Venture-Captain, Germany—Rhein Main South
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I recently got Haunted Heroes Handbook and very much like the “Pact Wizard” archetype (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/core-classes/wizard/archetypes/paizo---wiz ard-archetypes/pact-wizard-wizard-archetype) I would love to play him in the society especially because it is a very rare Archetype for the wizard that does not trade out Arcane Bond or Arcane School.
I already looked for the usual reasons to ban an archetype and it is not obviously evil or has some flavor associated that does not fit the society.
For power reasons you get:
Fast study (in all but the name) at level 1: This is a useful feature and I see that the lack of a tradeoff here can lead to some problems because you get a class feature at Level 1 without a clear drawback. This is offset by the tradeoff in the next class feature and the fact that this feature is not really usable on a dip into the class so there should be no problems with multicasting.
Access to a Patron spell List at Level 1: You lose Scribe Scroll (In PFS Spell Focus) for the ability to add 9 Spells to your spell list (6 in PFS most of the time) Most of the patrons offer primarily spells from the wizard spell list so you would get likely fewer spells out of it. With some patrons, you get some very nice spells to your list but most of the time there is only one or two exclusive and usable spells on a patron list.
Great Power, Great Expense:
At level 5 you get a half scaling Oracle Curse, that means in PFS you would only get the lv 5 benefit of the curse at level 10 so this might be a drawback most of the time, especially because most oracle curses don’t offer the same benefits to a wizard than to an oracle.
At level 10 you get a power that lets you roll twice on initiative, concentration, caster level and saving throws 3+1/2 Int times per day. This is likely the capstone of this archetype in PFS-play and a big boost to your combat ability.
The level 15 and 20 powers of the archetype improve the reroll power and give them one level decrease for metameric modifications of his patron spells but I exclude them here because they are not really relevant for society play.
The only big problems for this archetype that I can see are the free discovery at first level that would incentivize dips, but because we are talking about a full caster and the freebee only affects their own spell list this should not be a big problem and the large power increase at level 10 where you not only get the level 10 archetype ability (that seems comparable to the abilities other classes get at level 10 or 11) but also the first improvement of your curse.
I would be happy about a civil discussion about this archetype and if it would be possible to make him legal for PFS.
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My analysis of the pact wizard, reworked from a previous post:
Fast Study is pretty nuts, and in PFS scenarios, it can make the difference of whether the party's buffs wear off while you prep the perfect spell. It's essentially a bonus feat, making it a fair trade for Spell Focus... and making the Patron Spells ability basically free. Good times.
When it comes to Patron Spells, it's not just access - the spontaneous casting is huge. Even if you're not getting any new spells on your list, it's still several new spells in your spellbook and the ability to freely cast them.
Let's look at some of the patrons themselves. My immediate thought is the Healing patron.
Healing: 2nd—remove fear, 4th—lesser restoration, 6th—remove disease, 8th—restoration, 10th—cleanse, 12th—pillar of life, 14th—greater restoration, 16th—mass cure critical wounds, 18th—true resurrection.
If buffing is your style, consider Ancestor instead.
Ancestors: 2nd—bless, 4th—aid, 6th—prayer, 8th—blessing of fervor, 10th—commune, 12th—greater heroism, 14th—refuge, 16th—euphoric tranquility, 18th—weird.
That's just a couple - I don't even have Hero Lab open to sift through obscure patrons. And again, it's spontaneous casting. Even Elements is great if you just want to fling fireballs all day.
Regarding Great Power, Great "Expense": The oracle curses can easily be selected to negate any downside. Blackened is the most famous of these. Others offer a significant benefit with minimal downside; again, I haven't even sifted through all the options yet. The 10th-level ability (while a bit late for PFS) is absolutely ridiculous, with enough uses to easily last through a 7-11 scenario.
So, in short: it's a big power boost, and while I think a home GM could allow it without too much trouble, Society play doesn't allow the same flexibility.
Sometimes things just don't work out.
