The Spirit Walker mesmerist archetype gets some fun, flavorful features, but gives up the touch treatment class feature. Can anyone who's played a mesmerist (or played with one) tell me how significant the touch treatment ability has proven to be in practice? Do you use it or see it used a lot? How often have you seen mesmerists need to use this ability on themselves to overcome fear effects?
Thank you for any input!
Not exactly what you're asking but I've played a few levels of Vexing Daredevil/Swashbuckler which gives up touch treatments and bold stares. I felt like I was missing the bold stares but the touch treatments not so much. It kind of felt like it streamlined the class.
If you're going for more generalist support I imagine it'd be a bigger deal though since its another tool in the box.
Depends on how well your GM adjusts to the new psychic casting rules.
Since you lack verbal and somatic components, you are immune to a lot of the stuff that messes with other casters. You don't care about being silenced or deafened, for example. Some things like modules have encounters and premade monsters are built on the idea of messing with casters as their main challenge. If your GM just uses these things without much adjustment, then you are likely fine.
But, like any caster, you have to worry when the GM specifically builds things to mess with you. Psychic casters are particularly weak to intimidation and fear effects due to emotional components. Mesmerists don't usually worry about this, since their touch treatment lets them swift action cure it.
So the question is this- how much does your GM care about taking out casting? How much trouble will he be? Is he the type that takes you head on with tough general challenges, or does he try to dismantle you a bit to get you worried?
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L6 PFS Spirit Walker checking in.
Thanks to a high CHA (Towering Ego), Towering Ego FCB, a decent base WILL save and a Cloak of Resistance, I've shrugged off all WILL effects. In case of fear, I carry pots of Remove Fear. I also have Mask Misery which delays moderate conditions and cures minor ones--delay is fine because most combats are over in a few rounds anyways.
For PFS I've been fine, so as lemeres notes, it would depend on your GM for a home game.
Yeah, PFS is pretty much a straight shot with no worries. The scenarios are made for the older classes, and there should be relatively little material aimed at the psychic classes. Most of what you encounter is fear designed as a general debuff/divide and conquer mechanic, rather than a shut down (in which case, you can just have general protection stuff to deal with that). So unless they release a new psychic focused scenario, it is fine. You don't have to worried about focused adaptation.
As a mesmerist you shouldn't be helpless if your casting is shut down. Sure, it's not good but you are a 3/4 BAB character (so you should have some basic combat ability) and you have a bunch of class features which don't turn off when you're shaken.
Between mask of misery and a pot of remove fear you should really be fine on the old intimidate worry.
What avr said is right too, you shouldn't neglect your martial abilities totally, especially in the early levels, you don't have the spells per day to do so anyway.
Thanks for all of the excellent help!