I am running Iron gods and had a new guy join he has not played since THACO he wanted to be a wizard. I made him an electric Elemental bomber wizard to deal with those filthy robots.
I am more of the grapple it kind of player and don't really focus on ranged and spells any advice for him on feat selection? I gave him point blank and precise shot.
what is the SChitck for the elemental bomber? what is the classes main function? what can i advise him on to have a good time and be a good part of the group? he seemed to get the bombs down I once played with an alchemist so I have some experience with bombs. can you give me the basic walk-through on this archetype?
The first part of the walkthrough is that the Arcane Bomber archetype is significantly weaker than the standard wizard and almost no one uses it.
So you get bombs, but you're specifically told they can't ever be modified by discoveries, and you don't get the alchemist's int damage bonus with them, their better BAB, or the alchemist extracts which can be used to enhance them. You do get an ability to sacrifice prepared spells to slightly enhance the bombs, but unless the spell is much lower level than the highest you can cast it would probably be better to cast the spell. The bombs are effectively a backup weapon when you don't want to cast a spell.
You lose arcane bond & arcane school and half the wizard list is difficult enough to access that you won't usually use it. Hopefully the opposition schools were chosen well; it's a bit hard to know which feats to recommend without knowing which schools this bomber still has easy access to.
PBS/Precise shot aren't the usual wizard feats but they're not terrible. It suggests the bomber might want to get some ranged touch spells to take advantage of them, and maybe the Reach Spell metamagic.
My feat suggestions, though they might change if I knew more -
3: Improved Initiative
5: Spell Focus (their favourite school)
Wizard Bonus 5: Creative Destruction if they still have Evocation, Reach Spell if not.
7: Craft Wondrous Item
9: Spell Penetration
Wizard Bonus 10: Selective Spell
11: Quicken Spell
Thanks,
really appreciate the advice
you do get your INT damage with the bombs just not the discoveries. Where are you reading you don't get the INT damage?
Bomb (Su)
At 1st level, the arcane bomber gains an ability nearly identical to the alchemist’s bomb ability. Unlike the alchemist, at 1st level, the arcane bomber chooses one type of energy from the following list: acid, cold, fire, and electricity. He can throw bombs of that type, but cannot modify them with discoveries. This ability stacks with the alchemist bomb ability to determine the level of bomb damage, but an arcane bomber that becomes an alchemist does not gain that class’s bomb ability, nor does an alchemist that becomes an arcane bomber gain this bomb ability.
This ability replaces arcane bond.
In addition to magical extracts, alchemists are adept at swiftly mixing various volatile chemicals and infusing them with their magical reserves to create powerful bombs that they can hurl at their enemies. An alchemist can use a number of bombs each day equal to his class level + his Intelligence modifier. Bombs are unstable, and if not used in the round they are created, they degrade and become inert—their method of creation prevents large volumes of explosive material from being created and stored. In order to create a bomb, the alchemist must use a small vial containing an ounce of liquid catalyst—the alchemist can create this liquid catalyst from small amounts of chemicals from an alchemy lab, and these supplies can be readily refilled in the same manner as a spellcaster's component pouch. Most alchemists create a number of catalyst vials at the start of the day equal to the total number of bombs they can create in that day—once created, a catalyst vial remains usable by the alchemist for years.
Drawing the components of, creating, and throwing a bomb requires a standard action that provokes an attack of opportunity. Thrown bombs have a range of 20 feet and use the Throw Splash Weapon special attack. Bombs are considered weapons and can be selected using feats such as Point-Blank Shot and Weapon Focus. On a direct hit, an alchemist's bomb inflicts 1d6 points of fire damage + additional damage equal to the alchemist's Intelligence modifier. The damage of an alchemist's bomb increases by 1d6 points at every odd-numbered alchemist level (this bonus damage is not multiplied on a critical hit or by using feats such as Vital Strike). Splash damage from an alchemist bomb is always equal to the bomb's minimum damage (so if the bomb would deal 2d6+4 points of fire damage on a direct hit, its splash damage would be 6 points of fire damage). Those caught in the splash damage can attempt a Reflex save for half damage. The DC of this save is equal to 10 + 1/2 the alchemist's level + the alchemist's Intelligence modifier.
Alchemists can learn new types of bombs as discoveries (see the Discovery ability) as they level up. An alchemist's bomb, like an extract, becomes inert if used or carried by anyone else.
my feat choice for him is mostly focusing on the bombs because they are an easy mechanic to master.
never mind i see it
Why not just have him be an alchemist? It'll make bomb-focusing much more useful.
Why not just have him be an alchemist? It'll make bomb-focusing much more useful.
he is brand new and I didn't want to introduce him to a bunch of mechanics that I hardly understand.
He wanted to be a Necormancer and I was looking at the Archetypes and came across this.
Just trying to make it easy and fun. I am seriously thinking of making him an Alchemist now.
The alchemist INT bonus to damage comes from his throw anything class feature. Arcane bomber doesn't have this and so doesn't get INT to damage.
yeas I just saw that.