(PF1e, Spheres of Power) - The Conjuration AI Companion: A single talent build

[Joydriver]

Edit: Build fixed to account for Word of God below, this is now confirmed legal.
AKA: Pageant of the Peacock, the Spheres version, but arguably even more broken

I've been working out this concept for my character in a Spheres game that I'm playing, and I thought folks here might appreciate it. It's something that's immediately immensely useful for any spherecaster (esp. charisma based casters).

The concept: create a Conjuration sphere companion that never, ever gets summoned. It just observes through my character's senses with Otherworldly Audience, and enhances my knowledge of the situation. This talent is the lynchpin of the build:

"When it is not summoned, you may have any of your companions sense anything you sense and may communicate with them telepathically. The companions may attempt Wisdom- or Intelligence-based non-physical skill checks when observing through you. You may obstruct the perceptions of certain companions if you wish."

The execution:

The fact that the Companion will never be present limits our options somewhat, so we'll be focusing on Intelligence and Wisdom based skills, since Otherworldly Audience explicitly allows those.

This build uses two companions, and is at 7 HD for them. This can be achieved at level 10 as a low caster, level 8 as a mid caster, and level 7 as a high caster without investment beyond Boon Companion.

(If you're a high caster boon companion is useless, so trade it out for Willful Companion and Capable Companion instead.)

Talents spent: Base Conjuration Sphere (and that's it)

Drawbacks:

We never plan to summon our companion except in perhaps some very specialized circumstances, so all of these are meaningless in practice.

Constant Link
Elongated Summoning
Figment Companion
Life Merger
Limited Range
Material Weakness
Object Bound

This gives us seven talents to spend, like so:

Otherworldly Audience
Sage Companion
Boon Companion
Skillful Companion
Extra Companion
Boon Companion
Skillful Companion

We'll pick an Orb companion for the high mental stats. Then let's toss on the "Unwilling" archetype for some extra hit dice.

For skills, our sage companion will pick:

Spellcraft
Knowledge: Arcana
Knowledge: Planes

(Any three Knowledge or mental Intelligence skills of your choice)

Our other companion will pick:

Perception
Survival
Sense Motive

(If you've already got one of these well-covered, Profession: Barrister is an excellent substitute)

Each has enough skill points to max these out.

Now we have four feats to spend. As Altruistorc so kindly informed us, using these feats to gain Spherecasting is dead in the water. So we'll have to go another route.

For your sage companion, get:

Elongated Cranium: Ovoid Compression (+2 Int checks)
Deific Obedience: Irori (+4 Knowledge checks)
Scholar
Skill Focus: Spellcraft

For your wisdom companion, get:

Elongated Cranium: Sagittal Elongation (+2 Wisdom Checks)
Skill Focus: Perception
Skill Focus: Survival
Skill Focus: Sense Motive or Profession: Barrister

OK! So what do we have at the end of all this?

With boon companion and a starting minimum character level of 9, for a single talent, we get:

+17 Active Perception check as a free action on any round

+19 Spellcraft as a free actio on any round

+23 bonus to Knowledge:Planes and one other knowledge skill of your choice (+26 if identifying monsters) as a free action on any round

+21 bonus to three other knowledge skills of your choice (+24 if identifying monsters) as a free action on any round

+17 to Sense Motive and Survival checks as a free action on any round

The effective benefit of the Lore Master class feature: your companion is never in combat so it can always take 10

...all for a single talent, even as a Low Caster.

Not bad. :)

(Special thanks to AltruisticOrc for clarifying some unclear rules interactions on this build.)

[Seerow]

Okay this is pretty cool. Great use of one talent for any caster.

[Prime32]

Another option for never-summoned companions:

Archetypes: Mage, Martial Companion, Unwilling, Warrior. This grants +1 HD per 4 caster levels, Proficient martial talent progression (1 talent at every even HD), and Battle Creature x2. It qualifies for a casting tradition and a martial tradition.
Drawbacks: Same as above, but use them to purchase Capable Companion as many times as possible, gaining a bonus feats each time.
Feats: Take Technique Crafting, then spend all your other feats on learning more talents from different spheres.

So your companion now has a minimum of 11 talents (4 from martial tradition, 7 from bonus feats) even at CL 1. At CL 3 that's 13 talents. At CL 6 that's 16 talents.

Now take the Companion Techniques feat, so that you have access to all the technique options your companion does. You can either summon them once just to write down technique scripts for you, or take the Technique Crafting feat yourself (in which case your companion has room for another talent known).

You can use Extra Companion to get a larger repertoire, but you'll need to take Companion Techniques multiple times to match. With this route you'll likely be swapping out techniques from day to day, and/or teaching some to your allies.

[Joydriver]

Another option for never-summoned companions:

Archetypes: Mage, Martial Companion, Unwilling, Warrior. This grants +1 HD per 4 caster levels, Proficient martial talent progression (1 talent at every even HD), and Battle Creature x2. It qualifies for a casting tradition and a martial tradition.
Drawbacks: Same as above, but use them to purchase Capable Companion as many times as possible, gaining a bonus feats each time.
Feats: Take Technique Crafting, then spend all your other feats on learning more talents from different spheres.

So your companion now has a minimum of 11 talents (4 from martial tradition, 7 from bonus feats) even at CL 1. At CL 3 that's 13 talents. At CL 6 that's 16 talents.

Now take the Companion Techniques feat, so that you have access to all the technique options your companion does. You can either summon them once just to write down technique scripts for you, or take the Technique Crafting feat yourself (in which case your companion has room for another talent known).

You can use Extra Companion to get a larger repertoire, but you'll need to take Companion Techniques multiple times to match. With this route you'll likely be swapping out techniques from day to day, and/or teaching some to your allies.

This looks sick as hell, nice find!

[Thealtruistorc]

As the author of Otherworldly Audience, I applaud you for finding such a creative application for the talent. The idea of a companion who you never actually summon is hilarious to me. That said, there are a couple concerns with the build which are based on some ambiguous interpretations of the rules and which I should probably clear up.

The first one is using Oath Against Harm on your companion. Spheres of Origin explains how companions cannot swear oaths independently of their master, and vice versa. If one of you swears an oath, both of you are bound to its tenets.

The second issue is that Otherworldly Audience doesn't explicitly allow magic sphere effects to be created or to persist while the companion is not summoned. The intention of the ability is that the Otherworldly Audience only exists for the purpose of observing, communicating, and making skill checks. Hence, while the conjuration sphere talents would be applicable, the divination and enhancement abilities are on shakier ground in terms of the rules. The build remains potent, but not quite to the degree which you've set up here.

There is potentially a design space for allowing an Otherworldly Audience to use and benefit from magic, and I could see such an ability being made into an advanced talent if you want to utilize these kinds of options.

[Joydriver]

As the author of Otherworldly Audience, I applaud you for finding such a creative application for the talent. The idea of a companion who you never actually summon is hilarious to me. That said, there are a couple concerns with the build which are based on some ambiguous interpretations of the rules and which I should probably clear up.

The first one is using Oath Against Harm on your companion. Spheres of Origin explains how companions cannot swear oaths independently of their master, and vice versa. If one of you swears an oath, both of you are bound to its tenets.

The second issue is that Otherworldly Audience doesn't explicitly allow magic sphere effects to be created or to persist while the companion is not summoned. The intention of the ability is that the Otherworldly Audience only exists for the purpose of observing, communicating, and making skill checks. Hence, while the conjuration sphere talents would be applicable, the divination and enhancement abilities are on shakier ground in terms of the rules. The build remains potent, but not quite to the degree which you've set up here.

There is potentially a design space for allowing an Otherworldly Audience to use and benefit from magic, and I could see such an ability being made into an advanced talent if you want to utilize these kinds of options.


Hey, I (and my GM!) really appreciate you clarifying things! I'll have to re-work this for my character to be RAI-legal.

Quick question, though, would you be willing to point me to the rule for conjuration companions being bound to my Oath tenets and vice versa, and not being able to swear oaths independently? I did a quick check and the only mention I can find is conditional upon you granting the companion some of your oath boon points: "When a subordinate is granted Oath points in this way, any actions which the subordinate takes which would violate one of your Oaths counts as you violating one of your Oaths (unless you are unable to control the subordinate)."

Thanks again!

[StSword]

There is potentially a design space for allowing an Otherworldly Audience to use and benefit from magic, and I could see such an ability being made into an advanced talent if you want to utilize these kinds of options.

Considering how similar to the Binder/Radiance House Pactmaker this is, this could also be a tradition.

However I feel the need to point out that this idea of expanding Otherworldly Presence is basically the advanced talent Channel Companion (http://spheresofpower.wikidot.com/conjuration#toc90)-

"When you summon a companion, you may spend an additional spell point to have it possess your body rather than materializing in its own form. The companion possesses your body as the wraith’s passive possession or active possession class feature with an effective wraith level equal to your caster level. They may switch between active and passive possession as a swift action. This possession lasts for the duration of the summon and can be dismissed as normal. You may take actions to dismiss a companion that is possessing you even when you could not normally take actions. You may only be possessed by one creature at a time."

Active possession allows the companion to use it's mental scores, BAB, feats, "class abilities," combat and magic talents, caster level, and spell points.

[Thealtruistorc]

Quick question, though, would you be willing to point me to the rule for conjuration companions being bound to my Oath tenets and vice versa, and not being able to swear oaths independently? I did a quick check and the only mention I can find is conditional upon you granting the companion some of your oath boon points: "When a subordinate is granted Oath points in this way, any actions which the subordinate takes which would violate one of your Oaths counts as you violating one of your Oaths (unless you are unable to control the subordinate)."

Thanks again!

That section went through a few revisions, so I'm realizing that piece of info might have been lost in the edit (for which you have my apology). Similar to the mana and leadership spheres, subordinate characters such as conjuration and animal companions are not able to take oaths independently of the character who controls them. Oath points can be transferred to subordinates, but the subordinate may not benefit from any oaths it swears itself.

[Joydriver]

That section went through a few revisions, so I'm realizing that piece of info might have been lost in the edit (for which you have my apology). Similar to the mana and leadership spheres, subordinate characters such as conjuration and animal companions are not able to take oaths independently of the character who controls them. Oath points can be transferred to subordinates, but the subordinate may not benefit from any oaths it swears itself.

Got it, that makes sense. The bit that I found surprising was, say, an Oath against Harm character breaking their Oath if their companion dealt damage, or an Oath of Silence character breaking their Oath if their companion speaks, even if the points gained from those oaths didn't get transferred to it.

[thethird]

While it's not on the line of what you originally had in mind maybe you could use a companion that you don't summon a lot...
A talent gives you:
Mage/Magical Companion(Form)/Implement Bearer(Form)
From there your companion grabs a casting tradition, have it grab charged spell and bottled spells then it can prepare it's spell effects in pill form and give them to you.

Note that the companion cannot bring items from wherever it is when being summoned (other than the implement), so it will need to make the pills once summoned.

From there you can decide, what to expend your drawbacks on. Boon companion gives your companion more feats (i.e. more talents) but extra companion gives you more bodies, which ultimately translates into more pills for you.

I would focus on spheres that have buffs that are hour/lvl, or if you are high enough level are those permanent/instantaneous effects it would be nice to have but you don't want to commit dipping.

[Joydriver]

While it's not on the line of what you originally had in mind maybe you could use a companion that you don't summon a lot...
A talent gives you:
Mage/Magical Companion(Form)/Implement Bearer(Form)
From there your companion grabs a casting tradition, have it grab charged spell and bottled spells then it can prepare it's spell effects in pill form and give them to you.

Note that the companion cannot bring items from wherever it is when being summoned (other than the implement), so it will need to make the pills once summoned.

From there you can decide, what to expend your drawbacks on. Boon companion gives your companion more feats (i.e. more talents) but extra companion gives you more bodies, which ultimately translates into more pills for you.

I would focus on spheres that have buffs that are hour/lvl, or if you are high enough level are those permanent/instantaneous effects it would be nice to have but you don't want to commit dipping.

I'm afraid that doesn't work. In order for the buffs to remain in effect, the companion must remain summoned, because of this line from the "Summoning and Calling" section:

"If the companion is dismissed, dispelled, or slain, any spells or sphere effects it cast expire immediately (per the summoning descriptor)."

This is the same line that prevents me from having the companion buff itself with spells while not summoned. While it can technically cast, anything it casts simply expires immediately with no benefit.

It *can* use effects that are Instantaneous however, so a Conjuration sphere Healbot that tops off everyone's life bar in between combat is a potentially fruitful route to build on.

[Jack_Simth]

Considering how similar to the Binder/Radiance House Pactmaker this is, this could also be a tradition.

However I feel the need to point out that this idea of expanding Otherworldly Presence is basically the advanced talent Channel Companion (http://spheresofpower.wikidot.com/conjuration#toc90)-

"When you summon a companion, you may spend an additional spell point to have it possess your body rather than materializing in its own form. The companion possesses your body as the wraith’s passive possession or active possession class feature with an effective wraith level equal to your caster level. They may switch between active and passive possession as a swift action. This possession lasts for the duration of the summon and can be dismissed as normal. You may take actions to dismiss a companion that is possessing you even when you could not normally take actions. You may only be possessed by one creature at a time."

Active possession allows the companion to use it's mental scores, BAB, feats, "class abilities," combat and magic talents, caster level, and spell points.

Immunity to posession, a solid contingency for multiple status effects, and (if you build the companion that way) a decent way to keep a buff bot summon safe.

[StSword]

Immunity to posession, a solid contingency for multiple status effects, and (if you build the companion that way) a decent way to keep a buff bot summon safe.

Yeah, it's an advanced talent for a reason, cause yeah, I could see that being problematic.

It's also darn cool.

[thethird]

"If the companion is dismissed, dispelled, or slain, any spells or sphere effects it cast expire immediately (per the summoning descriptor)."


Yes that's why you are using bottled spell so the companion is no longer considered the caster.


The user is considered the creator of the spell, and can do whatever the creator can with the spell, including dismissing it, moving it (if it can be moved), or any other effect that can take place after the ability has been created. However, the charge still uses your caster level, spell DC, casting ability modifier, concentration and magical skill bonus (determined at the time of the charge’s creation).

[Ramza00]

Yes that's why you are using bottled spell so the companion is no longer considered the caster.

Do you want Cinderella, this is how you get Cinderella.

[Joydriver]

Yes that's why you are using bottled spell so the companion is no longer considered the caster.

Oh, nice, that's really clever!