Ever run out of powerful spells by the time you reach the big bad evil guy? All casters run into this balancing act. Arcanists even more so, with fewer spells than Wizards or Sorcerers and class features that encourage you to sacrifice even more spells. Occultist have it perhaps toughest of all, with an amazingly strong ability that, if used recklessly, can be depleted after only a few combats.
This mini-guide to the Occultist Arcanist is about how to conserve resources while still contributing to every fight.
Str 6
Dex 16
Con 14
Int 21
Wis 8
Cha 18
This character has crazy generous stats, but it's not necessary to make the class function. If anything, this guide is more pertinent to someone with a regular point buy since you can’t consume as many spells each day.
Feats
Human (or Elf): Spell Focus (Conj)
1 Augment Summoning
3 Evolved Summon Monster
5 Evolved Summon Monster
7 Leadership
9 Superior Summoning
11 Evolved Summon Monster
Exploits
1 Conjurer’s Focus
3 Familiar
5 School Understanding (Void)
7 Planar Contact
9 Quick Study
11 Dimensional Slide
Levels 1 and 2
Actually, these levels are pretty sweet for you. Between Grease, Sleep and SM1, you have powerful options and effectively more spells per day than most.
Subsequent Odd Levels
These levels are both awesome and awkward. You get access new feats, exploits and a new level of Summon Monster. However your conjurer’s focus ability is tougher to use at these levels. Even sacrificing your highest level spell won’t fully give you the arcane points needed to cast your highest SM spell.
Subsequent Even Levels
These levels will feel like you’re coming into your own with your abilities. You get a new level of spells and sacrificing these will allow you to cast the highest SM spell you can. You also get another point in your arcane reservoir.
Evolved Summon Monster: An Occultist’s Best Friend
Some of you may wonder why I didn’t pick up Superior Summoning at level 3. That’s because of the centerpiece of this guide; Evolved Summon Monster. This feat does a fantastic job of allowing an Occultist conserve resources. How? The option to still cast a lower level Summon Monster spell for fewer points. Unlike the Summoner who always uses the highest level SM spell available to him, you have many reasons to consider looking down the list, and Evolved Summon Monster can beef up a lower level summon. Superior Summoning just isn’t something an Occultist can use nearly as often. I contemplated skipping Superior Summoning altogether, but I know how powerful it can be, and someday I will be summoning 1d4+2 lantern archons to bail us out of an impossible fight.
So what makes Evolved Summon Monster so incredibly strong? The ability to add additional natural attacks. There was a great thread on this a while back. Theorycrafting to maximally exploit Evolved Summon Monster Adding natural attacks to monsters with high strength/hit die but a terrible attack routine is how you get the most out of this feat.
The pony is the strongest monster on SM1. Didn’t seem that way last time you looked? That’s because it starts with secondary attacks. But with 2 Hit Die and (post augment summoning) 17 Str and 18 Con, it has stats you’d expect to see on SM2. Let’s see how it looks with some evolutions.
At Level 3:
With claws and smite evil, a Pony’s attack routine looks like this:
+4/+4/-1/-1
d4+5/d4+5/d4+3/d4+3
At Level 5:
There’s actually 2 different evolutions worth looking at. Both have merits.
Add Bite:
+4/+4/+4/-1/-1
d6+5/d4+5/d4+5/d4+3/d4+3
Or Add Mount:
+4/+4/+4/+4
d4+5/d4+5/d4+5/d4+5
Now is the pony actually stronger than the SM2 options? No, a Giant Worker Ant or a Hyena with evolutions would be stronger. But the power difference is so minor it generally makes no sense to spend double the arcane points to achieve such a minor boost.
Don’t forget this important line of text, which reinforces the pony as the best option for abuse at low levels. ” Evolutions that grant additional attacks or enhance existing attacks can be applied only to Medium or larger summoned creatures.” So eagles and earth elementals don’t have access to the most powerful part of this feat; extra attacks. (You could still give them +2 natural armor or something.)
However the same concept can be applied well beyond these levels. Try summoning a Bison (SM4) instead of a Dire Tiger. (SM6) And the beauty of it all is that this trick doesn’t take any investment at all. You want Evolved Summon Monster anyway! Who doesn’t want to summon a T-Rex with 6 natural attacks?
I love Reveal Weakness. 3+Cha times per day, you give a penalty on AC and saving throws equal to half your caster level. No saving throw, just massive penalties. It’s often a great follow up to summoning a creature, allowing a flurry of attacks (and spells) to get through much easier. And it’s contributing to combat without casting a spell or spending arcane points.
Consumables
I’m not going to dwell on this much, as many guides have this well covered. Get some scrolls. Maybe a wand. Craft alchemical items and give some to your familiar too. There are some very cost-efficient options to turn GP into relevant combat options, so make use of them.
Are you ready to inflict death by ponies? Suggestions, questions, and critiques are much appreciated!
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I thought that Ponyfinder spoiler was leading to a much different place than it did. Go ahead and search Ponyfinder on Google.
I bet 25% of you know what I'm talking about.
I was inspired to make this guide after being a little frustrated with how many times you can activate your Conjurer's Focus ability, casting the highest Summon Monster available, before using consume spells. Here's the breakdown:
Level 1 - 3/day
Level 2 - 4/day
Level 3 - 2/day
Level 4 - 2/day
Level 5 - 1/day
Level 6 - 2/day
Level 7 - 1/day
...and 1/day every level thereafter. If you aren't taking extra reservoir or high charisma for Consume Spells, the ability becomes increasingly constrained. But I think shrewd use of Evolved Summon Monster (see Ponyfinder) will let you get more mileage of this powerful ability. All while still being a full caster with amazingly flexible abilities, like Quick Study. I hope this mini-guide will be of some use to people looking into playing the class.
I thought that Ponyfinder spoiler was leading to a much different place than it did. Go ahead and search Ponyfinder on Google.
I bet 25% of you know what I'm talking about.
Haha, sorry for misleading; I was thinking back to that April Fools 2011 post. ...but I guess people have taken what was a joke and made an actual campaign setting! Ambitious and even more pony-tastic than my Occultist, I'm sure.
Thought I'd point out one of my absolute favorite guides:
Ashiel's Guide to Adventure: Preparation, Tricks, and Strategy
Every time I revisit the guide, I remember something I need to try. I'm currently level 2 in my campaign and this stuff is great! I'm adding nets to the list of items my Arcanist carries, since I have a great dex and ranged touch attacks aren't that hard to hit. The guide is chock full of ways you can save spells/arcane points in favor of other relevant actions.
I found Consume Magic Item really useful for this archetype, I mean you can carry lots of scrolls for situational occasions, scrolls are the most efficient GP cost item, so you can use your scroll if one of this situations shows or replenish your arcane reservoir if required. Actually I think most Arcanist should take Scribe Scroll although is quite difficult with this built.
You can also get a staff that will give you extra spells and can be used to replenish arcane reservoir.
I found Consume Magic Item really useful for this archetype, I mean you can carry lots of scrolls for situational occasions, scrolls are the most efficient GP cost item, so you can use your scroll if one of this situations shows or replenish your arcane reservoir if required. Actually I think most Arcanist should take Scribe Scroll although is quite difficult with this built.
You can also get a staff that will give you extra spells and can be used to replenish arcane reservoir.
That is what I plan to take at level 13. It's probably a little late to be taking the ability, although I don't really want to delay picking up any of my other exploits. It does has the nice timing of being the same time my Wizard cohort can start crafting staves. (Level 11) And of course my cohort will have scribe scroll, so I will eventually get some nice cheap scrolls. (Again, a little late.) A lot of awkward timing in this build, but hard to complain with such cool abilities.
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My friend, you know nothing of how abusable this is. This is by no means unique to an occultist. In fact, it is done far, far better by a conjurer wizard
At 5th, this character completely obliterates the entire days worth of encounters with a veritable army of lantern archons that last not rounds, BUT HOURS.
They do this with Mount and Communal Mount, which lasts hours at a time, and is a open target for Alter Summoned Monster.
Hours of a personal band of angels/demons/devils/whatever. This only becomes more and more powerful as you start layering on more feats, your caster time goes up and your allotment of spells increases further.
His arcane bond is also the wand, and therefore it is extremely inexpensive to keep refilling it. However, he doesn't need to use it, as he can simply prepare a few heightened mount spells and use those in order to have his small band of angelic guardians. The wand is for when the gloves come off and he has to really kill a thing/clear out an entire building of armed radicals with machineguns.
This is nothing new and is EXTREMELY CHEESY. Like, don't expect your DM to ever look at a build like this and give it the thumbs up. They will hate you with a passion.
Yours seems mild compared to the sheer abusability that is Alter Summoned Monster. Why they made this spell like they did is beyond me.
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"Why do your character has Mount as his favorite spell?"
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Like, don't expect your DM to ever look at a build like this and give it the thumbs up. They will hate you with a passion.
It's cool, you just need to make sure the rest of your party is fine with playing as BMX Bandit.
Like, don't expect your DM to ever look at a build like this and give it the thumbs up. They will hate you with a passion.It's cool, you just need to make sure the rest of your party is fine with playing as BMX Bandit.
You mean every martial ever, right?
"Why do your character has Mount as his favorite spell?"
'Where we're going, we won't need to walk...'
Alter Summoned Monster
Haha, I'm aware of the spell and the beautiful/horrendous abuses with Mount. I just assumed my GM wouldn't stand for it. Even if my GM were short-sighted enough to allow the spell to function as written, I don't wish to relegate my good friends to life as a cadre of BMX Bandits.
I'd say killing people with Ponies is far from overwhelmingly powerful, it's more getting more utility out of SMI than people perhaps thought possible. SMII is still stronger, just not by very much when you factor in Evolved Summon Monster. I thought it was pretty cool, since Conjurer's Focus is very limited by your arcane reservoir.
And... shugarlumpsh.
Good grief, the more I think about it, my character isn't Angel Summoner; I'm Gymkhana Girl. I should carry sugar lumps.