So in the campaign I'm in, I'm currently a level 16 Arcanist, one built around abusing Battering Blast. And while we're getting close to the end of a campaign, it looks like we might go over 20. The only thing is, I have absolutely no idea what would synergize well with the class. Could use some help. Any advice? Was thinking Soldier for feats, but I feel like there has to be a better option. Help?
Are you allowed to advance into epic Arcanist levels or at least advance arcanist casting in a PRC? If you are that is your best option. Otherwise a 1 level dip into crossblooded sorcerer can get you some fun options. Depending on your cha a 2 lv dip into paladin could be good. Depending on your spell selection 1 level spellslinger wizard. Barbarian/Bloodrager can give bonus HP and lets you use all of the rage magic feats. Souldrinker PRC + Merciful Spell can get you near infinite blasting per day if you don't mind being evil. Rouge + Accomplished Sneak Attacker->AT gives all kinds of good tricks and plenty of sneak attack.
Currently a chaotic good character. Rogue for Arcane trickster is something I'd also thought about, but we have a rogue in the party, didnt want to step on toes, though I'll take another look.
Epic arcanist levels? how would that work? And I'd like a prestige class, though im not sure how that would work, again, with the epic spellcasting levels. Where are the rules for above 20 like that?
Technically there is no lv21+ in pathfinder rules. The closest thing we have was the 3.5 Epic Players Handbook which laid out rules for lv21+ characters. I was mainly referring to that when talking about continued progression of your arcanist casting and continued arcanist class level advancement. You should be able to find these rules online; If you can't let me know. However there are several reasons to not use them so check with your dm what advancement rules hes using. In short, as with most things ask your dm. Arcane trickster for the most part doesn't overlap with rouge. Yes an AT can be built to play as a magical rouge however in terms of abilities only the first ability and sneak attack overlap a rouges place in the party.
GLHF
Any other prestige classes that would work well for an Arcanist?
If I'm reading correctly, if I went Arcane Savant, I could gain cleric spells?
Advancing Beyond 20th Level
Although classes doesn’t describe what happens after 20th level, this isn’t to say that there are no resources available to you should you wish to continue your campaign on to 21st level and beyond. Rules for epic-level play like this exist in numerous products that are compatible with the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, although in many cases these alternative rules can provide unanticipated problems. For example, if your campaign world is populated by creatures and villains who, at the upper limit of power, can challenge a 20th-level character, where will epic-level PCs go for challenges? You might be looking at creating an entirely new campaign setting, one set on different planes, planets, or dimensions from the one where your players spent their first 20 levels, and that’s a lot of work.
The following are brief guidelines to continue play beyond 20th level. These guidelines aren’t robust enough to keep the game vibrant and interesting on their own for much longer past 20th level, but they should do in a pinch for a campaign that needs, say, 22 or 23 experience levels to wrap up. Likewise, you can use these rules to create super-powerful NPCs for 20th-level characters to face.
Experience Points
To gain a level beyond 20th, a character must double the experience points needed to achieve the previous level. Thus, assuming the medium XP progression, a 20th-level character needs 2,100,000 XP to become 21st level, since he needed 1,050,000 XP to reach 20th level from 19th. He’d then need 4,200,000 XP to reach 22nd level, 8,400,000 XP to reach 23rd, and so on.
Scaling Powers
Hit dice, base attack bonuses, and saving throws continue to increase at the same rate beyond 20th level, as appropriate for the class in question. Note that no character can have more than 4 attacks based on its base attack bonus. Note also that, before long, the difference between good saving throws and poor saving throws becomes awkwardly large—the further you get from 20th level, the more noticeable this difference grows, and for high-level characters, bolstering their poor saving throws should become increasingly important. Class abilities that have a set, increasing rate, such as a barbarian’s damage reduction, a fighter’s bonus feats and weapon training, a paladin’s smite evil, or a rogue’s sneak attack continue to progress at the appropriate rate.
Spells
A spellcaster’s caster level continues to increase by one for each level beyond 20th level. Every odd-numbered level, a spellcaster gains access to a new level of spell one above his previous maximum level, gaining one spell slot in that new level. These spell slots can be used to prepare or cast spells adjusted by metamagic feats or any known spell of lower levels. Every even-numbered level, a spellcaster gains additional spell slots equal to the highest level spell he can currently cast. He can split these new slots any way he wants among the slots he currently has access to.
For example, a 21st-level wizard gains a single 10th-level spell slot, in which he can prepare any spell of level 1st through 9th, or in which he can prepare a metamagic spell that results in an effective spell level of 10 (such as extended summon monster IX, or quickened disintegrate). At 22nd level he gains 10 spell-levels’ worth of new spell slots, and can gain 10 1st-level spells per day, two 5th-level spells per day, one 7th-level and one 3rd-level spell per day, or one more 10th-level spell per day. At 23rd level, he gains a single 11th-level spell slot, and so on.
Spellcasters who have a limited number of spells known (such as bards and sorcerers) can opt out of the benefits they gain (either a new level of spells or a number of spell slots) for that level and in exchange learn two more spells of any level they can currently cast.
You might want to further adjust the rate of spell level gain for classes (like paladins and rangers) who gain spells more slowly than more dedicated spellcaster classes.
Multiclassing/Prestige Classes
The simplest way to progress beyond 20th level is to simply multiclass or take levels in a prestige class, in which case you gain all of the abilities of the new class level normally. This effectively treats 20th level as a hard limit for class level, but not as a hard limit for total character level.
Loremaster is pretty easy to qualify for and advances the casting all the way.
You are correct about arcane savant. (incidentally the copyright version is Pathfinder savant)
Magaambyan arcanist is also fun and gives you druid spells.
Loremaster keeps mentioning level, but doesnt say Class level vs Character level. Which is it supposed to be for things like Lore and Secrets, anyone know? Cause that seems like something my guy would go for.
Loremaster keeps mentioning level, but doesnt say Class level vs Character level. Which is it supposed to be for things like Lore and Secrets, anyone know? Cause that seems like something my guy would go for.
Unless it specifically says character level, assume it means levels in loremaster.