I have been thinking about the possibility of building/potentially playing a casting-focused Inquisitor.
By taking Sanctified Slayer, Studied Target increases my DC to acceptable levels, and Spell Bane can add another 2 on top of the other usual Spell Focus, Metamagic Feats, and Spell Perfection.
My question though is, should I stack the Ravenor Hunter Archetype on top? If so, what Oracle Mystery?
It could just be me, but “the DCs of [sanctified slayer] class abilities against that opponent increase by 1” extending to the Inquisitor spell DCs feels like rather liberal reading—considering that the Slayer has no spellcasting feature of his own.
It could just be me, but “the DCs of [sanctified slayer] class abilities against that opponent increase by 1” extending to the Inquisitor spell DCs feels like rather liberal reading—considering that the Slayer has no spellcasting feature of his own.
There is a lot out there on this. This is a good place to start reading.
I get it, but there isn’t exactly a consensus opinion on this, much less an official FAQ.
At the end of the day, a Sanctified Slayer “gains the slayer’s studied target class feature” and “uses her inquisitor level as her effective slayer level to determine the effects of studied target.” The Studied Target class feature specifically calls out “ slayer class abilities,” such as Sever Alignment, Mystic Veil, or Assassinate.
That having been said, the only thing that matters is the rules you and your GM agree to.
As far as your question goes, is the Ravener Hunter archetype meant to reinforce spellcasting ability, or are you interested in it for thematic purposes? I ask because it opens up fourteen different mysteries… each of which provides rather different abilities and is keyed to different deities.
As far as your question goes, is the Ravener Hunter archetype meant to reinforce spellcasting ability, or are you interested in it for thematic purposes? I ask because it opens up fourteen different mysteries… each of which provides rather different abilities and is keyed to different deities.
I am looking at seeing if there is a good mystery to reinforce spellcasting and that is better than the alternative an Inquisition/Domain
I don’t think any of the mysteries the Ravener Hunter gives access to provide a direct bonus to spell DCs. So it becomes a case of what you feel would best reinforce the style of play you envision for your Inquisitor. Personally, I think both Time and Wind offer really good advantages for a Slayer-oriented Inquisitor. Speed and Slow Time, as well as Time Hop and Time Sight, offer great versatility in and out of combat, for example. Vortex Spells adds punch to your attacking spells on a critical with no save afforded, while Wind Sight lends itself very well to reconnoitering a target.
I don’t think any of the mysteries the Ravener Hunter gives access to provide a direct bonus to spell DCs. So it becomes a case of what you feel would best reinforce the style of play you envision for your Inquisitor. Personally, I think both Time and Wind offer really good advantages for a Slayer-oriented Inquisitor. Speed and Slow Time, as well as Time Hop and Time Sight, offer great versatility in and out of combat, for example. Vortex Spells adds punch to your attacking spells on a critical with no save afforded, while Wind Sight lends itself very well to reconnoitering a target.
I was looking at those two mysteries too.
Time for - Temporal Celerity & Time Hop
Wind for - Vortex Spells* & Wings of Air
Both options in a way reduce my need for certain feats, freeing them up for more magic focused ones.
*Need to better plan my spell options if I go this route
First Draft
OUTLINE
Race: TBD
Class: Sanctified Slayer + Ravener Hunter
Stats – 25 Points
Str:
Dex:
Cons:
Int:
Wis: 18
Cha:
ATTRIBUTE INCREASES
4, 8,12,16,20 - WIS
TRAITS
____________ (Campaign: X)
Curator of Magical Secrets (EXEMPLAR)
FEATS
Level 1 - Inquisitor - Level - Spell Focus
Level 3 - Inquisitor - Level - Greater Spell Focus
Level 5 - Inquisitor - Level - Metamagic
Level 7 - Inquisitor - Level - Heighten Magic
Level 9 - Inquisitor - Level - Spell Bane
Level 11 - Inquisitor - Level - Quicken Magic
Level 13 - Inquisitor - Level - Spell Penetration
Level 15 - Inquisitor - Level - Spell Perfection
CHARGED BY NATURE (TIME)
Level 1 - Temporal Celerity
Level 8 - Time Hop
TEAMWORK
Level 3 - Demon Hunter
Level 6 - Shielded Caster
Level 9 - Allied Spellcaster
Level 12 -
Level 15 - Spell Chain
Level 18 -
TALENTS
Level 8 - Rogue Talent - Combat Trick: Improved Initiative
Level 16 -
Level 17 -
Level 20 -
It could just be me, but “the DCs of [sanctified slayer] class abilities against that opponent increase by 1” extending to the Inquisitor spell DCs feels like rather liberal reading—considering that the Slayer has no spellcasting feature of his own.
Interesting... I absolutely believe that it is the intent and purpose of giving spellcasters access to Studied Target. Probably the highlighting strength of Nature Fang Druid, as well as the Inquisitor in question.
As I offered above, far be it for me to claim a conclusive answer when there’s no FAQ addressing this. I would agree with you if Studied Target didn’t already call out Slayer abilities—three out of five of which the Sanctified Slayer gets access to.
Looking at the inquisitor's spell list there are not a whole lot of offensive spells on it. They probably have enough that you can do a decent job, but a lot of them are similar and with an inquisitor's limited number of spells probably want to avoid spells that are too similar. Furthermore, some of the offensive spells don’t require saving throws. This means you will probably have a decent amount of utility spells, and in all honesty, this is where the inquisitor spell list really shines. Focusing all your resources on boosting the DC of your saves may not be the best allocation of your resources.
Looking at the inquisitor's spell list there are not a whole lot of offensive spells on it.
This is where I am stuck with it at the moment. The ones I am coming across are a majority of which Enchantment spells
Looking at the inquisitor's spell list there are not a whole lot of offensive spells on it.This is where I am stuck with it at the moment. The ones I am coming across are a majority of which Enchantment spells
There are several spells that are especially effective against creatures with light blindness or weakness to sunlight... which is nice, because you also have a spell that can force these conditions on targets [Fear the Sun].
An Elf with the Industrious Urbanite and Overwhelming Magic alternative racial traits can start with two different Spell Focus feats. Your FCB as an Elf is to add to your spells known, which is good for a spell-focused Inquisitor.
What I would suggest is before deciding on a build to figure out what your spells will be. After that you can see what you need to focus on. If most of your spells don’t have saving throws boosting the DC of your saves is not going to be all that useful. If a lot of your spells require attack rolls then getting a bonus to hit is going to be more effective. Another thing to consider is if you are going to be in melee combat when you cast your spells. If a lot of your spells require melee touch attacks, then combat casting is going to be very useful. For a full caster it usually makes since to focus on boosting the DC of your saves, because you usually have more combat spells, and they tend to require saves. The 6/9 casters usually have a less combat focused list, the magus being the exception to this rule. It is possible that the best build for you will be the traditional save focused build, but it that could also turn out to be a waste of time.
As I mentioned the inquisitor list has a lot of useful utility and informational spells. This means that a spell focused inquisitor might be better off focusing on those things. If you have a decent amount of long-lasting buffs extend spell is fairly useful. Several inquisitor spells use intimidation or other skills, so boosting those sills may make you more effective. Blistering Invective is a great inquisitor spell, that allows you to make a intimidate check to demoralize each enemy within 30 feet. A high-level inquisitor with signature skill intimidate can turn this from a minor debuff to a devastating attack.