The idea here is to cherrypick two 3/4th BAB prestige classes with full-level spellcasting advancement. BAB is bottomed-out at 7th relative to character level at four under, but the next six levels thereafter are all potentially BAB-advancing for BAB9 at 13th, or only BAB-1 under a straight-ticket Eldritch Knight Fighter1/Wizard5/EK7 (he’ll pull one point of BAB farther ahead, but that’s it before finishing his PrC and then getting socked at next level-up).
Character concept: All casting and no play makes Jack a dull boy.
CL Ba FT RF Wi
01 01 02 02 00 Brawler1 [Snakebite Striker][SA+1d6], FEAT(g), FEAT(h)
02 01 02 02 02 Wizard1 [Exploiter][exploit:Dimensional Slide][Spells:1]
03 02 02 02 03 Wizard2 Extra Exploit (Quick Study) or FEAT(g)
04 02 03 03 03 Wizard3 [spells:2]
05 02 03 04 04 Arcane Trickster1, Accomplished Sneak Attacker [SA+2d6]
06 03 03 04 05 Wizard4 [spells:3][exploit:Counterspell]
07 03 03 05 06 Stargazer1 [familiar][hex:Fortune], FEAT(g)
08 04 Arcane Trickster2 or Stargazer2, [spells:4]
09 05 Arcane Trickster(x) or Stargazer(y), Improved Familiar or FEAT(g)
* just one level off full wizard spellcasting
* great base saves, e.g. 3/5/6 at 7th versus 4/4/4 chained monk
* Heal, Intimidate, and UMD are the only remaining non-class skills
* receive arcanist exploits, witch hexes, get a cashed-out familiar back!
At some onerous expensive (Weapon Finesse, Favored Prestige Class, Prestigious Spellcaster), Sphere Singer can be added to our short list of 3/4ths PrCs without loss of spellcasting level, and pick up bardic performance and Starry Grace. This expense is less onerous if we’re already taking Weapon Finesse (likely) and don’t care about missing one more level of casting (much less likely).
~ ~ ~
Anyway, that's the basic chassis. So, how do we really twink this out? (Goal: be as gishy and utilitarian as possible without forfeiting Tier 1 power.)
Stargazer is nice, though it all depends on what a Gish is trying to do.
Evangelist costs a class level but it continues class abilities, which can be massively useful. Eldritch Knight is full BAB and grants multiple bonus feats, which can make a build work that wouldn't work otherwise (or it means you can take Prestigious Spellcaster easily). Prestigious Spellcaster costs a ton of feats, but claws back spellcasting levels.
The thing about a Gish build is that BAB and Spells aren't the whole story. If losing another half level of spells or another point of BAB means you can suddenly do something way better with feats or abilities, then...
For a combat Gish, note that Spell Sage Wizard can pick up Divine Favor and/or Divine Power with Preferred Spell, which is a massive combat bonus. Spell Sage can also use Barkskin as their Spell Study ability quite efficiently.
If you're picking up major Sneak Attack bonus, there's no better spell than Dazzling Blade - swift-action blind plus Sneak Attack is awesome.
For a Wizard Gish, the Knowledge is Power Arcane Discovery is a huge boon to combat maneuvers. Tripping through attacks or spells plus a Fortuitous weapon is very strong. With Quickened Thunderstomp, a Wizard Gish can knock prone a target with two bonus AoO's as a swift action, which works as a "pounce" by itself.
Oh, and tripping Gish reminds me of Living Monolith, which is a very, very cool 3/4 BAB Gish option.
I'll have to check into Evangelist and Living Monolith, which I overlooked while zipping through a list of PrCs because their spell-advancement isn't written down in the usual "+1 level of spellcasting advancement" nomenclature that the rest of them use.
Spell Sage: regrettably won't stack with the Exploiter archetype (and I wanted the Quick Study exploit painfully bad because I'm an awful morning planner, but also hate the metagamy aspects of spamming divination magic to ask the GM how I may most easily break his adventure today). I could pick up Divine Favor via a silver spindle ioun.
If you Pick up Spell Sage, you can pull some shenanagins with Soul Warden, it doesnt say you need to be a divine caster, it just says if you have 2 or more divine spellcasting classes you choose one for the spellcasting ups.
It doesn't sound like you're describing this prestige class. (Has it been changed?)
Further advantages of Spell Sage for a Gish include using Barkskin with Spell Study, which is very handy for an AC-starved Gish, and using Retraining to swap Divine Favor for Divine Power when desired. After you have the prerequisite, it's also one feat per Preferred Spell from another list. Thundering Drums specialist melee Gish perhaps?
Also, Spell Sage's +4CL bonus is pretty awesome used right, even if you only get 1 per day. "Hey, here comes Bossy McBaddy... you got that +4CL Battering Blast ready?"
Just because you want to be a generalist doesn't mean you shouldn't specialize. Since the base character has access to sneak attack, lets push that. One of the best spells for sneak attack is Vampiric Touch....
I note that Dimensional Slide can only be taken as part of a move action, which dampens my enthusiasm slightly for the Exploiter archetype.
-- What ways (aside from Quicken XYZ) exist for nearly-pure casters to generate movement as a swift (or free) action? It'll make getting those full-attacks in a lot easier as a pseudo Pounce build.
There's the conjuration/teleportation arcane school for wizards. Swift action, only 5' per 2 class levels though.
Batrachian helm. Costs 26K. Also makes you look froggy. It does let you move as a swift action 3/day.
The bladed dash spell is a standard action, but it includes an attack; great fun for a magus. Also the most easily quickened spell movement as it's level 2. Flash forward is a spell which lets you charge then teleport back. Telekinetic charge lets you attack as a swift/immediate action after using it to move up.
Bladed Dash is another bonus for Spell Sage and Preferred Spell...
OK, I'll stop now.
Oh yeah, why pseudo-pounce? With a good polymorphing spell you can get the real thing. Or you could go for the dimensional agility chain, but that's definitely late game.
Oh yeah, why pseudo-pounce? With a good polymorphing spell you can get the real thing. Or you could go for the dimensional agility chain, but that's definitely late game.
Not necessarily with Retraining rules. Also, Sense Vitals and Dimensional Savant is pretty snappy.
Certainly that's a nice combo BadBird, but his original build has accomplished sneak attacker at 5 rather than retraining an early feat at level 4 - this implies retraining may not be an option.
Certainly that's a nice combo BadBird, but his original build has accomplished sneak attacker at 5 rather than retraining an early feat at level 4 - this implies retraining may not be an option.
Retraining is available; I just had ASA at 5th because Quick Study is probably more useful to a low-level wizard than an extra 1d6 sneak-attack.
Why not just go ganzi, with the Weaponplay oddity, arcanist (blade adept) 6/eldritch knight X? Selecting the Spell Strike exploit and the Extra Arcanist Exploit (Eldritch Blade) feat at 5th level, of course.
You don't get Sneak Attack, but you can cast a spell to take effect with a weapon attack (which will likely cause more damage).
I think Blade Adept is ultimately a poor option, despite how useful Spellstrike is in theory. Without Spell Combat, Spellstrike is severely restricted - you have to give up either a full attack or a wide range of (probably better) spell options in order to combo a single attack with a Wizard melee touch spell. Plus, you have to substantially build the character around it when you could be using all kinds of other caster-side options. You're basically (badly) trying to imitate a Magus instead of playing to the strengths of an almost full caster.
Why not just go ganzi, with the Weaponplay oddity, arcanist (blade adept) 6/eldritch knight X? Selecting the Spell Strike exploit and the Extra Arcanist Exploit (Eldritch Blade) feat at 5th level, of course. You don't get Sneak Attack, but you can cast a spell to take effect with a weapon attack (which will likely cause more damage).
Intriguing...but I do desire the plethora of class skills (and skill points) opened up with Arcane Trickster, as well as not having a build forcibly tied to an admittedly powerful monster race with an INT penalty.
For the heck of it, let's try to keep things as PFS-legal as possible.
Update 10/16/13: In any case, you cannot use rule elements from a prestige class to meet the requirements of that prestige class.
Update 10/16/13: New ruling: You cannot use retraining to replace a base class level with a prestige class level.
While shaving off nearly all the broken fun that went on several years ago, there's maybe enough left to work with. Let's thought-exercise....
CL Ba
01 01 Brawler1 [Snakebite Striker][SA+1d6], FEAT(g), FEAT(h)
02 01 Wizard1 [spells:1]
03 02 Wizard2 Accomplished Sneak Attacker
04 02 Wizard3 [spells:2]
05 02 Arcane Trickster1, [SA+3d6], FEAT(g)
...in ye olden days before 10/16/13, cheesemeisters would then retrain wizard3 to trickster2 (picking up a point of BAB) and brawler1 to trickster3 (picking up another sneak attack die), then also retrain out Accomplished Sneak Attacker as unnecessary (assuming they didn't want it in lieu of something else). Well, the errata wet blanket spoiled that fondue party. Therefore, Brawler and Accomplished Sneak Attacker both must remain "locked" in the build above -- and, since Arcane Trickster is the only prestige class in the entire game that you can qualify for at 5th level (now that racial SLAs can no longer meet PrC requirements either), that's the one our gish must take first in order to have the least number of core class levels in the build.
Now it's just a hard slog to BAB6:
06 03 Arcane Trickster2 [spells:3]
07 04 Arcane Trickster3 [SA+3d6], FEAT(g)
08 05 Arcane Trickster4 [spells:4]
09 05 Arcane Trickster5 [SA+3d6], FEAT(g)
10 06 Arcane Trickster6 [spells:5]
With BAB6, and three feats put into archery prerequisites, we're qualified for Arcane Archer:
11 07 Arcane Archer1
Arcane Archer grants all martial weapon proficiencies, so....
12 08 Eldritch Knight1
...at this point, the character is sorely in need of an extended period of rest and relaxation and binge retraining. With Arcane Archer and Eldritch Knight both supporting each other in the BAB valence orbital cloud, the 5th and 6th levels of Arcane Trickster are no longer necessary, and, since they're prestige class levels rather than core classes, they can be retrained into other prestige class levels. After a month or so and lighter pockets, the build looks like this:
01 01 Brawler1 [Snakebite Striker][SA+1d6], FEAT(g), FEAT(h)
02 01 Wizard1 [spells:1]
03 02 Wizard2 Accomplished Sneak Attacker
04 02 Wizard3 [spells:2]
05 02 Arcane Trickster1, [SA+3d6], FEAT(g)
06 03 Arcane Trickster2 [spells:3]
07 04 Arcane Trickster3 [SA+3d6], FEAT(g)
08 05 Arcane Trickster4 [spells:4]
09 06 Eldritch Knight(1) (retrained from Arcane Trickster5; BAB+1)
10 07 Eldritch Knight(2) (retrained from Arcane Trickster6)
11 08 Arcane Archer1
12 09 Eldritch Knight3
--or--
01 00 Wizard(1) (retrained from Brawler1), FEAT(g), FEAT(h)
02 01 Wizard2
03 01 Wizard3 FEAT(g) (retrained from Accomplished Sneak Attacker)
04 02 Wizard4
05 03 Eldritch Knight(1) (retrained from Arcane Trickster1; BAB+1)
06 04 Eldritch Knight(2) (retrained from Arcane Trickster2)
07 05 Eldritch Knight(3) (retrained from Arcane Trickster3)
08 06 Eldritch Knight(4) (retrained from Arcane Trickster4)
09 07 Eldritch Knight(5) (retrained from Arcane Trickster5; BAB+1)
10 08 Eldritch Knight(6) (retrained from Arcane Trickster6)
11 09 Arcane Archer1
12 10 Eldritch Knight7
Annoyances: three feats are devoted to meeting Arcane Archer requirements (they can at least be shunted into the Eldritch Knight bonus combat feat slots), and three more feats will be taken for Favored Prestige Class and two helpings of Prestigious Spellcaster to cover the dead holes in AA1 and EK1. ...which leaves exactly three feats (two if non-human) left for anything else we might care about. Uh, right....
Build at 20th: Wiz4/EK10/AA6, 100% full wizard spellcasting and BAB18, but at the ruinous cost of seven feats keeping it glued together, and then subtracting a few more metamagic freebies missed out on versus a straight core wizard build.
-- Is it worth it?
Yeeg.... *Nope.* (Especially not when Favored Prestige Class's +4 skill bonuses suffer horribly under the meager offerings of AA and EK, and cry out for Arcane Trickster's diversity.)