Arcanist Transmuter (Changed Directions)

[5w337x7007h]

I need some advice on transmutation, I'm not sure if I should go with a school savant, or brown-fur transmuter, but I definitely need to fill a BFC role while I'm at it.

My group is lvl 8 and we've got my fighter, a monk, a brawler, a not-so-good paladin, and a blaster sorcerer; the brawler and paladin don't always make it, and the sorc will abandon the session to play MTG since we play at the local card shop. So I'm going to ask my GM if I can change characters, not because I want to, but because we need a caster that can be bfc.

With that, I'm looking at stats, I'm I'm thinking it should be something along the lines of;
Str 14, Dex 14, Con 15, Int 16, Wis 12, Cha 7.

Race is up in the air, though I always favor humans for that bonus feat. I'll be putting all of my favored bonuses into HP as well. Spells are easy to figure out, but I'm not sure about my feats.

1 - Dodge, Combat Casting (h), Exploit: Shift Caster (If BFT)
3 - Toughness,
5 - Power Attack, Exploit: Altered Shifter (If BFT), Exploit: Shift Caster (If Savant)
7 - Defensive Combat Training, Exploit: Dimensional Slide (If BFT)

What would you guys recommend? Also, how would School Understanding work with the Physical Enhancement bonus from the Transmutation School?

[Kurald Galain]

You're a BFC wizard, not a frontline fighter. You can find better feats for your role than dodge and power attack.

Power Attack is not the be-all-end-all of combat feats. It's a feat that full BAB classes take to become a medium BAB class with a damage bonus. Pretty much all medium BAB classes already have a damage bonus (e.g. sneak attack or spell combat) so they don't need this. Low BAB classes like the wizard shouldn't take further to-hit penalties like this.

[5w337x7007h]

What would you recommend on this path?

[Spore]

Power Attack is not the be-all-end-all of combat feats. It's a feat that full BAB classes take to become a medium BAB class with a damage bonus. Pretty much all medium BAB classes already have a damage bonus (e.g. sneak attack or spell combat) so they don't need this. Low BAB classes like the wizard shouldn't take further to-hit penalties like this.

Correct. The usual go-to is to rely on buffing spells that buff damage, to-hit and/or strength. That is why a Full Sorcerer/Dragon Disciple still works despite having almost only 1/2 BAB classes in the beginning.

[5w337x7007h]

Alright, so I've got a choice of Brown-Fur Transmuter, or a School Savant of Transmutation. So lets build something closer to Karzoug from RoRL. I'm not sure how the Schools of Sin work, but if I can choose the School of Greed through the School Savant, that'd be awesome. I'm gonna work off, and modify Karzoug's build for my preference.

Here are Karzoug's feats;
Alertness, Brew Potion, Craft Magic Arms and Armor, Craft Wand, Craft Wondrous Item, Eschew Materials, Greater Spell Focus (transmutation),Improved Initiative, Inscribe Rune, Martial Weapon Proficiency (glaive), Quicken Spell, Scribe Scroll, Skill Focus (Spellcraft), Spell Focus (conjuration, necromancy, transmutation)

So how about these stats instead;
Str 14, Dex 14, Con 15, Int 18, Wis 12, Cha 7

I'll dump my 4th and 8th stat bonus into Con and Int, following with boosts to Int every one there after. Every bit of HP counts. I'm not looking to Min-Max, Just looking to build a character that'll be fun to play as.

I've got a different idea though; School Savant, Conjuration (Teleportation?), focusing on BFC, with an imp familiar, and I'd be using my 5th level exploit to pick up the ability to have a familiar in the first place. This'd let me swap around my Stats to something more along the lines of; Str 8, Dex 16, Con 14, Int 20, Wis 10, Cha 12, at lvl 8.

[Spore]

Str 14, Dex 14, Con 15, Int 18, Wis 12, Cha 7

These stats won't do for a gish-esque Brown Fur Transmuter. You won't rely on spell DCs so you can cut your Int a bit. Con 15/16 is nice but you should really just go for some temporary HP as well as Belts of Constitution (remember, a Bull's strength gives you the full advantage of +4 Str while a Bear's Endurance doesn't give you extra HP).

For a nice 8th level build you'd look into something like this:
Str 19 (Human +2, Levelup +1), Dex 14, Con 16 (Belt +2) Int 18 (Levelup +1, Headband +2), Wis 12, Cha 7

You are a wizard but you live also to the credo that your body has to be in peek physical condition because it is the basis for his or her major spell usage.

Active spells:
Hours: False Life, Mage Armor
10 Minuters: Resist Energy, See Invisibility, Heroism
1 Minuters: Bear's Strength, Beast Shape II (Large Cat)

emboldened are important. Keep utility spells of the first level as scrolls and prepare some control spells as well. You shouldn't take the brute force of an attack but you can take it when the battlefield is controlled by your spells.

If most spells are up you should have:
Str 27, BAB +4, Morale Bonus on Attack +2, Size Penalty -1, AC 19, HP 62 + avg. temp of 13 = 75 giving you +13 on all your natural attacks.

Keep in mind you should fight smart not with brute force. You are no barbarian, you are not excellent at dealing damage and killing foes quickly so they can't contribute to the combat anymore. You should take area of effect control spells that you can deal with the incoming combat.

[5w337x7007h]

Well, I've decided against the idea overall, I'm gonna go with a variant of a caster I made before, so I should probably change the title of the thread.

Human Arcanist 8
Str 8, Dex 16, Con 14, Int 20, Wis 10, Cha 12

Feats and Exploits
1 - Improved Initiative, Spell Focus (Conjuration), Exploit (Quick Study)
3 - Augment Summoning, Exploit (Item Crafting - Craft Wondrous Items)
4 - (GM's gift) Persistent Spell
5 - Combat casting, Exploit (Familiar)
7 - Improved Familiar, Exploit (Metamagic Knowledge: Dazing Spell)

I can pick up the Metamixing exploit at 9th when I pick up Quicken Spell. But with how I intend on using the character, how does it look for a BFC caster?

[Spore]

I've never played an Arcanist but I always feel a lack of spells per day and a certain need to be able to pull something from your secondary ressource, the reservoir to put SOMETHING on the battlefield. That is why I really like the Occultist Archetype.

You loose two exploits which hits hard for this kind of build but you are able to pull summons from your hat as a standard action. They last minutes, they can be utility and if anything is considered BFC, it's a friggin' extradimensional army on the battlefield. It's fool-proof (so if you need your spell slots for utility and run into combat unexpectedly, they will be there).

Also Plane Shift (as a 5th level spell) has saved my oracle thrice to date. Twice she would have fallen to her untimely death, on the third time she was alone and cornered by cultists. And being able to deal with outsiders on a much more friendly basis (without a forced Charisma check) is a big plus if you have a lenient DM. It's just I don't really know what to cut from your exploit list.

[5w337x7007h]

Well I'm thinking she deals with devils, in fact, the familiar would be an Imp, a Consular if my DM okays the idea, since I'm lvl 8. And it's this or I go with a Sorcerer build that I've used before. As a Sorc, I'd be building the same, pretty much, but I'd have Eschew Materials, and no Craft Wondrous Item feat. Though I don't see a point in having it anyways, I don't do a lot of crafting because the campaigns I'm in are so tightly scheduled that there's no real downtime for the characters, which sucks, but them's the breaks.

[Spore]

I think if you want to truly work with devils you have to dedicate a few more ressources towards that. You know, to avoid getting backstabbed or legally bound. The Planar Ally line of spells is a good way to start, an Imp familiar is another (because it is in his interest that IT gets the hold of your sould once you perish and not some devil higher up in the food chain). Other than that, you should try to get to the True Names of the Devils you mostly deal with.

My group had a devil introduced as NPC and support but if my character (an Investigator, sadly) can get the hold of her true name, she basically becomes my cohort (much to the dismay of the Paladin).

[5w337x7007h]

I'm gonna avoid Planar Ally, because that involves me making solid deals with outsiders. Planar Binding is a less friendly version, but it's cost effective. I can recover spells daily, I can't recover gold as quickly, and I'll be using that for learning spells or magic items.

So to reiterate, here's the build

Human Arcanist 8
Str 8, Dex 16, Con 14, Int 20, Wis 10, Cha 12

Feats and Exploits
1 - Improved Initiative, Spell Focus (Conjuration), Exploit (Quick Study)
3 - Augment Summoning, Exploit (Item Crafting - Craft Wondrous Items)
4 - (GM's gift) Persistent Spell
5 - Combat casting, Exploit (Familiar)
7 - Improved Familiar, Exploit (Metamagic Knowledge: Dazing Spell)

I'll learn the core spells, and make it a side-goal to utilize planar binding, with magic circles, dimensional anchor, and a few other contingencies. My Imp will be a boon with UMD, Perception, and Sense Motive, during the deals.