The Eldritch Knight... doesn't allow to treat its levels as whatever class levels in terms of class features. For instance, while you can stack your EK levels to your Fighter or Wizard levels for feats, you cannot do so for class features.
With that said, is Wizard the only good spellcasting class to use for an Eldritch Knight?
The Wizard has class features that top at 6th. After that, you just get bonus feats, so as an EK, you still has everything exclusive the class has to offer. The other classes? All have scaling features that do NOT get better if you advance as an EK.
Bard? No new Bardic Performance.
Sorcerer? The bloodlines don't get better.
Summoner? Neither your Eidolon or the Summon spells get better.
Witch? No new hexes and many are tied to your levels.
Arcanist? No new exploits and many are tied to your levels.
Bloodrager? The Bloodrage doesn't get better.
Skald? No new features either...
If the EK's Diverse Training was worded as follow, it would be fine:
Diverse Training: An eldritch knight adds his level to any levels of fighter he might have for the purpose of meeting the prerequisites for feats and class features (if he has no fighter levels, treat his eldritch knight levels as levels of fighter). He also adds his level to any levels in an arcane spellcasting class for the purpose of meeting the prerequisites for feats and class features.
But we don't have that.
Paladin / Sorcerer / Eldritch Knight can work due to the charisma synergy, even though class features don't get advanced. The bloodline spells and powers are the icing on the cake for a sorcerer rather than an essential part of the class. The arcana is usually unaffected by your class level.
I think it's more a matter of preference, or what you want to get out of your EK.
Wizard/x class allows you to get early entry into EK, either by taking the Scryer specialty school, which gets clairaudience/clairvoyance class ability at lvl 1, or choosing Aasimar and using the spell-like ability daylight to qualify for casting 3rd lvl spells.
Sorc/paly into EK has the potential to give you higher/better saves.
The other classes could only qualify for early entry through Aasimar as they have a slower caster progression (except for witch and arcanist).
It would be awesome if EK had synergy with the casting class as many later prestige classes have...it just never got a reboot.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
I don't know where you got the line, "and class features"... I can't seem to find a source for that.
You won't find it anywhere. I was rewording it in a way that would suited me better ^^;
I don't know where you got the line, "and class features"... I can't seem to find a source for that.You won't find it anywhere. I was rewording it in a way that would suited me better ^^;
Reading comprehension for the win, lol. I fixed it after realizing my mistake.
Blade Adept Arcanist. You're here for being a fullcaster with a blackblade. You can take the exploit so that the blade scales with CL and not class level, allowing you to avoid the scaling problem.
Which exploit?
Any Sorcerer build that relies primarily on the arcana. You have what you came for, and spontaneous casters taking PrCs don't have to worry about continuously buying spells. There are a number of archetypes that are combat-focused, which don't work unless you can get the BAB up.
The what now?
Blade Adept Arcanist. You're here for being a fullcaster with a blackblade. You can take the exploit so that the blade scales with CL and not class level, allowing you to avoid the scaling problem.Which exploit?
Eldritch blade, it's listed under the arcanist's blade adept archetype.
Any Sorcerer build that relies primarily on the arcana. You have what you came for, and spontaneous casters taking PrCs don't have to worry about continuously buying spells. There are a number of archetypes that are combat-focused, which don't work unless you can get the BAB up.The what now?
The sorcerer bloodline arcana. e.g. the destined bloodline's 'Whenever you cast a spell with a range of “personal,” you gain a luck bonus equal to the spell's level on all your saving throws for 1 round.'
Some of the arcane casting classes don’t really gain anything from Eldritch Knight, and some are even worse off. The Bloodrager loses a caster level for being able to take fighter only feats. Skald gets the feats and a +2 higher BAB at 20th level. A Magus (which was not on your list) loses caster level for pretty much nothing. The Bard also loses a lot more than it gains. Pretty much any class that has medium BAB and good weapons selection is a poor choice for Eldritch Knight. The only classes that are going to gain any real benefits from Eldritch Knight is a slow BAB, full caster class.
That means Sorcerer, Witch or Wizard are the only real choices. Since the Wizard has the least amount of class abilities they obviously are a little better especially at mid-level. Since you can only take 10 levels of Eldritch Knight and have to have at least one level in the non-caster class that means you will be 8th to 9th level in your caster class at 20th level.
As was pointed out the Paladin/Sorcerer is a viable option. This is actually a combination where the character may take more than a single level in the marital class. Usually you want to take at least two, but you could go up as high as 4. 3rd level gives you aura of courage and divine health. 4th level gives you increases your lay on hand in both uses and power, and extra smite evil, and channel energy. This will of course cost you access to 8th level spells, but is still a viable choice.
The white-haired witch archetype as mentioned works fairly decent, but it is not the only build possible. A hedge witch who takes aura of purity, and healing hex could work fairly well. Take something like flight or disguise as your last hex and you get a character that nobody can figure out.
Another use for the Eldritch Knight is to use with another prestige class. The Paladin/Dragon Disciple/ Eldritch Knight is one you will see recommended on the boards quite often.
Many of the old prestige classes’ concepts are done better by other classes and their archetypes. For instance, for most of a character’s career, the magus is just plain better than the EK.
There are some arcanist exploits that work well on low class level:
Dimensional Slide (60 feet should be good enough usually)
Familiar (Alertness, familiar specific bonus, to be stuffed into your backpack anyway)
Item Crafting (some crafting feats never get useless)
Metamagic Knowledge (same as for crafting)
Metamixing (same again)
Potent Magic (scales indirectly with EK)
Quick Study (same as with Potent Magic)
When it comes to the comparison with magus, EK gained some ground a while ago, with the Prestigious Spellcaster feat.
Blade Adept Arcanist. You're here for being a fullcaster with a blackblade. You can take the exploit so that the blade scales with CL and not class level, allowing you to avoid the scaling problem.Which exploit?Eldritch blade, it's listed under the arcanist's blade adept archetype.
I need new glasses :P
Many of the old prestige classes’ concepts are done better by other classes and their archetypes. For instance, for most of a character’s career, the magus is just plain better than the EK.
The Magus... isn't proficient with heavy armors though ^^;
Witch? No new hexes and many are tied to your levels.There's always the white-haired witch/sohei monk/eldritch knight route, with Feral Combat Training so you can flurry with your hair plus anaconda's coils and spiked haramaki for some extra damage on every grab. Unlike many of the hexes they replace, the abilities on this archetype are incredibly front-loaded, so the increased martial prowess from eldritch knight could definitely be worth it. Bonus points if you take Combat Reflexes and Vicious Stomp to make full use of the trip ability and that lovely reach.
For some reasons, you just gave us the "recipe" to play as Millia Rage from Guilty Gear XD
Not at all directly relevant to your main point, but it's worth noting that if Variant Multiclass rules (from Pathfinder Unchained) are allowed at your table, you can make a pretty great single-class Wizard VMC Oracle with the Battle Mystery and the Skill at Arms revelation to meet all the requirements and allow you to enter the PrC at 6th level as a Wizard 5/Eldritch Knight 1.
If it's worth an additional two feats for you, you can also consider Favored Prestige Class and Prestigious Spellcaster and end up with full spellcasting. Of course, with VMC in the mix, that's a significant number of feats, but it's worth a look.
I echo the Paladin/Sorcerer Mix. If you take the psychic Bloodline, then you don't suffer arcane failure chances and qualify for heavy armor too. Mix that with Eldritch Heritage for the Arcana bloodline and eventually get yourself an Azata improved familiar that can buff you with wands. 3 levels of paladin will boost all your saves, and make you immune to fear which is a very large descriptor of effects that no longer hinder emotion components that effect psychic casters.
Many of the old prestige classes’ concepts are done better by other classes and their archetypes. For instance, for most of a character’s career, the magus is just plain better than the EK.The Magus... isn't proficient with heavy armors though ^^;
Well, not till level 13.
I think it's more a matter of preference, or what you want to get out of your EK.
Wizard/x class allows you to get early entry into EK, either by taking the Scryer specialty school, which gets clairaudience/clairvoyance class ability at lvl 1, or choosing Aasimar and using the spell-like ability daylight to qualify for casting 3rd lvl spells.
Sorc/paly into EK has the potential to give you higher/better saves.
The other classes could only qualify for early entry through Aasimar as they have a slower caster progression (except for witch and arcanist).
It would be awesome if EK had synergy with the casting class as many later prestige classes have...it just never got a reboot.
... right off the bat.
Win.
I echo the Paladin/Sorcerer Mix. If you take the psychic Bloodline, then you don't suffer arcane failure chances and qualify for heavy armor too. Mix that with Eldritch Heritage for the Arcana bloodline and eventually get yourself an Azata improved familiar that can buff you with wands. 3 levels of paladin will boost all your saves, and make you immune to fear which is a very large descriptor of effects that no longer hinder emotion components that effect psychic casters.
Is psychic magic considered arcane magic in terms of prerequisities? Not sure if that's possible.
Nope, unfortunately, psychic magic is not applicable to eldritch knight.
Those early entry tricks don't work anymore.I think it's more a matter of preference, or what you want to get out of your EK.
Wizard/x class allows you to get early entry into EK, either by taking the Scryer specialty school, which gets clairaudience/clairvoyance class ability at lvl 1, or choosing Aasimar and using the spell-like ability daylight to qualify for casting 3rd lvl spells.
Sorc/paly into EK has the potential to give you higher/better saves.
The other classes could only qualify for early entry through Aasimar as they have a slower caster progression (except for witch and arcanist).
It would be awesome if EK had synergy with the casting class as many later prestige classes have...it just never got a reboot.
Dang man! Eldritch Knights breaking the game! Nerf bat! STAT!
This is more than kinda rediculous... EK may be the weakest of all prestige classes, certainly one of the oldest, and needs a complete rework IMO.
Think I'll ignore this updated errata for home games.
EK is kind of weak, but Prestigious Spellcaster does make it pretty ok. Unfortunately, that's not PFS legal.