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View Full Version : A lil' help with Archivists spells



XiaoTie
2007-12-07, 05:04 PM
Heya everyone, I was creating a halfling Archivist (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ex/20051007a&page=3) for a future game (actually a Rogue//Archivist on a gestalt campaign), and I was wondering if you guys could help me out on which spells to select.

Here is the important info that I think you guys would want to know:

-Archivists use divine magic, the ones he gets from leveling have to be taken out of the Cleric spell list; but if I understood correctly he can learn other divine spells that are not from the Cleric spell list.
-Level 5
-INT 17; WIS 16
-I'm aimming to be more of a buffer than a healer, but healing is good too
-I'm not sure if the world is heavy on undeads, but it probably isn't
-It is veeery likely that it is going to be (somewhat) heavy on creatures that are weak to Cold Iron
-No idea what the rest of the party is. Heck I'm not even sure I'll get to be on the party (PbP here)


Well, that is pretty much it. Halp ? :smalltongue:

Oh yeah, I forgot to say that this is my first spellcaster character, so be gentle.

Overlard
2007-12-07, 06:36 PM
I'm not going to give you a spell list, but:

The Archivist Handbook (http://forums.gleemax.com/showthread.php?t=902149)
Lowest level versions of spells (http://forums.gleemax.com/showthread.php?t=515321)
Archivist spells to drool over (http://forums.gleemax.com/showthread.php?t=812050)

Remember just how versatile your spell list is. You can get every single cleric spell, domain spell, the druid list, adept spells, paladin, blackguard, ranger, shugenja spells (or shujenga, I forget) and every PrC with its own divine spell list. You get to scour it for the lowest level versions of every spell (lesser restoration as a 1st level spell? Thanks paladin!) and improved versions (want to identify a load of stuff, but don't have the pearls? Knowledge domain gives it as a second level spell with no material component. If you've got pearls to burn and have a whole pile of unknown magic items, then fill your first level slots with the identify from the Oracle domain too).

XiaoTie
2007-12-07, 06:39 PM
I'm not going to give you a spell list, but:

The Archivist Handbook (http://forums.gleemax.com/showthread.php?t=902149)
Lowest level versions of spells (http://forums.gleemax.com/showthread.php?t=515321)
Archivist spells to drool over (http://forums.gleemax.com/showthread.php?t=812050)

Remember just how versatile your spell list is. You can get every single cleric spell, domain spell, the druid list, adept spells, paladin, blackguard, ranger, shugenja spells (or shujenga, I forget) and every PrC with its own divine spell list. You get to scour it for the lowest level versions of every spell (lesser restoration as a 1st level spell? Thanks paladin!) and improved versions (want to identify a load of stuff, but don't have the pearls? Knowledge domain gives it as a second level spell with no material component. If you've got pearls to burn and have a whole pile of unknown magic items, then fill your first level slots with the identify from the Oracle domain too).

Whoa! Thank you very much sir, you helped in colossal ways.

greenknight
2007-12-07, 07:24 PM
want to identify a load of stuff, but don't have the pearls? Knowledge domain gives it as a second level spell with no material component. If you've got pearls to burn and have a whole pile of unknown magic items, then fill your first level slots with the identify from the Oracle domain too.

The Cloistered Cleric (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/variantCharacterClasses.htm#clericVariantCloistere dCleric) has Identify as a 1st level spell without needing a material component.

SilverClawShift
2007-12-07, 07:44 PM
You can get every single cleric spell, domain spell

Very true.

But it makes me want to at least mention my DMs rule-as-stands on that. If we play archivists, the DM makes us pick a deity, or a handful of domains central to an ideal.
We can only learn domain spells for those domains. It still picks up the clerics spell list and smacks it around and takes its lunch money, but at least it means archivists can't get dozens and dozens of arcane spells by scouring enough domains.

Chronos
2007-12-07, 08:11 PM
Point of advice: If the Archivist doesn't get it automatically, pick up Scribe Scroll. Many of the divine caster classes you'll want to learn spells from are unlikely to have it, so wouldn't be able to scribe scrolls for you on their own. But multiple characters are allowed to collaboratively create magic items, with each providing some of the prereqs, so if you have the feat, you can walk the other caster through the steps of creating a scroll for you.

The power of the Archivist depends vastly upon your DM. You can get whatever you want off of the cleric list easily enough, but your access to other spells depends highly on what classes your DM lets you encounter. In the extreme case, if there's a wizard/Mystic Theurge somewhere in your world with the Alternative Spell Source feat (and he's cooperative), you could in principle learn the entire wizard list. And if there are enough other Archivists in the world, you can learn obscure or hard-to-find spells from them, without having to track down the original casters yourself. If, on the other hand, divine casters other than clerics are rare, and the druids and adepts of the world can't be convinced to help you, you don't really have much going for you compared to a cleric.

XiaoTie
2007-12-07, 08:45 PM
Very true.

But it makes me want to at least mention my DMs rule-as-stands on that. If we play archivists, the DM makes us pick a deity, or a handful of domains central to an ideal.
We can only learn domain spells for those domains. It still picks up the clerics spell list and smacks it around and takes its lunch money, but at least it means archivists can't get dozens and dozens of arcane spells by scouring enough domains.

First inspiration I had to create an Archivist came from the guy that made holy water rain from the sky :smalltongue: , not that I wanted to do that, but he sounded really cool, much like all the game seemed to be.

I agree with the Deity/Ideal selection. Other than knowledge, which other domains you guys think that would fit a character that sees conspiracies everywhere ?

Overlard
2007-12-07, 10:00 PM
I agree with the Deity/Ideal selection. Other than knowledge, which other domains you guys think that would fit a character that sees conspiracies everywhere ?
Hmm, I'd see the archivist as using weapons of the enemy against them, as well as the more obvious ones, so I'd say...

Chaos, Charm, Darkness, Death, Destruction, Domination, Envy, Evil, Fate, Glory, Good, Greed, Hatred, Illusion, Inquisition (duh), Knowledge, Law, Lust, Mind, Oracle, Planning, Protection, Purification, Retribution, Sloth, Spell, Suffering, Trickery, Tyranny & Wrath.

StickMan
2007-12-07, 10:56 PM
XiaoTie's DM is scared of the things you are teaching him. Note there are no magic items in the world so scribe scroll is out. Also he is going to be playing on quite a limited budget.

Also its a world filled with demons so I should correct you on one point, there will be some undead, not loads but its not like demon lords have issue with razing Zombies.

tyckspoon
2007-12-07, 11:07 PM
XiaoTie's DM is scared of the things you are teaching him. Note there are no magic items in the world so scribe scroll is out. Also he is going to be playing on quite a limited budget.

Also its a world filled with demons so I should correct you on one point, there will be some undead, not loads but its not like demon lords have issue with razing Zombies.

If there are no magic items of any kind, then don't worry about the Archivist (do worry about the fighters and other non-casters. I hope you're giving them something nice.) The only spells it can acquire natively are from the standard Clerical list and it learns those like a Wizard, so without researching new spells the Archivist won't even get access to the full list. Archivist brokenness is predicated on acquiring scrolls of the most favorable version of a spell.

StickMan
2007-12-07, 11:15 PM
If there are no magic items of any kind, then don't worry about the Archivist (do worry about the fighters and other non-casters. I hope you're giving them something nice.) The only spells it can acquire natively are from the standard Clerical list and it learns those like a Wizard, so without researching new spells the Archivist won't even get access to the full list. Archivist brokenness is predicated on acquiring scrolls of the most favorable version of a spell.

Crud your right I forgot that Archivist is dependent on scrolls, I'll have to come up with something to help him out a bit.

Arbitrarity
2007-12-08, 12:24 AM
You can put things in which he can learn from which aren't "scrolls" per se, just ancient inscriptions, tablets, etc. I recommend checking with DM any spells not on Cleric list you plan to start with, as that is one of the few ways to limit the archivist.

XiaoTie
2007-12-08, 11:44 AM
You can put things in which he can learn from which aren't "scrolls" per se, just ancient inscriptions, tablets, etc. I recommend checking with DM any spells not on Cleric list you plan to start with, as that is one of the few ways to limit the archivist.

That not only is helpful, it is also reaaaaaaaaaaally cool according to the "fluff" of the class. It is even cool to the fluff of the character himself: a rogue type of archivist that relied on his skills to enter on old temples and ruins of all kinds in search of the ancient inscriptions and tablets, in order to fight the demons' minions.

Chronos
2007-12-08, 02:18 PM
In that case, not advice on spells per se, but make sure that you add a bullwhip and a fedora to the character's equipment list.

XiaoTie
2007-12-08, 02:25 PM
In that case, not advice on spells per se, but make sure that you add a bullwhip and a fedora to the character's equipment list.

How about a little asian'ish kid as some sort of helper, and his father as a semi-senile'ish plain Archivist (instead of rogue too) speaking with a scottish accent ?

greenknight
2007-12-08, 05:48 PM
How about a little asian'ish kid as some sort of helper, and his father as a semi-senile'ish plain Archivist (instead of rogue too) speaking with a scottish accent ?

Only do that if you want to be running away from a boulder trap during your first adventure, and then face a native army if you manage to escape it.

Zenos
2007-12-08, 05:53 PM
I remember reading in Army of Commoners about an archivist using bless water to make the clouds rain holy water :smallbiggrin:

pinkbunny
2007-12-08, 05:57 PM
no magic items in the world? and you're throwing a bone to the full caster? What do the poor melee classes get?