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The Pressman
2010-03-27, 02:50 AM
I'm playing an archivist, starting at level 1, and I was wondering, just for the purposes of planning, what a good multiclass might be and when to do it.

Bosh
2010-03-27, 02:53 AM
Thou shalt not lose caster levels.

The Pressman
2010-03-27, 03:41 AM
Thou shalt not lose caster levels.

That means no barbarian, fighter, etc., but what is a good multiclass other than that ?( wiz, sorc, cleric, var. PrC, etc)

Hawk7915
2010-03-27, 03:41 AM
"Thou shalt not lose caster levels" is a pretty good rule to follow; and it goes double for the Archivist since:

1) As a non-core caster, few PrCs continue to explicitly advance his abilities (Dark Knowledge) while also advancing his casting. He also qualifies for fewer of them due to his lack of Turning.

2) As an Archivist, you can learn whatever spell in the universe you want, have a 3/4 BAB, 8 HD, medium armor, armored casting, and two good saves...so if you want to be something other than a knowledge dump/heal-bot, Archivist levels alone should have you covered.

3) As an Int-based caster, there are fewer "Divine Gish"-y builds out there you can use to as great an effect as, say, Monk/Cleric/Sacred Fist or Sorcerer/Paladin/Abjurant Champion.

That being said, the level to do it is probably after 11th, which is where you get your no save, no SR Stun, or 14th, where you get the last "Dark Knowledge" ability and the mediocre but sometimes handy +3 AC it will provide. Some good places to go would be. . .

- Factotum 3: For Brains over Brawn, Cunning Defense, Cunning Insight, a ton of skill points, and trapfinding. More than 3 is tempting, but you lose 9th level spells which is soooo not worth it.

- Hierophant 1-2: Snags a few special abilities, and no loss of caster level (although there is loss of spells known/spells per day)

- Loremaster 9: You get Identify at will, some extra spell slots, Bardic Knowledge, and a few other neat tricks. Usually not worth it, but you meet those prerequisites in your sleep and if you aren't Archivist-zilla focused then it's probably worth it. Whether or not the no-save Stun of Death is better than Analyze Dweomer as an at-will ability is up to you.

- A 2-level Fighter or Ranger dip: If you are heavily combat focused, this grants you some bonus feats and better BAB in exchange for a few caster levels. Not optimal, but not awful either.

EDIT: Okay, only 1/2 BAB on the Archivist but once you can cast Divine Power it doesn't matter anymore.

Vulaas
2010-03-27, 03:45 AM
Also, Sacred Exorcist gives you that tasty turning capability for a 1 level dip, if DMM is your kind of thing.

magic9mushroom
2010-03-27, 04:37 AM
That means no barbarian, fighter, etc., but what is a good multiclass other than that ?( wiz, sorc, cleric, var. PrC, etc)

Wiz, Sorc, and Cleric all still lose Archivist caster levels.

Some PrCing can be good, although you'll generally want to get Dread Secret before you do so. Contemplative's a nice choice for the bonus domain and ease of entry, so's Sacred Exorcist for the turning. And if/when you get a domain, there's always the ultra-cheesy Dweomerkeeper (do NOT use this unless your table's high-op).

Optimystik
2010-03-27, 09:17 AM
Loremaster and Paragnostic Apostle are also excellent choices. Lore synergizes superbly with Dark Knowledge.

As m9m said, get Dread Secret! No save, no SR, just plain suck, as a move action - leaving your standard/swift free to cast with.

Vangor
2010-03-27, 10:36 AM
Contemplative and Church Inquisitor are my choices.

taltamir
2010-03-27, 10:40 AM
That means no barbarian, fighter, etc., but what is a good multiclass other than that ?( wiz, sorc, cleric, var. PrC, etc)

wizard sorcerer and cleric all make you lose caster levels.
A wizard 3/cleric 3 means you are playing a cleric who lost 3 caster levels, and a wizard who lost 3 caster levels at once... you are significantly weaker than a cleric 6 or a wizard 6.

PrCs you SHOULD take since usually they stand for "power classes" rather then "prestige classes". just make sure you take PrCs that give you full caster progression (+1 to previous spellcasting class at each level).
Then go crazy taking lots of PrCs... feel free to dip into them as well or go only halfway before switching because PrCs do not count against multiclass penalties.