Forums: Advice: Fey Trickster Mesmerist: Spells, Feats? (2024)

Instead of trying to pull off a perfect Ghostwise Halfling for this Forgotten Realms campaign, I've settled on using a Fey Trickster Mesmerist. I've also decided to take a certain feat - Fey Spell Versatility - to give myself some extra goodies (illusion, enchantment, or curse) from the Bard and Wizard spell lists. So far, so good. I love the lore for this class, and I can get some amazing fun with Bold Stare Lethality (druids get some good poison/disease spells) and Bold Stare Sluggishness (reduce Reflex for things like Entangle, Sickening Entanglement, Thorny Entanglement). So far, so fun!

What I'm not sure on is what all Druid spells and feats I should use. I have... very little experience with the Druid spell list. I have SOME experience with Ranger spells, and I have access to that list too. But what all do I want?

Things I KNOW I want:

1st: Entangle, Dazzling Blade (from feat)
2nd: Heroism / Mirror Image (also feat), Barkskin, Sickening Entanglement
3rd: Thorny Entanglement, and either Bestow Curse / Overwhelming Grief / Crushing Despair (great debuffs) / Good Hope (all options from feat)
4th: Greater Invisibility / Shadow Conjuration / Phantasmal Killer? (feat), some druidy crap?
5th: ??
6th: ??????

I can get scrolls for druidic removal spells (like Cure Disease), and my UMD should be high enough that I can use Cleric or Wizard spells for things I can't cast myself. Or perhaps having Neutralize Poison, Remove Disease, and similar spells as spells known would be handy? Should I try to know that stuff just in case at later levels?

The environment isn't PFS, but it's PFS-like. The list of books I can pick spells and feats from are:

Core Rulebook
Advanced Player's Guide
Advanced Race Guide
Advanced Class Guide
Occult Adventures
Horror Adventures
Planar Adventures
Ultimate Magic
Ultimate Combat
Ultimate Intrigue
Ultimate Wilderness
Ultimate Equipment
Pathfinder Unchained
Ultimate Campaign

No other splatbooks are allowed.

Besides that, how exactly should I build this Occultist feat-wise? Obviously I want spell focus, perhaps in Transmutation because of the Entangle stuff. But do Druids get other solid, aggressive Transmutation spells? Obviously I want to bolster my spell save DCs as much as possible, but Druid has very little in the way of will-targeting stuff, so I think I need to focus on a school that uses Fortitude (poison or disease) or Reflex.

Necromancy is an interesting school choice. Druids have a few nasty ones in that category, it seems, though I don't know how many are [Disease] or [Poison]. Adding Bestow Curse to my list gives me some extra oomph, too.

I'd take Reincarnate as a spell, but Reincarnate is definitely banned in this environment. No rezzes for this wannabe druid!

Any advice? Thanks in advance!

If you might want to beat people up in person once in a while then hunter's howl is an option. Ranger spells include some at lower levels than druid and a few unique spells.

You'll probably want one or two of the stare feats. Manifold stare for a start. Possibly fatiguing or demoralizing or excoriating stare as well as those can further debuff one save or another. I'd suggest intimidating glance if you weren't a halfling, but size small isn't great for that.

If you can have Int 13+ then spell specialization is an option - you can change the specialized spell each level if desired.

There are just too many condition removal spells to get them all as a 6-level spontaneous caster. Maybe get delay poison so you don't need to pull out a magic item to use it and because it's 1st level for you. Possibly lesser restoration. Not the rest.

At 3rd level I'd think confusion (bard 3) the best possible debuff because it affects multiple targets. Life bubble, fey form I, named bullet (hunter 3), air walk, caustic blood, dispel magic, scrying, slowing mud (hunter 4), communal air walk, fey form II, stoneskin, transmute rock to mud (hunter 5), fey form III, greater dispel magic, sirocco and wall of stone (hunter 6) are worth a look.

Hey, thanks for the advice guys! I have a rough build plan made, definitely including stare feats. I wound up feeling pretty happy with what I started with and I like it a lot.

The head GM approved my use of Fey Spell Versatility, so I'm starting play knowing Entangle and Color Spray. Those, I reckon, give me some good starting oomph.

Stats wound up being:

HALFLING MESMERIST (20 pt buy)
STR 7
DEX 16
CON 14
INT 13
WIS 8
CHA 18

Biggest problem is that my Wisdom will be "meh" because I don't get Towering Ego, but I may just take Iron Will later on if it proves to be a problem.

The spells I chose for that feat are: Color Spray, Heroism, Confusion, and Phantasmal Killer. Phantasmal Killer may not be the most dependable spell, but it feels really fun for the character. (I almost took Greater Invisibility instead, but... Hey, if I can insta-kill a vital enemy at some point - and with my -WILL abilities I just might - that could be fun and memorable!)

Also, I never knew that Druid got scrying, so that's something I'm REALLY looking forward to using, along with several other spells you mentioned, AVR. Thanks for the tip!

Are there any spells that give me a pool of ranged or melee touch attacks I can use? I'm thinking of Frostbite as an example here, or Magic Stone (though that's sling ammo / throwing rocks). Ranged touch preferred. I'd like something I can use to dependably deal damage and trigger my Painful Stare ability if possible.

(Reasoning: I'm not proficient with bows, and crossbows would take Rapid Reload to use properly.)

Produce flame/pale flame is the obvious 'pool of ranged & melee touch attacks' spell from your list. Flame blade is melee only, you know about frostbite.

Lightning lash and the whip spells are 15' range finessable melee touch attacks with possible rider effects.

Hey, just wanted to drop one last post to say you guys helped me have a blast playing my character. She should be hitting level 3 soon, and the sessions I've played were great opportunities to have fun.

I'll be taking Weapon Finesse at 3rd level so I can use melee spells like Frostbite. I unfortunately won't have access to Lightning Lash (it's in an unavailable book), but I can tell I'm going to have a lot of fun with those spells already.

I think another spell for 2nd level I really want is Burst of Radiance, now that I see it's on the Druid spell list. I know from experience that it's an amazing spell, so that seems like a great pick!

I was looking at feats suggested. Manifold Stare is unfortunately not part of the available book list, but the other stare feats are.

My feat plan right now is:

1) Fey Spell Versatility (already taken)
3) Weapon Finesse
5) Spell Focus (Transmutation)
7) Spell Specialization (Transmutation)
9) Demoralizing Stare
11) Excoriating Stare
13) Compounded Pain

I feel like this build plan is simple and to the point. I can potentially get a Training weapon to give myself Improved Initiative... or perhaps put Rapid Reload on a Training light crossbow? That way I can dependably get shots off without depending on my awful STR, inflicting my stares?

Finally, on Spells... My plans through 13th level are:

1st: Color Spray (replace with: Heightened Awareness at level 8), Entangle, Cure Light Wounds (replace with: Hunter's Howl at level 5), Frostbite, Produce Flame, Remove Sickness OR Liberating Command
2nd: Heroism, Barkskin, Burst of Radiance, Pale Flame, Sickening Entanglement - and I can take Wind Wall as a 2nd level Ranger spell later...
3rd: Confusion, Life Bubble, Named Bullet (Ranger), Thorny Entanglement, Fey Form I
4th: Slowing Mud, Phantasmal Killer, Scrying, Dispel Magic
5th: Air Walk (Communal), Stoneskin

How do those spells look as choices through 13th? Taking them in that order.

Finally... Should I be focusing on Transmutation spells given this list, or should I pick something else?

By the time you're getting any benefit from a training (rapid reload) light crossbow you have 8 uses/casting from pale flame and 5-6 2nd level spell slots/day. I think the crossbow use won't be a big thing for you. If you find that the party wants you to spend all your spell slots on heroism/barkskin then maybe. Isn't training from Inner Sea Intrigue though?

As far as remove sickness/liberating command goes, that depends on what you're seeing a lot of in the game. If the sickened condition or grapples have been a major thing then sure, go for whichever's commonest.

Quote:

Isn't training from Inner Sea Intrigue though?

I think you're right. Nix that!