meeisiel - Magic Expert power

[bouquetoftruth]

I selected this after completing 4-1 in hopes I could easily recharge all the offensive flasks and orbs. Unfortunately, the card description wins - banish if you dont have arcane. So, what items, armor, or weapons would this power apply to?

 

"You may use Charisma in place of any skill on any check to recharge an armor, item, or weapon that has the magic trait"

 

The wording "any skill on any check" really sounds convincing, but don't be fooled! Card descriptions always win, I guess

 

So, what's an item, armor, or weapon where I could possibly use this power?

[Bajie]

Wands for item.

[Celedhring]

Luckstones.

[Pengw1n]

Would Necklace of Fireballs work? Since it's not autobanished according to the text.

Edited October 8, 2016 by Pengw1n

[bouquetoftruth]

Would Necklace of Fireballs work? Since it's not autobanished according to the text.

I just found that while browsing the vault. I sure hope it qualifies because it's a kickass artifact!

[Achilles]

Any word on whether or not Necklace of Fireballs counts? So far as I can tell, that's the only reason to take this power.

[Ethics Gradient]

Any word on whether or not Necklace of Fireballs counts? So far as I can tell, that's the only reason to take this power.

 

It should.  I admit that I haven't rolled up that Thief build see how the app handles it, but that's how it worked tabletop.

 

There are a thin slice of magic items she can use and has a shot at recharging.  Aside from the Necklace of Fireballs, she could maybe get some mileage out of the Wand of Enervation, Sihedron Medallion, Wand of Force Missiles or Wand of Scorching Ray.

 

The big problem is that Charisma is a pretty average skill for her.  Merisiel tops out with a Charisma of 1d6+2.  Seeing as most of the items she'd potentially use with the Magic Expert power require at least an 8 to recharge, she'd have to burn a blessing or keep a Acolyte or Troubador in her deck to provide that chance.

 

To be honest, this power is one of the "legacy" powers that just didn't quite develop as hoped.  One of the clues is that the power also applies to recharge checks for magic armors and weapons... and that never really became a thing by the end of RoTR.  The game slowly evolved as the Adventure Decks came out, and there are more than a handful of instances where Roles or powers never wound up being as useful as Paizo thought they might be when they first templated out the characters.

[Achilles]

Yeah, I did a card-by-card audit and quickly figured out that "armor" must be a mis-print.

 

I started to get intrigued by the idea of Meri spicing up her Items tab with some magical items, but experience tells me that real gameplay almost never reaches parity with theory-craft builds (i.e. "this card is *amazing*...in precisely this one scenario that almost never happens").

 

I'm already quasi-resigned to the idea that to take this would be to accept that you're going to get one use of whatever item you equip per scenario (the benefit being that you're burying the card rather than banishing it and that the card is powerful enough to make it's use worthwhile...hence Necklace of Fireballs or Wand of Treasure Finding). I don't want to have to multiple cards in my hand that I have to keep around *just in case* I need to recharge a different card later.

 

At this point, I'm thinking in terms of "Necklace of Fireballs 1/scenario" vs "+2 to Item, Weapon, and Armor checks". The latter feels more aligned with a "Thief" whereas the former as "Rogue" written all over it.

[Ethics Gradient]

 I don't want to have to multiple cards in my hand that I have to keep around *just in case* I need to recharge a different card later.

 

That's precisely the problem with the Magic Expert power.  She needs a fair amount of baggage to even be a Lem-lite magic user.

 

Compared to a maxed Backstab where she can do 2d6+4 even unarmed as long as she's alone, or getting free blessing recharges for Dexterity checks, there are a ton better ways for her to get consistent combat bonuses instead of hoping for the cards to align to use and maybe recover a Necklace of Fireballs.

[Achilles]

Yeah, on a previous build (this is my 4th stab at Merisiel) I had maxed out Sneak Attack. It was pretty awesome, but it really is all-consuming.

 

The difference between Greater Sneak Attack and True Sneak Attack is 2. Inspired Dexterity more than makes up for that. Ophidian Armor definitely helps too.

 

Right now she has Hand Size 6, Improved/Greater Sneak Attack, Sabotage Location, and Inspired Dexterity. I'm planning on giving her Weapon Proficiency in 6-1. Just torn between Black Marketer and Magic Expert for 5-3.

[Achilles]

So...

 

Magic Expert *does* let you Recharge the Necklace of Fireballs. Which is good news.

 

Something more to consider:

 

Necklace of Fireballs = 3d6 + 12

Greater Sneak Attack = 2d6 +2

 

Therefore Necklace of Fireballs + Greater Sneak Attack = 5d6 +14 or 19-44 Fire damage. Which is great news. 

 

Now for the bad news. If you fail to make the Charisma check, the item is banished.

 

EDIT: The other two items which might make this worthwhile (Wand of Scorching Ray and Wand of Treasure Finding) are buried rather than banished if you can't make the arcane check. So you could take them and 1/Scenario them without having to take Magic Expert.

 

In conclusion, Magic Expert truly is worthless.

Edited December 30, 2017 by Achilles