Archivist Build

[metalith]

I am building a new Divine Character for our Saturday Night group. Currently want opinions on what people think.

The game is a 32 pt build. High optimization. We are using the Unearth Arcana Action Point system. All books and dragon magazine allow. No online material. If you guys want to suggest alternatives, only stipulation is if you take a Prestige Class you have to max it out before taking another. (I know but its the rules)

Venerable Dragonwrought Desert Kolbold (Chaotic Neutral) Lvl 17

Str 6
Dex 16
Con 14
Int 30 (3 Age + 5 Tome + 4 Stat)
Wis 10
Cha 12

Archivist 11 / Primal Scholar 5 / Divine Oracle 1

Feats
Iron Will (Otyugh Hole)
Skill Focus (Religion) - (Frog God's Vane)
Dragonwrought
Maximize Spell
Mastery of Day and Night
Still Spell
Insightful Reflexes
Summon Elemental
Draconic Archivist
Planar Touchstone - Planning Domain for Extend Spell
Mysterious Magic - Required for Primal Scholar

Primal Scholar Abilities

Secrets of Strength
Secrets of Power
Mystery of Magic - Revivify
Mystery of Giants - Still Spell

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

Maybe dip Cloistered Cleric to be able to get Divine Metamagic, plus pick up Knowledge Devotion and two more domains or devotion feats or even Divine Magician. Though I'm not sure if it would be worth not starting with 9th level spells to get that, but with that alignment you can't use Sacred Exorcist to get Turn Undead. Possibly use Bone Talisman (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/mb/20040721a) to get TU, but I doubt you could qualify for divine feats with that.

A Kobold Archivist is a perfect candidate for the Hexer prestige class in Masters of the Wild. I'd definitely get that over Divine Oracle.

You could get the Loredrake archtype and the Greater Draconic Rite of Passage to get Sorcerer 3 casting for utility like Nerveskitter and Benign Transposition. Versatile Spellcaster will allow you to spend two Sorcerer spell slots of the same level to cast any spell you know of one level higher, including Archivist spells. With all that you could even take Mystic Theurge without ever multiclassing out of Archivist.

Be sure to pick up all the Primal X spells in Dragon Magic, plus all the spells in that book that give a passive benefit for just knowing them, along with the Heart of [element] spells in CM. Get a 6th level Pearl of Power and a standard Metamagic Rod of Extend Spell and you can have Superior Resistance and Energy Immunity x5 continuously active for only two 6th level spells per day. In that case I wouldn't even bother with Insightful Reflexes, as nearly every Reflex save is to avoid some kind of energy damage.

Every character should get Item Familiar (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/magic/itemFamiliars.htm) if it's available. Take it at 3rd level and invest every skill point you get after that into it for the greatest return. Make it a ring and wear it under a glove or gauntlet and opponents can never target it with sunder, slight of hand, or any other type of attack. An item familiar is an intelligent item which is regarded as a construct, and constructs cannot be disabled or destroyed by dispelling or disjoining and even continue to function in antimagic and dead magic areas.

Secret of Strength looks really bad, +1 to caster level checks to overcome SR is like getting Weapon Focus when you only roll an attack roll 1/3 of the time. I'd replace it with Mystery of the Quori for something like Death Ward or Dimensional Anchor just in case.

[Anthrowhale]

The Stutter caster in my sig is an archivist. If you can pull it off, it is probably too powerful.

[metalith]

11+5+1 should be 17.

Greater Rites of the Dragon is in the Web Enhancement for Races of the Dragon and thus not allowed. No online material for our game.

Item Familiar is banned.

Pondered Mystery of Quori, I will take a closer look at it.

I could not pull off the Stutter build because of the rule build that if you start a Prestige Class you have to take all levels before taking another.

[RaviStrife]

Looks like a solid (if general) build.

Are you planning on doing any particular combos with this?

At first glance, I think you have a lot of potential to combo off into some really strong signature moves...but this seems like a pretty blank slate.

Do you plan on wreaking havoc via summons? (A good option, as always)...
Do you plan to play as a Divine version of a "God" Wizard? (Again, solid)
No reason you can't blast a bit, or play the healer (especially with Mass Heal)...but something so tame almost seems a waste...


In any case, I think you'll have a good time.

[metalith]

I would love to try for a Divine "God". I have never played a "God" Wizard before, read some information on them.

Right now the area we are in is "locked" against summons of any kind. At least for the next few weeks. But once I do Summon Elemental Monolith is going to be my friend, especially since I have Swift Concentration as a Skill Trick.

This build needs to be a capable healer since the DM is set on that being a divine caster means I need to be the party healer. Which is why I have the Master of Day and Night Feat Chain. That way when I have to use a Cure Spell, I make sure to get the most out of my heals.

Mystery of Giants - Still Spell - Allows me to spontaneously deal with a lot of instant grapplers.

[Story]

You can solve healing by just dropping a Persisted Mass Lesser Vigor every day. (Or every other day if extended)

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

Mystery of Giants - Still Spell - Allows me to spontaneously deal with a lot of instant grapplers.

Heart of Water is also a good solution for those.

On the subject of healing and Cure spells, an oft-overlooked function of the Mass Cure spells is that you can keep selecting targets, including the same creatures over and over, until you've used up the one target per caster level limit. Spells that target an unlimited number of creatures in an area such as Horrid Wilting can't do this, but if a spell allows you to name up to a certain number of targets then you should be able to use all of that. Each creature is healed for Xd8+CL per instance of the spell targeting them, but that total +CL is still limited by the hard cap built into each of those spells. For example, a Mass Cure Light Wounds targeting one creature once, one creature six times, and another creature ten times will heal for 1d8+17, 6d8+25, and 10d8+25. If this wasn't the case then Mass Cure Critical Wounds wouldn't have a maximum caster level bonus of +40 in the core rules.

[Jeff the Green]

Right now the area we are in is "locked" against summons of any kind. At least for the next few weeks. But once I do Summon Elemental Monolith is going to be my friend, especially since I have Swift Concentration as a Skill Trick.

Remember that Skill Tricks are 1/encounter. I'd encourage you to get sonorous hum (SC) from the divine bard list and/or take the Extraordinary Concentration feat.

For healing, is there a reason you can't just buy scads of wands of lesser vigor/cure light wounds? They're cheap, and you have better things to do with your spell slots.

[metalith]

That's a really nice spell.

Because Cure Light Wounds and Lesser Vigor are great for after combat healing. To quote WoW terminology, let's say a portion of the group likes to stand in the fire.

[Jeff the Green]

That's a really nice spell.

Because Cure Light Wounds and Lesser Vigor are great for after combat healing. To quote WoW terminology, let's say a portion of the group likes to stand in the fire.

Ah. In that case, your best bet is probably buffing. An ounce of prevention and such. I'd consider asking for a divine version of War Weaver (from Heroes of Battle). As an archivist you can get heal as a 5th level spell (through adept), and deliver it through your tapestry to all your allies. It's one of the very few prestige classes that lose casting levels that are worth it.

(If you go with War Weaver, Legacy Champion would lose you another casting level but let you deliver spells of any level through your tapestry. Hello, mass foresight!)

Also get a bunch of unicorn horns (Complete Divine) to convert your Conjuration (healing) spells from touch spells to 30' rays. At 190 GP a pop, they're expensive, but with 17th-level WBL you can manage it.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

That's a really nice spell.

Because Cure Light Wounds and Lesser Vigor are great for after combat healing. To quote WoW terminology, let's say a portion of the group likes to stand in the fire.

Then your DM isn't being descriptive enough when they take damage, and/or you need to berate them more in-character when they needlessly jump into an obvious hazard. Be the designated healer for the party, but whenever someone takes damage that they didn't need to, point out how they could have avoided it and end it with something along the lines of, "I'm not going to heal that because you won't learn anything if I do. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EyPYpg1qnss)" Charge them standard spellcasting service fees (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/equipment/goodsAndServices.htm#spell) (always at full caster level) for any healing spells that didn't come from a wand that they helped pay for.

[Chronos]

While in-combat healing is occasionally necessary and appropriate, it's best to do all of your in-combat healing before the combat starts. Look into the spells Stalwart Pact and Fortunate Fate (both in the Spell Compendium). Stalwart Pact is permanent until discharged, and gives defensive buffs and a big pile of temporary HP when the subject goes below half maximum health. Fortunate Fate is basically a contingent Heal, contingent on "if the subject would be killed".