Improve my War for the Crown Arcanist


Advice


My group is trying War for the Crown adventure path on Roll20, and we're using 4d6-drop-lowest OR 15-point buy. I took the initial roll (17, 14, 12, 12, 11, 11) since it's equivalent to a 24 point buy and makes an excellent SAD chassis. I have made a disguised half-elf Arcanist with useful social skills. He's got the Human-raised alternate racial trait. What would you suggest to improve him? He's only got 70gp to start, so first equipment is pending a little more input from the GM.

Stavar Corbett
Male half-elf (human-raised) arcanist 1 (Pathfinder RPG Advanced Class Guide 8)
NG Medium humanoid (elf, human)
Init +0; Senses low-light vision; Perception +1
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Defense
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AC 10, touch 10, flat-footed 10
hp 8 (1d6+2)
Fort +1, Ref +0, Will +3; +2 vs. enchantments
Immune sleep
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Offense
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Speed 30 ft.
Special Attacks arcane reservoir (1/4), arcanist exploit (dimensional slide[ACG]), consume spells
Arcanist Spells Prepared (CL 1st; concentration +5)
1st (3/day)—hypnotism (DC 15), mount
0 (at will)—acid splash, light, prestidigitation, read magic
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Statistics
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Str 11, Dex 11, Con 12, Int 19, Wis 12, Cha 14
Base Atk +0; CMB +0; CMD 10
Feats Pass For Human[APG]
Traits disgraced noble, student of philosophy
Skills Bluff +8 (+10 to conceal your identity, +10 to lie (as a result of using Int instead of Cha)), Diplomacy +2 (+4 to persuade others but not to gather information (as a result of using Int instead of Cha)), Disguise +4 (+14 to disguise yourself as human (and ignore the penalty for different race while doing so)), Knowledge (arcana) +8, Knowledge (nobility) +8, Linguistics +8 (+10 to spot or produce forgeries), Sense Motive +2, Spellcraft +8; Racial Modifiers +1 Bluff, +1 Sense Motive
Languages Azlanti, Celestial, Common, Elven, Hallit, Kelish, Vudrani
SQ elf blood
Other Gear arcanist starting spellbook, 70 gp
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Special Abilities
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Arcane Reservoir +1 DC or CL (4/day) (Su) Pool of points fuel exploits, or can expend to add +1 CL or DC while cast spell.
Consume Spells (2/day) (Su) As a move action, expend a spell slot to add its spell levels to arcane reservoir.
Dimensional Slide (10 feet) (Su) Use 1 reservoir as part of move/withdraw, move to spot in sight for only 5 ft movement & no AoO.
Elf Blood Half-elves count as both elves and humans for any effect related to race.
Elven Immunities - Sleep You are immune to magic sleep effects.
Low-Light Vision See twice as far as a human in dim light, distinguishing color and detail.
Pass for Human +10 to Disguise yourself as a human. Can take 10 on this check in human areas.

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A second set of clothing to help with the disguise aspect, a flask of booze to help lubricate social interactions, some brimstone to give the acid splash a slight boost (1 gp per casting for +1 damage). A scroll of infernal healing for emergencies might be worthwhile too.


Will your ref allow you to spend your starting cash on adding additional spells to your spellbook? If yes, buy a few more L1 spells (Grease is always high on my list and colour speray is brutally effective at L1) and next time you get an exploit, take the quick study one that allows you to swap spells on the fly.

A flask of acid acts as a focus component to give your Acid Splash +1 damage, and is never used up


avr, Neriathale, thanks. Excellent suggestions.


It's a good build. It's maybe not exactly what I would have done, but I can't say anything is wrong either.


The build looks solid. You might wish you had some Dex, but the only thing I could see switching would be the Wis, and it's a near-negligible difference. But: you have good Will saves and poor Reflex saves, most of your attacks will probably be ranged, and you have no AC bonuses. Dex is probably more important for you than Wis.

You will definitely be relying on social skills more than in some (maybe even most) APs, but there is also a good bit of combat and problem-solving. I'll second that purchasing additional spells could be useful for increasing your utility. If your party lacks a divine caster, you have the Cha to invest in Use Magic Device. But your spell list is comprehensive enough that you'll probably be able to use most of what you find/need. It is also almost always a strong choice for the party to pool together resources and get a Wand of Cure Light Wounds, but you might not have enough for that.

Pass for Human is an interesting feat. If you're using that for your backstory (the disgraced noble and all), that's all well and good. There are numerous chances to use Disguise if you want to. But half-elves are also treated reasonably well in Taldor, especially if they're nobles, so you don't *have* to hide the elven heritage.

I do like Adaptability and Keen Senses, but it sounds like Integrated and Wary fit your concept better. More social skills is a solid choice.

Might I recommend the Armored Kilt, Haramaki, or Silken Ceremonial Armor, with +1 Armor bonus, no armor check penalty, and no arcane spell failure chance. You can use them without proficiency and suffer no penalties. It's not much, but it's something. Mage Armor would also be a good investment.

Even if you'll be relying on spells for combat, it always helps to have a weapon somewhere. A dagger is a good ubiquitous choices: easy to hide, and very handy in a pinch. A spiked gauntlet is also a great choice, since it doesn't need to be drawn and you count as threatening for attacks of opportunity and flanking. Although polite Taldan society might not care for someone walking around with one of those.

Have fun! I love this AP.


Note: We started the AP last night, so some of this is moot. Still, I appreciate the assistance.

Wyran Tegus wrote:
The build looks solid. You might wish you had some Dex, but the only thing I could see switching would be the Wis, and it's a near-negligible difference. But: you have good Will saves and poor Reflex saves, most of your attacks will probably be ranged, and you have no AC bonuses. Dex is probably more important for you than Wis.

You're correct. I think I got too focused on the Wis skills and should have considered Dex more. Fortunately it's a small difference.

Quote:


You will definitely be relying on social skills more than in some (maybe even most) APs, but there is also a good bit of combat and problem-solving. I'll second that purchasing additional spells could be useful for increasing your utility. If your party lacks a divine caster, you have the Cha to invest in Use Magic Device. But your spell list is comprehensive enough that you'll probably be able to use most of what you find/need. It is also almost always a strong choice for the party to pool together resources and get a Wand of Cure Light Wounds, but you might not have enough for that.

We do have an Inquisitor, and we plan to invest in the wand as soon as we can. And my available spell list just grew - thanks to an excellent roll I picked up a scroll with a handful of spells I didn't already have.

Quote:

Pass for Human is an interesting feat. If you're using that for your backstory (the disgraced noble and all), that's all well and good. There are numerous chances to use Disguise if you want to. But half-elves are also treated reasonably well in Taldor, especially if they're nobles, so you don't *have* to hide the elven heritage.

I do like Adaptability and Keen Senses, but it sounds like Integrated and Wary fit your concept better. More social skills is a solid choice.

Yes, backstory reasons. And I wanted to shore up the social side because I wasn't sure if the other players would put much into the CHA-based areas.

Quote:
Might I recommend the Armored Kilt, Haramaki, or Silken Ceremonial Armor, with +1 Armor bonus, no armor check penalty, and no arcane spell failure chance. You can use them without proficiency and suffer no penalties. It's not much, but it's something. Mage Armor would also be a good investment.

Got Mage Armor in the spellbook. Excellent reminder about the armor, thank you!

Quote:
Even if you'll be relying on spells for combat, it always helps to have a weapon somewhere. A dagger is a good ubiquitous choices: easy to hide, and very handy in a pinch. A spiked gauntlet is also a great choice, since it doesn't need to be drawn and you count as threatening for attacks of opportunity and flanking. Although polite...

Yup! Grabbed a dagger for the initial kit.

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