[PF] Archivist Bard/Cyphermage Build: Doable?

[Archpaladin Zousha]

I've become interested in the cyphermage (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/prestige-classes/other-paizo/c-d/cyphermage) prestige class, and want to use it for a Rise of the Runelords campaign. The problem I have, however, is that the party already contains two full arcane casters, a witch and an abberant sorcerer, so I felt a wizard or something, which seems like the most obvious choice for this character archetype, would effectively render encounters pointless, as the three arcanists would just obliterate them within a few rounds.

In the interest of this, I looked instead to a different arcane caster: the Bard, more specifically the archivist archetype (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/core-classes/bard/archetypes/paizo---bard-archetypes/archivist). How well would such a character work? How would I build it?

The core concept is the character is a halfling, a bookish member of the Order of the Cyphergate in Riddleport who greatly prefers scrolls and books in the library to field work and danger, but thanks to being in the wrong place at the wrong time, he gets dragged along with a group of heroes to stumble upon the greatest archaeological find of the century and horrors greater than he ever imagined. Personality-wise, imagine a sort of cross between C-3P0 and the original halfling adventurer (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGF5ROpjRAU). So how well would such an idea work? Any advice or build templates will be greatly appreciated. Thank you all in advance! :smallsmile:

[grarrrg]

I do see 1 minor problem with your build.
Cyphermages need the Cypher Magic feat, and the feat requires 15 INT, whereas Bards are, or course, CHA dependent.
If you can swing the Stats, then go ahead. There isn't much that synergizes between Bard and Cyphermage, but there isn't any real conflict (other than the stats of course).

You might also consider throwing on the Geisha archetype (it can be taken with Archeologist). This way you get Scribe Scroll as a Bonus Feat.

Or, you could consider going Magus. While it is definitely more Martial-oriented than the Bard, it's still in a similar place. None of the archetypes support Scrolls, but the Staff Magus (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/base-classes/magus/archetypes/paizo---magus-archetypes/staff-magus) is a solid option (and probably the most fitting for your idea).


Possibly the most flavorful option would be Scrollmaster (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/core-classes/wizard/archetypes/paizo---wizard-archetypes/scrollmaster) Wizard, which lets you use Scrolls are Short Swords and/or Shields.

[Archpaladin Zousha]

The problem with using a wizard, as I stated in the OP, is that there are already two arcane casters in the party, one a witch planning on taking the Harrower prestige class and the other one an aberrant bloodline sorcerer. There's already redundancy in that regard, and none of the other classes really seem to say "scholar interested in the arcane secrets of an ancient magical empire."