Looking for PFS archaeologist advice


Advice

Sovereign Court RPG Superstar 2009 Top 32, 2010 Top 8

Alright, recently I ran <redacted> and on the chronicle sheet was the infamous Sihedron medallion. So I started plotting on a new character with high saves so the +1 resistance bonus will be nice, but I get the cloak slot free.

I'm thinking nothing overly amazing with crits, dex build with piranha strike. I've three thoughts.

1) Good old fashioned half-elf. Swap out skill focus for ancestral arms wakazashi. Pros: Least feat intensive, wakazashi is respectable until weapon finesse/piranha strike comes online at level 4* Great Fortitude at 5th is viable. Cons: No darkvision, potentially favored enemy bait.

2) Aasimar: Yeah, I know cheesy, but +2 to stats, spell like ability, and actually more importantly truespeaker, what's an archaeologist without languages. "I speak 37 languages Jack. Pick one." Downside. Well stuck with the bard weapon profs unless I want to burn a precious feat. Also outsiders are pretty dangerous in season 5 with all the blights, hammers and dictums flying 'round.

3) Tiefling. Pros: bite and tail add flexibility, and of course the darkvision. Can ignore magical darkness with the right feats. Cons: Did I mention feats? Easily the most feat hungry of the options.

Thoughts anyone?


As an Archaeologist, Half Elf and Aasimar are the best options for their favored class options. Half Elves can get more rounds of luck, which is valuable, since Archaeologists are normally stuck at 3+ Cha rounds per day. Aasimar can get you more powerful bonuses faster, +4 by level 12 IIRC (normally +4 comes at level 17).

Make sure you take Lingering Perfomance and the Fate's Favored trait, pretty much required for any Archaeologist.


Well, rounds per day are not that bad as long as you grab lingering performance. Since the luck ability counts for performance related feats and effects, it allows you to essentially triple your rounds per day (...as long as you spend them in multiples of 3). With just a modest CHA of 14, you get 3(4+2)=18. Enough that you can pop one set at the beginning of each fight, and maybe an extra one in round 4 if it is really needed.

Anyway, is the wakizashi really that much better than a rapier? I know that slashing is better than piercing, but are there that many monsters in PFS that make a disctinction?

Personally, I would go for the Elven Curved Blade instead. Two handing while using finesse, and thus getting 1.5x power attack? Yes please.

Sovereign Court

Half-orcs get the same FCB as half-elves get, plus they can get sacred tattoo, which gives a +1 luck bonus to saves...and more synergy with the fate's favored trait.

Tengu are potentially the best linguists in the game, and swordtrained to boot. If you're going all-dex and don't mind spending a little for the agile enhancement you can rock a two-handed elven curve blade -- two levels of ranger or 3 points in your str and you can get power attack.


Black Feather wrote:

Half-orcs get the same FCB as half-elves get, plus they can get sacred tattoo, which gives a +1 luck bonus to saves...and more synergy with the fate's favored trait.

Tengu are potentially the best linguists in the game, and swordtrained to boot. If you're going all-dex and don't mind spending a little for the agile enhancement you can rock a two-handed elven curve blade -- two levels of ranger or 3 points in your str and you can get power attack.

But the bonuses from the sacred tattoo are kind of lost on the archaeologist, since I am fairly sure they don't stack. I mean, it improves your saves going into a fight, sure, but it only matches the bonuses at the beginning.

Sovereign Court

Yeah, 1/2 orc tattoo only matters if you're going into a lot of traps or surprise encounters where your luck ability might not be up yet...

Tengu gives you blades (or claws) and a bite and better linguistics; Aasimar gives you a little better stats and resistances (and you're not humanoid unless you take scion of humanity) and the second-best FCB for a PFS archeologist (IMO). Half-elf / half-orc gives you a better FCB (IMO) and possibly weapon proficiencies (depending on your build). Tiefling you get claws / tail, resistances, and a feat for the best NA bonus in PFS (and you're not a humanoid).
_______

If you don't mind being a little more "well-rounded", a half-elf with Flagbearer, the banner of ancient kings, and a courageous Fauchard might be an interesting character to play -- you could build around area control and crits as well as being the skill / spot monkey.


This screams whip to me. Which is fortunate since whips won't require a proficiency feat in addition to all the other feats they do require.

Tengu is also a thing. Choose your own eastern light weapon proficiencies.

Sovereign Court RPG Superstar 2009 Top 32, 2010 Top 8

lemeres wrote:

Anyway, is the wakizashi really that much better than a rapier? I know that slashing is better than piercing, but are there that many monsters in PFS that make a disctinction?

Personally, I would go for the Elven Curved Blade instead. Two handing while using finesse, and thus getting 1.5x power attack? Yes please.

Last I checked, rapier won't work with piranha strike, but wakazashi and short sword/gladius will :-)


Matthew Morris wrote:
lemeres wrote:

Anyway, is the wakizashi really that much better than a rapier? I know that slashing is better than piercing, but are there that many monsters in PFS that make a disctinction?

Personally, I would go for the Elven Curved Blade instead. Two handing while using finesse, and thus getting 1.5x power attack? Yes please.

Last I checked, rapier won't work with piranha strike, but wakazashi and short sword/gladius will :-)

..is it really that hard to spend the 3 points on strength? I'm sorry, but I just never got the entire attraction of dumping strength.

Sovereign Court RPG Superstar 2009 Top 32, 2010 Top 8

I'm actually looking at strength 13, but already looking and buffing two stats (Dex and Cha) for casting and AC, rather not buff 3.

Community / Forums / Pathfinder / Pathfinder First Edition / Advice / Looking for PFS archaeologist advice All Messageboards

Want to post a reply? Sign in.
Recent threads in Advice