Transmuter Build

[BlingerBunny]

So I've been informed my GM is going to start a lower-level campaign first, and he wants me to use a different character.

With this knowledge, I'd like to step into the realm of Transmutation and how effective it can be. I'd like some advice on this because I've never built a transmuter before. I've played around with the idea, but I've got no real knowledge. I may end up asking my GM if I can use Psionics and make an Egoist.

Without Psionics in play, what would you guys recommend?

[Chromantic Durgon <3]

Occultists get pick fancy items that embody each school of magic and it grants you certain powers for each school the transmutation ones are amazing.

I think there is something called a brown fur transmuter Arcanist archetype or something similar. Which people might recommend

[BlingerBunny]

Occultist looks good, but I don't have immediate access to the book, so my GM wouldn't allow that. He's pretty set in stone on that. No physical copy, no go. I'm most-likely going to fall back on my favorite class, the Alchemist, and go with a BFC build from there.

[avr]

There's a couple of good ways to approach transmutation.

One is a shapechanger and the alchemist is good at shapechanging and fighting, especially with the beastmorph or vivisectionist archetypes.

The other is to use the wizard spell list and be able to say 'there's a spell for that' in answer to most problems - the transmutation school is a notable part of the wizard's breadth and an arcane bonded item lets you access a lot of it.

And an alchemist who throws bombs which create BFC effects could be considered to use transmutation, though they're really more like conjuration in the spells they copy, stinking cloud etc.

[Errant_Epoch]

I think a cool build would be to take one level of Wizard with the Shapechange transmutation sub-school and then multiclass into Arcanist with the Brown-Fur Transmuter archetype, taking school understanding: transmutation as your first exploit.

Brown fur will give you the ability to spend a point of your arcane reservoir to enhance a stat buff of one of your transmutations by 2 and the transmutation school powers will scale with level because of school understanding and the wizard level which will give you an adjustable daily scalable physical stat boost.

Then you can always default to transmutations many awesome non shape shift spells when needed.

Hmm I think I'm going to play this when my Dragon Disciple dies.

[BlingerBunny]

The only problem I see with becoming a gish is HP. Yeah you're great n' all, but if you get caught off guard, you're done for.

That said, I do like the idea of the Brown-Fur Transmuter, though would a level of Wizard help, or hinder if I decide to follow the path of the buffing?

[Ryan Freire]

I think transmutation has some of the nicest save or die/suck available too, so its a pretty solid choice for spell focus/greater.

I mean for style purposes you dont get much better than making statues to decorate your manor out of your enemies.

[BlingerBunny]

So how about a Support based Brown-Fur Transmuter? For some reason I can't stand preparing spells, knowing that I'm limited to the number of prepared spells I have.

[Ryan Freire]

BlingerBunny wrote:

So how about a Support based Brown-Fur Transmuter? For some reason I can't stand preparing spells, knowing that I'm limited to the number of prepared spells I have.

Speaking as an investigator with touch injection...beast shape 2 into a tiger on your invulnerable rager party member is one of the more horrific things you can do to an encounter.

[BlingerBunny]

I always wanted to play an Invulnerable Rager with the Beast Totem Rage Powers. Can never really have enough murder-fun with that.

So, with some planning, I've decided on becoming a Brown-Fur Transmuter, focusing on buffing my allies, with hope that they can coordinate efforts.

[Jader7777]

There is some nasty touch spells for transmutation. Calcific touch can easily become a save or die spell.
Level 8 sorcerer or 7 wizard

+5 in your spell modifier stat

Spell Focus Transmutation
Greater Spell Focus Transmutation
Lunging Touch Spell (+5 feet reach)
Eldritic heritage, abberant (+5 feet reach)

Long arm spell (+5 feet reach)
Touch Of Gracelessness (1d6+1 dex dmg per 2/lvl) DC 18
Calcific Touch (1d4 dex dmg, if 0 dex target becomes petrified) DC 21

Also get the feat Tenacious Transmutation, if they pass the save they have to re-save the next turn. There's also a bunch of other touch spells with fun effects you can experiment with.

Stand behind the fighter and make your stretchy arm 20 feet touch attacks.

[BlingerBunny]

I thank you all for this wonderful advice! I've figured my direction, and I'm going to keep BFC in mind, but I'm making two characters and make my decision based on the rest of the party comp.

The first character is based on my assumption of the homebrew world and a hope that I'll be able to enjoy my favorite class;
Hobgoblin Grenadier

The second is based on the assumption that the others will need a primary caster; The Human Brown-Fur Transmuter.