Gold’s Guide to Arcanist

Summary

Having learned a wide range of Abilities, the Arcanist brings them to bare with substantial sustain to keep going throughout a day!

The Arcanist is another Ability Generalist along the lines of Artist, but with a focus less on improving each Ability’s effectiveness and more on quantity and sustained Ability usage throughout a day. Thanks to their wide arsenal of Abilities, they are incredibly versatile, able to fulfill many roles, and they can keep going too thanks to high innate WP and WP Regen. Like the Artist, though, you are a Master of None; if not even MORE so due to lacking universal Ability access and lacking the additional consistency of Artist. Investment will be necessary.

However, the last thing you want to do is underestimate an Arcanist; it’ll be the last thing you do.

Sub-Archetype Statistics

Ease of Use – ★★★★☆

Offensive Ability – ★★★★☆

  • Single Target – ★★★★☆
  • AOE – ★★★★☆
  • Disabling – ★★★★☆

Defense – ★★★★☆

  • Passive Defense – ★★☆☆☆
  • Active Defense – ★★★★☆
  • Healing – ★★★★☆

Support – ★★★★☆

  • Offensive Support – ★★★★☆
  • Defensive Support – ★★★★☆
  • Miscellaneous Support – ★★★★☆

Skills – ★★☆☆☆

  • Social – ★★★☆☆
  • Physical – ★★☆☆☆
  • Mental – ★★★☆☆
Use this Sub-Archetype if you want to…
– Know a frankly silly number of Abilities.
– Have really darn good WP sustain, being able to keep going even without a Consistency Path.
– Be a literal GOD WIZARD. Y’know, if that’s your jam…
Consider avoiding this Sub-Archetype if…
– If you get choice paralysis real bad. This is choice paralysis, the Sub-Archetype.
– If you want to be good at using all your Abilities; more often than not, you’ll just be alright.
– You want a bit more fluff to your Abilities. This won’t grant that; you just get a lot of em.

Features

Tier 1 – Foundation of Magic

You gain 1 WP more per Level. You can learn the Abilities of the Reality Archetype. You learn three additional Abilities.

+1WP/Level. You may learn Abilities from Reality. Learn 3 more Abilities.

Wait, a Hybrid Caster Feature? On the castiest caster to ever cast? It’s more likely than one would think! This is a surprisingly good feature, so let’s cover it in two parts: the WP and the Abilities.

Arcanist has the highest starting WP in the game without further investment, full stop. Being blessed with 5WP/Level at base is an incredible boon, and will ensure you have a plentiful supply of WP even at L1, potentially even more if you invest into WP in the future.

Secondly, you get access to Reality Abilities and 3 more Abilities. This gives you a hefty number of Abilities, even early on, and while the Reality Ability access isn’t gamechanging, it does grant you access to a wider range of powerful options, which is worthwhile by itself.

Overall, Foundation of Magic is surprisingly straightforward, but man alive is it potent. It only gets better from here!

Tier 2 – Apply Vast Knowledge

Whenever you use an Ability you did not use on your last turn, you gain 1 WP. If it is in at least one Ability category that you did not use last turn, you gain an additional WP. You can only regain less WP with this feature than you spend on the Ability. You learn two additional Abilities.

Whenever you use an Ability you didn’t use last turn, gain 1WP. If it is in an Ability Category you didn’t use last turn, gain 1 more WP. You can’t regain more WP than you spend on the Ability. 

Learn 2 more Abilities.

Firstly, since Arcanist is technically a Hybrid, you get 2 additional Abilities at each Tier moving forward, except Tier 5. More on that beast later… This is nice, and helps you gain an edge in terms of Ability count, even early on. But as for the Feature itself…

Apply Vast Knowledge is a gamechanger to Arcanist’s gameplan, and is probably the single best Feature it has. Why? Well, on paper, it seems rather tame; using different Abilities grant you a WP refund after Ability usage, with a greater refund if you use different categories of Abilities. These are pretty minor, only 1WP each, but hey, that’s not terrible.

At least, that would be the case if not for the fact that you are in the Mental Archetype. Meet Mental Recharge; the main reason why Arcanist’s WP sustain is absolutely insane. In short, it DOUBLES ALL WP gain you would receive. So… yea, those 1WPs? That’s a LIE, those are 2WP!!!

Okay, admittedly, you have to do a bit of work to trigger the 2nd effect; you need to flexibly change what you’re doing between turns to fully benefit from it. Even if you don’t, though, getting 2WP back PER CAST if you use different Abilities is NUTTY. Combine with a tool in Synergies, and you’re officially off to FLAVOURTOWN.

Overall, this is probably Arcanist’s best all around feature, and is NO laughing matter. GMs, be prepared for nonsense once an Arcanist gets this; they will be using Abilities constantly and be laughing their way to the bank.

Tier 3 – The Will to Learn

Your WP Maximum increases by an amount equal to half the amount of Abilities you know. You learn two additional Abilities.

+Max WP equal to ½ your Ability Count. Learn 2 more Abilities.

Sooo… how would you like effectively +1WP/Level, with the potential to balloon even higher with investment? Meet The Will To Learn, it’s awesome and continues the Arcanist’s sustain-focused WARPATH. It’s surprisingly straightforward, but MAN. 

Without ANY investment, you get 10(!!!) extra WP at this level, ON TOP of your usual WP/Level, which makes it closer to 15WP at this level with no further investment. THEEEN, you remember that Casters get 2 Abilities per level, and realize that means you effectively get 6WP/Level now, assuming no other investment. That is ABSOLUTELY INSANE.

With Synergies, The Will To Learn can be literally insurmountable in terms of WP supply with sufficient investment. Especially THAT ONE. If you know, you know. The Will To Learn is a monster of a feature, and is one that shouldn’t be underestimated.

Tier 4 – Second Nature

The WP cost of your Abilities is reduced by an amount equal to your Tier if you used that specific Ability for the first time since your last full rest. You learn two additional Abilities.

The first time you use an Ability each Full Rest, reduce its cost by your Tier. Learn 2 Abilities.

On paper, Second Nature seems like a rather tame Tier 4; it basically just means you get a free discount on each Ability you use for the first time each day. But then, you realize you easily have around 30 Abilities by now, then start to laugh in the most hilarious fashion. In short, your WP Sustain just got even better, especially if you like to use a wide range of Abilities.

Combined with Apply Vast Knowledge, this is absolutely nuts. Have fun.

Tier 5 – Unveiled Secrets.

You learn 24 additional Abilities.

Learn 24 Abilities.

SO. 24 MORE ABILITIES. This has some MAJOR ramifications for the Arcanist. First, it’s effectively +12WP this Level. Pretty good, but the big thing is more Abilities to use with Second Nature. WP Sustain is dead, and you shot it dead with this Feature. Enjoy.

Synergies & Tips

Synergies

  • Path of Polymathy: Gives more Abilities and WP? YES PLEASE! It’s basically one of the best Paths available if you just want to CAST forever. And more Abilities translates to more WP Sustain at T3.
  • Any Ability Path: Much like Artist, Arcanist loves any Ability-Focused path, though Polymathy, as mentioned above, is probably their best option overall if you’re okay with WP management.
  • Literally ANY Ability Stuff: Arcanist loves Abilities. Giving them stuff to make their Abilities better will go a long way. Much like their brother in Artist, they can really make ANY Ability work, so have at it!
  • Extra WP and WP Discounts: As per usual with Casters, you want more WP and WP Discounts, though it is admittedly a little less pressing for Arcanists than most due to their good max WP and WP Sustain.
  • More Abilities: Moreso than even Artist, you want more Abilities, ESPECIALLY when The Will to Learn and Second Nature come around. They just provide so much value for you.
  • Clothes of the Mage: This single Greater Talent is what turns Arcanist’s WP Sustain from pretty good to CRIMINAL. Thanks to being ALSO affected by Mental Recharge (lol), this, alongside Apply Vast Knowledge can allow you to reasonably cast a T3 Ability per turn at NO loss of WP. Utterly ridiculous; and even when you do start casting at higher tiers, this still does a lot of heavy lifting.
  • Mana Drain: Another primo WP regeneration method for the Arcanist; providing WP equal to the Tier of the first enemy you hit each turn! And yes, this is affected by Mental Recharge. Between this, the previous Clothes of the Mage, and Apply Vast Knowledge, you’ll have a pretty stable experience when it comes to WP throughout your career.
  • Spell Book: THE CROWN JEWEL. Yes, it requires a lot of Materials. Yes, it requires time. But if you got those, you quite literally have INFINITE ABILITIES. And with The Will To Learn and Second Nature… OHOHOHOH… Oh boy, you’re going to have a FIIIELD DAY. If you’ve got time and resources during a campaign, this is a MUST take for Arcanists, no questions asked. It’s also a massive flavour win. And all for a LESSER TALENT. Yep, this is amazing.
  • Copycat: One of the very few Sub-Archetypes that can pull off a Copycat Multi-Sub-Archetype take. The start is still very rough (though not as rough thanks to starting with extra Abilities); but once you get the ball rolling and hit Tier 3 for The Will To Learn, hoo boy that’s a LOT of Willpower waiting to happen! Potentially even better than Spellbook… if you can get this up and running.
  • Artist: Unsurprisingly, the other defacto Ability Generalist is a fantastic pairing with the Arcanist thanks to fixing Arcanist’s main issue; a lack of ability improvements and output. Artist fixes both with sufficient investment AND provides more Abilities and perfect Ability access. An obvious combo, but a good one.
  • Fighter Affinity: Surprisingly good for Arcanist. Thanks to starting with the highest base WP/Level at 5, you don’t sacrifice much in the way of WP for Martial Prowess. That is nice, and helps you figure out what you wanna do!

Tips

  • Building your Ability List around having a wide variety of Ability Types is crucial to getting the most out of Apply Vast Knowledge’s refund. Be aware of Abilities with Multiple Types, as those can be a bit tricky to work with. 
  • But also, sometimes it’s okay to use an Ability with the same Type, or even the same Ability! It all depends on circumstance. 

Sub-Archetype Build Showcase

Simple Build

This straightforward Arcanist looks towards being an Evoker hybrid Wizard! With a wide range of Heat, Cold, and Shock damaging options, you’ve got a wide range of situations covered nicely! Thanks to Mana Drain and Evoker T1 and T2, you’re gonna have a generally great time doing it; it’s WP efficient AND accurate! 

Honestly do pretty decently out of combat too; with a good range of Utility Abilities, some defensive power from Shield and Barrier, and even a debuff in Elemental Bane… yea, you’ve got it pretty good. The only catch? You better not run outta WP, or things will get BAD. Like, REALLY bad. Fortunately, that’s pretty hard to do with your high WP supply and various recovery options, so get out there and be your best wizardly self!

Experimental Build

Warning: this Arcanist is very, very reliant on the right campaign to function, and is a bit volatile in early game. Cool? Cool. SO, Arcanist/Copycat/Grenadier! You’re built for being very martially capable whilst also having the potential to get a MASSIVE Ability Kit via Copycat. Path of Attack allows you to throw hands even without Abilities.

Fortunately, you got a pretty good basic kit to help you get there; with a mix of defensive, offensive, and utility tools! As for downsides… your WP isn’t anywhere near as high without the sheer Ability Count to start with, and you lack additional WP Sustain, so you’ll have to manage WP with a little more caution. Still, a really fun build with lots to enjoy!

Conclusion

Overall, the Arcanist is a monster of WP Sustain with a wide range of options for any situation. Thanks for reading! If you have any fun builds that could help show off Arcanist more, feel free to send them to me on Discord at goldzephzellian!