[SoP/SoM] Recreating old Hexblade for upcoming campaign

[Awertum]

Hello everyone! About a month ago I asked for help with aeromancer character and people was kind and helped me a lot. Now after Spheres of Might is out and campaign w/ aeromancer is over, our DM decided to continue our old campaign from 3.5 with our old characters converted w/ new Spheres of Power and Spheres of Might abilities. My old char was hexblade, but i not set on old class abilities, instead i just like general feel of the class: warrior that curses enemies and makes their life miserable. Problem is i don't know where to start. I want to be full BAB, wield my greatsword (i had the really good one in our last campaign) w/ medium armor, and debuff people with curses. Can someone give me advice how to build such character from scratch? I was level 9 and this new campaign will probably go high levels (13-15 level at least).

[digiman619]

Well, just off the top of my head, you'd be looking for a low-caster with the War and Death spheres (Ghost Strikes only), or a Sentinel or other Expert practioner with the Warleader sphere. I'm on my tablet right now, but spheresofpower.wikidot.com has all the SoM rules up to see.

[Kurald Galain]

As this is basically a Gish character, the Magus handbook (www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?423754-Myrrh-Frankincense-and-Steel-Kurald-Galain-s-Guide-to-the-Magus) should help. The Magus covers all that you want to do except for the greatsword (it mostly uses one-handed weapons) but even if you play another class this guide has suggestions for feats, traits, items etc. HTH!

[digiman619]

As this is basically a Gish character, the Magus handbook (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?423754-Myrrh-Frankincense-and-Steel-Kurald-Galain-s-Guide-to-the-Magus) should help. The Magus covers all that you want to do except for the greatsword (it mostly uses one-handed weapons) but even if you play another class this guide has suggestions for feats, traits, items etc. HTH!
Your guide is awesome, but they specifically wanted to recreate the character with SoP/SoM. The Gish book's archetype play test can be found here (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1WmpU0yucT3mf04oXktGJecBQ8Gkt3jaB-s82Y29_7BM/mobilebasic#heading=h.h5jw9ad6kr0e), and it has a few options for classes that use both systems, but finding full BAB classes might prove difficult.

[Awertum]

Well, just off the top of my head, you'd be looking for a low-caster with the War and Death spheres (Ghost Strikes only), or a Sentinel or other Expert practioner with the Warleader sphere. I'm on my tablet right now, but spheresofpower.wikidot.com has all the SoM rules up to see.
Ghost Strikes, especially w/ Cryptic Strike talent looks great. Debuffing talents from War Sphere can work too, but lacks off "curse" feeling. Warleader combat sphere had none of the stuff that match my character, I think.


As this is basically a Gish character, the Magus handbook should help. The Magus covers all that you want to do except for the greatsword (it mostly uses one-handed weapons) but even if you play another class this guide has suggestions for feats, traits, items etc. HTH!
Thank you! The guide is really great and i used it near i year ago to make my first magus for PFS :D Sadly, it for standard magic system.


Your guide is awesome, but they specifically wanted to recreate the character with SoP/SoM. The Gish book's archetype play test can be found here, and it has a few options for classes that use both systems, but finding full BAB classes might prove difficult.
I looked over archetypes and found Conscript specialization that gives low-casting and magic talents. I can probably use that as basis to construct class piece by piece. The main question is what talents to take :smallconfused:

[meemaas]

While it's not Full BAB, I'd look at the Mystic archetype for the Magus in the Champion of the Spheres playtest. It fully combines SoM and SoP, allowing you to combine martial fun from SoM with applying debuffs from the Death Sphere using Advanced Spellstrike.

As a bonus. Due to the systems designing to let you build your own style, you can have use a Greatsword and Medium armor with your features, even though Magus normally can't.

[stack]

Fate sphere might help. Curse doesn't care about CL, though echoing word makes it more efficient and is affected by CL. Greater serendipity adds a debuff to the AOE buff as well, but duration if low until you get decent caster levels. Berserker sphere has debuffs that may be interesting as well.

There is a mageknight archetype in the fate playtest that would interest you as it is intended to fill a similar theme. Adding SoM on top of that is easy enough.

[Domar]

A Conscript with the Spell Dabbler (4 points) specialization might fit your needs. Also grab a one point specialization, Armor Training and Indomitable Will are my recommendations.

Dip 2-4 levels of Magus so you can curse your enemies as part of an attack action. This costs just one point of BAB and boosts your caster level a bit. Remember that if your classes have different casting stats you chooses one of them to apply to all your classes.

Your caster level is low which means low save DCs. Pick spells that don't offer a save or have a partial effect on a save.

Ghost Strike has already been mentioned.

From the Fate sphere get Curse and Echoing Word, take the Neutrality drawback to save a talent, add other word talents to taste.

Grab a couple talents from Destruction for some extra damage when you need it and a good source of zero spell point spells. The Destructive Touch and Energy Focus drawbacks will save a couple more talents. Remember that all three talents in a blast type group can be taken even with Energy Focus.

Take the Gift for Magic trait with whatever sphere you plan to use most.

[Awertum]

While it's not Full BAB, I'd look at the Mystic archetype for the Magus in the Champion of the Spheres playtest. It fully combines SoM and SoP, allowing you to combine martial fun from SoM with applying debuffs from the Death Sphere using Advanced Spellstrike.

As a bonus. Due to the systems designing to let you build your own style, you can have use a Greatsword and Medium armor with your features, even though Magus normally can't.
Can I use Special Attack action with Advanced Spellstrike? For example, can i cast Ghost Strike as melee touch spell and make Impaling strike (lancer base talent)? Also Internal Casting is very strange worded for me. I like Magus (and this archetype), but my character is more warrior/fighter than spellcaster.


Fate sphere might help. Curse doesn't care about CL, though echoing word makes it more efficient and is affected by CL. Greater serendipity adds a debuff to the AOE buff as well, but duration if low until you get decent caster levels. Berserker sphere has debuffs that may be interesting as well.

There is a mageknight archetype in the fate playtest that would interest you as it is intended to fill a similar theme. Adding SoM on top of that is easy enough.
I don't understand how Curse Word interacts with Echoing Word. Curse uses immediate action as reaction to enemy roll, while Echoing Word gives additional targets. As far as I can understand those targets didn't roll anything to be effected by Curse and Echoing Word has no effect. Does these additional targets get affected when they roll next time? How it works?
Greater Serendipity looks nice, but i think +1/-1 aura maintained as standard (or move if I take Easy Focus boon) action every round not something I want to spend resources as main combatant. Especially at level 9 or higher when +1/-1 bonus/penalty doesn't affect rolls that much as at early levels.


A Conscript with the Spell Dabbler (4 points) specialization might fit your needs. Also grab a one point specialization, Armor Training and Indomitable Will are my recommendations.

Dip 2-4 levels of Magus so you can curse your enemies as part of an attack action. This costs just one point of BAB and boosts your caster level a bit. Remember that if your classes have different casting stats you chooses one of them to apply to all your classes.

Your caster level is low which means low save DCs. Pick spells that don't offer a save or have a partial effect on a save.

Ghost Strike has already been mentioned.

From the Fate sphere get Curse and Echoing Word, take the Neutrality drawback to save a talent, add other word talents to taste.

Grab a couple talents from Destruction for some extra damage when you need it and a good source of zero spell point spells. The Destructive Touch and Energy Focus drawbacks will save a couple more talents. Remember that all three talents in a blast type group can be taken even with Energy Focus.

Take the Gift for Magic trait with whatever sphere you plan to use most.
A lot of useful advice, thank you! Do you have any recommendation for combat talents that works well with greatsword and/or debuffs enemy?

[Dr_Dinosaur]

The Auspician’s (Fate Sphere) Handbook has an archetype trying for this, I think.

Honestly though, I might just see about getting the DM to allow DSP’s Malefex class and trading some of my feats and starting proficiencies for a Martial Tradition and SoM progression. You don’t get casting but the class is all about laying down nasty debuffs.

[Domar]

Bell-ringer (exertion) and Leg-Smasher (exertion) from the Berserker sphere will debuff saves before your spell lands. Beat Down will make the debuffs last. Extended Exertion for multiple debuffs.
Shatter Earth and Shrapnel (exertion) can be combined to launch the floor at people.

Lancer is full of debuffs. If legendary talents are available Soul Link and Soul Pierce would fit perfectly.

The Gladiator spheres Fan Favorite and Uncowed give free actions boasts and demoralizes. Take Indomitable Will if you go this route.

It's important to remember you can stack multiple spheres on a single attack, but only one can use a special attack action.
Berserker Brutal Strike, Lancer Impale, Fencing precision damage and Duelist Bleed on the same attack along with Advanced Spellstrike.
Generally only one (bracket) talent from each sphere can be applied so it pays to spread out a bit.

[Awertum]

The Auspician’s (Fate Sphere) Handbook has an archetype trying for this, I think.
I'll look at it.


Honestly though, I might just see about getting the DM to allow DSP’s Malefex class and trading some of my feats and starting proficiencies for a Martial Tradition and SoM progression. You don’t get casting but the class is all about laying down nasty debuffs.
Hm... Malifex "curses" looks interesting, but the every other ability in class is out of character concept :D Maybe DM will allow to exchange some combat/magic talents for Malefactions w/ 1:1 ratio.


<Talent suggestion omitted>
It's important to remember you can stack multiple spheres on a single attack, but only one can use a special attack action.
Berserker Brutal Strike, Lancer Impale, Fencing precision damage and Duelist Bleed on the same attack along with Advanced Spellstrike.
Generally only one (bracket) talent from each sphere can be applied so it pays to spread out a bit.
I never heard about stacking combat talents together. So I can use Brutal and Impaling Strike with one Exortion + one Impale addition? Where i can read about it?

[Domar]

http://spheresofpower.wikidot.com/using-spheres-of-might Check under special attack action.

Bleed from the Duelist sphere applies whenever you use an attack action or an attack of opportunity to attack or disarm a creature.

For Impale when making a melee attack with the attack action that deals lethal damage, you can take a -2 penalty on the attack roll.

For Fencing whenever you make an attack action or an attack of opportunity against a target that is within 30 ft. and that you are flanking, that is flat-footed, or that has lost its Dexterity bonus to AC (such as through a successful feint), you deal an additional +1d6 precision damage to the target.

All of these piggyback onto an attack action.