I have experience with the Occultist Arcanist.
This reference is fairly invaluable to me: https://aonprd.com/MasterSummonList.aspx?SummonType=monster
But at low levels, your "best" summons are pretty set. Eagle just outperforms everything else in SM1, unless you're in water where a dolphin can make a good showing. At SM2, your "best" summon will usually be an earth elemental, though water and air can be better in niche situations. Really, the elementals are never a bad choice, being very straightforward and strong at it. Alternatively at SM2, you may just want to summon multiple eagles, which is more damage if the enemy doesn't have DR. Summoning multiples from a list lower is often very strong for damage, but can really add to how long your turn takes, so be prepared and aware.
I've never used summon minor monster. It seems to be more of a flavor choice than anything. Secluded Grimoire just depends on how your GM is. I've never actually had a GM go after my grimoire, but I understand the fear. Your other spells are fairly standard. As for what you don't have, vanish is pretty great for a summoner. The duration is a little short at level 1, but by level 3, it's worth it. Even though your summons do most of the fighting, you'll want some attack spells. Magic Missile is a classic and Color Spray can be devastating at the low levels, if you have high intelligence for the DC.
Do you already have your ability scores? Some choices depend on if you have the stats to back them up. If you have a high casting stat, then save or suck spells can be the best. If you have a low casting stat, you would be better off focusing on buffing and autohit spells.
So, as an arcane caster, your job is to either provide utility/buffs for the party, or deal damage to the bad guys.
Most of your spells do neither, and monster summoning is subpar when it comes to dealing damage, as the monster typically will get no more than 1 attack.
Infernal healing is ok if you have no healer in the party.
Grease is a poor spell, as most will pass the save.
Mage armor is good until you start picking up magic items, then it's usefulness drops.
and Secluded Grimoire is only needed if the GM is a jerk and goes after your book.
disguise Self and Silent image are VERY situational and not useful in most encounters.
as mentioned magic missile and color spray are great, as is shocking grasp. Enlarge is useful if you have a two handed melee type in the party.
Look for Treantmonks God-mage build for a discussion on spell selection. it will help you a bunch.
monster summoning is subpar when it comes to dealing damage, as the monster typically will get no more than 1 attack.
That's not really true. Maybe at level 2 your eagles will go down in one hit, but the summoned monsters just last longer and longer as you gain spell levels. Also, it's not like the monsters going down is that bad of a thing either. Damage they take is damage that didn't land on teammates. And you can generally just keep summoning more, playing both preemptive "healer" and damage dealer. Summons do suffer against certain enemy types though. Very few monsters from any list are good at dealing with swarms, so consider taking burning hands for low level. And Damage Reduction can completely stop your "death from a thousand cuts" you can do with summoning multiples. Your highest level beaters like earth elementals can surpass most level relevant DR though.
I am assuming that you are taking Augment Summoning. Superior Summoning is also required if you plan to summon multiples.
Grease is a poor spell, as most will pass the save.
Maybe if you have bad DCs, but Grease is a solid spell through mid levels. A big part of spellcasting is picking the right tool for the job. Big humanoid monsters also tend to have relatively bad reflex saves and rely heavily on their weapons. Grease is also very helpful if a teammate gets grappled. It's a very versatile spell that can stay relevant till fairly high levels.
Mage armor is good until you start picking up magic items, then it's usefulness drops.
In my experiences, you don't find bracers of armor that are better than mage armor until level 10+. It is possible to get some gimmicky "clothing armor" that can surpass mage armor before then though.
Those are some rather high stats. Unless you plan to put a level up point into it, it'd be better to put the 13 in strength instead of constitution, as 13 still gives you better carrying capacity than 12.
Your stats are high enough to use any of your attack spells.
I should have mentioned this earlier and you may be well aware, but the way your summon monster ability works is very different from low to mid+ levels. At level 1 and 2, you can just spam summons all adventuring day. But by mid level you'll find the higher point cost of summons means you'll only be able to use it a couple times before needing to consume spells or items to get more points.
Maybe if you have bad DCs, but Grease is a solid spell through mid levels. A big part of spellcasting is picking the right tool for the job. Big humanoid monsters also tend to have relatively bad reflex saves and rely heavily on their weapons. Grease is also very helpful if a teammate gets grappled. It's a very versatile spell that can stay relevant till fairly high levels.Once my character cast Grease on a stairway that soldiers were climbing to attack us. Another character had summoned ... something large ... maybe a bear. So he sent the bear charging down the greased stairs.
yeah, against soldiers (NPCS level 1-2) grease isn't bad, once the bad guys hit parity with their CR, then they will pass the saves more often that not. The God mage build relies on a "don't let the dice, or your enemies stats" decide the outcome. So buffs, spells that don't give saves, attacks that go against touch etc. are at it's core.
As for spells like Shield and Mage Armor, I'd rather cast Haste and then just stay out of the way, and from my experience, you'll have decent enough AC from magic items quick enough.
monster summoning is subpar when it comes to dealing damage, as the monster typically will get no more than 1 attack.That's not really true. Maybe at level 2 your eagles will go down in one hit, but the summoned monsters just last longer and longer as you gain spell levels. Also, it's not like the monsters going down is that bad of a thing either. Damage they take is damage that didn't land on teammates. And you can generally just keep summoning more, playing both preemptive "healer" and damage dealer. Summons do suffer against certain enemy types though. Very few monsters from any list are good at dealing with swarms, so consider taking burning hands for low level. And Damage Reduction can completely stop your "death from a thousand cuts" you can do with summoning multiples. Your highest level beaters like earth elementals can surpass most level relevant DR though.
I am assuming that you are taking Augment Summoning. Superior Summoning is also required if you plan to summon multiples.
So aside from 1st level, most summoned monsters are CR = 1/2 your APL (Monster summon V is a 5th level spell, which required a 9th level caster to cast, but results in a CR 5 demon), and almost always go down in a single attack or at worst a single round. While yes, it's good to make your opponent waste an attack on a summoned creature, it's less than a 1 for 1 trade when you consider action economy, you spend a full turn summon a monster, he uses 1 out of his iterative attacks to kill it. Using spells that have a better return on the investment are obviously worthwhile.
yeah, against soldiers (NPCS level 1-2) grease isn't bad, once the bad guys hit parity with their CR, then they will pass the saves more often that not.
Is that a joking "more often than not"? Assuming a fairly standard +4 from casting stat that will scale with levels and gear, then add the 1 from the spell and the +1 from your spell focus(conjuration) he will have as a prerequisite for augment summoning. So, that's a default DC of 16 without trying too hard. To get to a 50% chance of success against a bad reflex save, you'd be looking at a CR 7. Assuming you are around level 7, then that DC will be 1 to 3 higher from leveling and magic items. That's a level 1 spell, so you aren't really supposed to be basing your entire build around it by then anyway. It's a situational good thing to cast when you are out of better spells or conserving the better spells for further fights.
As for spells like Shield and Mage Armor, I'd rather cast Haste and then just stay out of the way, and from my experience, you'll have decent enough AC from magic items quick enough.
Mage Armor is hours per level and on a different spell level. It doesn't compete with Haste for any reasonable comparison, and it really feels dishonest to try to draw that dichotomy. Shield is only minutes per level, so good for a prebuff before a fight, but you can eventually surpass it with a mithral buckler.
You also have to remember that this isn't a wizard we are talking about. The arcanist can prepare situational stuff without it being a waste, because it also uses a spells per day mechanic. And you can even increase that versatility advantage with the quick study exploit. Having situationally useful spells in your spellbook as an arcanist is usually a great thing.
So aside from 1st level, most summoned monsters are CR = 1/2 your APL (Monster summon V is a 5th level spell, which required a 9th level caster to cast, but results in a CR 5 demon), and almost always go down in a single attack or at worst a single round.
I have experience playing multiple summoners in multiple groups and your conclusion is just not true the majority of the time. Can it happen? Yes. Does it happen a lot? Not past very low level. I think you are forgetting Augment Summoning which gives all of your summoned monsters 2 more hit points per hit dice. On top of that, many monsters have DR, Fast Healing and Resistances. A smart summoner can almost always choose a monster than can last through multiple rounds of level appropriate encounters, by playing to the weaknesses of that encounter.
While yes, it's good to make your opponent waste an attack on a summoned creature, it's less than a 1 for 1 trade when you consider action economy, you spend a full turn summon a monster, he uses 1 out of his iterative attacks to kill it. Using spells that have a better return on the investment are obviously worthwhile.
Summoned monsters can act immediately upon being summoned. With the +4 to strength from augment summoning, they hit fairly accurately and fairly hard for their level. So you always get a round of actions out of the monster(s). And then if it takes all of the hits from what you are fighting, then that is preventing more damage than most healing spells of the same level could heal. And not just damage, the monster taking level drain and ability drain in place of your party is a huge boon.
As an example let's look at level 9, so you can summon a large earth elemental, CR 5.
Now compare this to the monster creation guidelines for CR9
HP 115
AC 23
Attack Bonus 12 to 17
Average Damage 30 to 40
And this is the Augment Summoning Large Earth Elemental
HP 68+16=84
AC 18
Attack Bonus +16
Average damage 16x2=32
As you can see, they aren't that far off. Sure the actual CR9 is stronger, but the difference isn't so great that the elemental couldn't solo it with a little luck. Also the elemental has extra bonuses like DR 5/—; Immune elemental traits; Tremorsense; Earth Glide; Earth Master, for a situational but common +1 to attack and damage. The elemental even has power attack to go for higher base damage when trying to surpass enemy DR.
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But I'm wondering if anyone has any tips for playing a Arcanist from level 1?
Three main suggestions:
1) Don't get fixated. You're playing a full caster with the biggest spell list in the game, the biggest strength you have is being able to cherry pick the best spells in the game. Not every spell you learn needs to be fundamentally new, but keep an open mind. This isn't a martial where you have to pre-plan your feat tree, you can simply decide "I could try buffing the party", and grab Haste at levelup. Related, if you decided Fly isn't a spell you enjoy, this does not bar you from taking Overland Flight later on!
Mainly, just remember that not ever spell you learn/cast has to be Conjuration or Illusion.
2) The best spells are usually not highly specific silver bullets, but rather spells that are good in many situations. As an Arcanist, you can change your prepared spells on a daily basis, if you find yourself never using certain spells, simply stop preparign them, and maybe don't learn spells like that in the future.
3) Learn as you go. See what works and what you enjoy, and when you next need to decide on something, do it based on that, not on some rigid pre-planned build.
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So, as an arcane caster, your job is to either provide utility/buffs for the party, or deal damage to the bad guys.
An arcane caster's job is what the player wants it to be, and there are more ways to meaningfully contribute to the party.
Infernal healing is ok if you have no healer in the party.
With Infernal Healing, you are the healer. And while the usefulness quickly dwindles onces wands become aviable, it's an amazing spell to have at 1st level.
Grease is a poor spell, as most will pass the save.
At low level, objectively false. Please stop spreading misinformation.
disguise Self and Silent image are VERY situational and not useful in most encounters.
Maybe your games are different, bust most games have stuff outside of combat. An Arcanist has enough 1st level spells 'known' to be able to spend some on non-combat-related stuff.
Look for Treantmonks God-mage build for a discussion on spell selection. it will help you a bunch.
The guide should not be considered the be-all-end-all to arcane caster play, it's actually quite flawed. It's main use is for somewhat experienced players who purposefully want to tone down direct attack spells in order to not break the game or overshadow the party.
yeah, against soldiers (NPCS level 1-2) grease isn't bad, once the bad guys hit parity with their CR, then they will pass the saves more often that not.
Do you see anyone suggestion to keep using the spell until 10th level?
A 1st level spell doesn't have to be useful at higher level, an Arcanist gets more than enough 1st level spell. I don't know if you actually understand how the Arcanist works, but they can simply stop preparing it later on.
Also, you mentioned Color Spray being good, literally every single thing you wrote about Grease also applies to Color Spray. That makes you comments highly hypocritical.
The God mage build relies on a "don't let the dice, or your enemies stats" decide the outcome. So buffs, spells that don't give saves, attacks that go against touch etc. are at it's core.
Did the OP say they want to strictly follow Treantmonk's guide? No? Then this is irrelevant.
It's not the only playstyle, stop acting as if not following the guide was 'doing it wrong'.
As for spells like Shield and Mage Armor, I'd rather cast Haste and then just stay out of the way
Did you seriously just compare a 3rd level combat spell with a 1st level buff spell lasting multiple hours? Either you just maliciously compared two fundamentally different things, or you don't even understand how spellcasters work.
and from my experience, you'll have decent enough AC from magic items quick enough.
It takes a long time until Mage Armor ceases to be useful. If your experience is different, you're either not looking at the spell obejctively enough, or your experience is simply significantly different from the norm.
Grease is a poor spell, as most will pass the save.At low level, objectively false. Please stop spreading misinformation.
What do you mean by objectivity false?
At my table the Grease spell has generally been ineffective, even at low level play, and not from lack of trying. Are you saying my experience is objectively wrong?
My spells I picked for level 1 are Infernal Healing, Grease, Mage Armor, Secluded Grimoire, Summon Minor Monster, Disguise Self and Silent Image. Thinking of possibly swapping Summon Minor Monster and Infernal Healing...
That is a solid spell selection in my opinion. If it were me I would probably swap Grease out for Magic Missile, for whatever reason Grease has never really been effective at our table, but your table might be different, plus Magic Missile wouldn’t go with your focus on conjuration and illusion spells.
Infernal Healing is a good spell provided that you don’t mind detecting as evil temporarily. I found it to be better outside combat due to the one round casting time, but I would take it regardless.
Summoning spells are strong, but bear in mind that summoned flying creatures, as per the general rules for conjuration, start on the ground. Also many GMs have homebrew rules around summoning or don’t let players control their own summons. Check with your GM first before going down the summoning route.
What do you mean by objectivity false?
At my table the Grease spell has generally been ineffective, even at low level play, and not from lack of trying. Are you saying my experience is objectively wrong?
Pure math. A good save for a CR 1 monster is intended to be 4 (and the monster average is below that), unless you start with below 18 in your casting stat, even against such enemies it's a 50% chance to land, and thus objectively not "most" that will fail. Most fights are against creature with CR below your level, so the claim doesn't uphold.
A valid comment would have been that ref is highest average save, and that it's not really feasible to use the spell on every target. But Sam's completely blanket statement that mathematically doesn't check out? Just no.
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So, I'm taking the leap and trying the full arcane casters for the first time ever. I'm super nervous because I'm more used to playing the characters that hits things...
First of all, don't neglect cantrips! In particular Daze and Disrupt Undead can be life savers at low levels.
Second, you get arcanist exploits (at level 3 in your case, and you can spend feats to get more). For instance, Dimensional Slide is amazing for your mobility, Armored Mask gives you a pretty good armor class as a swift action, and Counterspell is great to mess with the GM's strategy.
Third, at low level you probably want to prepare combat spells almost exclusively (although this depends on the campaign). Spells like Disguise Self and Secluded Grimoire are great once you have a bit more spell slots; at the first couple levels stick with summons, Silent Image, and Grease.
Fourth, you can use scrolls, and they're cheap. Any uncommonly-used utility spell is best kept on a scroll. For your first bits of money, just grab a bandolier and stock it with (e.g.) Obscuring Mist, Air Bubble, Resist Energy, Floating Disc, and anything else that sounds occasionally useful but not common enough to spend a slot on.
Fifth and finally, while the arcanist is very flexible, it helps to pick a main role for yourself early on; for instance "summoner" or "party buffer" or "crowd control" or "artillery". That does NOT mean that you stick to that exclusively, but it does help you focus your feats and items into that area.
For instance, as a summoner you probably want Augment Summoning, Superior Summoning, and Summon Good Monster as soon as possible; whereas if your main focus is artillery then you instead want (e.g.) Burning Amplification, Empower Spell, and Flumefire Rage.
While you can change your spells around every day, if your party has some good frontliners I find it very useful to avoid direct-damage spells entirely, and instead use crowd control and summons to make the enemies' life into a nightmare.
HTH!
What do you mean by objectivity false?
At my table the Grease spell has generally been ineffective, even at low level play, and not from lack of trying. Are you saying my experience is objectively wrong?
Pure math. A good save for a CR 1 monster is intended to be 4 (and the monster average is below that), unless you start with below 18 in your casting stat, even against such enemies it's a 50% chance to land, and thus objectively not "most" that will fail. Most fights are against creature with CR below your level, so the claim doesn't uphold.
A valid comment would have been that ref is highest average save, and that it's not really feasible to use the spell on every target. But Sam's completely blanket statement that mathematically doesn't check out? Just no.
Sam did not say most CR1 or less he just said “most” and taken in the context of the rest of his post it looks like he was talking about characters as they develop, who would face a range of threats. I don’t see evidence that he was only talking about level 1 beginning characters confronting CR1 or less foes, so why assume that he is and accuse him of spreading misinformation?
In Iron Gods we used Grease to great effect against the giants in the palace in book 5 around level 15.
A creature can walk within or through the area of grease at half normal speed with a DC 10 Acrobatics check. Failure means it can’t move that round (and must then make a Reflex save or fall), while failure by 5 or more means it falls (see the Acrobatics skill for details).
Giants have even poorer acrobatics than reflex. So if they try to move at full speed, they fall down with out save. If they move carefully they must roll acrobatics and possibly fall down. At low levels the opponents actually might have relatively better acrobatics and ref saves than at mid levels. CR 13 Iron golem has -1 acrobatics and Reflex of +5. You have more than 50% chance to make it fall down. Even at level 1. If you are level 1, you should then run.
What do you mean by objectivity false?
At my table the Grease spell has generally been ineffective, even at low level play, and not from lack of trying. Are you saying my experience is objectively wrong?
Pure math. A good save for a CR 1 monster is intended to be 4 (and the monster average is below that), unless you start with below 18 in your casting stat, even against such enemies it's a 50% chance to land, and thus objectively not "most" that will fail. Most fights are against creature with CR below your level, so the claim doesn't uphold.
A valid comment would have been that ref is highest average save, and that it's not really feasible to use the spell on every target. But Sam's completely blanket statement that mathematically doesn't check out? Just no.
Sam did not say most CR1 or less he just said “most” and taken in the context of the rest of his post it looks like he was talking about characters as they develop, who would face a range of threats. I don’t see evidence that he was only talking about level 1 beginning characters confronting CR1 or less foes, so why assume that he is and accuse him of spreading misinformation?
In my experience, you are Level one for only 1 game. After that you are level 2+. In homebrew, whatever the GM wants is what happens, but for the AP's, the bad guys are usually within 1-2 CR of the APL. when encountering the Major encounters, usually 1-2 CR more. There is typically a mmix of bad guys, with good, medium and bad saves. However, I have found that the bad guys pass saves far more often than they fail them. even with the boosts from feats etc you can have from feats. remember, a first level spell is 1+10+stat+mods, yet a 15th level character is +15 to his good save, before any modifiers, most of your spells will have less than 50% chance of succeeding. So yeah, Grease (and other 1st level/lowlevel spells) quickly fall off their usefulness.
As mentioned, the solution to this is to use more spells that don't allow the bad guys a save. Magic Missile is a great one. Or spells that rely on touch attacks, Shocking grasp, or scorching ray. Or flat out buffs.
As an arcane spellcaster, yeah, you role can be whatever you want it to be. I'm just pointing out that for your spells to be successful, you want to use the ones that tend to work more often, and for longer in your "career".
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This feels like a somewhat forced debate. However effective Grease may or may not be beyond level 1, the Arcanist is not married to it until level 4 as a Sorcerer would be.
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However, I have found that the bad guys pass saves far more often than they fail them. even with the boosts from feats etc you can have from feats.
First, we have actual statistics available on monster saving throws, and they do not support your claim that bad guys "pass saves far more often".
Second, you haven't accounted for area effects. If your Grease spell has a 60% chance of working, but you target two creatures, then you have an 84% chance of proning one, and a 36% chance of proning both.
Third, proning is a FAR stronger effect than dealing 3.5 damage.
...there's a reason why Grease (and similar spells) are rated good to excellent in every single class handbook where they're relevant. Anyway, if you want to start a new thread on how much crowd control spells suck, be my guest.
The common advice for arcane casters is: use crowd control, it rocks!
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I agree quick study is amazing. It really makes you want to learn all of the spells. I use a glove of storing to have quick access to my spellbook.
But as good as it is, I put even more priority on dimensional slide. That ability saved my squishy hide so many times.
Regarding grease, you should absolutely want that spell at level 1. Used wisely it will turn the tide of battle. Around level 6, you likely won’t use it much anymore, but you still have it in your book in case the need ever arises.
Really very few 1st level spells will see play in later levels. Vanish and magic missile are about all I cast from that spell level at level 12+
Sam did not say most CR1 or less he just said “most” and taken in the context of the rest of his post it looks like he was talking about characters as they develop, who would face a range of threats. I don’t see evidence that he was only talking about level 1 beginning characters confronting CR1 or less foes, so why assume that he is and accuse him of spreading misinformation?
The OP's character is 1st level, and since the OP is playing in an AP, will mainly be facing enemies of CR 1 and lower for the first couple of levels.
So while Sam's statement can be technically true, it is objectively false for the topic at hand. In order for the statement to be true, one has to use highly inappropriate data, and when not clearly indicating that, it's a lie be omission.
Either way Sam was spreading misinformation.
So yeah, Grease (and other 1st level/lowlevel spells) quickly fall off their usefulness.
Why didn't you say that? This is a perfectly fine statement that I would have said nothing against. Why do you make crude blanket statements that mainly address situations that aren't really relevant, when you've shown that you can make useful, true comments?
Of course, an Arcanist that started with an 18 Int will have eleven 1st level spells (3+Int at start, +2 each at 2nd and 3rd level), that is more than enough to spend both on spells that have use later on, and spells that are only good at low level. Which means "it falls of" does not mean "it's bad to learn".
As mentioned, the solution to this is to use more spells that don't allow the bad guys a save. Magic Missile is a great one. Or spells that rely on touch attacks, Shocking grasp, or scorching ray.
Case in point. The average Touch AC for pretty much all levels is a bit above 12. With half BAB and adding only the Dex bonus, at lower levels those spells actually have a lower chance to stick than spells that allow saving throw. The chance to land them on higher level enemies may be greater compared to other 1st level spells, but if the goal is '"don't let the dice, or your enemies stats" decide the outcome', touch attacks are not the solution.
Or flat out buffs.
Yet another statement that only applies at higher levels, because prior to 3rd spell level, Arcanist doesn't have good infight buffs.
For what it's worth, a lie requires deliberate falsehood on the part of the teller. If one must assume something about another person's statements on this forum, I think it's safer to assume an incomplete or otherwise incorrect understanding of the rules. Even assuming that someone is too sure in their interpretation of the rules to offer advice is--in my humble opinion--better than attributing their position to dishonesty and hypocrisy.
Ooh, I was excited the offer some tips based on my experience, but the bickering killed that pretty quick. I'll just jump in (and then back out) with these tips:
- Grease can also trivialize a boss fight, if the boss relies on a hard-hitting weapon, and they fail their save against dropping it when you target that weapon, their backup weapon is usually not nearly as effective.
- Dimensional slide is a great exploit if you need to position to blast/debuff an enemy and then escape. And it gets better as you level up. I can't recommend this one enough.
- Potent Magic is good for those blasting/debuffing spells to raise the DC. I've had a lot of success with this exploit.
- The Quick Study exploit could be pretty good for a new caster as it adds a lot of adaptability. The first time I used it, we were facing an invisible attacker, but I didn't have glitterdust memorized... until I did! But also having some spells that can be multi-purpose is great, too, and may negate the benefit of Quick Study. I had a sorcerer, for example, who saved the day by using mount as a ladder.
- More general caster advice: Communicate with your other casters! You may not want to learn haste if your cleric is going to start preparing blessing of fervor, for example. If you have the opportunity, find out what their role(s) will be, which may help you decide what your role(s) should be.
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One of the good things about the arcanist is that you don't have to be so careful about which spells you learn. You can just pay a small fee to learn even more later. I believe the arcanist is a much better entry point for full caster, because it is so hard to make bad choices. The sorcerer is easier to play, but harder to build, because every spell known has to count. The wizard can freely learn spells, but has to guess exactly which ones and how many of each to prepare every day. The arcanist just does its thing till it runs out of resources. It's just way more forgiving, for learning while you go.
Unless you referee is violently opposed to power components, a vial of acid give you a +1 damage on acid splash, which at 1st or 2nd level is a nice boost.
Obscuring mist can turn a fight if the party need to regroup or run away. Ray of Enfeeblement can be a massive debuff if it hits. You won’t use them at higher levels, but that won’t matter.
Above all, do not forget the Arcanist’s first rule: Grab Every Spellbook. That first level kobold witchdoctor you just killed has a spellbook. The ancient wizard whose ruined tower you are exploring has a spellbook. You can memorise spells from them as well as your own book (yes, there is a check to be made, but you should be maximising your spellcraft anyway) and that increases your repertoire.