Zurai
First Post
Having read some of the awesome story hours in the forums and running across several with well-played Alienists (shilsen's, Sepulchrave's, etc), I decided that, should my current character die in my Friday campaign, I was going to make one myself.
[sblock="Why I chose Archivist"]However, me being me, I just wasn't satisfied with a plain old Wizard/Alienist. I looked at the class features and one of the things that immediately jumped out at me was "+1 to existing spellcasting class". Not "+1 to existing arcane spellcasting class". So, I started thinking about ways to make an effective Divine Alienist.
The main hurdle, of course, is the -2 Wisdom penalty from Alienist 2. That would seriously damage a basic Cleric or Druid (and Druids don't get Summon Monster anyway). A Favored Soul would be possible, but losing DC, getting new levels of spells on evens instead of odds, and having a monstrously restricted spell list just didn't seem like the best possible way to present an Alienist - not to mention that it's hard to imagine any Good or Neutral deity supporting an Alienist in the way that deities obviously support Favored Souls. That'd be like having a Paladin/Alienist.
Spirit Shaman and Shugenja are similarly challenged, so I reluctantly set the idea aside for a few weeks. Then one day I saw mention of the Archivist class on the WotC CharOp boards - and instantly I was enthralled with the idea of an Archivist/Alienist.
Archivists use Wisdom still, but only for Spells Per Day, and they already get more SPD than clerics. Intelligence is their primary spellcasting stat, determining max spell level as well as DC for their spells. They act like wizards with regards to spellcasting (preparing spells from a spellbook), except that they get to scribe scrolls from any divine spellcasting class, so their potential spell list is enormous and enormously powerful. Thus, their mechanics work pretty well with the concept of an Alienist (I'd prefer to be focused solely on Int for spellcasting, but I'm OK with just getting a few fewer spells per day).
On top of that, their lore is absolutely PERFECT. Archivists are exactly what they sound like - seekers of incredibly obscure lore. What's more obscure than the Far Realms, which most people, spellcasters included, don't even know exists? They also get a class feature called "Dark Knowledge", which is like gravy on top.
[/sblock]
So, I had my basic character concept. Here's the outline I have for him at the moment:
[sblock="Current Character Stub"]
Hugin
Male Middle-Aged Grey Elf Archivist 5/Alienist 1
N Medium Humanoid (Elf)
Initiative: +0
Senses: Spot +4, Listen +4; Low-Light Vision
Languages: Common, Elven, Draconic, Auran, Infernal, Celestial, Giant
AC 14, touch 9, flat-footed 14; +5 Armor, -1 Flaw
Hit Points: 4d6+1d4+6 (6 HD)
Fortitude +5, Reflex +2, Will +9
Immune magical sleep
Speed 30’
Melee dagger -2 (1d4-2 19x2) or
Ranged light crossbow +2 (1d6 19x2)
Base Attack Bonus: +2; Grapple: -2
Spells Known:
0th – all cleric
1st – Fortify Cold Creatures, Lesser Vigor, Cure Light Wounds, Comprehend Languages, Sanctuary, Shield of Faith, Bless, Obscuring Mist, Nightshield, Summon Monster I, Winter Chill
2nd – Summon Monster II, Hold Person, Cure Moderate Wounds, Frost Breath, Mass Snake’s Swiftness, Creeping Cold, Winter’s Embrace
3rd – Summon Monster III, Dispel Magic, Mass Lesser Vigor, Invest Moderate Protection, Call Lightning, Evard’s Menacing Tentacles, Spirit Jaws
Spells Prepared: DC 16 + Spell Level, Touch Attack -2, Ranged Touch Attack +2
0th – Light, Detect Magic, Read Magic, Cure Minor Wounds
1st – Summon Monster I, Fortify Cold Creatures, Shield of Faith, Bless, Cure Light Wounds
2nd – Summon Monster II, Cure Moderate Wounds, Hold Person, Frost Breath, Mass Snake’s Swiftness
3rd – Call Lightning, Summon Monster III x2, Spirit Jaws
Abilities Str 6, Dex 10, Con 10, Int 23, Wis 16, Cha 9
Special Qualities: Dark Knowledge, Still Mind, Lore Mastery, Summon Alien
Trait: Spellgifted: Conjuration (Hugin casts all Conjuration spells at +1 caster level, but all other spells at -1 caster level)
Flaws: Noncombatant (-2 to melee attack rolls), Vulnerable (-1 AC)
Feats: Spell Focus: Conjuration, Augment Summoning, Scribe Scroll, Beckon the Frozen, Open Feat, Open Feat
Skills: Concentration +9, Decipher Script +15, Gather Information +7, Knowledge: Arcana +14, Knowledge: Dungeoneering +14, Knowledge: History +14, Knowledge: Religion +14, Knowledge: The Planes +16, Spellcraft +14
Equipment:
Periapt of Wisdom +2, Headband of Intellect +2, Cloak of Resistance +1, wand of cure light wounds (50 charges, CL 1), potion of cure light wounds (CL 1), breastplate, dagger, light crossbow, quiver w/ 20 bolts, backpack, waterskin, 5 trail rations
Dark Knowledge: 4 times per day, Hugin can draw upon his expansive knowledge of monsters, granting his allies bonuses, by making a DC15 Knowledge check based on the type of monster.
Tactics: Allies get +1 to attack rolls against creatures of the target race for 1 minute. The bonus increases to +2 if Hugin beats the DC by 10, and +3 if he beats the DC by 20.
Puissance: Allies within 60 feet of Hugin get +1 to all saving throws against the target creature’s abilities. The bonus increases to +2 if Hugin beats the DC by 10, and +3 if he beats the DC by 20.
Lore Mastery: Hugin gets a +2 bonus to all Decipher Script and Knowledge: The Planes checks.
Still Mind (Ex): Hugin gets +2 to saving throws against spells and effects from the school of enchantment.
Summon Alien: Whenever Hugin would use any Summon Monster spell to summon a celestial or fiendish creature, he instead summons a pseudonatural version of that creature. He also gives up the ability to summon non-pseudonatural creatures with a Summon Monster spell.
[/sblock]
All the cold-related spells are roleplaying-inspired; the other major offensive caster of the group I'm in is a Frost Mage (character concept, not class), and I happen to love the feat Beckon the Frozen, so I figured I'd play up the synergy.
The reason for this post? Well, there's two of them really:
1) Has anyone else played an Archivist/Alienist, and if so what was your experience with the combo?
2) Does anyone have any suggestions for the build? Any mistakes I made, suggestions for the two open feat slots (I currently am looking at Extend Spell + Improved Toughness, but they're open for a reason), suggestions for spells I need to pick up? Any suggestions for tweaks to the character are welcomed - even stats and stuff are open for alteration at the moment.
[sblock="Campaign Character Creation Rules"]
25 point buy
Replacement characters for deaths come in at party average level (currently 5 but should be 6 soon)
Full PC wealth-by-level, but no custom magic items
All WotC-labeled 3E products are permissable, except for non-Greyhawk setting-specific stuff (like Warforged, Forgotten Realms-specific PrCs, etc)
[/sblock]
[sblock="Why I chose Archivist"]However, me being me, I just wasn't satisfied with a plain old Wizard/Alienist. I looked at the class features and one of the things that immediately jumped out at me was "+1 to existing spellcasting class". Not "+1 to existing arcane spellcasting class". So, I started thinking about ways to make an effective Divine Alienist.
The main hurdle, of course, is the -2 Wisdom penalty from Alienist 2. That would seriously damage a basic Cleric or Druid (and Druids don't get Summon Monster anyway). A Favored Soul would be possible, but losing DC, getting new levels of spells on evens instead of odds, and having a monstrously restricted spell list just didn't seem like the best possible way to present an Alienist - not to mention that it's hard to imagine any Good or Neutral deity supporting an Alienist in the way that deities obviously support Favored Souls. That'd be like having a Paladin/Alienist.
Spirit Shaman and Shugenja are similarly challenged, so I reluctantly set the idea aside for a few weeks. Then one day I saw mention of the Archivist class on the WotC CharOp boards - and instantly I was enthralled with the idea of an Archivist/Alienist.
Archivists use Wisdom still, but only for Spells Per Day, and they already get more SPD than clerics. Intelligence is their primary spellcasting stat, determining max spell level as well as DC for their spells. They act like wizards with regards to spellcasting (preparing spells from a spellbook), except that they get to scribe scrolls from any divine spellcasting class, so their potential spell list is enormous and enormously powerful. Thus, their mechanics work pretty well with the concept of an Alienist (I'd prefer to be focused solely on Int for spellcasting, but I'm OK with just getting a few fewer spells per day).
On top of that, their lore is absolutely PERFECT. Archivists are exactly what they sound like - seekers of incredibly obscure lore. What's more obscure than the Far Realms, which most people, spellcasters included, don't even know exists? They also get a class feature called "Dark Knowledge", which is like gravy on top.
[/sblock]
So, I had my basic character concept. Here's the outline I have for him at the moment:
[sblock="Current Character Stub"]
Hugin
Male Middle-Aged Grey Elf Archivist 5/Alienist 1
N Medium Humanoid (Elf)
Initiative: +0
Senses: Spot +4, Listen +4; Low-Light Vision
Languages: Common, Elven, Draconic, Auran, Infernal, Celestial, Giant
AC 14, touch 9, flat-footed 14; +5 Armor, -1 Flaw
Hit Points: 4d6+1d4+6 (6 HD)
Fortitude +5, Reflex +2, Will +9
Immune magical sleep
Speed 30’
Melee dagger -2 (1d4-2 19x2) or
Ranged light crossbow +2 (1d6 19x2)
Base Attack Bonus: +2; Grapple: -2
Spells Known:
0th – all cleric
1st – Fortify Cold Creatures, Lesser Vigor, Cure Light Wounds, Comprehend Languages, Sanctuary, Shield of Faith, Bless, Obscuring Mist, Nightshield, Summon Monster I, Winter Chill
2nd – Summon Monster II, Hold Person, Cure Moderate Wounds, Frost Breath, Mass Snake’s Swiftness, Creeping Cold, Winter’s Embrace
3rd – Summon Monster III, Dispel Magic, Mass Lesser Vigor, Invest Moderate Protection, Call Lightning, Evard’s Menacing Tentacles, Spirit Jaws
Spells Prepared: DC 16 + Spell Level, Touch Attack -2, Ranged Touch Attack +2
0th – Light, Detect Magic, Read Magic, Cure Minor Wounds
1st – Summon Monster I, Fortify Cold Creatures, Shield of Faith, Bless, Cure Light Wounds
2nd – Summon Monster II, Cure Moderate Wounds, Hold Person, Frost Breath, Mass Snake’s Swiftness
3rd – Call Lightning, Summon Monster III x2, Spirit Jaws
Abilities Str 6, Dex 10, Con 10, Int 23, Wis 16, Cha 9
Special Qualities: Dark Knowledge, Still Mind, Lore Mastery, Summon Alien
Trait: Spellgifted: Conjuration (Hugin casts all Conjuration spells at +1 caster level, but all other spells at -1 caster level)
Flaws: Noncombatant (-2 to melee attack rolls), Vulnerable (-1 AC)
Feats: Spell Focus: Conjuration, Augment Summoning, Scribe Scroll, Beckon the Frozen, Open Feat, Open Feat
Skills: Concentration +9, Decipher Script +15, Gather Information +7, Knowledge: Arcana +14, Knowledge: Dungeoneering +14, Knowledge: History +14, Knowledge: Religion +14, Knowledge: The Planes +16, Spellcraft +14
Equipment:
Periapt of Wisdom +2, Headband of Intellect +2, Cloak of Resistance +1, wand of cure light wounds (50 charges, CL 1), potion of cure light wounds (CL 1), breastplate, dagger, light crossbow, quiver w/ 20 bolts, backpack, waterskin, 5 trail rations
Dark Knowledge: 4 times per day, Hugin can draw upon his expansive knowledge of monsters, granting his allies bonuses, by making a DC15 Knowledge check based on the type of monster.
Tactics: Allies get +1 to attack rolls against creatures of the target race for 1 minute. The bonus increases to +2 if Hugin beats the DC by 10, and +3 if he beats the DC by 20.
Puissance: Allies within 60 feet of Hugin get +1 to all saving throws against the target creature’s abilities. The bonus increases to +2 if Hugin beats the DC by 10, and +3 if he beats the DC by 20.
Lore Mastery: Hugin gets a +2 bonus to all Decipher Script and Knowledge: The Planes checks.
Still Mind (Ex): Hugin gets +2 to saving throws against spells and effects from the school of enchantment.
Summon Alien: Whenever Hugin would use any Summon Monster spell to summon a celestial or fiendish creature, he instead summons a pseudonatural version of that creature. He also gives up the ability to summon non-pseudonatural creatures with a Summon Monster spell.
[/sblock]
All the cold-related spells are roleplaying-inspired; the other major offensive caster of the group I'm in is a Frost Mage (character concept, not class), and I happen to love the feat Beckon the Frozen, so I figured I'd play up the synergy.
The reason for this post? Well, there's two of them really:
1) Has anyone else played an Archivist/Alienist, and if so what was your experience with the combo?
2) Does anyone have any suggestions for the build? Any mistakes I made, suggestions for the two open feat slots (I currently am looking at Extend Spell + Improved Toughness, but they're open for a reason), suggestions for spells I need to pick up? Any suggestions for tweaks to the character are welcomed - even stats and stuff are open for alteration at the moment.
[sblock="Campaign Character Creation Rules"]
25 point buy
Replacement characters for deaths come in at party average level (currently 5 but should be 6 soon)
Full PC wealth-by-level, but no custom magic items
All WotC-labeled 3E products are permissable, except for non-Greyhawk setting-specific stuff (like Warforged, Forgotten Realms-specific PrCs, etc)
[/sblock]
