Pretty much the title. I've liked the Eldritch Font arcanist archetype ( can find it here: https://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/hybrid-classes/arcanist/archetypes/paizo-a rcanist-archetypes/eldritch-font/ ) for a little while now but for the life of me can't think of a build to pull the trigger on. It has some cool abilities, sure, but I can't pinpoint any exact builds that this could lean towards. Probably save or suck cuz of the DC. Boosts? I like the archetypes flavor but don't know what this archetype could excel at, I should say.
Tips?
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So Eldritch surge is a terrible ability. It replaces your 3rd level exploit to allow you to increase the DC and CL on a single spell by 2, essentially once per day. After which you are fatigued until you rest. You can’t even stack your normal arcanist ability to increase your CL or DC further. Your best bet is honestly to go base arcanist and pick up Potent Magic exploit.
You also give up some spell preparation too. Gaining that extra spell per spell level is great but you’re waiting until 5th level to cast 2nd level spells while the wizard is already throwing fireballs.
You might also want to go through the advice forum and delete all of your accidental duplicates of this question :)
I have no experience with playing an arcanist, but I read through this archetype and honestly... it's gonna be tough.
The arcanist already has trouble with prepared spells, and you get one fewer per level. This means that you'll have a save or suck, maybe two, per level for most of the game, and you'll be hampered if you run into anything with immunity to the effect. Combine this with the fatigue/exhaustion that you'll be suffering, and you have a character who can do one thing very well (insane spell DCs) but is then crippled after every encounter. You'll be able to spam save or suck spells due to your extra slot per level, but I don't expect that shooting something with ten hold monster spells until it freezes will be very fun.
The best way I can think of to do this is taking spell focus for a school or two that have strong debuffs- necromancy and transmutation are good choices. Other than that, get a ring of sustenance to be able to rest faster and get rid of the nasty debuff you'll be hitting yourself with. Spell penetration is a must for higher levels.
The arcanist's best class feature is their exploits. You lose three of those and in return gain one class feature that will be used a maximum of twice per day (and debuffs you), another that won't help you much at all if you go the save-or-suck route, and a final one that is very good but comes too late in my opinion (and only applies to one target).
This is not a good archetype. It's still a full caster, of course, so you'll never be truly bad, but I don't think it's possible to excel at your job more than twice a day.
I would agree with Syries; the archetype is very bad and is little more than a handicap. The improved and greater surge abilities are okay, but you can basically only use one of them once per day, or possibly a second time if you're willing to throw up the tent and go to sleep right after the fight. This is... just not worth 3 exploits. The extra spell per day is nice, but not at all worth the loss in spells prepared. You'll burn through reservoir on quick study in a heartbeat.
If you're looking for an archetype that gives you a lot of power a few times per day, I suggest the Spell Sage. It's very much a "10 minute adventuring day" archetype since it's trading away a lot for abilities that can only be used a handful of times per day, but they are really powerful abilities.
VMC Oracle with the Lame Curse. Become immune to the Fatigued condition. Maybe?
VMC Oracle with the Lame Curse. Become immune to the Fatigued condition. Maybe?
Doesn't work:
If she’s already exhausted, or something would prevent her from becoming fatigued or exhausted, she cannot use this ability.
Lame...
Build a utilitarian caster...
Stack archetypes to expand and explore your utility...
I'm a huge fan of Shaman or False Priest Sorcerer, but you can absolutely build utility with this by stacking archetypes.
Depending on what you want to do, you can actually achieve a huge amount of utility with this.
It's very important, eldritch surge can also be used with exploits.
Also how is 1 less prepared spell bad, when you are simultaneously gaining +1 casting? Remember, you cast as a Sorcerer so it's not like the spell is wasted.
Also (although it's not the best due to loss of exploits) Eldritch Font stacks with both: White Mage, cast cure spells for a point and spell slot; and, Maanganbian Initiate, can cast a druid/cleric spell by spending points and a spell slot and gains Spell Mastery for free (can always cast some spells spontaneously).
My point is that it's harder, but definetly doable.
White mage: Another sucky archetype. This would be a double handicap.
Maagambyian arcanist: Also a pretty bad one purely for its replacement of exploits. Good descriptor spells are few and far between, and most of them aren't all that useful. Spell Mastery for free (and arcane pool progression in one prestige class) is definitely not worth an exploit- if you're both an arcanist and losing your spellbook regularly, you should have played something with less literal bookkeeping. Maybe a commoner.
Any full caster with a decent primary ability score will be "doable". This one just won't be very fun.
Remember, you cast as a Sorcerer so it's not like the spell is wasted.
Actually this is a serious problem for the Eldritch Font, since they can prepare so few spells that they will very often have nothing useful prepped. For instance, a 10th level Eldritch Font will have no 5th level spells, one 4th level spell, and two 3rd level spells prepared at a time. That's almost no leeway for selection in his top three spell levels. Compare that to a human Sorcerer who has one 5th, four 4th, and six 3rd level spells known and you can see the problem.
Eldritch Fonts also have significant problems with Quick Study. If you want to Quick Study in a utility spell in the 4th level, a regular Arcanist can still leave a combat spell available. Eldritch Font has only one 4th level spell prep, so has less space to juggle stuff with Quick Study and has to spend reservoir more often as a result. This makes him significantly more starved for reservoir.
There's nothing stopping you from using this archetype, and it will still be a somewhat delayed full caster, but it really is just a handicap.
Spell mastery is emergencies only, it doesn't save you from needing spellbooks for most of your spells. Flexible wizardry isn't a good enough feat to reliably justify its place on your character sheet, let alone good enough for access to it to be a boon. And white mage is indeed sucky, just because only a few wizard/sorc/arcanist archetypes (and bards, alchemists, divine casters, etc.) get access to cure spells doesn't make those spells especially good!
OTOH if you could manage mostly without exploits Magaambyan arcanist & eldritch font could work. Do a bit of looking around and you'll find there are enough good [Good] spells that you won't be wasting your highest level spell slots all the time. You definitely won't want to prestige class out though, you'd stop gaining new spells to use with the ability and it'd fall behind your highest spell levels.
If you can manage mostly without exploits, play a different spellcasting class. Like a wizard with the Fast Study discovery. Or an exploiter wizard with the Fast Study discovery. Or an exploiter wizard with the Fast Study discovery and the Quick Study exploit, who can do your job better than you.
I might be a little biased.