3.5 Archivist Handbook
Temporary Note: This is a super busy weekend for me, so excuse the rush job, I'll be back to tidy things up later :p
This guide is a remake of Phaxi's original Archivist Handbook and the format is modeled on After Crecent's Cleric Handbook This is very much a work in progress, and I am open to comments, criticisms, and suggestions.
Table of Contents
Post 1: Introduction and Party Role
Post 2: Attributes and Races
Post 3: Class Features
Post 4: Feats and Skills/Skill Tricks
Post 5: Spells
Post 6: More Spells (and how to get them)
Post 7: Equipment
Post 8: Multiclassing, Dips, and Prestige Classes
Post 9: Sample Builds
Post 10: Debatable Tactics/Tricks and Credits
IntroductionLore-wise, the archivist is the seeker of buried secrets and forgotten lore. They seek out both obscure divine spells and knowledge about the creatures of the darkness.
Archivists are the divine versions of wizards; they're intelligence based, they have a spellbook (called a prayerbook), and they learn spells as a wizard does, either from scrolls, or off other archivists prayerbooks. Now, that may not sound very strong, compared to a cleric that automatically has access to their entire list, and can also turn undead, and has access to domains, but the archivist can learn any divine spell: cleric, druid, adept, shugenja, domain spells, you name it - if it can be cast as a divine spell or written as a divine scroll, archivists can learn it. They also get a few more nifty abilities related to knowledge skills that can buff the entire party, or daze/stun the enemy. They can even, with the right PrC dips, have the option of using Divine Metamagic and/or access to Domains. Overall, they are potentially one of the most versatile casters in the game, and I think, the most fun to play.
Pros
• You can cast any divine spell in the game!
• Light and medium armor proficiency.
• Better hit dice than a wizard
• More spells per day than a wizard
• Dark Knowledge
• Only two levels where you don’t gain some sort of special ability
• More skill points than you know what to do with
• Two good saves
• Bonus feats
• All knowledge skills are class skills
Cons
• Worst BAB available (Fixable with a DMM persistent Divine Power)
• Bad reflex saves.
• Only d6 HP / level makes them relatively fragile.
• No familiar
• No undead turning (without prestige classing)
• Potential MAD
• No heavy armor or shield proficiencies
• Dependency on a prayer book.
• The DM directly controls how powerful you are (see below)
Talking to your DMThe archivist is not a class to spring on your DM without talking to them first. The archivist has great potential, but in the wrong campaign, it's going to be a disaster. Find out the following before deciding to play this class:
What material will be allowed in this campaign? An archivist, more than almost any other class, has a power level that is directly proportional to how many options are allowed in the campaign. The more divine spells there are, the wider your spell list is. Here are a list of thing that if allowed, will affect your power:
• Adepts – This NPC class gives access to some divine spells earlier than most PC classes.
• Any sort of cheap trick to get any Sorcerer/Wizard spell as a divine spell – I’m not talking about domains that grant wizard spells as divine spells, but class features that allow virtually any Sorcerer/Wizard spell as a divine spell. Some examples of this include Divine Magician variant, Hexer PrC, and Favored Souls of Bahamut/Tiamat.
• Divine Bard – This variant found in Unearthed Arcana or the online SRD allows you to add any bard spell to the spell list.
• Warlock or Pre-errata Artificers – Level 12 Warlocks or Pre-errata Artificers can create any divine spell in the game. A PC, or cohort like that in your party can be a valuable asset to your Archivist.
• Any non-core divine casting class – Shugenja for example.
• Divine Prestige Classes that add more spells to the class’s spell list. (Malconvoker, Hathran, etc)
How easy is it to purchase divine scrolls? Even obscure ones?Will there be NPC archivists that you can pay to learn from their prayerbook?If the DM is clearly reluctant to let you have access to a wide selection of spells, I would advise picking a different class, or being prepared to re-roll. An archivist that can only learn their two spells per level is just kind of terrible. But, honestly, I've never had a problem when I've sat down to talk to a DM beforehand. Find out how he handles wizards learning new spells, then talk about the archivist. Walk him through the class if he doesn't know it, and explain what ever your goals are. I've found that usually some agreement can be reached.
Role in a PartyHere are some of the potential roles that the archivist could fill - I find it's best to choose a primary role and focus on that first; most of the really powerful tricks require heavy feat and PrC level investment. However, the archivist is still more than capable of filling any of these roles as a secondary function with minimal investment.
Healer: The archivist has access to every heal spell in the game, several earlier than the cleric or druid. So, if that's what you really want to do, the archivist makes a great healer. That said, like many members of this board, I consider healing to be a sub-par role. Even without any feats devoted to it, you'll still be able to do the job when needed. Have a heal or two memorized for emergencies, and call it good.
Buffer: Here's an area that the archivist can really shine. With access to almost every worthwhile buff in the game, and the ability to use Divine Metamagic to Persist or Quicken your buffs, you can either start the day off by throwing up a bunch of 24 hours buffs, or quickly put them up once engaged in battle. Add in your Dark Knowledge class feature to give them +hit, +damage, and +saves with Move Actions, and the party will love you.
Summoner: This is my favorite role to play, and another real strength of the archivist. With access to both Summon Nature's Ally and the Summon Monster Series (and the Summon Undead series), along with the Planar Ally/Binding lines, the archivist is an unparalleled summoner. SNA gives you heavy combat types, while SM gives you utility and a host of supernatural abilities. Use Rapid Spell and Divine Metamagic Twin Spell for quick deployment, and consider PrCs like the Thaumaturgist or Malconvoker for some decent boosts.
Battlefield Control: starting out with the old standby of entangle, you have all the tools for the job: divide up your enemies and conquer.
Blaster: the archivist isn't quite as good at this as you might think; sure they have access to a lot of the good blasting spells, especially from the druid list, but most of the really good blasting PrCs are arcane-only. Still, blasting is a crappy job anyway; it's never a bad idea to have a good damage spell or two available as a last resort, but if you have to use them, something has gone horribly wrong.
Other Roles:
Melee: The archivist can gish it up if need be; DMM Persist of Divine Power and other tricks come in handy, but it's probably going to take several levels to come online. Still, it's certainly doable - if anyone has any suggestions for tips/tricks/builds, please let me know.
Ranged: The cleric archer is a standby on these boards, and with good reason: Zen Archery makes clerics very very good. Sadly, it doesn't really work for archivists. Archivists run off int more than wis (completely off int with the right feats) and so most archivists will be dumping wis. So I'm going to say "just say 'no' to ranged archivist builds". (though, if there's a counter argument out there, I'm open to hearing it)
Color Code:
Blue = great option, highly recommended.
Green = a good option, though either less powerful or more limited than a blue
Black = an average option, not terrible, but either of very limited use or very weak.
Red = a bad option, do not take.
To be continued...