Fiendish Proboscis is an Arcanist Exploit.
Effect The arcanist can spend 1 point from his arcane reservoir as a standard action to grow a long, articulated proboscis covered with small spiky hairs. The appendage grows from the arcanist’s face and houses a highly flexible, muscular tongue tipped with a cartilaginous barbed quill. The proboscis lasts for 1 round per arcanist level, during which time the arcanist cannot speak or use verbal components.
The arcanist can end this exploit’s effects early as a swift action. As a standard action, the arcanist can attack a target with the proboscis’s tongue. This is a primary natural weapon with a 10-foot reach. Attacks with the tongue resolve as a touch attack. If the arcanist uses his tongue and hits a creature capable of casting spells or using spell-like abilities, he drains a portion of the target’s magical ability and adds 1 point to his arcane reservoir (points gained in excess of the reservoir’s maximum are lost). If the arcanist hits a creature that cannot cast spells or use spell-like abilities, the tongue instead drains a portion of the target’s life force and heals the arcanist of 1d6 points of damage. Regardless of the target’s ability to use magic, the tongue’s unnerving siphoning of magical or life energy causes the struck creature to become sickened for 1 round.
While the arcanist could use more and easier ways of gaining back Arcanist Points, this seems utterly broken. An arcanist could refill his/her pool OOC in a very short period of time with a cooperative caster teammate, with a summoned creature, with a familiar, or with a stabilized, defeated enemy caster.
Any thoughts on how this could be modified so that a GM might actually allow it?
Well, you could houserule that only 2 points could be gained per creature per day, and after that only the HP gain works after that. Or if you want to get a bit more meta you could houserule that it only works against creatures you are currently in battle with. Or if you wanted to make it a lot more limited you could say each use can only drain an amount of arcanist pool points equal to the arcanist's charisma modifier (minimum one). I'm a fan of that last one myself, as it would give arcanist characters an actual incentive to bump charisma, though for my homegame I might rule the first or second way so that the arcanist PC has a chance of using it (as it would really fit his shapeshifter character).
Only using it against enemies would seem to work well. None of your allies would let you touch them with that thing and it hurts would be my explanation.
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Only using it against enemies would seem to work well. None of your allies would let you touch them with that thing and it hurts would be my explanation.
Well, if you have any clerics of Zon-Kuthon in your party, that last point would be quite redundant, since that's almost exactly what they would want you to do. ;)
Only using it against enemies would seem to work well. None of your allies would let you touch them with that thing and it hurts would be my explanation.Well, if you have any clerics of Zon-Kuthon in your party, that last point would be quite redundant, since that's almost exactly what they would want you to do. ;)
You got me there. ;)
On second thought I guess you are limited by the rounds per day you can use it. 1 per level.
So at level 10 you can potentially get 10 extra arcane points per day.
Is that game breaking I've never played an Arcanist?
Or if you wanted to make it a lot more limited you could say each use can only drain an amount of arcanist pool points equal to the arcanist's charisma modifier (minimum one).
I think this is reasonable. , but it should be on an per day basis. And it would have to be 1 in addition to the 1 that is spent to activate the ability.
For reference, all arcanists can burn one spell slot to gain that slot's level in arcanist points a number of times per day equal to their CHA modifier.
There are a few exploits that also allow the arcanist to regain points. One of these is Consume Magic Items.
It is generally pretty hard to do ever since the errata that limited these abilities by the CHA modifier.
On second thought I guess you are limited by the rounds per day you can use it. 1 per level.
So at level 10 you can potentially get 10 extra arcane points per day.
Is that game breaking I've never played an Arcanist?
I don't think there is a daily limit as written. Maybe I'm mistaken though?
An arcanist starts with 3 + 1/2*level points. At level 10, that means 8. By burning both of your level 5 spell slots, you could get an additional 10.
Being able to get 10 points at level 10 for one exploit (an exploit is about as powerful as a feat) is pretty strong now that I think about it. There is a feat that gives you 3 per day without any effort. Maybe this?
Cost to use=0 points
One use per creature per day
One point regained per use
Max daily gain = 1/2 level, min 1.
Or is it getting so changed that it is just a totally new exploit?
This is one of those tricky ones where you can easily nerf it into uselessness.
Let me think on this for a bit. Come on sleep deprived brain you can do it. ;)
The more thought I put into this, the closer I got to an ability already written for the Twilight Sage archetype.
By wresting a soul from life to death, a twilight sage gains a slightly deeper understanding of mortality, fueling her curiosity and eldritch power. As a full-round action, she can consume the life energy of a helpless living creature, killing it.
This creature must have 2 or more Hit Dice and be below 0 hit points. The twilight sage adds 2 points to her arcane reservoir if the creature’s Hit Dice equaled or exceeded the sage’s character level, or 1 point if the creature’s Hit Dice equaled at least 1/2 her character level.
This ability is a death effect.
This doesn't have the damage component, nor does it strictly target spell casters.
With the Occultist Archetype and Fiendish Proboscis, you can have infinite Arcane Reservoir points at level 3 provided you add Grig to your Summon Monster II list. Use Conjurer's Focus to summon a Grig. Next round activate your Proboscis, and get 2 points back the following two rounds. reactivate again the thirst round for a net positive 1 point. This has the side effect of making expending your maximum pool somewhat worthwhile for the convenience it provides. It also has the side-effect of making the Occultist Archetype capstone pretty useless.
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Anzyr, you don't have to go that far. You take it at 1st level and you just lick yourself as an arcanist is "a creature capable of casting spells or using spell-like abilities". Infinite reservoir at 1st.
If a DM balks at self-licking, take Familiar as a second ability with the figment archetype at 3rd, using the 1 evolution point for the Basic Magic SLA. It's like licking your own mind...
Ah I just realised that it lasts one round per level per usage. I thought that was per day.
I think a free cost and limited to rounds per level per day would make it more balanced. Or maybe 1/2 rounds per level per day minimum 1.
I think the real problem is that it is usable on friendly creatures (and may be a problem that it can be used on unfriendly creatures).
Are there any spells or abilities that can, on their own, only apply to friends or foes?
Good point here is my revision.
Free to use, one round per level per day. Can only drain one arcane point from any one person once per day. Can't use it on yourself.
To maximize arcane points recovers, you can take a level of monk and the feral combat feat. Flurry with the proboscis! Make it a scaled fist and you add your Cha to AC/CMD, stunning fist DC too!...
Are there any spells or abilities that can, on their own, only apply to friends or foes?
To answer my own question,
Aura of Menace (Su) A righteous aura surrounds archons that fight or get angry. Any hostile creature within a 20-foot radius of an archon must succeed on a Will save to resist its effects. The save DC varies with the type of archon, is Charisma-based, and includes a +2 racial bonus. Those who fail take a –2 penalty on attacks, AC, and saves for 24 hours or until they successfully hit the archon that generated the aura. A creature that has resisted or broken the effect cannot be affected again by the same archon’s aura for 24 hours.
So it would be within the Paizo way of things to limit the ability to hostile creatures. That, in an of itself, may make the ability what it was intended to be.