So I recently was checking out the Exciter archetype and thought it'd be an interesting thing to try out. I do have a few questions first, though:
1 - If I take the Magical Lineage trait, can I select a spell I don't yet know so I can take advantage of it with a higher-level spell? If not, can I use it with a 0th level spell? As worded it seems like no, unless it can cause a spell to count as -1st level, which I doubt.
2 - Does Furious Spell allow me to cast a spell that normally has a thought component during my rapture? If so that makes it a far superior choice to Intuitive Spell (which was what I was originally going to go for).
3 - Would the effects of enlarge person (usable as a Sp via the Fractured Mind archetype), the Improved Natural Attack (tendril) feat, and the Anger phantom's Powerful Strike (gained during a rapture via the Excitation ability) stack to effectively increase my tendrils' damage to five steps above normal for a phantom of that spiritualist level, or would enlarge person and Powerful Strike not stack? As I'm reading it they all should stack since Powerful Strike doesn't actually make you change your size. So essentially, if I use enlarge person before a fight and spend my rapture in excitation and with bonded manifestation active, then by 8th level (not counting any other classes I dip into) I should be dealing 3d8 with my tendrils, which advances to 4d6 at 9th, 4d8 at 13th, and 6d6 at 17th.
4 - I can see a case for this being reduced some if I can't take Improved Natural Attack (tendril), either because my tendrils aren't permanent or because the class description doesn't specifically call them natural weapons. Could I potentially circumvent this by having the phantom take Improved Natural Attack (slam), or do the phantom's feats only function while they're fully manifested? I'm expecting this to be a no (which is fine since it means no need to track feats on the phantom at all), but might as well ask while I'm here.
5 - Further question: can I treat the ability to use Powerful Strike as having Power Attack for the purpose of selecting feats, or do I need to have permanent access to Power Attack (making it essentially a feat tax for feats that would require it)?
6 - If I took three levels of monk, would their Fast Movement stack with the Excitier's? Exciter's Fast Movement only calls out the barbarian's Fast Movement as not stacking. I plan on taking one level of Scaled Fist UC monk, but this could put more weight into the viability of taking three levels instead. Similarly, would this stack with Fast Movement from a bloodrager or a Winding Path Renegade brawler?
7 - Not entirely completely related but this will help determine the importance I'm putting on some skills. Suppose I charge in with Power Attack active, hit my foe, and my free Intimidate from Cornugon Smash and successfully demoralize my foe. Can I use Vital Strike as the swift-action melee attack granted by Hurtful in that case?
Also just realized, this probably should have gone in Rules Questions :P
1: Yes
2: Yes.
3: Powerful strike and INA don't stack because they both improve your attack as if you were a larger size. Either stacks with Enlarge Person because that actually changes your size. That makes two steps. No idea how you got five.
4: You're making the attack, not the phantom. Besides, "Emotional focus abilities that affect or require a manifested phantom are lost, except for any aura gained by the phantom at 7th level" which also stops you using Powerful Strike.
5: No, see 4.
6: I agree with Onyx. Edit: I mean Pennate.
7: No.
1. Nothing in the trait's description prohibits you from selecting a spell you don't know. Also, remember that the trait only affects the level of a spell that has been affected by metamagic and cannot allow a caster to prepare a spell in a lower level slot, so there could be no "-1st level" spell.
That's about what I figured. I'm thinking I should apply it to something like shadow conjuration or ectoplasmic hand so I can bring in a flank buddy in the middle of a rapture.
2. If your rapture counts as a rage for the purpose of the feat, then I would say yes.
It acts in all ways like a bloodrage except for not counting as one for the purpose of qualifying for feats/abilities and you can't rapture after quitting a rapture for 1 minute, so sounds like Furious Spell is a go.
3. Improved Natural Attack and Powerful Strike are both effective size increases, so they would stack with Enlarge Person, but not with each other.
Huh. I would have thought enlarge person was going to be what caused stacking problems. Well if that's the case, there's little point in bothering to take INA. Side note: I actually miscalculated it as a step lower than it should be, so it should have been 4d6 > 4d8 > 6d6 > 6d8. Which, without INA, would instead be 3d6 > 3d8 > 4d6 > 4d8. Still fairly impressive I think.
4. I doubt the phantom could use its feats when sequestered in your mind.
Fair enough; my line of thinking was that since it's a passive effect that directly alters the damage dealt by the phantom's slam, it should equally affect the tendrils you get from your phantom when partially ecto-manifesting it. It was a stretch anyway.
5. I think that there was a question posed a while back for a similar situation that used Familiar-granted Alertness as an example. I believe the ruling declared that any feat, class ability, prestige class, etc. that required Alertness would only function when the Familiar was within arm's reach; therefore, the Spiritualist might feasibly qualify for Power Attack-related options, but could only use them when enraptured.
That's fine, since the only thing he has that requires Power Attack is Cornugon Smash anyway, which is something I only intend him to use in rapture.
6. The Exciter's bonus is untyped, while the Monk's Fast Movement is an enhancement bonus, so I don't see why the two wouldn't stack. The Winding Path Renegade's ability is "treated as an enhancement bonus," so similar logic would apply. The Bloodrager is not a Barbarian, so its bonus could potentially stack with the Exciter's.
This certainly opens up some interesting options! Right now it looks like Scaled Fist UC Monk is my best bet, but dipping a level in Bloodrager could be a fun option. Since rapture functions as bloodrage, that means any bloodline powers would function in rapture as well, creating a few interesting options depending on my choice of bloodline (black blood and undead bloodlines are really striking me here). Not sure if I'd bother with WPR since it'd require a four level dip, though, I was more bringing that in as an example.
7. No; Vital Strike can only be used on as part of an attack action, a specific type of standard action.
I had a feeling. However, could I perhaps make a Vital Strike with Power Attack active and have the Cornugon Smash/Hurtful combo trigger that way?
1: Yes
2: Yes.
3: Powerful strike and INA don't stack because they both improve your attack as if you were a larger size. Either stacks with Enlarge Person because that actually changes your size. That makes two steps. No idea how you got five.
4: You're making the attack, not the phantom. Besides, "Emotional focus abilities that affect or require a manifested phantom are lost, except for any aura gained by the phantom at 7th level" which also stops you using Powerful Strike.
5: No, see 4.
6: I agree withOnyx.Edit: I mean Pennate.
7: No.
I was referring to the damage die steps, rather than steps of effective size. That means I don't have to waste a feat on INA though, so that's good.
Powerful Strike is something I'm able to use via the Exciter's Excitation ability (unless I instead choose to go with the Strength Bonus ability, which I likely never would). It applies its effects to tendrils I gain when I partially manifest the phantom with Bonded Manifestation at 8th or higher. Since gaining Power Attack is part of that ability, then the character should be gaining Power Attack on top of the increased tendril damage as part of temporarily gaining Powerful Strike.
As an aside, I find it funny that my character apparently becomes less intimidating when they go into an anger-fueled rapture (considering they lose the benefits of Skill Focus (Intimidate) in the process).