RPG Superstar 2009 Top 32
|
Problem is, taking a level in Magus won't let you cast wizard spells wearing armor.
An alternative approach may be to use the Spell Blending arcana to add sense vitals to the Magus list, then go Magus 5 / U-Rogue 1 / AT (that's magus 5 for the arcane pool enchantment).
Also, Magus guide, HTH.
What, exactly, are you looking for this character to accomplish?
See, Arcane Trickster is a terrible combat class. That half BAB is quite bad, like really bad. It makes a Rogue even worse, if you can imagine that.
Arcane Trickster can be a fun casting class. But you can just forget about armor and weapons and combat outside of spells... just pretend you are a sneaky Wizard or whatever. I like Kobolds with Merciless Magic and Merciless Precision slinging Acid Splash, just for fun.
Sandman Bard can get into Arcance Trickster without multiclassing... Accomplished Sneak Attack at 5, Arcance Trickster at level 6... gives you 3/4 BAB and light armor. Something to think about.
If you want to be a Magus, then just be a Magus... forget about Arcane Trikster entirely. Arcane Tricksters are not gish, or whatever people call magical melee combatants. Arcane Tricksters are just spellcasters with Sneak Attack, that is it...
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
But honestly? Something fun.
Have you considered the Magic Trick feats? They allow cool things with low-level spells.
You can ride atop a Floating Disk, bull-rush into enemies, and use it as a Shield spell too! If you cast Floating Disk with the Toppling Spell metamagic, enemies fall prone after you bull-rush-slammed your disk into them!
The Shield spell's magic tricks allow similarly bull-rush + prone-ing your enemies with force bashes, or use it as a powerful Wall of Force to stop attacks and even break line of effect for spells.
With the Mage Hand magic trick, you can do all those sneaky Arcane Trickster things like manipulating things at a distance, performing ranged combat maneuvers, or throw magical force punches within spell range. If you use the latter with the Reach Spell metamagic, then you can threaten every square within 400ft +40ft/caster level with attacks of opportunity -- your enemies might not even see you and think they get beaten up by an invisible enemy Fight Club-style! Isn't that fun? xD
I personally love the Arcane Trickster. being able to Cast Improved invisibility plus being able to use it as a Spell Like Ability is phenomenal for a character that relies on Sneak Attack. Combine this with a haste item, TWF and knife master and you will be killing things left and right. I played one through Shattered Star and there is a point where I was forced to attack the rest of the party. I was able to kill my fellow party members in one round each, and then 1 round to reposition for the next one. I killed 3 before the control was broken.
Not to mention being able to ad sneak attack damage to spells is incredible.
Generally speaking, the arcane trickster works best in combat (IMO) as a blaster focusing on ranged touch spells, using sneak attack to boost damage. At low levels, you can be a decent archer as well with a good Dex score (and a way to pick up longbow and/or shortbow proficiency). The main issue is consistently getting sneak attack damage with ranged attacks (no flanking!) on a round-by-round basis. Vanish is a 1st-level sorcerer/wizard spell, but you can only attack once before it ends; and it's a long wait to gain greater invisibility. The sniping action with Stealth is hard to set up and to stay hidden afterward (especially within the 30 ft to qualify for a ranged sneak attack before being able to afford sniper goggles).
There are basically two ways to get around using invisibility or Stealth: as a sylph with the Cloud Gazer feat or by wearing a goz mask. There is also the Gaze of Flames revelation for the Flame oracle mystery, but gaining that requires additional multiclassing (which hurts arcane spell progression). The tactic is to cast obscuring mist and stay 10 ft inside; the character can see out, but those outside can't see in more than 5 ft. Per the RAW, targets of ranged attacks that can't see the attacker are denied their Dex bonus against the attack (and thus vulnerable to sneak attacks).
Since the goz mask has a market price of 8,000 gp, going the sylph route is probably the way to make this tactic work at the earliest point without having to give up more progression in arcane casting than you have to. I would recommend sylph brawler (snakebite striker) 1*/wizard (Evocation/Admixture** school) 4/arcane trickster X with Cloud Gazer at 1st and Accomplished Sneak Attacker at 5th. Definitely take Magical Knack (Wizard) with one of the starting traits. Good metamagic feats include Intensified Spell and Reach Spell; an Intensified Reach shocking grasp takes up a 3rd-level slot and does up to 10d6 damage as a ranged touch attack (plus sneak attack damage without waiting until Surprise Spells).
Magus (eldritch archer) instead of wizard can possibly work, but a normal magus will probably not. While a bard (sandman) can qualify for arcane trickster without multiclassing, there are some pretty extreme drawbacks: the arcane trickster has both a lower BAB and fewer skill points than a bard; the bard spell list has very few spells that can benefit from sneak attacks.
If you want a more combat-capable character similar to the arcane trickster, then rogue (eldritch scoundrel) is probably worth a look. No multiclassing or prestige class required. Just take Arcane Armor Training at 3rd level and wear a mithral chain shirt (or darkleaf cloth studded leather); if the campaign actually gets to the point where the character gains 5th-level spells, then retrain Arcane Armor Training to Quicken Spell and switch to either bracers of armor or a +X haramaki***. The character only gets 6th-level spells, but retains +3/4 BAB and also has 4 + Int mod skill ranks per level as an Int-based caster.
A more "off-the-wall" character could be a spiritualist (ectoplasmist) with variant multiclassing in rogue.
*- for +1 BAB and Sneak Attack +1d6; this way, the character doesn't have a worse BAB than a straight wizard
**- to change the energy damage type on the fly
***- the haramaki is probably more cost efficient for a given AC value
BAB would be pretty abysmal for a 13th level character (+5) so that alone may destroy the combat effectiveness of the character. Even if you don't include iterative attacks, that's a lot of bonus to offset.
BAB and iteratives become less relevant when you use touch attacks. Or deny the target its Dex bonus - darkness might already be good enough, depending on target. Or use multiple full BAB natural attacks. Or make it to arcane trickster's level 10 ability.
With the Accomplished Sneak Attacker feat you can make it into the prestige class quickly, as soon as at level 5. That means at level 13 you nearly maxed it out already. Invisible thief seems pretty brutal to me (9 rounds of free action greater invisibility), as long as your target can't see through invisibility (or purge it every round). Impromptu sneak attack twice a day is a nice addition to the toolbox also, but it only works for melee.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Impromptu sneak attack twice a day is a nice addition to the toolbox also, but it only works for melee.
"Impromptu Sneak Attack (Ex): Beginning at 3rd level, once per day an arcane trickster can declare one melee or ranged attack she makes to be a sneak attack (the target can be no more than 30 feet distant if the impromptu sneak attack is a ranged attack)." (emphasis mine)
Granted, Impromptu Sneak Attack can't be used beyond 30 ft.
Another fabulous option is Eldritch Soundrel 4/Arcane Trickster 6/Agent of the Grave 5... at 15 you have:
BAB +8
Base saves +6/+9/+7
CL 14, 5th level spells
And you're a necromancer... Anything involving Agent of the Grave is obviously my favorite...
Looks a little like this:
1. Finesse Training
1. Trapfinding
1. Spellcasting
1(level):
2. Evasion
3. Finesse Training
3. Alarm Sense
3. Sneak Attack 1D6
3(level): Accomplished Sneak Attack 2D6
4. Debilitating Injury
4. Rogue Talent
...
5./1. Ranged Legerdemain
5./1(level):
6./2. Sneak Attack 3D6
7./3. Impromtu Sneak Attack 1/day
7./3(level):
8./4. Sneak Attack 4D6
9./5. Tricky Spells 3/day
9./5(level):
10./6. Sneak Attack 5D6
11./6./1. Inspired Necromancy
11./6./1. Lich's Touch
11./6./1. Unholy Fortitude
11./6./1(level): Spell Focus (Necromancy)
12./6./2. Undead Manipulator
13./6./3. Negative Energy Conduit
13./6./3(level): Varisian Tattoo (Necromancy)
14./6./4. Death's Shroud
14./6./4. Negative Energy Affinity
15./6./5. Secrets of Death
15./6./5. Undeath Initiate
15./6./5(level):
Air/smoke is really one of the best ways to go, as you can supply the party with the antidote to your strategy rather than letting them fend for themselves. There's unfortunately no way to get that other than wizard or arcanist(if I'm wrong there let me know, cause I've been looking).
The ashen path spell is also a good solution, though it's not a pfs sanctioned spell if that matters. And it's frankly too powerful for a second level spell all things considered. Put it in a wand for your familiar so you can mist and ashen path in one go.
Air/smoke is really one of the best ways to go, as you can supply the party with the antidote to your strategy rather than letting them fend for themselves. There's unfortunately no way to get that other than wizard or arcanist(if I'm wrong there let me know, cause I've been looking).
There are Goz Masks, the Flame oracle mystery / shaman spirit's Gaze of Flames, and of course the most powerful of them all: the Flame Dancer bard's Song of the Fiery Gaze.