Slithery D
2015-11-18, 04:28 PM
In addition to the Golarian flavor stuff, the first section of the new Occult Realms has new options for the six classes from Occult Adventures. Here's my initial take, ask me questions or offer your own thoughts if you've got the book.
Occultist: Describes four enchanted implements that provide unique focus powers if you know the right implement school, provides suggestions for DMs to create more. They aren't terrible, but these are GM dependent benefits.
Kineticist: Introduces elemental saturation points, special locations where you can overcome a challenge to attune yourself and learn a unique wild talent. 5 specific saturations and their wild talent are listed. Some of these talents seem good, but again you're GM dependent to get access to them and some are very dangerous to attune. And they're not free bonuses, they replace an existing talent.
Medium: Introduces specific legendary spirits that can replace your standard channel with 1-2 unique abilities and new taboos. Did I mention you can only get them by going to a specific place and completing a ritual with a (usually easy) test? (Offer of easy test not valid for the Savith/Champion.]
Psychic: New discipline, the Mindtech, and new feat/phrenic amplifications known as Psi-tech discoveries. Good: anyone can take this by RAW, you don't have to go to Numeria. Bad: most of it is only useful in Numeria. But some of it is really, really good if you're playing with the technology guide.
Spiritualist: Three new phantoms based on Thassilonian sin magic. You only get Greed, Lust, and Pride because Envy = Jealousy, Wrath = Anger, Gluttony is too weird, and Sloth is too rare to detail, but really because they only had two pages. I'm no phantom expert, but Greed and Pride seem adequate, while Lust is really good. There's no RAW reason you can't just take these phantoms unless your DM is a jerk. Fine, background story from Varisia, done.
Mesmerist: Although Nidal themed, all of this stuff is explicitly available to any Mesmerist. You get 8 new Bold Stare options, many of which are useful or cool, but nothing that screams Must Have. Same with 4 new tricks and 3 masterful tricks, I guess if you want shadow based stuff you've got it now.
But wait! There's a new archetype, the Umbral Mesmerist, who is basically a shadow conjuration summoner. You standard action 1 min/level summon illusionary Summon Monster I-VI creatures. It's hard for people to disbelieve them (your foregone towering ego save bonus becomes their save penalty), and you get an invisible to whoever you hypnotic stare at effect as long as you and your summons don't attack them. It's pretty cool, to be honest, even if it does cost you a level of spells per day. I'd play it.
Finally, there are two new spells here that are also usable by bards, wizards, and psychics. Shadow Enchantment (3rd level) and Greater Shadow Enchantment (6th level) are illusion spells that duplicate an enchantment spell of 2nd or 5th level and below, respectively.
This is potentially really good for a Psychic who can't decide whether to spell focus in enchantment or illusion and wants to burn too many spells known on overlapping enchantment effects. Just focus in illusion and pick up these spells, you've got everything covered at the risk of a complicated save mechanic that makes them a bit less likely to hit. (E.g. using Greater Shadow Enchantment to Dominate Person they first get a disbelieve save. If they make that then they have a 60% not to be effected. If they are, then they save as normal vs. Dominate Person.)
Greater Shadow Enchantment would be really good option for Spell Perfection and Persistent Spell if you're Greater Spell Focused in Illusion, you can use it to toss tough Confusion, Feeblemind, Dominate Person, Mass Suggestion, Charm Monster, Dominate Animal, Triggered Suggestion, Hold Monster, Memory Modification, Out of Sight, Greater Synaptic Pulse, etc. at a highly boosted DC. You have to use a spell level 1-2 higher, but with only one spell known and free metamagic (in addition to auto-heighten to 6th level) to counteract the penalty. That's pretty compelling for a spontaneous caster with extra spell slots but few spells known.
Any other thoughts on this section?
Edit: One further note about Shadow Enchantment, it allows you to use any enchantment spell from the Wizard, Sorcerer, or Psychic spells, so it has the potential for some cross class spell pickups and level adjustments so you can squeeze stuff under the reduced level cap. This would let a Wizard use Greater Shadow Enchantment to cast a Psychic Mass Suggestion (5th) rather than a Wizard Mass Suggestion (6th) that wouldn't qualify.
Occultist: Describes four enchanted implements that provide unique focus powers if you know the right implement school, provides suggestions for DMs to create more. They aren't terrible, but these are GM dependent benefits.
Kineticist: Introduces elemental saturation points, special locations where you can overcome a challenge to attune yourself and learn a unique wild talent. 5 specific saturations and their wild talent are listed. Some of these talents seem good, but again you're GM dependent to get access to them and some are very dangerous to attune. And they're not free bonuses, they replace an existing talent.
Medium: Introduces specific legendary spirits that can replace your standard channel with 1-2 unique abilities and new taboos. Did I mention you can only get them by going to a specific place and completing a ritual with a (usually easy) test? (Offer of easy test not valid for the Savith/Champion.]
Psychic: New discipline, the Mindtech, and new feat/phrenic amplifications known as Psi-tech discoveries. Good: anyone can take this by RAW, you don't have to go to Numeria. Bad: most of it is only useful in Numeria. But some of it is really, really good if you're playing with the technology guide.
Spiritualist: Three new phantoms based on Thassilonian sin magic. You only get Greed, Lust, and Pride because Envy = Jealousy, Wrath = Anger, Gluttony is too weird, and Sloth is too rare to detail, but really because they only had two pages. I'm no phantom expert, but Greed and Pride seem adequate, while Lust is really good. There's no RAW reason you can't just take these phantoms unless your DM is a jerk. Fine, background story from Varisia, done.
Mesmerist: Although Nidal themed, all of this stuff is explicitly available to any Mesmerist. You get 8 new Bold Stare options, many of which are useful or cool, but nothing that screams Must Have. Same with 4 new tricks and 3 masterful tricks, I guess if you want shadow based stuff you've got it now.
But wait! There's a new archetype, the Umbral Mesmerist, who is basically a shadow conjuration summoner. You standard action 1 min/level summon illusionary Summon Monster I-VI creatures. It's hard for people to disbelieve them (your foregone towering ego save bonus becomes their save penalty), and you get an invisible to whoever you hypnotic stare at effect as long as you and your summons don't attack them. It's pretty cool, to be honest, even if it does cost you a level of spells per day. I'd play it.
Finally, there are two new spells here that are also usable by bards, wizards, and psychics. Shadow Enchantment (3rd level) and Greater Shadow Enchantment (6th level) are illusion spells that duplicate an enchantment spell of 2nd or 5th level and below, respectively.
This is potentially really good for a Psychic who can't decide whether to spell focus in enchantment or illusion and wants to burn too many spells known on overlapping enchantment effects. Just focus in illusion and pick up these spells, you've got everything covered at the risk of a complicated save mechanic that makes them a bit less likely to hit. (E.g. using Greater Shadow Enchantment to Dominate Person they first get a disbelieve save. If they make that then they have a 60% not to be effected. If they are, then they save as normal vs. Dominate Person.)
Greater Shadow Enchantment would be really good option for Spell Perfection and Persistent Spell if you're Greater Spell Focused in Illusion, you can use it to toss tough Confusion, Feeblemind, Dominate Person, Mass Suggestion, Charm Monster, Dominate Animal, Triggered Suggestion, Hold Monster, Memory Modification, Out of Sight, Greater Synaptic Pulse, etc. at a highly boosted DC. You have to use a spell level 1-2 higher, but with only one spell known and free metamagic (in addition to auto-heighten to 6th level) to counteract the penalty. That's pretty compelling for a spontaneous caster with extra spell slots but few spells known.
Any other thoughts on this section?
Edit: One further note about Shadow Enchantment, it allows you to use any enchantment spell from the Wizard, Sorcerer, or Psychic spells, so it has the potential for some cross class spell pickups and level adjustments so you can squeeze stuff under the reduced level cap. This would let a Wizard use Greater Shadow Enchantment to cast a Psychic Mass Suggestion (5th) rather than a Wizard Mass Suggestion (6th) that wouldn't qualify.