I'm picturing a super smart, full BAB, skill monkey that uses a lot of innate invisibility, sneak attack, and wands, lots of wands.
Help me fill in the blanks.
Let's say a 20pt buy.
Traits:
Indomitable Faith
Pragmatic Activator (even though he will have to wait for a headband or other means to acquire UMD as a class skill, we still want it Intelligence-based)
Half-Elf
*Arcane Training (Bard 0-4)
*Skill Focus: Perception???
1. Studied Target Ex. (move action) +1
1. Track Ex.
1. VMC School (Blinding Ray Sp. 3+INT/day)
1. Feat:
2. Slayer Talent:
3. Sneak Attack Ex. +1D6
3. VMC Familiar:
4. Invisibility Sp. 1/day
5. 2nd Studied Target
5. Studied Target Ex. +2
5. Feat:
6. Slayer Talent:
6. Sneak Attack Ex. +2D6
7. Studied Target Ex. (swift action)
7. Spell Use (Illusion 0-4)
7. VMC School (Extended Illusions Su.)
8. Invisibility Sp. 2/day
8. Slayer Talent:
9. Sneak Attack Ex. +3D6
9. Feat:
10. 3rd Studied Target
10. Studied Target Ex. +3
10. Shadowy Mist Form Sp.
11. Swift Tracker Ex.
11. VMC Cantrip (acid splash???)
12. Invisibility Sp. 3/day
12. Slayer Talent: Assassinate Ex.
12. Sneak Attack Ex. +4D6
13. Slayer's Advance Ex. 1/day
13. Feat:
14. Quarry Ex.
14. Slayer Talent:
15. 4th Studied Target
15. Studied Target Ex. +4
15. Sneak Attack Ex. +5D6
15. VMC Wizard Bonus Feat:
16. Invisibility Sp. 4/day
16. Slayer Talent:
17. Slayer's Advance Ex. 2/day
17. Feat:
18. Slayer Talent:
18. Sneak Attack Ex. +6D6
19. Improved Quarry Ex.
19. VMC School (Invisibility Field Sp.)
20. Invisibility Sp. 5/day
20. 5th Studied Target
20. Studied Target Ex. +5
20. Master Slayer Ex.
20. Slayer Talent:
Glossary of terms:
Half-Elf
Arcane Training: Half-elves occasionally seek tutoring to help them master the magic in their blood. Half-elves with this racial trait have only one favored class, and it must be an arcane spellcasting class. They can use spell trigger and spell completion items for their favored class as if one level higher (or as a 1st-level character if they have no levels in that class). This racial trait replaces the multitalented racial trait.
(He chooses Bard for access to wands of Cure Serious Wounds, Haste, and Restore Innate Magic)
Stygian Slayer:
Invisibility (Sp)
At 4th level, a stygian slayer can cast invisibility once per day, using his slayer level as his caster level. The slayer uses his Intelligence modifier for concentration checks when using this ability. The slayer can use this an additional time per day at 8th level and every 4 levels thereafter.
This ability replaces the slayer talent gained at 4th level.
Spell Use
At 7th level, a stygian slayer is able to use spell completion and spell trigger items as if he were an arcane caster with these spells on his spell list: darkness, forced quiet, modify memory, nondetection, obscuring mist, phantom steed, shadow walk, and wizard spells of the illusion school of spell level 0 through 4th. The slayer’s uses his class level as his caster level for this ability.
This ability replaces stalker.
Shadowy Mist Form (Sp)
At 10th level, a stygian slayer can transform into an inky black cloud of mist. This functions as gaseous form, except it also obscures vision as fog cloud. The slayer can use this ability for a number of minutes per day equal to his level. These minutes need not be consecutive, but must be used in 1-minute increments.
This ability replaces the advanced slayer talent gained at 10th level.
VMC Wizard:
A character who chooses wizard as his secondary class gains the following secondary class features.
School: At 1st level, he chooses a school of magic in which to specialize. For all powers of that school, he treats his character level as his effective wizard level.
Familiar: At 3rd level, he gains a familiar, treating his character level as his effective wizard level.
School Power: At 7th level, he gains the 1st-level powers of his chosen school. If any of those powers grant an extra effect at 20th level, the character does not gain that extra effect.
Cantrip: At 11th level, if he has an Intelligence score of 10 or higher, he chooses a wizard cantrip from his chosen school and can cast that cantrip as a spell-like ability at will. He uses his character level as the caster level and Intelligence as the cantrip’s key ability score.
Discovery: At 15th level, he gains an arcane discovery or wizard bonus feat, treating his character level as his effective wizard level. (Resilient Illusions???)
Greater School Power: At 19th level, he gains the 8th-level power of his chosen school.
School (Illusion):
Extended Illusions (Su)
Any illusion spell you cast with a duration of “concentration” lasts a number of additional rounds equal to 1/2 your wizard level after you stop maintaining concentration (minimum +1 round). At 20th level, you can make one illusion spell with a duration of “concentration” become permanent. You can have no more than one illusion made permanent in this way at one time. If you designate another illusion as permanent, the previous permanent illusion ends.
Blinding Ray (Sp)
As a standard action you can fire a shimmering ray at any foe within 30 feet as a ranged touch attack. The ray causes creatures to be blinded for 1 round. Creatures with more Hit Dice than your wizard level are dazzled for 1 round instead. You can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + your Intelligence modifier. (I don't know if I get this at all, but it would be fun, even with the HD requirements to get blinded vs the much less useful dazzled condition.)
Invisibility Field (Sp)
At 8th level, you can make yourself Invisible as a swift action for a number of rounds per day equal to your wizard level. These rounds do not need to be consecutive. This otherwise functions as greater invisibility.
It could be fun to use Improved Familiar to get a Faerie Dragon to further help with wand usage and utility magics.
Using Slayer Talents to pick up Minor/Major Magic Rogue Talents will even further expand your innate magic. And you can use wands of Restore Innate Magic, so it might be worth the investment.
If you can swallow worshiping Nethys you can take underlying principles as a religion trait, in addition to pragmatic activator. Together you'll have UMD as a class skill, based on inteligence, and a +1 trait bonus to it.
Also, I'd say look at the magus VMC rather than the wizard. Arcane pool is great and fits a slayer well, the magus arcana include wand mastery, familiar, precient attack for automatic sneak attacks, and more. Also you aren't limited to the ones you get automatically, you can trade feats for extra arcana which is really nice a lot of times, especially if you pick a fighting style that isn't feat intesive.
You don't actually get a school power at L1 from VMC wizard, you just have to declare which school you're specialising in. I agree with baggageboy that you're likely to find VMC magus better.
Some form of dex-to-damage is popular among skill monkeys and takes up a few feats. Failing that, power attack or piranha strike to take advantage of being a full BAB character who may be striking from invisibility.
I don't think VMC Magus works since I will never actually have spell slots.
It's all innate magic and wands.
I don't have anything to trade with to use Spellstrike.
With VMC eating half the feats available, as well as the archetype eating up two of the Slayer Talents, I don't know if it's viable to pursue a Dexterity-based path. The racial stat bonus is simply there to round out the AC and Initiative.
Starting with Combat Reflexes and a Bardiche, with a backup Morningstar seems like a better option. Pick up Power Attack at level 5.
I don't know, that's why I asked.
VMC magus works quite well on classes without slots. A lot of the magus acrna don't use slots at all and the arcane pool just uses your int mod for pool points. It's really a good choice. Spell strike is a bit of a dead ability, but most of the vmc classes have one or two of those.
As far as class stuff goes, stygian slayer only gives you light armor proficiency, but a single dip in another class can give you heavy armor. That and a strength build will make it easy to max out damage with few feats. If you decide to go Dex based I'd suggest a dip into swashbuckler or one of the swashbuckler based archetypes for other classes for the weapon finess and class skills.