Technomancer Build


Advice


It's still early yet, and not everyone has even gotten a chance to look at the rules yet but I am already eager to build a character.

I plan on running a Android Scholar Technomancer from Aballon who worships Triune.

However, most spell casters I have played have been 6th level or 4th level classes from Pathfinder which usually focus on buffing yourself into being good at combat, and usually have class features to help do that even better (Inquisitor is the best example, and my favorite Pathfinder class).

So, having looked over the spell list some and the Magic Hacks that are available I'm having a hard time deciding how to move forward and build the character.

So I'm looking for thoughts and advice, besides someone has to start the first brainstorming thread for build advice.

Scarab Sages

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Supercharge weapon seems like the most useful combat buff/blast spell at first level. Flight looks like a must have for spells known just because it's so versatile depending on what level you cast it as.

The empowered weapon magic hack looks good if you want to self buff, or the harmful spells if you want to blast.


I would take longarm proficiency at 1st level and versatile specialization at 3rd. Then the spellshot magic hack at 8th. Probably start with 16 dex 16 int.

That would play kind of like a eldritch archer magus from pathfinder. A good mix of spells to cast and decent damage shooting a gun when you don't want to cast.


I was reading through the Technomancer and they seemed pretty light on class features. Are their spells good enough to balance out the fact they get fewer class abilities than the Mystic?

I want to build one, but I don't want to be the weak link in the party.


Having given the spell lists a look, while the mystic and technomancer lists have some overlap, especially within a mystic's connection, mystics tend toward mental and restorative spells, where as a technomancer's tend more toward technological, illusion and alteration magic, also technomancer spells generally have more destructive options then mystics.


Don't forget that the technomancer get one additional spell per day compared to the mystic, and that spell can be of any spell level. That can matter quite a bit at the start. A 1st level technomancer can cast 4 spells per day compared to the mystic, a whopping 25% more! At higher levels, this bonus may diminish in need, but it is still a very useful in a crunch.

Also, the mystic's offensive spells are mostly mind-affecting. In combats against robots and machines (this is a sci-fi setting so I imagine quite a bit of that), as well as against undeads (there's a whole planet of them!), the mystic would mostly play the supporting role.

That said though, a technomancer's strength would likely come more from control and utility spells rather than blasting, especially at higher levels, when your soldiers are carrying rifles that do 10d6 damage each round... :)

Dark Archive

At level 1 I'm going with a Technomancer with 18 Dex, 16 Int, an Azimuth Laser Rifle (feat spent on proficiency) and going to be heavily leaning on the Supercharge Weapon spell. That mneans +4 to hit vs EAC for d8+4d6 four times per scenario, which seems like it should provide some pretty solid damage at low levels, could always go human for the extra feat and take Weapon Focus Longarms as well to bump it to +5 to hit.

At level 3 i'll likely switch over to a small arm of some sort to take advantage of weapon specialisation, but keep the long arm as a backup for situations where greater range is required.


Humans can't actually do 18 Dex, 16 Int starting out. That's pretty much just the province of bots, rats and elves.

Switching to small arms at level 3 will drop your damage, quite a bit. Not only is low level pistol damage awful, but the bonus from specialization is half. (So, 1 point rather than +3 at 3rd level)

Dark Archive

He's not human, he's Android, hence the one feat and stat array :)

The weapon change will depend on how much cash becomes available, it looks like it'll eventually overtake a longarm but we'll see.


I wasn't that interested in the Technomancer in the previews, but having read it, I'm actually very taken by Harmful Spells and Spellshot. Artillery Wizard!


Suthainn wrote:
He's not human, he's Android, hence the one feat and stat array :)

Right, but you mentioned thinking about going human for the extra feat

Quote:
The weapon change will depend on how much cash becomes available, it looks like it'll eventually overtake a longarm but we'll see.

Well, yes. If you don't take specialization for longarms, pistols will eventually do a bit more damage. It just didn't occur to me that anyone would take proficiency but not specialization.


Voss wrote:

Humans can't actually do 18 Dex, 16 Int starting out. That's pretty much just the province of bots, rats and elves.

Switching to small arms at level 3 will drop your damage, quite a bit. Not only is low level pistol damage awful, but the bonus from specialization is half. (So, 1 point rather than +3 at 3rd level)

Sorry to revive a thread from August but I was curious as to what prevents a human technomancer from getting 18 Dex and 16 Int at first level? I just got the book the other day so I'm still reading through it.


Math. That's 1 more point than a human can have even if they take 10s in all four other stats.


Been having good success with my Shirren Technomancer. I am 2nd level now and dipped into Soldier for weapon/armor proficiencies as well as blitz training. I took improved initiative and with Dex I have +10 to initiative. Grabbed a Venom Spur and interesting enough Supercharge Weapon applies to any weapon so Supercharge that Spur. Will be moving towards speed suspension, cardiac modification, and dragon gland to my build. Will add Fleet feat and be working towards pushing 90+ move rate. Thinking more along the lines of Street Samurai/Battlemage kind of build. So far so good.

I am a worshiper of Oras - Agent of Change and am an Augmented. My beliefs as a CN former hired assassin is that I can exert change most effectively through helping the weaker to be able to move on to make room for the stronger and more able sentients. Sometimes a culling needs to be done.


Corwynn Maelstrom wrote:
Math. That's 1 more point than a human can have even if they take 10s in all four other stats.

Am I missing something that says you don't roll ability scores anymore?


Matches wrote:
Corwynn Maelstrom wrote:
Math. That's 1 more point than a human can have even if they take 10s in all four other stats.
Am I missing something that says you don't roll ability scores anymore?

It's the same place that says you don't wear bell bottoms anymore.


Xenocrat wrote:
Matches wrote:
Corwynn Maelstrom wrote:
Math. That's 1 more point than a human can have even if they take 10s in all four other stats.
Am I missing something that says you don't roll ability scores anymore?
It's the same place that says you don't wear bell bottoms anymore.

I can't think of any reason for the question in regards to rolled stats. You can start with six scores of 18. The only reason you would need to know if specific scores are possible is in reference to the point buy rules.

But if you are talking about rolling, I suppose that the answer is: because they didn't roll that high...


Corwynn Maelstrom wrote:
Xenocrat wrote:
Matches wrote:
Corwynn Maelstrom wrote:
Math. That's 1 more point than a human can have even if they take 10s in all four other stats.
Am I missing something that says you don't roll ability scores anymore?
It's the same place that says you don't wear bell bottoms anymore.

I can't think of any reason for the question in regards to rolled stats. You can start with six scores of 18. The only reason you would need to know if specific scores are possible is in reference to the point buy rules.

But if you are talking about rolling, I suppose that the answer is: because they didn't roll that high...

It was in regards to Voss' previous statement that humans can't have stats that high, which made zero sense to me if you can still roll stats, which you can as an alternate method rather than point buy. I read over that section thoroughly today. lol


Matches wrote:
Corwynn Maelstrom wrote:
Xenocrat wrote:
Matches wrote:
Corwynn Maelstrom wrote:
Math. That's 1 more point than a human can have even if they take 10s in all four other stats.
Am I missing something that says you don't roll ability scores anymore?
It's the same place that says you don't wear bell bottoms anymore.

I can't think of any reason for the question in regards to rolled stats. You can start with six scores of 18. The only reason you would need to know if specific scores are possible is in reference to the point buy rules.

But if you are talking about rolling, I suppose that the answer is: because they didn't roll that high...

It was in regards to Voss' previous statement that humans can't have stats that high, which made zero sense to me if you can still roll stats, which you can as an alternate method rather than point buy. I read over that section thoroughly today. lol

Still don't understand your question then. Why can't a human have an 18 and a 16? Because you can't buy that high with the new point buy system.

If you're rolling stats, then sure that can happen. But since almost no one thinks rolling stats is a good idea, no one will assume you're considering rolled stats as a factor when asking about stat blocks.


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Again, it's obvious that you can, with rolled stats, have whatever.

Hell, if your GM lets you, you can just have all 26s.

Point buy, however, is the ONLY legal method for playing Starfinder in Organized Play and—since a lot of people started gaming after rolling stats was the norm—it's the preferred method for the majority of tables. As such you will see a large number of people talking about point buy characters.

Even those of us who DO allow rolling. Because obviously if someone says x is impossible, it's not going to have anything to do with rolls.


I would consider sniper prophiciency vs long arm prophiciency

the end dmg is not that much different and with spellshot you get a pretty high range for offensive spells

of course if you take a weapon like the sniper rifle you should probably take up weapon focus too


Space McMan wrote:
Matches wrote:
Corwynn Maelstrom wrote:
Xenocrat wrote:
Matches wrote:
Corwynn Maelstrom wrote:
Math. That's 1 more point than a human can have even if they take 10s in all four other stats.
Am I missing something that says you don't roll ability scores anymore?
It's the same place that says you don't wear bell bottoms anymore.

I can't think of any reason for the question in regards to rolled stats. You can start with six scores of 18. The only reason you would need to know if specific scores are possible is in reference to the point buy rules.

But if you are talking about rolling, I suppose that the answer is: because they didn't roll that high...

It was in regards to Voss' previous statement that humans can't have stats that high, which made zero sense to me if you can still roll stats, which you can as an alternate method rather than point buy. I read over that section thoroughly today. lol

Still don't understand your question then. Why can't a human have an 18 and a 16? Because you can't buy that high with the new point buy system.

If you're rolling stats, then sure that can happen. But since almost no one thinks rolling stats is a good idea, no one will assume you're considering rolled stats as a factor when asking about stat blocks.

Not sure why you're confused by my question as it was straight-forward. When I responded with my previous comment, I had JUST read over the stat section. I skimmed it before but didn't notice that rolling was the alternative method for stats rather than point buy. I've only played in 3 point buy games. Every other game I've played in has been roll for stats.

Corwynn Maelstrom wrote:

Again, it's obvious that you can, with rolled stats, have whatever.

Hell, if your GM lets you, you can just have all 26s.

Point buy, however, is the ONLY legal method for playing Starfinder in Organized Play and—since a lot of people started gaming after rolling stats was the norm—it's the preferred method for the majority of tables. As such you will see a large number of people talking about point buy characters.

Even those of us who DO allow rolling. Because obviously if someone says x is impossible, it's not going to have anything to do with rolls.

In my own games that I've ran, I had my players roll stats. It's just something I've gotten used to doing every time I played aside from the 3 games that were short-lived that we did the point-buy system. Roll 4d6, choose the top 3, re-roll 1s.

I don't participate in Organized Play. Never have.

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