I'm currently playing a Kineticist in a campaign that are supposed to go all the way to the late levels. It's a melee build and I'm going for Water/Fire/Water as elements (Kineticist of Ice and Fire :P).
Anyway, I understand that might not the most optimal choice, but that's what I wanted to do.
Tell me if I have broken some rules or if you have a suggestions for feats/talents at the end.
Water Fire Water as element choice will give me the following blasts:
Level 1: Water (simple) - Damage: bludgeoning
Level 7: Fire (simple) - Damage: fire
Level 7: Steam (composite) - Damage: half bludgeoning, half fire
Level 15: Cold (simple) - Damage: cold
Level 15: Ice (composite) - Damage: half piercing, half cold
So, I will have blasts that can get through some resistance/DR, but it is not as good as Metal Blast. I'm hoping the enemies that are good against Cold are bad against Fire and vice versa.
I have med an overview over damage/burn use on the different levels in this google sheet (the damage is with max elemental overflow per level): Damage per level
My experience with Pathfinder is kind of limited, I have only played one campaign before and I was wondering how the damage this character does stacks up against magicians blasting and melee classes for close combat.
The playstyle will be shooting bolts at first, then go in fighting melee. At higher levels use ride the blast with a flash + eruption or chilling + fragmentation. I will also try to boost the damage from Searing flesh and the thought of Searing flesh and Cold Snap is a bit amusing :)
Kinetic Blade and Kinetic Form are both invalid choices for your FCB at the levels you select them.
The FCB grants the 'Extra Wild Talent' Feat, which is restricted to effects two levels lower than the max you can normally get. So...level 1 effects at 6th level, and level 4 effects at 12th level.
In terms of damage per level, Kineticists do fine, especially melee builds. Check out this guide for a good measure of a character's general viability, which I'm pretty sure you'll do fine on...mostly. Will Saves might be an issue.
Wjhich brings me to advice: The big thing I'd advise on the character as presented is dropping Dex to 16, and using those points to raise Wisdom. You're attacking vs. touch AC, making the Dex higher than it really needs to be, and the big Kineticist weakness is in Will Saves (aka 'The Worst Save To Fail'). You're way better getting +3 to Will Saves (from going to Wis 14) than +1 each on attack and AC. Taking the +2 Will Save option for Half Elf is also recommended, but not sufficient on its own.
Frankly, I'd also drop Str for Int a bit. Skill Points are nice to have and Str becomes rapidly useless on a Kineticist. I'd probably go with something more like this:
Str 7 Dex 16 Con 18 Int 11 Wis 14 Cha 7
If you don't drop Dex (though you should) you could still drop Str to 7 for Wis 11, which is a pretty solid life choice (though not as good as Wis 14).
Ahh, darn. I will move the Kinetic Whip to level 9 infusion, use the FCB at level 10 to take Eruption. Take Kinetic form at level 14, instead of Flame Shield and take that at level 16 with the next FCB. Grappling will then be moved to level 19, so then I know what to take at that level :)
I will be using a lot physical blasts (water, steam, ice), so DEX is important (and as I'm now level 5, it is to late to change ability scores).
Will save is my biggest problem. Considering Iron will, but not sure where to add it. I do have Carefully hidden and +2 racial saving throw bonus against enchantment spells and effect from half-elf, but still a bit low. It would have been wise to dump STR even further to get better WIS.
I regret taking Combat Reflexes at level 5 now :( Should have switched that with Spell penetration on level 9.
Ahh, darn. I will move the Kinetic Whip to level 9 infusion, use the FCB at level 10 to take Eruption. Take Kinetic form at level 14, instead of Flame Shield and take that at level 16 with the next FCB. Grappling will then be moved to level 19, so then I know what to take at that level :)
Sounds workable.
Hubbaman wrote:
I will be using a lot physical blasts (water, steam, ice), so DEX is important (and as I'm now level 5, it is to late to change ability scores).
Yeah, but that's eventually (I got the impression you went with the Cold Blast at 1st, which means you won't be doing any of that until 7th, and not doing it regularly...ever, actually, given how Burn and Kinetic Blade interact), and a 16 isn't exactly a low score to start with. By the time you're 7th, you should be getting a +2 from Elemental Overflow and have +2 from a Belt if you want, and you get various other bonuses as you go up in level, too.
If you started with Water instead, my advice would've been slightly different (going Dex 18, Con 16)...but it's a little irrelevant since you can't change stat distribution at this point.
Hubbaman wrote:
Will save is my biggest problem. Considering Iron will, but not sure where to add it. I do have Carefully hidden and +2 racial saving throw bonus against enchantment spells and effect from half-elf, but still a bit low. It would have been wise to dump STR even further to get better WIS.
Too bad. Still, something to keep in mind for the future.
Hubbaman wrote:
I regret taking Combat Reflexes at level 5 now :( Should have switched that with Spell penetration on level 9.
Retrain maybe? It's only 250 gp and five days to retrain a Feat at this level if your GM is using the retraining rules. That's probably worth it.
I wouldnt advise combat reflexes until you can get Kinetic Whip. i get that you originally thought you could get the whip at 6 though. Str 7 is a little rough for a melee character, assuming you are using your water defense talent for a shield bonus means you still have to wear your armor and at 7 you dont have much wiggle room for... anything really.
Thanks for the comments and care!
I will be allowed to change feat, so I will take Combat Reflexes at level 9 instead.
You got me all worried about will, so I have decided that the safer route at the moment is going Iron will. Since I saw the fire blast as a backup blast for when I meet high AC, I think I can delay the spell penetration for later.
