an identical, or nearly so spell list so Im also trying to find differences if the are any unique spells that arent obvious.
The Wizard and Arcanist have fewer spells per day to cast, but can learn more spells overall because of their spellbook feature.
The Sorcerer and Arcanists can cast spells at-will, though the Arcanists still has to memorize spells in advance like a wizard, they dont lock slots.
Sorcerer and Wizard benefits and drawbacks are more known. The Arcanist is more unknown. It looks like it has the weaknesses of both classes.
Sorcerer bloodlines and Arcanists exploits vary alot. You cant pick and choose bloodline powers, but Exploits you can.
The arcanist is best as a metamagic specialist. You can choose whether to add a metamagic spontaneously (cast as full round) or to prepare the spell with the metamagic (cast as standard).
You could look at the three as differing degrees of advance planning. The wizard works best if you guess in advance exactly what you'll be casting that day; the arcanist gives you a bit of flexibility on the day and a bit of planning; with the sorcerer you have the same hammer each day, it's your job each day to figure how to turn the problems into nails that your hammer can handle.
If you're getting into summoning though you don't want a sorcerer. A wizard with the Academae Graduate feat or an arcanist with the occultist archetype - a 1 round casting time is very bad, you want to find a way around that.
Heavy investment in Summoning feats probably means you'll use them frequently. While summon spells are very versatile and powerful, they aren't always the best thing to use. So I prefer being able to spontaneously cast them.
If you go sorcerer, there are a few bloodlines with very nice bonuses for summoned creatures.
On the other hand, the delayed access to higher level spells and the need to swap out lower level summon spells are a bit limiting.
There's one solution that most people wouldn't touch with a 10 ft pole: The Universalist wizard. Yes, the school is ridiculously weak but the Amulet of Magecraft is very awesome. Swap out any Conjuration spell for any other Conjration spell on the fly is a very big advantage. I think it's the only way to spontaneously cast Summoning Monster (which is better than SNA) on a 9th level caster without the delayed spell access of a sorcerer or oracle.
The Arcanamirium Crafter archetype swaps Hand of the Apprentice for a bonus feat which softens the blow of being an universalist. I'd still not try this when starting at level 1 because of a severe lack of spells per day. But if you start at level 7+ I think an Universalist makes for a fine and versatile summoner.
People assume I want to make a specialist Summoner any time I mention those feats? Summoning isnt a heavy focus, I just know that feat chain and summoning extra bodies on the battlefield is a good way to make yourself less of a target. If I could skip Spell Focus I would. Its a feat waste.
Okay, Feats are something I should ask about. There are alot of metamagic feats, but many are very specialized and dont work with many spells as a result. I didnt want to stack up a bunch of Metamagic feats that I wouldnt use in most situations.
Intensify Spell adds one tier to the spell in exchange for 5 levels worth of damage.
Empower Spell adds 2 tiers but works on every spell with dice, not just damage ones.
Quicken Spell has a hefty price of 4 tiers, but makes the spell a swift action. Using possibly 2 spells turn turn? Must-have eventually.
Extend spell costs one tier and it doubles the duration of the spell.
Dazing spell adds 3 tiers but makes the spell also Daze the target. Best used of area attacks.
Other feats such as Improved initiative and Toughness are basic but important.
As for the Wizard schools, I dont know which ones are worth penalizing. Divination and Necromancy have the least obvious use.
Summon spells work very well without any feat investment.
As good as extra bodies are, unless you plan to use summon spells frequently, I wouldn't invest 3 feats, especially if you think the spell focus is wasted.
Metamagic is useful but extremely depending on your spell choices.
I think most casters will find use for extend, reach and persistent spell.
I also like Bouncing Spell for save-or-suck spells.
Intensify is nice for blasts, but largely useless before level 7 (or arguably even level 11).
Empower is not worth using unless you play a dedicated blaster build, imo.
Dazing is good for spells that hit a large area (Fireball), hit often (Acid Arrow, Flaming Sphere, Ball Lightning) or both (Wall of Fire and Sirocco). Basically turns any damage spell in a save-or-suck, greatly increasing the usefulness of the appropriate spell focus (usually evocation).
Also don't forget to get Spell Penetration if you plan on using any offensive spells. I'm just mentioning it because it's not on your list.
Necromancy and Divination are my usual opposed schools. I'm also not a big fan of Enchantment, but using two slots for Heroism is painful.
As for which class to choose, without any indicator as to what your character should do, it's a bit hard to say. All three classes do similar things with varying success/efficiency. I personally don't like the Arcanist, but that's just preference.
So, if you're not focusing on summons despite the feats, what exactly do you want your character to do?
If you go Arcanist with the Occultist archetype you can get Summon Monster as a SLA. Unfortunately, in that case you will need both a good Int and Charisma on the Arcanist otherwise you will run out of pool far too fast.
If you do go for Arcanist (Occultist), you might want to look at human with the alternate racial Dual Talent so you can pump both Int and Cha.
How much experience do you have with casters? What sort of game is this going to be for? Do you have a personality in mind for this character?
I vote for sorcerer, since he is the best at what casters do: cast often and manipulate on the fly. While there are a lot of arcane spells around, you really need only a good selection to live with.
I am not a fan of summoning and never use it for various reasons. I recommend the new psychic sorcerer archetype from the Occult book instead.
Each of the three classes have their own play style and advantages. I think it is really more a matter of matching the class to the player's style and character concept than anything.
The Sorcerer is mainly a type of Blaster as far as i am concerned. It learns a limited number of spells, with some bonus ones from your bloodline powers. It doesnt require a spellboook to caste, but can only ever learn a finite number of spells per tier.
Wizard/Arcanists cant cast as often but with Spellbooks they can learn potentially ALL spells. Using Intelligence rather than Charisma is massively important. You are a skillmonkey. This means they have more versatility and can craft items while the Sorcerer is better off sticking to combat spells.
The Arcanist MIGHT be more powerful than the Wizard because of the Arcane Exploits. With the right ones you can swap out your prepared spells for anything of the same tier, boost your caster level, teleport, etc. The Occultist archetype can "eat" a spell for arcane points and then use it to summon a monster of the same tier. It almost makes Summon Monster a spontaneous spell.
I do like Wizard for their natural item crafting and spell research. Sage sorcerer's are pretty good item crafter's and are fun. Wizards do get some special feats that let them cast certain spells spontaneously. None on the top of my head.
I really like persistent spell for metamagic. Enemies must roll their saving throws twice. If you want to be terrible extended persistent suffocate is a party stopper.
Hmm, The wizard and Arcanist requires some research to find out how exactly they learn spells. I think its either Use Magic Device skill or Read Magic cantrip. Spellcraft, Use Magic Device, and Perception are all important skills, but of those only Spellcraft is a class skill.
Is there a trait that lets you use Use Magic Device with intelligence?
So its complex and I hope they are rewarding. Sorcerer is easy by comparision.
Hmm, The wizard and Arcanist requires some research to find out how exactly they learn spells. I think its either Use Magic Device skill or Read Magic cantrip. Spellcraft, Use Magic Device, and Perception are all important skills, but of those only Spellcraft is a class skill.
Is there a trait that lets you use Use Magic Device with intelligence?
So its complex and I hope they are rewarding. Sorcerer is easy by comparision.
Every level Wizards and Arcanists learn two spells of a level they can cast. Chapter 10 in the CRB covers spell research, but that is a homebrew decided thing. There are hundreds of traits, and I'm pretty sure someone here has the link to a traits guide.
Err well I found something that kills the Occultist archetype for the Arcanist and hurts the class as a whole. a 2015 errata made Consume spell a limited use ability that can only be used 3 times a day +charisma mod.
The School Savant trades out 3 arcane exploits for having an Arcane School like the Wizard.
I did find out two trait that allows Use magic Device to work with Intelligence instead of charisma. Pragmatic Activator is a magic trait, and Clever Wordplay is a social trait.
UMD is generally irrelevant to learning new spells. Spellcraft is the main one, house rules often use know. (arcana). The rules are here. Besides the auto 2 you get you need to find scrolls or a spellbook, or (outside PFS) get a look at another's spellbook.
The occultist archetype is still usuable, though not as good as it was. It does make getting another exploit to regain those points an even better idea.
The main difference between these classes is how they cast spells; Sorcerer spontaneous, Wizard prepared, Arcanist mixed. I recommend picking around which of those you want to do. The other stuff is nice but most of it can be stolen with a little work
EDIT: Specifically for summoning I would have to say that wizard does best. You get access to bigger summons quicker(which is important as their stats don't scale by CL), summons are very versatile as prepared slots, and you don't have to put off other spells for a level just to keep picking thematic stuff. Also may I recommend not dumping charisma so hard so you can use the planar binding spells later on. Your already taking spell focus(conj) for the prerequisite for Augment Calling
The Arcanist is more appealing than the Wizard because it doesnt have to prepare individual spell slots, and with Quick Study exploit can actually change them.
Nerfing the Consume Spell feature hurts the class significantly as that makes the Arcane point pool a limited dayly resource with(as far as I know) no other way to gain points for the day.
That makes the whole class questionable as without Arcane points, its just a bit more flexible than the Wizard. You have to take an exploit to get a Familiar and an Archetype for Arcane schools, both things the basic Wizard gets for free.
To recover more arcane reservoir points check the exploits, especially consume magic items. 150 gp/point is often affordable. It's still limited... but not so much. It did get the same nerf consume spell did though.
Arcanist is overall the best-designed of the three classes. It doesn't suffer from wishing you had prepared X today like wizards, or wishing you could get Y tomorrow like sorcerers. It has less spells/day but some nice exploits to make up for it.
I would use a higher charisma and occultist archetype if you want to be a summoner. Or ditch the 3/5 of your feats you are burning on it if you don't. There are better ways to spend feats.
Stats like this (before race):
Str 7
Dex14
Con14
Int15
Cha14
Wis10
A racial bonus to INT, and the 4th level bump puts you roughly on-par with what you need, especially if you are summoning. Try to be a perikin aasimar or dual-talent human for +2 to both of your key stats.
Exploits to take would be dimensional slide, quick study, potent magic, and whatever else you want. I like the ice blast power, if you have a decent charisma, because staggered is a great debuff, damage occasionally is better than crowding a full field, and with touch AC you can land both.
Err well I found something that kills the Occultist archetype for the Arcanist and hurts the class as a whole. a 2015 errata made Consume spell a limited use ability that can only be used 3 times a day +charisma mod.
Yes, which is why I stated you would want a good charisma on such a character. Consume Spell and Consume Magic Item are the main ways to replenish the pool, although there are a couple of others.
Personally, I think too many use Quick Study as a crutch. Pick the spells that you will use, maybe leave one slot open (like a Wizard can do) in case of needing it. Take the 15 minutes to study rather than spend an exploit to try and always have the perfect spells.
Charisma for an Arcanist is questionable. While it would add some extra arcane points, it would also mean lower INT in exchange. You would need the Arcane points you gain to increase the DC of your spells that you lose from lowering your INT, making it overcomplicated and limited. Also lower INT means less skill points which you could just put into Charisma skills if nothing else. Unless you a Charisma caster class(which the Arcanist is not) Charisma is definitely a dump stat.
Quick Study isnt a crutch, its literally an Exploit. Until they nerfed they system Im sure clever people realized you could just swap out spells as you needed them, practically making you a Sorcerer with a spellbook.
I dont know if the Arcanist can leave slots open, because it doesnt prepare slots, but whole spells.
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I think the School Savant is a good Archetype for the bonus slots and school powers. The Evocation-Admixture school has powerful uses for raw bonus damage and allow you to swap energy types of Evocation spells.
It does take up 3 early Arcane exploits, so that hurts. Dimension Slide, Quick Study, and Familiar are all useful but you wont be able to get them until level 5/9 at least.
Well Exploiter wizard gets exploits and Wizardry power, so....
Well Exploiter wizard gets exploits and Wizardry power, so....
That is another complicated way to get an odd result. You trade Arcane bond and Arcane School for Arcane points and up to 5 Arcane exploits.
Arcanist by comparison can get 10 exploits and trade 3 for an Arcane School though an Archetype.
Either one can just get a familiar through the exploits. Which is better? The Wizard has 4 bonus feats.
the Arcanist has 5 extra exploits(two of which can be bonus metamagic feats), a better spellcasting system, and can get Greater exploits.
So I think the Arcanist is better than a Exploiter Wizard. The Wizard's one advantage is the Spell Mastery feat is EXCLUSIVE to the Wizard.
Note: The Twlight Sage Arcanist archetype is more viable than the Vanilla Arcanist. It swaps out the now-useless Consume Spell with Consume Life.
This+this is enough advice to get a good build going. Both can be found here.
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https://docs.google.com/document/d/1EjwZkuIDLUO4M_snPEeUdMWBIBz1jFk28e9HeEj UDu8/mobilebasic?pli=1
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http://zenithgames.blogspot.com/2012/11/the-comprehensive-pathfinder-guides .html
The biggest disadvantages arcanist has to wizard is less spell slots and when the highest level . If your ok with those great go for it but consider them when comparing the two
The biggest disadvantages arcanist has to wizard is less spell slots and when the highest level . If your ok with those great go for it but consider them when comparing the two
The Arcanist and Wizard both get the same spell slots. Arcanist gets them 1 level later like the Sorcerer. If Youre talking about the Arcane School Slots, the School Savant Archetype gets those too.
What did you mean "and when the highest level"? Arcanists level 20 feature, Magical Supremacy is something the Wizard has no equivalent for. I can easily seeing that pre-nerfing being basically "cast anything in exchange for same tier spell"
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Between the Arcanist and Wizard its pretty clear Ive chosen the arcanist.
What about the Sorcerer? I know it gets plenty of spells slots per day tier, can use metamagic at-will, gets some bloodline powers, and doesnt require a spellbook.
What do you really do with no intelligence and a handful of known spells per tier? That is easy to make a Blaster but a long-term failure i think. Crafting magic items would be hard as you wouldnt be able to learn many spells, and learning skills it out of the question..
The biggest disadvantages arcanist has to wizard is less spell slots and when the highest level . If your ok with those great go for it but consider them when comparing the twoThe Arcanist and Wizard both get the same spell slots. Arcanist gets them 1 level later like the Sorcerer. If Youre talking about the Arcane School Slots, the School Savant Archetype gets those too.
What did you mean "and when the highest level"? Arcanists level 20 feature, Magical Supremacy is something the Wizard has no equivalent for. I can easily seeing that pre-nerfing being basically "cast anything in exchange for same tier spell"
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Between the Arcanist and Wizard its pretty clear Ive chosen the arcanist.What about the Sorcerer? I know it gets plenty of spells slots per day tier, can use metamagic at-will, gets some bloodline powers, and doesnt require a spellbook.
What do you really do with no intelligence and a handful of known spells per tier? That is easy to make a Blaster but a long-term failure i think. Crafting magic items would be hard as you wouldnt be able to learn many spells, and learning skills it out of the question..
Sage bloodline. I made a cross blooded one with verdant that sleeps 2 hours a day, gaining an additional six hours of crafting time. Just today a friend asked if we could have a back story together so he gets 1/2 off his magic bracers...
The biggest disadvantages arcanist has to wizard is less spell slots and when the highest level . If your ok with those great go for it but consider them when comparing the twoThe Arcanist and Wizard both get the same spell slots. Arcanist gets them 1 level later like the Sorcerer. If Youre talking about the Arcane School Slots, the School Savant Archetype gets those too.
What did you mean "and when the highest level"? Arcanists level 20 feature, Magical Supremacy is something the Wizard has no equivalent for. I can easily seeing that pre-nerfing being basically "cast anything in exchange for same tier spell"
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Between the Arcanist and Wizard its pretty clear Ive chosen the arcanist.What about the Sorcerer? I know it gets plenty of spells slots per day tier, can use metamagic at-will, gets some bloodline powers, and doesnt require a spellbook.
What do you really do with no intelligence and a handful of known spells per tier? That is easy to make a Blaster but a long-term failure i think. Crafting magic items would be hard as you wouldnt be able to learn many spells, and learning skills it out of the question..
Forgive my grammar. I really shouldn't post that late. Lets see if I can do any better now
First part
No arcanists absolutely get less spells per day than wizard. School Savant only lets you prepare an extra spell per spell level. It does not give you a slot to cast it in. Compare the two classes spells/day charts factoring in the wizard school slots. Lv3+ wizards always have more slots
Second Part
What I was incomprehensibly trying to type here is that arcanists get the next spell level later than wizards. My comment had no intended meaning of comparing the two classes at extremely high level(18+)
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More Points of Disagreement. Sorcerer Edition
Arcanist vs Sorcerer = Spellsknown vs Spellslots
Crafting magic items isn't really that hard even on sorcerer. Spells known can be traded. Keeping a bad spell for a level can be worth a saving a pile of gold. You do the same thing with craft rod as normal(ignoring the other prerequisites). Only thing they are genuinely bad at crafting is spell trigger items
Skill points. Spellcraft and Perception are all you really need. Admittedly the missing knowledge skills can hurt if the rest of the party dumped int as well
Not operating off a spellbook tends to be a bad thing. Most dm's don't target spellbooks. Even for those that do there are tons of countermeasures
Sorcerers are about using their (meta-magicked) spell set over and over, never acquiring those use-once-in-a-blue-moon spells. They make good adventurers since they will pick spells that can be used most of the time and in many situations, which also work well with their chosen meta feats.
If you want to craft items, then go wizard, he has the spells and can afford the feats. Sure, sorcerers can craft, but the wizard is the best choice for that.
I agree with Dastis regarding the arcanist. He has less spells per day than the others, and that is what being a caster is about. Being flexible is good, but he has less room to be it in. That is something to be considered when picking a class.
Oh wow, the School Savant really doesnt give extra slots. So you just gain the School powers and some extra prepared spells.
Extra spells per day would be worth it, but extra spells to prepare(Quick Study can handle that)is more debatable. That knocks that archetype down alot.
Charisma for an Arcanist is questionable. While it would add some extra arcane points, it would also mean lower INT in exchange. You would need the Arcane points you gain to increase the DC of your spells that you lose from lowering your INT, making it overcomplicated and limited. Also lower INT means less skill points which you could just put into Charisma skills if nothing else. Unless you a Charisma caster class(which the Arcanist is not) Charisma is definitely a dump stat.
Quick Study isnt a crutch, its literally an Exploit. Until they nerfed they system Im sure clever people realized you could just swap out spells as you needed them, practically making you a Sorcerer with a spellbook.
I dont know if the Arcanist can leave slots open, because it doesnt prepare slots, but whole spells.
A) I would consider at least swapping STR and CHA in your original post. Finding room for a 12-14 would be better, but at least get it to where if you ever get a bonus to intelligence and charisma you can get more uses. The +4/+4 Headband isn't too uncommon once you hit higher levels, and it doesn't hurt to prep.
B) To achieve some of the above, a 17 INT (after your race, 15 before) might be wise. You lose +1 DC, and 1 skill/level. For 3 levels. After that you get back on track (level 4 will bumb your INT) while also having 3 more points to play with.
C) Quick Study is nice, but the less you can charge your pool the harder it is to use. Because it also competes with dimensional slide, one of the best teleportation effects around, and with potent magic (+2 DC or CL can be crucial), and with several others for use of your pool. So don't discount expanding that list of spells prepared too much.
Disagree Atarlost. Sorcerer's make pretty great blasters
1. More blasts per day. Important as late game you will be using 2 at a time every round
2. Have all of the good damage increasing abilities
3. Craft Rod just as well as anyone else where Elemental Spell belongs
4. Designed to pick a single spell and metamax the heck out of it(AKA how to blast)
Also the dazing blast spell tactic isn't really blasting. Its control that decided it wanted to target reflex saving throws. Blasting is adding intensified and empower for more damage. Nothing wrong with dazing tactics but the goal isn't to burn the enemies to a cinder in a single blast. And yes your right. Archer's deal the most possible SINGLE TARGET damage. A full blaster is powerful(not nessessarily the greatest possible character to ever exist) because he can wipe out lesser enemies in a single turn
Well think about the following.
A Sorcerer gets 6-7 tier 9 spell slots, but only knows 4 total.
a Wizard gets 5-6 tier 9 spell slots, but can learn any number, easily 8 spells just from leveling.
an Arcanist gets 4-5 tier 9 spell slots, the fewest, but also can learn about 8.
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The Arcanist is lacking in spell slots, but has more versatility than either. You can learn more spells than the Sorcerer, but prepare whole spells per tier instead of locking slots for individual spells. You can use metamagic in both ways, prepared and at-will.
The Arcane Pool can be harsh, but an Elf can have a great deal more points as a favored bonus and Twilight Sage get points back from downed enemies. Most of the Arcane exploits use one arcane point. That is less finite than most abilities.
Note: The Arcanist is a Prepare Caster, so uses cheaper Pearls of Power.
The Wizard requires crazy preparation. The Sorcerer requires little. The Arcanist is middle ground. It lacks raw spell usage.
Preferred spell is a great feat that can make things less painful for prepared caster.
The Elf FCB just raises the cap, it does nothing for how many points you start a day with. Gnome's FCB raised the starting amount.
Preferred spell also has it's point for the spontaneous casters, even if the preparers profit more.
The reasons why I look at sorcerers as the better blasters comes from my gaming experience:
- wizards often - really all the time - prepare various utilities which reduce their blasting slots; and they are right imo, since that is their flexibility at work
- the sorcerer does not only have more slots, he also never misses his limited number of spells and can use nukes whenever he likes
I have seen sorcerers go at it like a canonade, while wizards usually only spend a nuke or two, if the situation warrants it. Could be that the ability to drive home a single spell over and over has left a false impression. Since he has only so many spells, you get to see them all the time :)
I prefer Arcanist and Sorcerer, but I am here to defend Sorcerer real quick.
From what I see people seem to forget about Sorcerer's bloodlines.
These powers give the sorcerer a edge that lets them specialize in quick burst or steady damage. They also get bonus spells from these and feats. Also the Sage Bloodlines (I think thats what they are called,) allow them to modify the bloodline in ways an Arcanist can't.
9th level spell slots will not see the light of day until level 17 or later. Comparing them is like comparing 20th level powers, they probably won't matter much. Also, 9th level spell slots are akin to nuclear explosives. An arcanist has enough to cause 1 nuclear apocalypse. The fact that wizards and sorcerers can cause 2 or 3 is somewhat irrelevant.Well think about the following.
A Sorcerer gets 6-7 tier 9 spell slots, but only knows 4 total.
a Wizard gets 5-6 tier 9 spell slots, but can learn any number, easily 8 spells just from leveling.
an Arcanist gets 4-5 tier 9 spell slots, the fewest, but also can learn about 8.
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The Arcanist is lacking in spell slots, but has more versatility than either. You can learn more spells than the Sorcerer, but prepare whole spells per tier instead of locking slots for individual spells. You can use metamagic in both ways, prepared and at-will.The Arcane Pool can be harsh, but an Elf can have a great deal more points as a favored bonus and Twilight Sage get points back from downed enemies. Most of the Arcane exploits use one arcane point. That is less finite than most abilities.
Note: The Arcanist is a Prepare Caster, so uses cheaper Pearls of Power.
The Wizard requires crazy preparation. The Sorcerer requires little. The Arcanist is middle ground. It lacks raw spell usage.
A) There are tons of spells a wizard can prepare every single day of his life and be fine. Haste, Summons, Fog clouds, enlarge person, wall of stone, dimension door, teleport, etc. all keep being powerful from when you get them to the end. Crazy Preparation simply makes them better, but simple preparation makes them good enough.
B) Check with your GM on the Pearl of Power thing. While they do prepare spells, repreparing them (what PoP actually does) does less than nothing for arcanist.
C) If you want to know which class is better, play all three and see which one you like the most. Some people like the fact that the wizard is entirely defined by magic and not by class features. Others prefer bloodlines and spontaneous casting for a simpler setup and a few class features which add some seasoning for your flavor. Still some prefer the flexibility of an arcanist and the broader selection of class features at each level. Whatever class is better is the one you enjoy playing the most. The power difference is minor.
Comparing Arcanist and Sorcerer
Spell Slots- Sorcerer
Spells Known- Arcanist
Bonus Feats- Arcanist
Metamagic use- Arcanist
Magic item crafting- Arcanist
Save or Suck- Arcanist
Damage(single target or aoe)- sorcerer
Control- debatable
Summoning and Binding- sorcerer
Ease of use- sorcerer
Did I miss any important category? The biggest difference remains the first 2 categories. After that pretty much everything can be copied through some feat/archetype/item/etc.
Also ask the dm what the level range of the campaign is going to be. Unless your going into epic levels don't bother comparing lv18+ as your going to be dam awesome at that point reguardless
Oh wow, the School Savant really doesnt give extra slots. So you just gain the School powers and some extra prepared spells.
Extra spells per day would be worth it, but extra spells to prepare(Quick Study can handle that)is more debatable. That knocks that archetype down alot.
Quick study costs points, you don't really have that many of them and other goodies like +2CL/DC and dimensional slide use it too. That and it costs an extra slot to prepare but not to cast an opposition school, so you don't suffer nearly as much when you decide to use one, and that lets you grab yourself divination(foressight) to go first in every fight.
Okay Ive look up the Sorcerer and viable combinations of bloodlines and archetypes.
Arcane Bloodline with Sage wildblood, and Tattooed Sorcerer archetype.
The sage wildblood switches charisma with intelligence as the casting stat. It replaces the Arcane Bond the Arcane bloodline gets for a lame spell-like attack spell, but the Tattooed Sorcerer gets a familiar right back.
Using intelligence as the casting stat also means huge bonuses to any intelligence skill and many more skill points. One downsided to all this is that "new Arcana" is lost, which means losing 3 spells known over the character life time.
Okay Ive look up the Sorcerer and viable combinations of bloodlines and archetypes.
Arcane Bloodline with Sage wildblood, and Tattooed Sorcerer archetype.
The sage wildblood switches charisma with intelligence as the casting stat. It replaces the Arcane Bond the Arcane bloodline gets for a lame spell-like attack spell, but the Tattooed Sorcerer gets a familiar right back.
Using intelligence as the casting stat also means huge bonuses to any intelligence skill and many more skill points. One downsided to all this is that "new Arcana" is lost, which means losing 3 spells known over the character life time.
Uh both Sage and Tattooed replace your 1st level power... so your combination is a no go.
I'd go Sage Razmiran Priest instead, since Razmiran Priest is the only truly strong archetype Sorcerer's have and in my opinion the only reason to play one over an Arcanist or Wizard.
Heavy investment in Summoning feats probably means you'll use them frequently. While summon spells are very versatile and powerful, they aren't always the best thing to use. So I prefer being able to spontaneously cast them.
If you go sorcerer, there are a few bloodlines with very nice bonuses for summoned creatures.
On the other hand, the delayed access to higher level spells and the need to swap out lower level summon spells are a bit limiting.
There's one solution that most people wouldn't touch with a 10 ft pole: The Universalist wizard. Yes, the school is ridiculously weak but the Amulet of Magecraft is very awesome. Swap out any Conjuration spell for any other Conjration spell on the fly is a very big advantage. I think it's the only way to spontaneously cast Summoning Monster (which is better than SNA) on a 9th level caster without the delayed spell access of a sorcerer or oracle.
The Arcanamirium Crafter archetype swaps Hand of the Apprentice for a bonus feat which softens the blow of being an universalist. I'd still not try this when starting at level 1 because of a severe lack of spells per day. But if you start at level 7+ I think an Universalist makes for a fine and versatile summoner.
Herald Caller ;-) Its a cleric though, but gets augment summoning for free
Extra spells per day would be worth it, but extra spells to prepare(Quick Study can handle that)is more debatable. That knocks that archetype down alot.I have not yet played an Arcanist, but I would tend to think that the low number of prepared spells (especially at your two higher levels) is quite a big issue. Yes, you can still spontaneously cast lower level spells with metamagic. But Quick study is a finite resource and should be avoided during a combat. I was actually considering School Savant for the extra spell prepared, but I lean more towards Twilight Sage
I have and it just means to know what to prepare. :-)