“BLOW THEM TO SMITHEREENS!”
A.K.A.
“There WAS a Boss.”
A Guide to the Master Blaster Caster
Everybody thinks that blasters are a fairly weak and suboptimal choice compared to what a full caster can normally do, but not everybody wants to play God, and plus a lot of the omnipotent spells are still available for you to use when the time requires it. So, to a point, they’re right.
But I mean, it is a little boring to pick all of the most overpowered options, and a lot of players don’t appreciate you doing so and hogging the limelight. So, why not take some of the 'not-so-great' options and make them into some of the most powerful options in the game instead? Well, that's exactly what we're doing here.
Keep in mind that this requires some basic understanding of the subjects I'm talking about, so if you aren't particularly familiar with them, I'd suggest you look them up and read for yourself so you get an idea as to how these things interact with each other. Now, let's start the guide.
There are two major flaws to a Blaster, and that is their ability to remain constant, as well as relevant in all fights due to resistances/immunities that creatures possess. The first is overcome by optimizing your damage and spells per day (so that you are reducing the amount of spells required to take down bad guys, as well as having more to use on other enemies), the second is overcome by selecting certain versatility options (such as the Elemental Spell metamagic feat, or a rod of it, picking up Spell Penetration feats, etc).
So, with the two primary flaws spelled out for us (see what I did there?), who makes a strong blaster?
People would argue Wizards, because of their fast-as-possible spell progression and being the strongest MAD caster there is; with Evocation specialization (most specifically the Admixture school), you will be relevant in most nearly every fight with your ability to transmute your elemental damage to other forms of elemental damage; with optimized attributes and spellcasting, your longevity will more than hold out. They’ll also have more skill points for Knowledges, so you’ll know what enemies are vulnerable to which element the most. The downside here is that you’ll have two opposed schools (of your choice, thankfully; they aren’t pre-determined as they were in previous editions), which will make your spell choice viability more limited, as it costs double the slots to cast spells from these opposed schools.
Others say that Sorcerers are better, as with the Orc and/or Draconic Bloodline, you can add more flat damage based on the damage dice being used; they use a slightly slower progression, but can be more constant due to having more spells per day, and a really optimized blaster doesn’t need as many spells in their list, since the Pathfinder chassis rewards specialization into a single option. Sure, you don’t have as much versatility as a Wizard, but you’ll have more flexibility, and your lack of versatility can be mostly covered with Scrolls and Wands. (Rods are better, but one issue at a time.) The big issue here is lacking the ability to deal with enemies that are resistant or immune to your spell of choice, and that can really kill your usefulness in combats.
That's right; you can have the benefits of both the Evocation/Admixture school (the sole ability of being relevant for nearly all combats), a Spellbook with spells scribed, as well as the ability to know/memorize spells to cast infinitely, all with a single archetyped class: The Blood Arcanist.
This archetyped spellcasting class primarily uses Intelligence for your spellcasting, and Charisma for your secondary class features (which are relevant for pumping your damage as high as possible). You'll also have access to the Bloodline Arcana, and the relevant Bloodline Powers, making the Orc Bloodline the obvious choice (as the +1 damage per dice is the most powerful Bloodline Arcana there is for a Master Blaster Caster).
There are the Draconic and Elemental Bloodlines, which are similar, but you really only get one (sans archetype), and dipping a single level in Sorcerer usually isn’t worth delaying or reducing your spellcasting even further, even if you can get both Bloodlines, as their benefits are situational (and depending on the encounter, may not even be applicable).
Although you'll be using the Sorcerer spell progression, meaning you won’t get 3rd level spells until 6th level (which is when you’d truly shine), it's not the end of the world, because you're still a Full 9-level Spellcaster at the end of the day, and your early level power isn’t so bad. So you’re better off than most other classes in the game, simply because you’re a Full 9-level Spellcaster.
So now that we've established what class makes for the best blaster, what about the race?
As I've said previously, the Blood Arcanist requires Intelligence and Charisma, so a race which improves both of those attributes is perfect. The only race which does so (and without an attribute penalty, no less), is the Peri-Blooded Aasimar, a fairly obscure Aasimar variant race from the Blood of Angels Pathfinder Player Companion, granting +2 Charisma and +2 Intelligence, with the Pyrotechnics SLA.
If your GM is in a giving mood, he’ll let you play this race, and you can ask him to replace the crappy Pyrotechnics SLA with an extra +2 Intelligence (or +2 Charisma, even some other decent benefit), but I wouldn't hold my breath if he says no. Even so, Pyrotechnics can serve to give you a last-resort escape route in case you’re in over your head, so it’s not a really big deal if you can’t change it.
If you need access to Human-specific subjects (such as the Flame Arc spell for while you're leveling), the Scion of Humanity racial trait is there to help you access it, though it's not absolutely necessary if you’re willing to grin and bear using the lower and inferior Burning Hands spell. It’s also relevant for targeting yourself with certain buff spells, so I’d personally suggest taking it, depending on what build type you’re going for. (More on that later.)
This is sort of beating a dead horse, but again, Intelligence is your primary focus, Charisma is your secondary focus. Ingrain that into your head, because this will not change (unless the developers are high on acid and think a new edition where Strength-based casting is a smart idea. Pray that they aren’t). Now, depending on your build, Dexterity would be a worthwhile investment, since this would boost your ranged to-hit as well as your Initiative, though I would not sacrifice Charisma or Intelligence to do so. Some builds may not even need Dexterity, at which point you can probably dump it to improve your Charisma further, or to try and cut out any dump stats you have. Everything else is practically irrelevant.
With that being said, let's assume a 20 point buy and that you are using the Peri-Blooded Aasimar race. Your attribute allocation should be as follows:
If your GM is generous, as above, you could get an 18 Charisma, or even a 22 Intelligence, which is practically unheard of, but if you can't (for obvious ‘gamebreaking’ reasons), it won't absolutely kill your build.
Always, always, ALWAYS take your level-up attributes and any other form of attribute increases and stick it into your Intelligence. This gives you more spells (which makes you more constant), and makes your spells more difficult to deal with.
Attribute increases to Charisma are also welcome, but never supersede it above Intelligence if given the option; this is true for all subjects, and that includes level-up attribute boosts.
Your carrying capacity, as usual, will bite. So unless you’re willing to create a constant Ant Haul spell, and/or you have anything absolutely heavy you need to carry with you, put it on your party’s Big Stupid Fighter (BSF).
But, since with this character, you should only need a few Metamagic Rods (which are maybe 5 pounds each?), some Scrolls, a bunch of Wondrous Items which weigh jack-all, and maybe a Bag of Holding/Handy Haversack to stash all of these things, you shouldn't have any weight issues.
Keep in mind that not all tables use 20 Point Buy, or allow the Peri-Blooded Aasimar race variant, so just stick to the above attribute allocation as best you can, with a race that can increase Intelligence or Charisma (and Dexterity, if applicable, like the Elf race), and you will succeed.
If the title wasn't an obvious-enough hint, there are two manners with which to build a "Master Blaster Caster."
The most common way is through specializing in Area of Effect Spells, such as Fireball/Delayed Blast Fireball. The other, less common (but just as powerful) way is through specializing in Single Target Spells, such as Battering Blast. Both are strong and have their merits over the other, but it is important to establish what manner of attack you're planning, and that once it's established, that you don't change it. The choices you make upon character creation will dictate what path you have chosen, and you can’t go back to change it.
Specializing in Area of Effect Spells, such as Fireball/Delayed Blast Fireball, is extremely great for destroying minor to moderate enemies in a large radius, usually after a spellcast or two. This is not as effective against extremely strong enemies, AKA Boss enemies, as the damage of a Fireball is spread to all enemies within a given area, and not concentrated on one given foe as you would expect with Single Target specialization.
There's also the factor that you may affect allies with these blasts, and specializing in them will significantly hurt any ally who is in the blast radius (assuming they even survive), but if you need to get rid of a bunch of trash/grunt enemies for your BSF to go up and take care of the Boss enemy, Area of Effect specialization is the way to go.
Single-target specialization with Battering Blast is perhaps the most potent one-shotting capability a Blaster may possess. It is extremely great for taking any given enemy that you may come across, and killing it with a spellcast or two, tops. There is little to nothing an enemy can do about the damage or spellcasting, short of casting an 8th or 9th level spell to try and stop you, and even then you can counter with the same mannerisms, as you too, are a full progression spellcaster.
The biggest downsides to this are that you will have to expend significantly more resources when dealing with a lot of enemies compared to Area of Effect specialization, but does handle resistance/immunities significantly better, being Force damage and all. The other big problem is that it requires Touch Attacks to affect the target; if they're giant creatures, this isn't much of an issue. If they're smaller, more fine creatures, then anything which boosts your to-hit will be intrinsically valuable to you, since your ability to damage them will be based on your bonuses to hit and their Touch AC. Also, being able to hit them before your melee party members move up and get in your way will make your ability to hit much better.
Enemies with high Touch AC won't be easy to kill, which is where any added investment into your Dexterity will come in, as that is bonuses to hit. Anything else which gives bonuses to hit (such as the Heroism spell, or even Greater Heroism if you really need the boost) will be very important to cast on yourself to ensure your ability to fully affect your target.
Of course, there are other spells to utilize with each build type, but most of them aren’t 3rd level (which is relevant for certain character traits), or aren’t as strong as what I’ve suggested. That isn’t to say that specializing in them isn’t bad, but it won’t be as effective in comparison, either.
This deserves its own section, as this is key for being nearly as constant as any Martial character, and helps explain some of the mechanics of the build. This is also something that certain players may or may not be aware of when building a specialized spellcaster (such as a Master Blaster Caster), and is important that they know this, so as to be aware of their longevity and power conservation.
When the times comes for you to take Spell Perfection for your chosen spell (15th level), your spell slot flexibility increases significantly. Let's take an Empowered Intensified Maximized Fireball for a moment as an example of how Spell Perfection allows you to manipulate your spell slots to suit your constant blasting needs.
Normally, this is a 9th level spell when all of the Metamagic feats are applied. However, with the application of Spell Perfection (Fireball), this allows us to take one of the Metamagic Feats that we have applied to the spell, and removes its cost entirely, while still applying its effects. In this example, that spell can now cost either a 6th, 7th, 8th, or even 9th level spell slot (as you can choose to not reduce the spell slot cost if you don't need to). A spell that would normally be able to be cast as little as twice or three times per day, can now be cast 4 or 5 times that amount each day.
There are also your character traits, which reduce the spell slot required to cast it by 1, or even 2 (depending on your character choices), which lets you use your lower level spell slots for something as great as this, and synergizes almost flawlessly with Spell Perfection.
The level of flexibility and constant-ness that Spell Perfection grants you is practically unheard of, and is a major selling point to this sort of Blaster build towards the endgame.
With the Blood Arcanist archetype limiting your Exploits, this means that you don't possess that many Arcanist Exploits, and don't pick any up until 5th; but that's okay, you don't need a whole lot of them anyway, and 5th level, when you get your first Exploit, is about when you absolutely need them.
Anyway, here's your most-likely projected Arcanist Exploit path:
Free: Strengthen Magic (+1 CL or +1 Save DC)
5th. School Understanding (Admixture)
7th. Metamagic Knowledge (Empower Spell)
11th. Greater Metamagic Knowledge (Dazing Spell, Heighten Spell, ?)
13th. Potent Magic
17th. Dimensional Slide
19th. Metamixing
Strengthen Magic is the base benefit of using your Arcane Reservoir ability, increasing the CL or Save DC of the spell by +1, and is a great and necessary boost for your early-game potential; Potent Magic is great for doubling these benefits, and definitely worth the exploit, regardless of your build type.
Otherwise, you'll be taking some defensive stuff, like Dimensional Slide, and some utility, like Metamixing, which allows you to apply Metamagic feats without increasing the casting time, or requiring you to have that specific Metamagic combined spell memorized; certainly worth it, in my opinion, since this basically saves you a feat for other, more important things.
School Understanding (Admixture) is the most prevalent one to take of your Exploits, especially if you are going for Area of Effect specialization, as it grants you the flexibility needed to deal with resistances/immunities, and exploits an enemy's vulnerabilities as well; this can be done for a number of spells equal to 3 + your Charisma each day (which is why Charisma is your secondary attribute). Spending Arcane Points allows you to add half your Arcanist level to the damage dice done of your staple blasting spells (and is essentially precision damage, as it can't be increased in any way, including an Empower or Maximize feat) for a number of rounds equal to your Charisma modifier, which can be really helpful by the endgame in pumping out as much damage as possible.
If you are going to increase damage in this manner, picking up a Corset of Delicate Moves item will allow you to apply this while casting two spells in the same round, as activating this damage boost is a Swift Action. It’s good for pre-buffing, as your Charisma will be fairly high.
If you are going the Single Target route, you may go ahead and either remove this entirely for another option of your choosing (as anything which defends or negates Force effects is practically non-existent), or delay it for later down the road. It’s also not particularly as helpful in comparison to Area of Effect specialization, considering Battering Blast’s mechanics, and not for the 5 or so attacks you’ll be unleashing.
After that, you'll want to specialize in Metamagic feats, as these will greatly increase your blasting capabilities. The Metamagic Knowledge Exploit gives you a free Metamagic feat, which will be very important to you. It’s great, but the Greater Metamagic Knowledge Exploit gives you a free flexible Metamagic feat, which is perhaps the best universal Exploit you can hope for; the most prevalent Metamagic feat you'd want to pick with this is Dazing Spell, where you can make any enemy affected by your blast become Dazed for a few rounds, assuming they fail the saving throw, giving you (and your allies) time to put some real hurt on them (or to escape); otherwise go with Heighten Spell to pump your Save DCs, and give you even further spell slot flexibility.
I know Quick Study is great for spell versatility, but truth be told, since you will only really be focusing on a single spell for about 90% of your adventuring career, the versatility needed can be easily covered with Metamixing (which allows you to apply other Metamagic feats when you cast your favored spell), Scrolls, and your standard spells memorized (such as with Wish, Spellbane, Mage's Disjunction, Anti-Magic Field, etc). If you wish to take it, then by all means, but I don’t personally recommend it since your optimization in universal blasting will reduce the actual need for spell flexibility for different spell types.
When it comes to building your Feat Chain/Trait Selection, it does vary (at least slightly) based on your specialization, whether it's Area of Effect (Fireball/Delayed Blast Fireball), or Single Target (Battering Blast).
For simplicity purposes, I'll try to keep the feat chain/trait selection universal, so as to generalize it between the two builds (because they are, in fact, very similar in their construction). The Area of Effect-specific choices will be labeled Red, and the Single Target-specific choices will be labeled Blue. Options which apply to both will simply be typed in as normal. Of course, if you are going for more unorthodox spells, simply substitute them in for the appropriate colored suggestions.
Without further ado, here is the Feat Chain/Trait Selection:
Traits
Magical Lineage (Fireball/Delayed Blast Fireball/Battering Blast)
Wayang Spellhunter/Metamagic Master (Fireball/Battering Blast)
Feats (* = Bonus Feat)
1st. Spell Focus (Evocation)
3rd. Spell Specialization (Burning Hands/Ear-Piercing Scream -> Burning Arc/Scorching Ray -> Fireball/Delayed Blast Fireball/Battering Blast)
5th. Varisian Tattoo/Mage's Tattoo (Evocation)
7th. Intensify Spell, Empower Spell*
9th. Spell Penetration
11th. Quicken Spell, Dazing Spell/Heighten Spell*
13th. Greater Spell Penetration
15th. Spell Perfection (Fireball/Battering Blast)
17th. Spell Perfection (Delayed Blast Fireball) or Maximized Spell
19th. Maximized Spell or Bloodmage Initiate
Keep in mind that the bonus feats are acquired through the Arcanist Exploits, and that the 11th level feat could be any Metamagic Feat you want, at any day of the week. (That is, it can only be changed when you prepare spells the next day.) The above is a suggestion of what you should be constantly running, though this can vary depending on your group concerns and situation. For example, if you don’t want to risk killing your party members, consider taking Selective Spell, so you can explicitly exclude them from your blasts.
Fairly basic and self-explanatory, you'll be having upwards of 7 Skill Points, and have as high as 10 skill points with your current set-up. Your core skills will involve:
-Spellcraft (this is obvious for learning spells into your book, as well as identifying spells being cast, though if you can blast things well enough, you won’t have to do that)
-Use Magic Device (utility purposes only, really, but handy for those instances where it’s needed)
-All Knowledges (though should specialize in Arcane and Planes, maybe one or two more with the most common enemy types, such as Local for humanoids, Nature for magical beasts and animals, etc.)
-Perception (because reasons)
Anything else is open and would be of your own volition. That isn’t to say the other skills are bad, but more that they aren’t absolutely necessary, and their value to your character would be variant, based on what your group’s needs are.
Remember that Knowledge checks are a group effort. So, don’t try to take on all of the Knowledges at once; unless you’re a Bard (which you aren’t), there’s no way, even at the endgame, to be effective at all of them. It’s best to choreograph what Knowledge skill each party member will cover. (Unless they have 2 + Intelligence for skill points and aren’t a spellcaster or Intelligence-based character, expect that they will cover at least 1 other Knowledge check.)
As for your Favored Class Bonus, you could go with Skills, and try to be a kind of Skill Monkey or main Knowledge guy for your party, Hit Points so if you get caught between a rock and a hard place you aren't that screwed, or even the Racial Favored Class Option. In my opinion, the only ones worth a damn are the Elf, Gnome, and Halfling FCBs. (Especially the Halfling one, considering “free” exploits are nice, and some of them are certainly worth it.) The Human one could be worth it if you’re lazy and/or don’t want to burn scrolls to expand your spellbook, but it doesn't particularly matter which one of these you select, since most all of them really only improve secondary characteristics.
But, each has their merit, so consider what else you want to do when you’re not busy chucking blast spells at the bad guys, and pick the option that best fits your secondary role in the party. Personally, I vote Skills because having most (if not all) of the Knowledges is crucial for your character to understand which elements best affect a particular enemy (and so you can tell your Big Stupid Fighter to use his stabby-stabber instead of his slashy-slasher). Plus, you may or may not have a Bard in your party who would have access to all of the Knowledges at all times, and those are big shoes to fill, so...
This section provides some of the most basic (and practically required) Magic Items that you can either find, purchase, or even have crafted if you have a fellow crafter in your party. As a disclaimer, THIS IS NOT A FINITE LIST; there may be things available to you that are not mentioned in this guide, but are very much relevant to your character, and there may be things mentioned in this guide that aren’t available to you because [reasons]. This is more or less a starting point and a general idea as to what items you should have, as a Master Blaster Caster.
Without further ado, let’s list them off:
Headband of Mental Superiority - This is obvious; increasing your Intelligence and Charisma are required. You can go for an increase of Wisdom as well, but to be honest, if you're optimized enough you can melt anything within the round that it decides to engage you, meaning unless you lose Initiative (possible, but should be able to last a round if you’re smart enough), it’s not worth the time.
Cloak of Resistance - As with above, this is also obvious; saving throws are a bane to anyone, yourself included. Since you don't have any particularly strong saving throws, this is absolutely necessary.
Cyclops Helm - If you're Single Target, this is relevant to your blasting, as this allows your next D20 roll to be a 20 automatically. (If spells with attack rolls can critically hit, then so can a Battering Blast, and trust me, if you're dealing over 70 points of damage on a single Battering Blast, imagine that being doubled to 140.)
Corset of Delicate Moves - This is a really nice utility piece that is relevant if you want to be able to both cast spells and apply Intense Spells from your School Understanding at the same time. Not absolutely required right away, but later down the road, when you get access to Quicken Spell, becomes an amazing investment.
Belt of Physical Might - As with the Headband, Dexterity and Constitution are going to be what you'll want from this, especially if you are going with Single Target blasting. Although nowhere near as important as the Headband, it still helps with some semi-relevant statistics, and if you’re a Single Target blaster, the Dexterity will make your to-hit better.
Boots of Teleportation - These boots are great for saving your spell power for your blasting. It's unconfirmed as to whether this allows you to transport others with you when using these boots, but if it does, definitely pick these up.
METAMAGIC RODS/STAVES/WANDS - These are going to be your bread and butter, and provide you with utility benefits you can apply to your blasting spells, or spells you can't normally cast at all. Although your feats and base spell list do give you what you absolutely need, these can provide unique power boosts to your already devastating spells/spell list, or can help reduce the amount of spell level increases you tack on. There are too many to list that would be relevant, and plus become very expensive, very fast; so just take a look over them all, and see what they all do in relation to your spellcasting, and decide if they are worth the money you currently have.
Gloves of Storing - Have to switch between Rods or Staves all the time? These will help you out with that very issue, because spending Move Actions to switch between rods is a pain and kills your momentum of blasting. Unfortunately, only works between two rods at a time, but still very useful.
Helm of Brilliance - If you're an Area of Effect specialist, this helm will give you some emergency blasting for when you're running low or are out on spell slots. They aren't great, but they're better than nothing. Also if you just take it off and throw it toward an enemy when casting a Fireball/Delayed Blast Fireball, you can make an ultra-nuke, as you explode 10 Prismatic Sprays, 20 Walls of Fire, 30 Fireballs, and 40 Daylight spells. Great if you want to absolutely, positively, make sure that anything within the given radius is dead. It’s expensive, so I’d suggest if you’re going to turn it into an expensive, ultra-nuke, that you make sure the enemy can be affected by fire; otherwise, that’s a lot of money down the drain.
Orange Prism Ioun Stone - You get a flat +1 Caster Level to all spells you cast. This is almost always good (unless you're breaking the caster level limit, in which case, sad days had by all), but is also fairly expensive.
RUNESTONES OF POWER - There is always room for these; being able to draw upon these to fuel your spellcasting further helps your ability to remain constant in the adventuring day. Although these do get expensive like Metamagic Rods, they're still valuable to have around. Combined with Spell Perfection, you can use Runestones of Power to further exploit your usable slots per day, and are always good to find as treasure.
Amulet of Natural Armor - This is sort of a staple item. If you’ve heard of the Big 6, this sort of thing is practically required in order to stay alive, and is one of the said Big 6. Although you don’t really need AC if you’re tactically sound enough, this isn’t really a horrible choice.
Ring of Protection - Read the entry above this one for basically the same context as this item gives.
Mithril Light Shield/Buckler - Read the entry above this one for basically the same context as this item gives.
Bracers of Armor - Read the entry above this one for basically the same context as this item gives. It does offer some other utility besides armor, but to be honest, a lot of Armor properties suck, so...
Ring of Sustenance - The great “anti-ambush” ring. Requiring only a fraction of the time needed to rest and regain spell slots (though you can only regain spell slots once per day). Not the best, but for its price, it’s extremely useful in the early game.
Ring of Wizardry I-IV - This ring allows you to make more use of your lower spell slots. To be honest, this seems like a good item, but it really isn’t. There can be better ring slots than this.
Ring of Freedom of Movement - A truly useful ring that allows you to not be absolutely screwed by grappling and other debilitating tactics. Expensive, but worth the price, especially if you’re horrible at tactics.
Ring of Forcefangs - This lower-level ring allows you to throw out Magic Missiles basically on a whim. On that level, it’s not very great. On another level, the ability to negate any Force spell or spell-like ability thrown at you (which generates your Magic Missile power) is really nice, and is one of the few Force counters in the game. Considering its price, it’s a fairly strong early-game option.
Ring of Mind Shielding - Any bad guy worth his salt is going to wear one of these, because it provides complete immunity to Scry and Fry tactics. You should wear it too, lest the bad guy(s) who is/are scrying on your adventures find out how you fight, and use that knowledge against you. The counters are few and far between, sure, but the fact that they exist is something that you need to keep secret.
ROBES OF [+1 CASTER LEVEL] - You may think this is a silly name for a body-slot item, but I am only going with this name so as to prevent spoilers as to what it actually is, and how you get it; the key benefit is in the title, which is +1 Caster Level, to all spells you cast, and stacks with the Orange Prism Ioun Stone. This is the result of a reward from a specific adventure path, which gives you a slew of very valuable benefits, some of which override the other items listed here; if your GM is lucky or open to ideas, he may let you craft or even buy this item, but if you are playing the proper AP, be sure to take this, as this is the only way to get a base Caster Level of 30 or higher for your staple blasting (and for you Single Target blasters, the only way you can launch SIX spheres at your enemy, instead of only five).
Although this should have been brought up before, there are going to be spells that are important besides your typical Blasting, and not having them may, in fact, get you killed. Keep in mind that while you have a Spellbook which allows you access to all of the spells on your list, you can only have so many memorized to draw from for your spell slots, so the big thing is to not have duplicates, and to try and cover as many bases as you can.
As with the above items, this is only a finite list, and may not include every option available to you. To that end, I would suggest looking up your spells memorized table and confirm what spells are worth memorizing, and which ones are best kept as a scroll to UMD (or simply use), as appropriate for your party’s wants and needs.
Detect/Read Magic - I swear to god, if you don’t have this cantrip as any spellcaster, you deserve to get slapped in the face (figuratively, of course). The utility and benefits of these spells are invaluable, and can’t be replicated anywhere, nor nearly as often.
Prestidigitation - Not exactly a great spell, but it serves as a “cure-all” for some of the minor things you need to take care of, such as simply lighting something on fire, cleaning yourself up to look half-way decent, or some other quality-of-life character roleplay stuff. Seriously, I’d recommend this if you’re wanting to do something ingenious but have no idea or know what spell could do it. It’s not the strongest, as I’ve said before, but it’s basically a spell that can do a lot of things, and that flexibility and utility is valuable across all levels of play.
Shield - A typical 1st level spell that gives a +4 Shield Bonus to AC. Although it’s only 1 minute/level, by the endgame you won’t have much use for your low level spell slots, aside from maybe Magic Missiles (which any Arcanist will probably have and can cast), Burning Hands, Ear-Piercing Scream, etc. To be honest, those slots are best spent as buffing yourself, and for those instances where you’re prone to get hit, a +4 AC bonus is nice. Plus, if some moron is throwing Magic Missiles at you, you got that base covered too.
Comprehend Languages - You will have a high Intelligence, you may have the Human subtype, and will be able to learn every language that exists. However, if you don’t have the Human subtype, and unless you’re willing to sink ranks into Linguistics (not a horrible idea, but not the best use of your skill points either), you won’t know every language that exists. Thankfully, there is a 1st level spell that does that. It doesn’t let you speak the language, but simply knowing what’s being said, or written on the wall, let’s you know what’s going on is easily worth that 1st level spell slot in the late game. It’s also 10 minutes per level in duration, so it can last quite a while, and you may need it more than you think.
(Greater) Heroism - This is a 3rd level (or 6th level with the Greater version) spell that provides a single target with bonuses to attack (and damage for the Greater version). For Area of Effect builds, this isn’t as valuable, since you do not really need to-hit bonuses. For Single Target builds, it’s absolutely necessary for those enemies who have good Touch AC, because missing blasts makes you lose out on a huge chunk of damage. As an aside, Greater Heroism may increase the damage of your Battering Blasts, so it might be worth the multitude of spell slots you would gain for that, but is only 1 minute per level instead, so really only use it in boss-combat situations, where every point of damage (or to-hit) counts.
Reduce Person - This 1st level spell seems a little silly at first, but consider what it does; it makes you smaller. Is that a bad thing? That depends, do you think getting a +1 bonus to AC, to-hit, +4 to Stealth checks, and not appearing as threatening to certain enemies a bad thing? Not really? Good, then that means this 1st level spell will be relevant to you at most every time, doubly so for Single Target builds.
Web - A 2nd level spell that is good at making enemies unable to move to get you, or even do much of anything. Although its uses are situational, it’s great for creating choke points for enemies to have to run through (or otherwise deal with the web). I would be careful about using Fire spells when near this stuff, or using it on Fire-based enemies, as it can easily remove this spell’s effects, making your attempts to halt them in their tracks futile.
Resist Energy (Communal) - Your quintessential ‘insurance’ buff for your party. Although the normal spell (2nd level) only works on one target, the Communal spell (3rd level) works on all targets you touch, though the duration is split amongst all of them, and gives you as much as 30 resistance to your spells. This is also great if you’re anticipating fighting something that is keyed to a specific element, so as to make your party members not die so fast.
(Greater) Invisibility - The ability to sneak past or essentially “assassinate” enemies is really nice, and can save you valuable spell slots. Although your allies can’t see you (unless they have something that allows them to see invisible creatures, discussed later), it’s a great use for a 2nd level spell. Greater Invisibility, although it only lasts for rounds per level, allows you to assassinate until the duration ends, and basically makes your enemies second-guess what’s actually happening. Unfortunately, it becomes nullified by this next spell.
See Invisibility - Remember that the only thing which can stop a Full Caster is basically another Full Caster. You won’t be the only one who uses Invisibility to their advantage, so implementing countermeasures will be imperative. Thankfully, this 2nd level spell (which works just fine as a scroll as it would being memorized) serves just that purpose.
Mirror Image - A valuable spell for those instances where you’re being attacked a lot. This doesn’t protect you from area of effect spells, however, and really only serves as a pre-combat buff spell in the late game.
Tiny Hut - With this spell, you can be pretty damn safe from typical monsters coming in to kill you. Although this isn’t a fool-proof defense, it certainly protects you from non-spellcasters quite well, and gives you a safe place when in a not-so-safe place. The 2 hour/level duration is proof of that.
Wind Wall - The Anti-Ranged spell; this allows you to take attacks from Bows, Crossbows, and Firearms, and throw them out the window if they pass through this spell’s area. The plus side is that if you’re an Area of Effect specialist, you can still throw Fireballs for days. If you’re a Single Target specialist, you’ll have to deal with a 30% miss chance across all your blasts. A great “divide and conquer” spell.
Fly - The pen-ultimate way to protect against melee enemies. Although not fool-proof, only winged creatures, specific magic items, and ranged attacks are all that can affect you while this spell is active. The big thing here is that it synergizes with other forms of defense, such as Mirror Image, Invisibility, etc., making you almost invincible except in the most difficult of situations.
Monstrous Physique I-IV - This buff spell essentially functions as Reduce Person, except you can get a slew of benefits. In my opinion, I’d just stick with Reduce Person if you want to make use of your 1st level Spell Slots, but Monstrous Physique doesn’t have nearly as many issues, and can give you a natural means of flight, meaning you can save spell slots by not having the Fly spell going.
Undead Anatomy I-IV - Similar context as above, but does give you the option of going into a certain Tiny form (specifically, the Pickled Punk), meaning more AC, to-hit, Stealth, and so on. The trade off is that this form doesn’t have flight, but if you can cast the Fly spell, or obtain Flight through some other manner, this becomes a non-issue, and you’ll be even better defensive-wise (and offensive-wise, for Single Target blasters).
Haste - A quintessential buff for your martial party members (though an acceptable buff for yourself too), giving AC, Reflex Saves, to-hit, and increased movement. Expensive when you first get it, but later on becomes second nature to make sure your party members aren’t liabilities.
Time Stop - If you’re an Area of Effect blaster, this synergizes perfectly with your Delayed Blast Fireball spell. Even if you aren’t, it’s a very powerful spell that has very few counters, and can serve for personal set-up in the event you’re ambushed.
Q: I see a bunch of spells and items with these different colors, what do they mean?
A: Most guides color-code their options based on their usefulness/viability for a generic or specific build, and this one is no exception. Most people are familiar with the color scheme, but others may not. Unless specified otherwise (as I do so in the Feat selection section), the color code legend is as follows:
Red is the worst option to pick at any point in time, except in maybe the most stringent and corner-case of situations. Guides usually don’t mention these unless they want to point out that they are trap options (which this guide actually doesn’t give any). (Probably because there are no trap options for a blasting spellcaster?)
Orange denotes that the option can be good, but that its opportunity to be good is few and far between, or it is overshadowed by some other, better option. That isn’t to say you don’t want these, but more to consider their value over your other options before you select it.
Green represents a fairly strong (though not the best) option, one that should be reasonably considered to take. These options represent stuff that can be very convenient to have, especially if there really isn’t anything better to pick.
Blue is the strongest option there is. This can be because of its sheer power, the amount of invaluable versatility and utility it offers, or some other obvious benefit. Clearly, if you don’t have this, you aren’t properly set up to succeed. Of course, this can be overshadowed by other options, but only if you have a more narrow focus.
There is also a Pink color, which means that the option isn’t truly defined, or needs further clarification to give a more defined value (as the other 4 colors). It is always best to check with your GM about pink-colored options to see how he would run them before you pick, otherwise you may have made a choice that can cost you your character, or your promised build.
From these colors, the general idea for selection becomes Blue > Green > Orange > Red. Pink is a wild card, and it can be anywhere, depending on what it does for you at your table. Depending on how you wish to build your character, factoring in mechanics, flavor, etc. you may not fully adhere to the above formula, which may or may not be fine in terms of optimization.
Q: The Arcanist’s Spellcasting is confusing. How exactly does it work?
A: The casting system for Arcanists is actually similar to a certain ruleset that I currently use, so it’s actually fairly apparent to me (and in my opinion, fairly basic). You essentially get the flexibility of the Wizard, in that you have a spellbook that holds all your spells. However, you can only memorize so many spells at a time for each spell level. (Note that spells of a different or even combined metamagic count as their own individual spell for this purpose, so a Fireball and an Intensified Fireball count as individual spells and are treated as taking up a memorized spell of the level they’re normally cast at).
Of the list that you memorize (which you can re-memorize each day to change up what you know, or with the Quick Study exploit on the fly), you can cast any of those spells, expending an appropriate spell level slot spontaneously, similar to a Sorcerer. Keep in mind that you are still limited to the amount of spells per day for each spell level, just like any other spontaneous caster, and that if you scribe a spell with a Metamagic feat (which does not increase the casting time of the spell), you cannot then spontaneously add Metamagic feats to that same spell when you cast it (which increases the casting time to a Full Round Action) unless you pick up the Metamixing exploit.
After all that, this puts the Arcanist in a grey area, as they are technically both a prepared and a spontaneous spellcaster. However, since you are required to prepare spells before you spontaneously cast said prepared spells (without expending them as memorized spells), it makes more sense to treat them as a special spontaneous spellcaster for these purposes.
Q: Sorcerers and Bloodragers get access to Bloodline Mutations. As a Blood Arcanist, you have a Bloodline that functions similar to a Sorcerer’s; does that make you eligible for Bloodline Mutations?
A: There is some debate on this. However, according to the designer’s intent behind Bloodline Mutations, and the wording of how Bloodline Mutations apply, it’s reasonable to say that Blood Arcanists can’t select Bloodline Mutations, and this is for both balance and flavor reasons.
For starters, Blood Arcanists don’t get true bloodlines like Bloodragers and Sorcerers get; they get bloodline powers and the arcana, sure, but they don’t get extra Class Skills, Bonus Feats, Bonus Spells, etc. Next, the Bloodline Mutation entry specifically states Sorcerers and Bloodragers, not “classes with a bloodline.” Lastly, consider the Sorcerer. You’ve already “poached” three of the most valuable and class-defining things that Sorcerers get; spontaneous spellcasting, bloodline arcana, and bloodline powers. Quite frankly, with this build, you’re like a Sorcerer 2.0, because a lot of the Bloodline feats suck, the extra Class Skills are ones that you probably already have, and the Bonus Spells, while convenient, don’t matter when you still have a spellbook that can contain every spell for you.
Of course, this isn’t official, but it is in accordance with the intent behind the designer who created Bloodline Mutations, and until something official, such as a Paizo FAQ or Errata, comes along, I’m calling it a no-go.
Q: We’re playing a Core-Only game because [reasons]. How do you cope with being a blaster in such a scenario?
A: I’d honestly pity you if you’re trying to build a blaster as Core Only, as a lot of the tools needed to supplement blasting didn’t come until later installments (whereas all of the counters to said blasting remains intact from the core). You also can’t play an Arcanist, so your best bet is straight Wizard (as Sorcerer Bloodlines in Core are pretty crappy for blasting).
In fact, I don’t think you could feasibly make a reliable Single-Target build if your game is limited to Core Only (due to lacking effective spells), and even with the tried-and-true Area of Effect build, you’ll run into the two primary drawbacks of blasting almost all of the time, since Admixture is an Advanced Player’s Guide benefit, and Elemental Spell Metamagic Rods become expensive and must be keyed to a certain element, for each element requires its own Metamagic Rod. Not to mention the mechanics of juggling between them would be so clunky it’d be impossible to make practical.
My suggestion is that you do not play a Blaster in such a scenario. If you absolutely have to, build Area of Effect, and plan your memorization spells accordingly; you can’t change them out on the fly, so if you screw up, you screw up. It’s honestly kind of like playing a game on a Challenge or Impossible mode; if you’re in to that sort of thing, this hurdle shouldn’t be an issue. If not, well...don’t say I didn’t warn you.
Q: My GM won’t let me pick the Peri-Blooded Aasimar race because [reasons]. Is there another good race to pick that’s equal in power?
A: There are several, though the Peri-Blooded Aasimar is still the best due to its attribute increases, ability to count as Human (for Flame Arc spell), and the added Resistances and SLA, but that doesn’t make the other races any less good. Humans can still gain their +2 Intelligence, as well as have an extra Skill Point, an extra Feat (which means you can gain certain feats earlier than expected, as well as access to another Metamagic feat, which is convenient for Area of Effect builds). Elves are good because they get Dexterity in addition, which is good for Single Target blasters (though the Constitution penalty is a killer), but also gain +2 Spell Penetration and +2 Item Identification rolls.
Other races which give Intelligence and some other goodies can be viable, so if your GM hates your munchkin ways, consider these options as well. Of course, these, in my opinion, do not compare to the Peri-Blooded Aasimar, which is capable of having a +4 Intelligence benefit with a lenient GM.
Q: Why do you have such a low Constitution compared to Dexterity? Most characters I play have at least 14 Constitution, and you only have D6 hit dice; how do you intend to survive?
A: In my opinion, superior tactics and preparedness will trump any sort of hit points required. That isn’t to say that you don’t want hit points (which is why Constitution isn’t dumped), as anything can happen with a roll of the dice, but you should never be in a situation that requires a lot of Constitution just to survive; or if you are, that you aren’t in such a situation for very long. Another way to look at this is “You only have D6 hit dice, and you aren’t proficient in any sort of armor or defense; you aren’t a front-liner, just hide somewhere safe until it all blows over.” See that phrasing? That’s how you’re supposed to behave when it comes to being a Blaster. Having size-reduction and invisibility effects further helps this cause, because they won’t know what is throwing these powerful spells at them. Such tactics are how you survive, and any spellcaster who doesn’t do so is a fool whose fate is well deserved.
In truth, most dumb things will focus on the first thing they see (which shouldn’t be you), and most smart things won’t realize you’re the one to focus on until it’s too late (because by that point, they will be dead from your blasting). If anything, not having Dexterity to boost Initiative (and other abilities and effects which boost Dexterity/Initiative) will further guarantee your death, because then you aren’t the first to cast the life-saving buff, or the death-dealing blast required, before they get to sink their teeth into you. If you’re a Single Target Blaster, Dexterity is also very important in ensuring your blasting properly works. If not, then your character’s entire existence in an adventuring party comes into question. So if you’re wondering why I place Dexterity over Constitution, AKA why Constitution isn’t such a high priority, there’s your answer.
Q: I want to specialize in other spells besides what’s mentioned in the guide because [reasons]. Are there any other good spells to look at?
A: There are a few key things to keep in mind when looking at possible offensive spells to cast. The first is the school type. If it’s Evocation, its damage is increased by half your character level. If it’s not, then it won’t be as strong (note; this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t cast it, just that you are shortchanging yourself if you’re going for pure damage, the utility it may offer can very well circumvent the ~+10 damage you would gain for it).
The second is to determine how much base damage the spell deals, and its scaling. If it deals ~1D6 per level, it’s a decent spell. If it has some sort of upscaling damage (such as creating a certain amount of effects at a given level), then that’s even better. But remember that certain things are limited in their power (as noted in their descriptions, such as in the case of Fireball), and that Intensify can only bring them up so high; keep this in mind as you select choices.
Third, consider the spell level. Higher level spells won’t really see play a lot (and if they do, not certainly by yourself), and they’re also less capable of being improved with Metamagic feats, traits, and so on, because they are options not available until later. Again, not saying higher level spells can’t be chosen, but that their effects should equate or outweigh any Metamagic feats you may not be able to apply them to.
The last is the type of area it affects, and this value depends on your build. Obviously, bigger areas are usually better for Area of Effect build, but if a spell targets a specific enemy for tons of damage (such as Battering Blast), these are the better choices for Single Target blasters.
Q: How do Empower and Maximize work? What about in conjunction with each other?
A: This is best presented by first explaining what each one does.
-Empower is a little tricky, because it’s not 100% concise on what it does, but based on an official Paizo FAQ regarding the Empower feat, it takes your total result of your standard spell, and multiplies it by 1.5. Think of it as a manner of “two-handing” your spell.
-Maximize takes the results of the damage dice rolls of your spell, and turns them into the highest number possible on the given dice. So, if you are rolling D6’s for your damage dice, each D6 that you roll automatically becomes a 6. The same is true if you’re rolling D4’s, D8’s, D10’s, and so on, so Maximize becomes more powerful if you are using higher dice (and by inverse, weaker with lower dice).
To move on to the second part of the question, there is an exception with the Empower feat (if both are used together). Taking a typical 10D6 Fireball cast from a level 10 Arcanist as an example, if we throw Maximize and Empower on it, we roll that Fireball normally, including any applicable bonuses (such as Orc Bloodline). We take the total of that roll, and cut it in half. The result it gives us is the Empower benefit of the spell. Then, we take the number of dice we rolled (10), and multiply it by the die size we use (6). This total becomes the Maximize benefit of the spell. All other standard flat bonuses (such as your Intense Spells, Orc Bloodline, and similar benefits) are added in after the fact.
Now, when you have these two separate elements combined, you then add them together. In the above example, we would get an average of 22 damage from the Empower benefit, as we’re taking half of 10D6 (+10 from Orc Bloodline), and a total of 70 from the Maximize benefit. These totals (as well as any other applicable modifiers, such as Intense Spells) are added in after the fact, resulting in a grand total of 97 damage.
Q: Disintegrate is an extremely powerful spell that can deal an insane amount of damage to a single creature! Why aren’t you favoring it over Battering Blast?!
A: It is true, that Disintegrate is a powerful spell that deals tons of damage to a single creature of your choice, but consider its effectiveness for a 6th level spell:
For starters, enemies need to make a Fortitude Saving Throw. Almost every creature has some sort of defense against this, such as by having an insanely high Fortitude Saving Throw (which, specializing in heavy Save DCs can’t overcome), or an immunity of some crap. If they make the save, the damage only deals at best 5D6 damage, or the effectiveness of maybe one Battering Blast. With Battering Blast, the Saving Throw hardly even matters, because they’re still taking the full damage of the spell.
The next is that it suffers the same original deficiency as Battering Blast; a Touch Attack is required. This consolidates it all into one attack roll, which might speed things up, but then becomes an All or Nothing issue like Vital Strike.
Lastly, and this is perhaps the biggest stresser, it’s a 6th level spell. This means that you can’t feasibly attach things like Quicken or Maximize or what have you nearly as effectively, and plus you can’t cast this spell until 12th level. That’s 6 levels where you’re using something as obsolete as Ear-Piercing Scream. Plus, you can’t utilize nearly as many spell slots with Disintegrate as you can with Battering Blast, and Battering Blast, with the right items and scaling, can eventually surpass the likes of Disintegrate.
The only reason Delayed Blast Fireball gets a pass is because it has the higher damage dice cap, and is great for utilizing Time Stop with said Delayed Blast Fireball to create a complete and utter nuke on a bunch of bad guys without them being able to react; a powerful tactic that is well worth the price. Disintegrate doesn’t allow any such versatility, and really only serves as an “ex machina” for things that Dispel Magic or some other stupid crap can’t fix, and when you can cast 6th level spells or higher, you’ll have tools much better than some silly Disintegrate spell. The God Wizard would look at you and laugh if you’re throwing Disintegrate spells as some creature with a ridiculously high Fortitude Saving Throw (which is all of them).
Q: What sort of spells would be good to memorize versus spells that are fine as wands or scrolls?
A: Spells that give a generally-desired bonus without any real scaling of your Casting Attribute (AKA Intelligence) or your Caster Level are best served as Scrolls; things like See Invisibility, Comprehend Languages, etc. are all good. If you’re going to be needing to cast those spells more often, consider a Wand instead. Although it takes up a hand to use, things like Wands of Cure Light Wounds are resource-savers, and with a high enough Use Magic Device skill bonus, becomes an absolute necessity.
Q: I’m being counterspelled/thrown into an Anti-Magic Field. How do I counter this as a blaster?
A: Fighting fire with fire is perhaps always the most effective course of action when dealing with other spellcasters. In the first instance, if you’re being counterspelled, there’s not much you can do. Counterspelling requires a fair amount of investment to make into anything good, and quite frankly it usually isn’t worth the investment until the investment is actually completed. This is the case for all things, Arcanist choices included, and I’d feel pretty cheated if my Counterspelling doesn’t do anything, even after I sink a few feats and class feature choices into it.
Anti-Magic Fields are a high level spell, and can (and should) be countered with a Spellbane that specifically excludes Anti-Magic Field from being cast. There’s always Mage’s Disjunction, but Spellbane offers a more proactive means to deal with them, and plus serves as its own counter. The 3 things you’ll want to stop with Spellbane are: Spellbane (so they can’t specifically counter your specialized spell or anything else), Anti-Magic Field (so they can’t stop your spellcasts from executing or anything), and Mage’s Disjunction (which can, in fact, be used to stop your Spellbane). You’ll have one other choice in addition to this; in my opinion, Prismatic Sphere, or other extremely powerful/magic-negating spells are great to stop via Spellbane.
Unfortunately, the only way to deal with Counterspells is to cast at a point where the enemy can’t see your spellcast. In order to counter a spell being cast, a Spellcraft check is required to identify what the spell is before it can be countered, and sight is required in order to make the check. If they can’t see the spellcast, they can’t make the Spellcraft check needed to perform the Counterspell. It’s that simple. It’s also your only means of dealing with them, so be sure to use the environment to your advantage.
Q: I absolutely love Quick Study; most other spellcasting guides say it’s an absolute necessity and I’m shocked that it’s not recommended in your guide. Why is that?
A: The answer is simple, and since we didn’t see it the first time, I’ll repeat my original consensus; because you don’t need it as a Blaster.
Consider what spells you’re going to be casting for the role you’ll be filling (specific builds aside). Your primary job, aside from pre-buffing to enhance your spell’s effectiveness and reduce allied collateral damage, is going to be throwing as many damage spells at the enemies as best you can, being sure to avoid resistances/immunities, and exploiting any enemy vulnerabilities (if any). Normally, if you would lack the tools to deal with multiple energy types, then yes, Quick Study would help if you have a bunch of Fire spells memorized against a Red Dragon (which is stupid if you make your Knowledge check, but your character isn’t Batman).
But, with the Admixture school, as well as the occasional Elemental Metamagic Rod (that you find; shouldn’t need to purchase it unless you really need it for a certain fight), it will not only circumvent the need to re-memorize spells on the spot (and not require in-combat actions to do so), but it will also not deny your specialization benefits from the likes of Spell Specialization, Spell Perfection, etc.
In normal scenarios, where you aren’t designed to specifically blow stuff up, I would agree that Quick Study is absolutely perfect, and if you have the Arcane Reservoir points to spare, would become a necessity to deal with what’s in front of you. But considering your role, and the factor that the reasons to actually take Quick Study are subsumed by your optimization choices, the value of Quick Study falls off significantly. Also consider that with the Blood Arcanist, you have a limited amount of Arcane Exploits, and your feats are best spent on things like Metamagic feats and Spell Perfection, instead of Extra Exploits (which are good, but don’t supplement your build the same way Metamagic feats or other options do).
This was always just a thought experiment, because I always find using spells that deal direct damage was a fun and powerful playstyle. However, I shouldn’t be shunned from a choice just because it wasn’t the “God” choice. So, I decided to take it upon myself to create a character that could destroy absolutely anything and everything that I came across with these spells, and so I became a “God” in that aspect. With some finagling from users on the Paizo Messageboards, I was able to come up with an intriguing alternate build (see the Single Target choices? That’s all) thanks to them, and I don’t know if anyone or anything else can compare to how unique and effective it may be. The fact that it can one-round a Tarrasque on average by the endgame tells us a lot about its effectiveness and raw power.
In any case; after having read all of this, you should have everything you need to succeed at being the Master Blaster Caster. At this point, enemies will crumble before you, spellcasters and players will scream in frustration at your ability to decimate encounters without using typical “God Wizard” spells, and you may or may not accidentally kill one of your party members because your blasting is too damn good for them to save from (which may or may not result in said party member creating a character whose sole purpose is to screw you over and/or kill you). The last part is mostly sarcasm, but in extreme cases, I feel it can happen.
I hope this has helped you with creating something that can absolutely destroy a bunch of enemies (or even just a boss) with as little effort as possible, even if only to generate some ideas for a character you are currently playing. If not, then my apologies. Thankfully, this is only ~23 pages long, so it wasn’t that big of a waste of time.
Well, what else is there to say? That’s Blasting folks, and you nailed it.