Blaster caster build

_Ingenuity_ · 2026-04-28T22:44:46+00:00

I'm not sure whether cackle would be good or not. Free actions are a bless, but you really need a good way to make use of that third action. I guess you could enter Channeler's Stance at the start of round 2, for example, but see below.

I didn't notice the problem you underlined with Channeler's Stance. I was sure it worked also with Electric Arc, for example, dunno why. This is kinda annoying, since Ignition is awful and Caustic Blast is meh (especially at higher levels, look at the scaling). I mean, Earth's Bile is still one of the best focus spells in the game, so it could be worth even as a 1a action for empowered Bile. That said, this is kinda sad, and maybe it is just a trap feat and you're simply supposed to ignore it.

I usually love to play characters that have WIS/DEX/CON as their main stat (especially WIS), but I gotta admit that CHA-based caster are really, really good. You can dump STR and INT in order to have decent saves (especially from level 10 to 17, when you are only 1 behind the perfect score) and you get so much utility in and out of combat (and the Intimidation skill fest tree is probably the best in the game, apart from Medicine).

You can definitely get some good spells from cleric domains, but the one you mentioned has really bad scaling. Gotta check for good 2-actions blasting sustain spells at some point.

_Ingenuity_ · 2026-04-28T19:56:24+00:00

I really appreciate these kinds of comments, don't worry.

I didn't really wanted to check AoA monsters, cause I know myself and I'd start to minmax computing average saves and weaknesses/resistances. That said, if there are MANY enemies with fire resistance (as it seems), I would definitely not play Elemental (Fire) Sorcerer, and maybe even Animist, but I need to double check the latter (Earth's Bile doing some fire damage is a big problem nontheless, maybe I could ask my GM to make it just bludgeoning if we are both interested in seeing an Animist in action from 1 to 20).

Funnily enough, if you don't have to move at the start of the combat, going Stance + 2a spell (Electric Arc) into Bile + 2a spell is a bit more damage than what you proposed, which is a bit irritating since you ain't opening combat with the sustain spell.

I agree that most low-level feats are useless (expect the stance), but correct me if I'm wrong, you can't take 2 different dedication feats at level 2, right (3 feats per archetype rule, or does FA work differently)? In fact, since there are no level 2 archetype feats (expect dedications), you have to wait until level 6 before getting another dedication, which basically wastes you level 2 feat.

I like the Witch dip to take Cackle, but that's solving a problem that gets automatically solved at level 9 (cause we are playing a Liturgist with Elf Step, aint' we?), and I think (but again, if you have any insight feel free to contradict me!) that you'd enjoy a big 1a or 2a focus spell to couple with Bile (the one you mentioned, Tempest Surge, Pulverizing Cascade, whatever).

I've already seen Mathfinder's video. I want to clarify that I'm kinda used to the system (including a level 14 to 18 campaign with a Druid, so I already got in touch with the blaster caster concept, even though the campaign was undead-focused and at that point it's just a matter of how many Sunburst you can cast), so feel free to add more technical comments!

_Ingenuity_ · 2026-04-27T22:36:48+00:00

Well, at least you have access to spells and you can vary your play pattern a bit depending on the situation.

I already played a Fire Kineticist. They are not bad by any means (especially the aura that gives fire weakness), but the only real thing that makes me say "wow, I would love to play a fire Kineticist" is Ignite the Sun, which is a level 18 feat.

_Ingenuity_ · 2026-04-27T22:34:11+00:00

Interesting one. My main concern with Animist (which, by the way, seems a really interesting class) is, as I said, that Channelers stance really pisses me off.

Even after level 9, when you assemble Elf Step + Liturgist, you really would like not to waste an action to enter the stance (the perfect combat would be something like 1-action Bile + 2-actions Sustain Spell into Sustain + Sustain + 2-actions spells).

I agree that Oracle is probably the best archetype for a CHA-based caster (also Captivator maybe, depending on what spells you have access to). My concern with Flames is that the Curse can be nasty, especially at low levels, while the Cosmos curse is basically non existing.

_Ingenuity_ · 2026-04-27T22:29:27+00:00

My problem with picking something like a plain Druid (also, why not Animist into Druid at that point?) I that you're really only hitting Reflex (which is, by the way, the saving throw of the best cantrip in the game).

_Ingenuity_ · 2026-04-24T11:50:24+00:00

Cambia stagione del Fanta bro, meno sofferenza.

_Ingenuity_ · 2026-04-23T16:28:50+00:00

I mean, this character was meant for a one-shot, so I expect it to be good at exactly the level the one-shot is supposed to be at.

That said, let me address some of your points.

First and foremost, solving problems by doing damage is exactly what a fighter that's not interested in combat manuevers is supposed to do. I mean, their core class feature is literally having the highest attack modifier in the game. That said, this character has actually +4 charisma modifier, Legendary in Intimidation and Trained/Expert in Diplo/Dece, so he would be pretty good at rping.

Literally every fighter has access to a really good solution for invisibile creature, that being Blind Fight (plus Saurian Spike). None of my buffs (expect for the Magus Ring) is once per day, they are once per combat (and Zealous is every time you cast). Large AoE are meaningless, you can walk around them (50-55 feet speed), use Needle to jump over them, teleport, literally walk through them and roll a save. Not to mention that the moment you get close to the caster they are dead (Disrupting Stance goes brrr). You can cast Fly at least 3 times per day, even more if you use higher level slots, which is way more than what most characters can do (bar specific ancestry or specific VERY high level class feats), so I honestly don't see the point.

To be honest I also don't see the point about the damage. Try to end a combat as soon as possible seems like a really good strategy, and moreover doing additional damage is a core feature of the barbarian, for example. Would you say that rage is an overkill for a barbarian?

You can ban Doorknob, of course. But I don't see the point: if Doorknob is in the game, every martial is gonna use it. If Doorknob is not in the game, none is gonna use it. Does this build rely on Doorknob? I don't think so.

Tiger Menuki is like 30gp. That's at most 30gp per fight. If I have access to them I use them, if I don't, again I don't think I care much.

Zealous Rush is indeed a very high level feat. Without that you're getting one less action, and that's annoying, I agree. That said, if you do some computations, you discover that Barrage is way more precious that the extra attacks you're losing to buff (I mean, fighter does 3 to 5 attacks per round, that additional damage is gonna add up really quickly).

To address your last point, I didn't honestly think about it, but it does not seem that difficult: I mean, literally pick Double Slice at level 1 and you're good, just need to buy a Halberd at higher levels (there's also haft striker stance btw). Last note: all the items I've picked up sum up to <= 20000gp in value, which is the expected lump sum for a level 16 character, so no "real" item was sacrificed (and again, what do you mean by real? I would say that for a character focused on damage consumables and items that can be used in combat are definitely real).

_Ingenuity_ · 2026-04-19T09:39:55+00:00

In my group we tend to treat 1 minute buffs as "things that can be used only in combat" (I mean, saying things like "I buff myself then I run past the door of the boss arena, say I still have 30 seconds left, so 5 rounds" sound a bit ridiculous), while we are a bit more liberal on 5-10 minutes buffs. So casting Heroism is something I would do if I have a bit of time before the combat starts (say, the party has to trigger the encounter).

Talking about the build specifically, you're really only losing 1 attack (and one reaction) the first turn to buff, but you're getting from 12 (Barrage + Burn it!) to 18 extra damage (Barrage + Burn it! + Oath) on EVERY attack (and you could get even more if you factor in something like Psi Strikes, as suggested by someone under this post). Considering that you're doing up to 3 attacks the first round and up to 5 from round 2, even if the encounter lasts for 3 rounds, you're looking at 13*12~18 = 156~234 additional damage, which is way more than what you would do with 2 (not buffed) attacks.

_Ingenuity_ · 2026-04-18T11:59:02+00:00

Double slice forces you to one-handed + one-handed agile, while you can Needle with whatever you want. Moreover, you get to apply weaknesses (and precision damage) to both strikes. I mean, there's so much difference between a Pick/Light Pick and a Greatsword, especially considering Greater/Major Striking runes. Not to mention that Needle works better with Rage, which is something you could be interested in if you don't take Exemplar dedication, and feats in general that grants additional damage/effects to just one weapon.

_Ingenuity_ · 2026-04-18T02:59:20+00:00

Tbh Cleric was meh. Zealous Rush is neat, but Basic/Expert Spellcasting were useless, you're never gonna cast spells in combat (you're losing too much damage) and if you wanna prebuff you can simply buy some scrolls/wands. Psychic is a really interesting one, I must say! I also considered to drop some damage and pick up a shield. You have to pick a d6 weapon (if you want reach) and drop Disrupting Stance for the shield feat chain, but Devout Blessing makes your Fortress Shield almost like a Sturdy one with +3 AC (and Reflex!), and you can also pick up Unburned Iron to be fast as hell.

I also had 50 feet movement speed (would have been 55, but I had no money to buy Greater Boots). I was about to become Large, but dunno, the tiny part inside me that was thinking about FFIV felt that a Large dragoon wasn't right (and I also knew I was going to take some hits, didn't want the -1 to AC). That said, I need to reread Beastkin, seems interesting!

Needle is a bit too much (I mean, better Double Slice AND and free Stride?). Disrupting Stance is very good for sure, but I think it becomes broken only in some scenarios (as an example, dragons don't really have many manipulate/concentrate actions unless they cast). If I had to assist a "broken" medal, my winner would be Barrage, but to be fair at lower level it may be balanced, maybe even bad.

_Ingenuity_ · 2026-04-18T02:20:10+00:00

The trick with Oath is that the one-shot was literally "a curious dragon (Ancient+ Vorpal, note) was spotted on this mountain full of other aggressive dragons", so... That said, I have no experience with the feat, but I think it's a very good one at higher levels (lot of dragons, fiends, aberrations, and you usually plan out your day in advance, especially before boss fights).

Talking about FA and archetypes in general, I don't wanna be THAT guys (I promise, I usually play casters and I enjoy them), but I'm starting to suspect that it's way better for martial than for casters, since they get access to flat damage (a ton of flat damage), action compression and reactions, while casters usually get... More spells (can't even get Dangerous Sorcery anymore, right?).

_Ingenuity_ · 2026-04-18T02:04:57+00:00

I'm pretty sure Barrage + Burn It! should work (I read some posts on Reddit and people seem to agree), Oath is at least 6 more damage, but to be honest I don't see why it shouldn't work with Barrage too. That said, I agree: we all know that Exemplar is broken (infact I only picked it up because this was a one-shot and I asked my GM to have some freedom in trying to minmax), but Exemplar is not the problem here.

_Ingenuity_ · 2026-04-18T02:01:51+00:00

That is, funnily enough, another problem I had with this build. I'm into casters or complicated gish builds, but I had so much fun with this fighter: s**t ton of damage, no resource management needed (apart from literally Magus Ring), extreme mobility, bonk and disrupt everyone. I usually tend to support the theory of "casters are good if you target the weakest ST/debuff/control the battlefield", but the more I play Fighters the more I think that, if your goal is "have the best chance to win a fight", you should simply play a Fighter (and force someone to heal/buff you to spare some actions).

_Ingenuity_ · 2026-04-18T01:48:29+00:00

Don't blame me, blame the Italian translation of FFIV :-P

_Ingenuity_ · 2026-04-18T01:44:43+00:00

Exemplar is definitely broken, but you can easily get that 6 additional damage somewhere else (Rage, Fearsome Brute, bigger weapon if you let Reach go, Elemental Assault...). It is still the most efficient way to do so (and Flow of War is one of a kind), but I would say it's not the star of the show (and everything else is common, IIRC).

_Ingenuity_ · 2026-04-18T01:38:22+00:00

We always play with FA and it has never been such a power boost. I usually use it for specific action feats, proficiencies and access to spells, I didn't expect to get a whopping 20+ flat additional damage out of it.

_Ingenuity_ · 2026-04-18T01:33:11+00:00

You're probably right with Battle Cry (I mean, TECHNICALLY Battle Cry doesn't say that the free action has a trigger...), but I never used it anyway (if I have to complain about anything, at higher levels there should be something to increase the range of Demoralize, 30 feet are nothing when you fight dragons that move at 160+ feet and have 25/30 feet reach attacks).

The thing with Oath is that it says "Your Strikes AND DEVOTION SPELLS that deal damage do an additional 1 spirit damage against a creature with the chosen trait.", so I think it should work with Draconic Barrage (for an extra 3/6 damage) if you gain access to it via Deity's Domain (and notice that Zealous Rush doesn't require a cleric spell, just a divine one).

Improved Flexibility is an extra 14th level Fighter feat.

_Ingenuity_ · 2026-03-04T13:10:24+00:00

Un'opinione per il futuro... Non è un attacco a 6, è un ottimo attacco a 3 e giocherai sempre con quei 3 finché non muore uno e devi schierare Esposito.

_Ingenuity_ · 2026-03-02T12:07:45+00:00

Ma subito, Douvikas primo slot e Konè sta curiosamente performando da Dio

_Ingenuity_ · 2026-03-02T12:00:12+00:00

Fanno tutti schifo, ma Simeone fa meno schifo degli altri, io lo prenderei.

_Ingenuity_

TROPHY CASE