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Theorycrafting the Ultimate Jack-of-All-Trades (PF1 Spheres) Build

BBK

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BBK

BBK

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So, as it says in the title, I'm in the process of theorycrafting the Ultimate Jack-of-All-Trades build using Spheres in the form of the most 'flexible' character possible. Essentially, I'm tired of FOMOFear of missing out, and building a character only to say "Oh man, I wish I'd picked X instead of Y!" so I seek to theorycraft the most ADHD character concept possible. A character who can, with a bit of effort, change damn near everything about their capabilities each day.

Assuming it is a Gestalt character, using any available OGL content found on the Library of Metzofitz, Spheres Wiki, and the d20PFSRD, including using the Background Skills, Oaths & Oath Boons alternative rules, and scaling from level 1-10 to start with, I've built up the most 'flexible' jack-of-all-trades build I could. In order to do so, I've relied heavily on Veilweaving - particularly the Living Veil race and the Veilweaving Sphere, as well as archetypes that lend themselves to such, and Aegis Customizations for their insane daily flexibility and general adaptability.

My question to the community at large is... what would you change to make it more 'Flexible'? Also open to corrections if I've gotten anything incorrect so far.

The Build So Far:

Level Progression

Class Choices

  1. Witch (Sphere Witch) // Aegis (Integrator | Mekanikos)
  2. Witch (Sphere Witch) // Aegis (Integrator | Mekanikos)
  3. Arcanist (Sphere Arcanist) // Aegis (Integrator | Mekanikos)
  4. Vizier (Sphere Vizier) // Soulforge (Mightforge | Sphere Soulforge)
  5. Arcanist (Sphere Arcanist) // Soulforge (Mightforge | Sphere Soulforge)
  6. Arcanist (Sphere Arcanist) // Soulforge (Mightforge | Sphere Soulforge)
  7. Arcanist (Sphere Arcanist) // Kheshig (Khorchin | Variable Veilmaster)
  8. Arcanist (Sphere Arcanist) // Aegis (Integrator | Mekanikos)
  9. Arcanist (Sphere Arcanist) // Aegis (Integrator | Mekanikos)
  10. Arcanist (Sphere Arcanist) // Aegis (Integrator | Mekanikos)

Race

Traits

Drawback

  • ???

Oaths (+6)

Oath Boons (-6)

Feats

Witch Hexes

Arcanist Exploits

Talents by Level

  1. Witch (Sphere Witch) // Aegis (Integrator | Mekanikos)
    • Witch Hex (Moldable Magics): +1 (Flex) Magic Talent
    • Witch: +1 Magic Talent
    • Witch Patron: +1 Magic Talent
    • Caster: +2 Magic Talents
      • 5 Talents Total: 1 Flex Magic, 4 Magic
  2. Witch (Sphere Witch) // Aegis (Integrator | Mekanikos)
    • Witch: +1 Magic Talent
    • Aegis: +1 (Flex) Blended Talent
      • 7 Talents Total: 1 Flex Magic, 5 Magic, 1 Flex Blended
  3. Arcanist (Sphere Arcanist | Unlettered Arcanist) // Aegis (Integrator | Mekanikos)
    • Arcanist: +1 (Flex) Magic Talent
      • 8 Talents Total: 2 Flex Magic, 5 Magic, 1 Flex Blended
  4. Vizier (Sphere Vizier) // Soulforge (Mightforge | Sphere Soulforge)
    • Vizier: +1 Magic Talent
    • Vizier: +2 Magic Talents (Veilweaver)
    • Soulforge: +1 (Flex) Combat Talent
    • Soulforge: +2 Magic Talent (Veilweaving)
      • 14 Talents Total: 1 Flex Combat, 1 Flex Magic, 10 Magic, 1 Flex Blended
  5. Arcanist (Sphere Arcanist | Unlettered Arcanist) // Soulforge (Mightforge | Sphere Soulforge)
    • Arcanist: +1 Magic Talent
    • Soulforge: +1 Magic Talent
      • 16 Talents Total: 1 Flex Combat, 1 Flex Magic, 12 Magic, 1 Flex Blended
  6. Arcanist (Sphere Arcanist | Unlettered Arcanist) // Soulforge (Mightforge | Sphere Soulforge)
    • Arcanist: +1 (Flex) Magic Talent
    • Soulforge: +1 (Flex) Combat Talent
      • 18 Talents Total: 2 Flex Combat, 3 Flex Magic, 12 Magic, 1 Flex Blended
  7. Arcanist (Sphere Arcanist | Unlettered Arcanist) // Kheshig (Khorchin | Variable Veilmaster)
    • Arcanist: +1 Magic Talent
    • Kheshig: +1 Blended Talent
      • 20 Talents Total: 2 Flex Combat, 2 Flex Magic, 13 Magic, 1 Flex Blended, 1 Blended
  8. Arcanist (Sphere Arcanist | Unlettered Arcanist) // Aegis (Integrator | Mekanikos)
    • Arcanist: +1 (Flex) Magic Talent
    • Aegis: +1 (Flex) Blended Talent
      • 22 Talents Total: 2 Flex Combat, 4 Flex Magic, 13 Magic, 2 Flex Blended, 1 Blended
  9. Arcanist (Sphere Arcanist | Unlettered Arcanist) // Aegis (Integrator | Mekanikos)
    • Arcanist: +1 Magic Talent
      • 23 Talents Total: 2 Flex Combat, 3 Flex Magic, 14 Magic, 2 Flex Blended, 1 Blended
  10. Arcanist (Sphere Arcanist | Unlettered Arcanist) // Aegis (Integrator | Mekanikos)
    • Arcanist: +1 (Flex) Magic Talent
    • Aegis: +1 (Flex) Blended Talent
      • 25 Talents Total: 2 Flex Combat, 5 Flex Magic, 14 Magic, 3 Flex Blended, 1 Blended

Note: This breakdown does not include talents gained via Combat/Casting/Unified Tradition(s) or Sphere Drawbacks.

Mechanics

Setup

  • Taking iterations of the Adorn Akashic Treasure talent with static Magic Talents or static Blended Talents in order to adorn an iteration of the Talentkeeper's Opal Akashic Treasure onto every shaped veil converts the same number of static Blended Talents and/or Magic Talents spent doing so into (Flex) Blended Talents. Will always have the same number of talent points spent as his minimum number veils shaped for efficiency.
  • Spending Aegis Customization Points on the Bonus Talent customization grants extra (Flex) Blended Talents (maximum 1 per 2 effective levels of Aegis).
  • Once the character reaches level 7, he can shape the Dahlia's Psionic Halo veil and manifest the 3rd level psionic power Form Astral Armor, essentially letting him snag temporary (1 min/lvl) Aegis Customizations in order to get specific or specialized buffs as needed for any given situation. This requires using the Astral Skin variant if using armor, but still a great way to flex customizations that grant skill bonuses and such as needed.
  • Once the character reaches level 10, he can shape the Dahlia's Psionic Halo veil and manifest the 4th level psionic power Psychic Reformation, essentially letting him 'Flex' all of his Skill & Feat selections as needed, making him the ultimate Jack-of-all-Flexes.
  • The Personal Guardian feat is used to gain a Living Veil (Incarnate Form Variant) cohort that specializes in general buff & utility veils, essentially giving you a second set of (albeit less flexible) Veils to use. Using the Raja (Lordly Champion) class as their main class, they can grant you extra actions as well as essentially acting as a wearable buff bundle.

"Loadouts"

Gear

  • Because of the Craft Self as well as the Unified Theory & Akashic Arms & Armor feats, almost all his spent wealth would be devoted to magical effects either on his Unified Theory Feat to add to his veils, or on himself.
  • Not having to rely on physical items that can be lost, destroyed, or stolen, and being a Construct that does not need to eat or sleep, he is as 'self-sufficient' as I could think of.
  • A few consumables and whatever coinage he happens to have are generally the only things he would carry with any regularity.
  • Unified Theory Enhancement Short List:
  • Craft Self Enhancement Short List:

Veil Mechanics

  • His racial base Living Veil is Aura of the Adaptable, which allows him to emulate any other veil he has access to (usually through a Tradition Talent in the Veilweaving Sphere), and is able to burn essence to flex it for any other veil he has access to.
  • The build contains 3 veils that do not count against the normal veils per day limit, nor the chakra slots they are assigned. These are gained at levels 1 (Living Veil Race), 3 (Arcanist's Exploit), & 7 (Kheshig Archetype).
  • At level 5 and every 3rd level afterward, he gets a Composite Living Veil, which he is able to flex in his racial veil slot via the Folded Veil feat.
  • He would normally get either the Soulforge or Vizier Tradition talents, locking him into that tradition when gaining his first level of Soulforge, but the build assumes he would hold a different tradition at the time that would be gained with a Flex talent. Thus, the choice of Tradition Talent remains something that can be flexed.

Shaped Veils By Level

Levels 1 & 2

Levels 1 & 2 (2-3 Veils)

  • Living Veil (+1)
  • Veilweaving Sphere Unlock (+1)
    • Any List (Or Current Tradition Talent)
  • Aegis Customization (up to +1)
    • (Optional) Daevic List

Level 3

  • Level 3 (2-4 Veils)
    • Living Veil (+1)
    • Veilweaving Sphere (+2)
      • Any List (Or Current Tradition Talent)
      • (Optional) Any List (Or Current Tradition Talent)
    • Aegis Customization (Up to +1)
      • (Optional) Daevic List

Level 4

  • Level 4 (4-6 Veils)
    • Living Veil (+1)
    • Veilweaving Sphere (+2)
      • Any List (Or Current Tradition Talent)
      • (Optional) Any List (Or Current Tradition Talent)
    • Adorned in Veils class feature (Vizier)
      • Any List (Or Current Tradition Talent)
    • Aegis Customization (Up to +1)
      • (Optional) Daevic List
    • Arcane Exploit (+1)

Level 5

  • Level 5 (5-8 Veils)
    • Living Veil (+1)
    • Veilweaving Sphere (Up to +2)
      • Any List (Or Current Tradition Talent)
      • (Optional) Any List (Or Current Tradition Talent)
    • Adorned in Veils class feature (Vizier)
      • Any List (Or Current Tradition Talent)
    • Aegis Customizations (Up to +2)
      • (Optional) Daevic List
      • (Optional) Daevic List
    • Arcane Exploit (+1)
    • Soulforge (Associated) Soul Veil (+1)
      • Forged Soul's Associated Veils List

Level 6

  • Level 6 (5-9 Veils)
    • Living Veil (+1)
    • Veilweaving Sphere (Up to +3)
      • Any List (Or Current Tradition Talent)
      • (Optional) Any List (Or Current Tradition Talent)
      • (Optional) Any List (Or Current Tradition Talent)
    • Adorned in Veils class feature (Vizier)
      • Any List (Or Current Tradition Talent)
    • Aegis Customizations (Up to +2)
      • (Optional) Daevic List
      • (Optional) Daevic List
    • Arcane Exploit (+1)
    • Soulforge (Associated) Soul Veil (+1)
      • Forged Soul's Associated Veils List

Levels 7 & 8

  • Levels 7 & 8 (6-10 Veils)
    • Living Veil (+1)
    • Veilweaving Sphere (Up to +3)
      • Any List (Or Current Tradition Talent)
      • (Optional) Any List (Or Current Tradition Talent)
      • (Optional) Any List (Or Current Tradition Talent)
    • Adorned in Veils class feature (Vizier)
      • Any List (Or Current Tradition Talent)
    • Aegis Customizations (Up to +2)
      • (Optional) Daevic List
      • (Optional) Daevic List
    • Arcane Exploit (+1)
    • Variable Arsenal (+1)
      • [Enhanced] Kheshig & Soulforge List
    • Soulforge (Associated) Soul Veil (+1)
      • Forged Soul's Associated Veils List

Levels 9 & 10

  • Levels 9 & 10 (6-12 Veils)
    • Living Veil (+1)
    • Veilweaving Sphere (Up to +4)
      • Any List (Or Current Tradition Talent)
      • (Optional) Any List (Or Current Tradition Talent)
      • (Optional) Any List (Or Current Tradition Talent)
      • (Optional) Any List (Or Current Tradition Talent)
    • Adorned in Veils class feature (Vizier)
      • Any List (Or Current Tradition Talent)
    • Aegis Customizations (Up to +3)
      • (Optional) Daevic List
      • (Optional) Daevic List
      • (Optional) Daevic List
    • Arcane Exploit (+1)
    • Soulforge (Associated) Soul Veil (+1)
      • Forged Soul's Associated Veils List
    • Variable Arsenal (+1)
      • (Foldable) [Enhanced] Kheshig & Soulforge List / [Enhanced] Kheshig & Soulforge List
Edited by BBK (see edit history)
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OzzyKP

OzzyKP

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Posted

I don't have anything constructive to add, this is all a bit more advanced of a build for me to wrap my head around, but I will say that I appreciate how neatly laid out everything is. Well done with the orderly presentation and formatting.

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BBK

BBK

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4 hours ago, OzzyKP said:

I don't have anything constructive to add, this is all a bit more advanced of a build for me to wrap my head around, but I will say that I appreciate how neatly laid out everything is. Well done with the orderly presentation and formatting.

Thank you - I truly appreciate that. Formatting that is consistent, easy to navigate, and pared down to a level of detail that provides just enough data and required context without getting into the minutia is a wonderful thing to have when attempting to collaborate with others. I can't say my way is at all perfect, but it is the most comfortable for me of all the formats I've used so far.

I can't speak to how other people like doing things, but when I take an editorial role, I like to copy the entire thing and simply highlight the changes I make (with altered formatting such as another text color, underlining changes, usually striking through the original also for reference, etc). Having a compact template assists a great deal in that type of editing, so I tend to format in that style be default because I continuously edit my own work until I'm satisfied with it. Essentially, that is what I have done over the last several weeks, and I'm now ready for outside eyes and suggestions to further fine-tune the concept.

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TheFred

TheFred

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I made a character a bit like this for one of these silly-overpowered high-level games where it was like L20 tristalt or something. I could pretty much reconfigure their entire mode of operation on a round-by-round basis. Veilweaving with Veilshifting is pretty good for this, especially with the Veilweaving Sphere as that lets you have all the benefits and then some and none of the drawbacks and still be a Spherecaster (because that makes sense!), though obviously the Vizier L20 capstone is what you really want.

The other option is Spirit Dancer Medium - I think it doesn't work by RAW but if you're using Spheres then combining it with Champion Medium makes good sense, and it's kind of bonkers especially in gestalt. The only issue is the limited number of spirit dancing rounds which can't easily be increased, but if you like doing copious amounts of fiddly maths every round then it's bang on. Also lets you use Permanent Transformation early, which frankly should never have been written, which is quite neat with Belated Shift.

 

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BBK

BBK

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Posted (edited)

Made some minor changes, reflecting some private feedback.

  • Pared down the Oaths section to something more reasonable
  • Swapped a level of Soulforge for Kheshig
  • Swapped a level of Witch for Vizier
  • Added short lists for planned enhancements for Craft Self and Akashic Arms & Armor feats.
  • Added an example of a 'Loadout'.
Edited by BBK (see edit history)
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BBK

BBK

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7 hours ago, Inash said:

I don't think Sphere Arcanist and Unlettered Arcanist stack since both alter the spells class feature.

Good catch! I'd originally read the archetype as altering the 'Spell List' (since that is the mechanical change) and didn't catch that it actually altered 'Spells' instead. I'd originally had it just to further the witch familiar's progression without having to spend an Arcane Exploit to do so.

I've given up on attempting to make the familiar more useful on its own through feats, and have shifted my expectations to simply use it as an Alteration Sphere shapeshift recipient in order to remain useful and versatile. I'll plan for an Ioun Wyrd (Shadow Familiar) with a master CL of 2 from Witch. If it is going to be squishy, at least the archetype lets it respawn during spell point replenishment periods. That does leave one feat completely unfilled, however.

Updated original post to reflect changes.

Edited by BBK (see edit history)
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