Occultist Build

[pad300]

Ok, I am looking to make an Occultist who can hold the front line as a melee beast while providing significant versatility (sneaking, skills in general, magic power) in support of the rest of the party.

1) I would appreciate suggestions for anything labelled with a ???
2) Would I be better off going with a Unhindering Shield an 2 handed sword vs Shield Brace and polearm? (note, eastern weapons, ie. No-Dachi are out)? Also, which polearm?
3) What do you think of my Implement selections? I chose necromancy at 1st (va abjuration), as I wanted Trappings at 6th, and Necromantic Servant is a huge deal as a low level fight buddy (not to mention you can play a lot of games with Soulbound Puppet). Note that a 2nd level I hope to a acquire a haunted necromancy implement (and similarly at 18th level, his conjuration implement is to be haunted). Can you combine a haunted implement and a sacred implement, ie a a haunted Urgathoan Coin?
4) I really find the occultist spell list very limiting - commentary on spell choices would be appreciated

Proposed Build
Occultist (Haunt Collector)
Race: ½ Elf (Blended View)
Str 16 Dex 12 Con 14 Int 16 (14+2 Racial) Wis 10 Cha 8
Skills : Perception, Spellcraft, Sense Motive, Use Magic Device, Disable Device, K History, Stealth
Traits & Drawbacks : Occult Bargain (drawback, -1 to concentration checks), Trap Finder (Mummy’s Mask Campaign Trait), Armor Expert, ???
Feats
1st Extra Mental Focus, Skill Focus (Perception)(1/2 Elf) 3ed Shield Focus 5th Shield Brace 7th Power Attack 9th ??? 11th ??? 13th ??? 15th ??? 17th ??? 19th ???

Implements (first level mental focus) (Spells)
1st: Necromancy (3)( Grave Words, Cause Fear, False Life, Animate Dead, Death Ward, Suffocation, Possesion (Greater)) , Transmutation (3) (Mending, Enlarge Person, Make Whole, Haste, Parchment Swarm, Overland Flight, Disintegrate)
2nd Abjuration (Resistance, Shield, Resist Energy, Dispel Magic, Freedom of Movement, Dispel Magic (Greater), Antimagic Field )
6th Trappings of the Warrior (Mage Hand, Lead Blades, Node of Blasting, Fly, Life Bubble, Particulate Form, Scribe’s Binding )
10th Illusion, Sacred Implement : mask of the secret eater ( Chost Sound, Vanish, Mirror Image, Invisibility Sphere, Complex Hallucination, Mislead, Permanent Image )
14th Divination (Sift, Heightened Awareness, See Invisibility, Arcane Sight, Mind Probe, True Seeing, Prediction of Failure)
18th Conjuration (Create Water, Unseen Servant, Glitterdust, Phantom Steed, Dimension Door, Wall of Stone, Heal)

Powers
1st Necromantic Focus, Mind Fear, Necromantic Servant, Physical Enhancement, Legacy Weapons
2nd Warding Talisman, Mind Barrier, Necromantic Focus >> Champion Spirit
3ed Soulbound Puppet
5th Quickness
6th Martial Skill, Combat Trick
7th Counter Gravity
9th Counter Strike
10th Distortion, Minor Figment, Psychic Mirage
11th Shadow Beast
13th Telekinetic Mastery
14th Third Eye, Sudden Insight
15th Mind’s Eye
17th Unseen
18th Casting Focus >> Marshall Spirit(Champion Spirit bonus), Servitor
19th Side Step

[ekibus]

So a bit of a necro, curious how this ended up working for you Pad300...I'm looking at a similar build

[MrCharisma]

So I'm obviously not the OP (and sadly I hadn't ready the Occultist when the OP posted), but here are some thoughts for you ekibus.

1. Occultists really encourage reach weapon builds. There are so many Standard-Action powers that having a reach weapon lets attack while casting/power-ing.
1. a) If you're using a reach weapon then take Combat Reflexes
1. b) If you're using Combat Reflexes and Enlarge Person then get 14 DEX.

2. I'm pretty sure you don't get a stacking benefit from the Champion Spirit and the Martial Spirit (the bonuses overlap rather than stacking, which means you're wasting a spirit bonus).

3. The obvious trait for occultists is PRAGMATIC ACTIVATOR to make yourself the best UMD character around.

Sorry ekibus you're probably sick of hearing from me by now, but hopefully someone with a little more experience can chime in as well.

[avr]

The OP has recommended the build in this thread to others twice in the past month. I'm guessing it's going well.

[ekibus]

No worries McCharisma, the occultist doesn't get much love so I'm always curious about the experience. As Avr said he has posted about the build on other threads. I noticed I somehow missed it, so I had to ask. His comment about the spells hits home for me so was curious how it applied in actual play. I'm not sure if I'm gonna do reach, leaning towards a sword and shield since there is no spell failure. Group I'm in is a bit squishy and I somehow get the front. (Ranger greatsword, ranger archer, fighter archer, white mage arcanist and a "buffing" shaman) I originally didn't put much stock in necromancy but I didn't realize how nice soulbound puppet is and due to my circumstance the necromatic servant would be nice to take a couple hits. Sucks that animate dead is considered a evil spell though.

[pad300]

We haven't been playing a lot: 4th level, so far, so good.

Haven't had to choose between 2H sword and Polearm yet; still using longsword and board... Probably will go 2H sword, and switch to polearm at 9 or so with combat reflexes as the 9th level feat (and retraining unhindering shield to shield brace. Dex from a belt at that point (I hope).

With regards to the spell list : Cause fear, make whole, shield and resist energy (and the cantrips) haven't seen use (we have been thumping mostly goblinoids). Cause Fear probably could have been used effectively, but I always seemed be beating on something rather than trying to make it run away... Enlarge person and False life on the other hand have been crutches.

Stacking spirit bonuses is a question for many, many sessions away. The DM did let me retrain my necromancy implement to a haunted Necromancy implement at 2nd level (which may be more generous than your GM).

Pragmatic Activator is a possible, but UMD is going to be pretty damn good already from Magic Item Skill...

[ekibus]

I will probably put the haunt on my necromancy...espcially since animate dead will mainly be used in emergencies, had a thread about it and since it is evil I will have to use it sparingly.

I'm leaning towards grasping corpse for my level 1 necro spell seems cause fear will be outdated pretty quick. Sadly due to being in pfs trapping of warrior is banned but I'm struggling with my 6/10 implement mainly which to pick first, either illusion or divination. Illusion has some great def spells and divination has mind eye.

I agree with you, a lot of spells don't seem to be too combat related or that they are just too much to stack on. I feel like legacy weapon will be my go to buff and it probably isn't worth spending more than a round buffing. I see the appeal of reach but it feels like it takes too long to come online...which is funny since it is only 2 or 3 feats.

[Gowen]

There aren't many feats listed in the original build. Rather than the shield feats, I have been getting a lot of use out of VMC magus. Being able to buff the weapon as a swift action instead of legacy weapon's standard is great, and I can stack a legacy weapon bane property for the tough fights.
Use the half elf trait for proficiency in a high crit weapon (fauchard) and you can make it keen with your arcane pool as well.
For defence, I took a protector familiar with the magus arcana.