Author Topic: Archivist in Pathfinder?  (Read 3780 times)

Offline Nanashi

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Archivist in Pathfinder?
« on: July 04, 2020, 02:55:38 AM »
Just to avoid the common questions for the class, let's just go with the following
(click to show/hide)

What notable lower level or non-fullcaster exclusive spells are worth grabbing in PF as an archivist?


Offline Power

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Re: Archivist in Pathfinder?
« Reply #1 on: July 05, 2020, 05:03:23 AM »
Alter Summoned Monster, but it's a broken spell.
Arcane Concordance (if we're using Filidh Bard to make divine spells out of Bard list, but the spell isn't exactly useful for divine casters)
Blessing of Fervor
Shared Training (if you are doing special things with teamwork feats - Bonded Mind with Share Spells comes to mind)
Paragon Surge (Self-Realization subdomain of Strength/Liberation always matches spell to caster's race)

This would be entirely too rare to get as a divine scroll under normal circumstances, but Alchemical Allocation (the Antiquarian Investigator archetype makes the alchemist list available as arcane spells, opening them up to cross-spell list stunts) would be a powerful addition.

If you're looking to make the Archivist crazier, consider prestiging into Loremaster for a single level and taking the Secret of Magical Discipline feat, at which point you can make your own divine scrolls of any spell you want. Provided that you have a +7 int modifier, you can get the Secret of Magical Discipline feat as your level 1 secret. Pathfinder prestige classes sure are balanced.
« Last Edit: July 05, 2020, 06:31:38 AM by Power »

Offline Nanashi

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Re: Archivist in Pathfinder?
« Reply #2 on: July 05, 2020, 11:09:48 PM »
Self-Realization version of Paragon surge is a nice one.

Secret of Magical Discipline really is absurd for crafting even without forward-porting Archivist.

Offline Power

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Re: Archivist in Pathfinder?
« Reply #3 on: July 07, 2020, 06:24:01 AM »
Secret of Magical Discipline is absurd, period. PF crafting rules let you skip crafting prerequisites by adding a +4 to DC for each prerequisite skipped anyway, so you don't need to know the spells unless you are creating things like wands/staves/scrolls/potions.

Balanced Scale of Abadar (use Prestigious Spellcaster feat to cover the dead level) can also be used to gain divine scrolls of any spell once per week, but it doesn't last long enough to scribe into your spellbook normally, not even with a Cypher Magic feat.

Here are some more spells worth nabbing for an archivist:
Blood Transcription
Share Shape (You can use Exotic Heritage -> Eldritch Heritage (Sylvan), Animal Ally, and Eldritch Heritage (Arcane), or Familiar Bond - Improved Familiar Bond gives full familiar features - in order to gain animal companions or familiar, and help yourself to hours/lvl duration Beast Shape II)
Entangle
Create Pit (Caves subdomain of Earth domain provides)

And depending on how you read this, this feat would allow you to transcribe spells from spellbooks into prayerbooks: Ritualistic Preparation.

If you're going to use Paragon Surge, you should probably take the Emergency Attunement feat so you can swap all the associated choices instead of being stuck for the day. Also, FYI, the Self-Realization subdomain is an Apocrypha subdomain and as such requires the Acolyte of Apocrypha faith trait to be available.
« Last Edit: July 07, 2020, 06:49:15 AM by Power »

Offline Nanashi

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Re: Archivist in Pathfinder?
« Reply #4 on: July 08, 2020, 01:23:19 AM »
I thought you still needed the spell to craft scrolls and some other stuff. It's a good feat in general though.

Blood Transcription on Archivist is... weird. RAW, there is no "Archivist spell list".
Quote
An archivist casts divine spells, drawn primarily from the cleric spell list although he can eventually uncover, learn, and prepare noncleric divine spells spells.
Of course, if we go down that road, Blood Transcription doesn't do anything on an Alchemist since they have a "formulae list" and not a "spell list". The bigger issue is that the only divine caster that knows spells are Oracle and Hunter, but this would allow learning Oracle only stuff (from mysteries, curses ect.) if you kill one (because living casters aren't giving up a pint of blood).

Create Pit is a good take from that subdomain.

Few other finds from checking up to Magic (didn't check every spell, just ones that stuck out as reduced or not normally open to divine casters):
Limited Wish via construct subdomain. Mage’s magnificent mansion via Industry. 1st level Hideous Laughter via Whimsy. Shadow Conjuration, Shadow Walk, and Greater Shadow Evocation via Darkness. Wall of Iron via Metal subdomain. Pyrotechnics via smoke subdomain. Remove Disease @ level 2 via restoration subdomain. Permancy via Rites subdomain. Arcane eye via Arcane subdomain.
« Last Edit: July 08, 2020, 02:49:38 AM by Nanashi »

Offline Power

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Re: Archivist in Pathfinder?
« Reply #5 on: July 08, 2020, 07:17:56 AM »
All Wizard illusion spells are available to all spellcasting classes through the Veiled Illusionist prestige class. This PrC only allows you to add 10 Wizard illusion spells to your spell list, but that's enough.

Filidh Bard and Reliquarian Occultist make all their respective class spells available as divine spells, btw. Shaman class makes the entire Wizard list available as divine spells through the Arcane Enlightenment hex of the Lore spirit (Wandering spirit means that every Shaman can do this, on demand, unless their int sucks). You can also get Wall of Stone as a 4th level spell from the Stone spirit, which is pretty good stuff. In addition if they are Shabti race Shamans (or Oracles), they can add psychic spells to their spell list as their favored class bonus. Honestly, why play an Archivist when you can just play a Shaman and dip a level of Loremaster.

Don't underestimate the Void domain for adding flight spells and planar binding spells to your spell list. The Isolation subdomain even gives you Wall of Force and Prismatic Wall. That said Shamans making divine scrolls of all Wizard spells should be a thing since every Shaman can use Arcane Enlightenment through their Wandering Hex.
« Last Edit: March 02, 2022, 04:34:07 PM by Power »

Offline Nanashi

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Re: Archivist in Pathfinder?
« Reply #6 on: July 09, 2020, 09:34:57 PM »
I keep forgetting Shaman is dependent upon being MAD as hell to poach spells from the wizard list at will. Class would be truenamer tier if the design standards were applied to anything other than a (full) caster. For the sake of sanity (it makes Archivist's spelllist wizard+), we can ignore that for archivist.

Shaman does get Fly and Overland Flight inately, so those aren't too important. (Lesser) Planar Binding is a must grab though.

Offline Power

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Re: Archivist in Pathfinder?
« Reply #7 on: July 10, 2020, 05:06:39 AM »
Strictly speaking Shaman can dump charisma negative and still poach a single Wizard spell per day, as long as he has positive int. It's just more rewarding to have positive cha since you can get more than one spell per day this way. Another way to gain access to all Wizard spells as Divine spells is a Shaman, Cleric, or Druid with the Dreamed Secrets feat. Oracles have everything from Dreamed Secrets to Ancient Lorekeeper archetype to Arcane Archivist revelation from the Lore mystery to the Spirit Guide archetype using Arcane Enlightenment as Shamans do (to get around the FAQ saying "Oracles have no ability to prepare spells" just get the Versatile Spontaneity feat and Magical Epiphany feats) and probably some other stuff I missed, including ordinary mystery spells.

By the way, with the Quick Preparation feat, it should be possible to use Balanced Scale of Abadar to give yourself prayerbooks once per week and quickly prepare the spells on them if you're doing partial spell preparation, but you'll need to advance Balanced Scale beyond max level with the Evangelist prestige class. Abadar's Evangelist boons aren't very impressive though (aside from the Glibness SLA, that is), and this trick only comes live at level 13 (plus you get a dead level from Evangelist).

An easier trick would probably be to just prestige into Daivrat and use Prestigious Spellcaster to fix the level penalty while either scribing your own scrolls of anything you want to keep or transcribing those spells into your prayer book, if possible. Loremaster is still the best way to go on the PrC front, however.
« Last Edit: July 10, 2020, 05:24:24 AM by Power »