Archeologist

[Semli]

I don't see the benefits of this PrC justifying the tertiary BAB.  I'd say at least go with secondary... even with Grace you wouldn't be hitting much.  While I could understand the possibility of a wizard deciding to instead sacrifice future slots for passable (not good) rogue skill checks, mechanically this isn't a sound choice.

Seems to me to get the best out of this you'd have to pure rogue it, and even then all you really end up with is a multiclass character with secondary/tertiary BAB (very bad news indeed), a buff and a defensive spell, with above average support skills thanks to the class abilities.  Not a good tradeoff in my mind.

And yeah, as written you could meet the mechanical reqs for this at level 3.  I guess it doesn't really matter since they have to app for it anyhow, just seems odd though.

[Aldrick Tanith]

I find myself in agreement with Semli and SkillFocuspwn, but my main problem about the PrC is not so much the mechanics (although the mechanics don't fit any non-rogue Archaeologist type that I know of...).  It's about the RP of the class.

What benefit does it give Garlin, Highwind or Tanith?  Each of these PC's seem to be the type of target for this PrC.  I just don't see the RP advantages, aside from bragging rights for taking this class.  I don't see how any of the aforementioned PC's somehow suffering as a result of not being archeologist's.

Then again, maybe it is because I am associating this class being geared toward scholarly characters.  It seems more Indiana Jones than anything else, so if that is what was being aimed at – great.  Although, like Semi said I would up the ab progression.  Rogues / Rangers / Bards might enjoy this class.

As it stands, though, for scholarly characters I would just take a bard level for bardic lore.

[9lives]

For plus one lore?

[Egon the Monkey]

I made a rogue (Alexander Addams) in the UD who would have loved this class, he spent all his time wandering the Machine with gnomes.

I can see the point of this class, as it can make a character the ultimate ruins investigator and de-trapper. However, that comes at the cost of BAB, sneaks or spells, which you need to do stuff that isn't ruins exploring under steath and invis. This class doesn't seem much use on quests compared to a rogue who can Skill Focus and shoot with sneaks. The abilities it gets are nice, but you can get away with average to levels of those skills by multiclassing, and be able to do more with the PC.

Either it needs to be worthwhile to take a level or two of to round out a scholarly PC, or be good enough to want to take all 5 levels. One level on an exploring rogue or rogue/wiz is cool for the load of Skill Focus feats, but after that, not so much.

EDIT:
Put my money where my mouth is and rolled up an Archaeologist in the campaign. They do indeed make phenomenally good explorers and trappers at Rogue 2/Archaeo 5, as they get to cast those 1/day spells at Archaologist class level. The trouble would be GETTING the class from level 3. However, short of solo exploring, it can't really do much, whereas my example Rogue 3/wiz 4 gets to choose from a selection of spells including Grace, Invis, Identify, gets Tumble AC, arcane wands, Scribe Scroll, more sneaks and better AB. So, more useful for puzzle solving, and for combat. All it loses out on is HP, but Archaeologist isn't combative and needing of it anyway.

And that build requires no app. Same goes for Rogue/Bard which gets more skillpoints, better AB and more Lore.

I think the class could do with Mid BAB and either the Blackguard Sneak Attack feat, more spells or some combat abilities. The saves are nice, but with that much search and disable, you won't ever be setting the traps off in the first place.

[I can has fun?]

I'm just going to say this about the Archaeologist PRC: I am presently playing a PC who has cobbled together exactly this same specific collection of skills and abilities through multiclassing. If I could go back in time and take this PRC, I probably would. This is a pretty useful class as-is.

What benefit does it give Garlin, Highwind or Tanith? Each of these PC's seem to be the type of target for this PrC. I just don't see the RP advantages, aside from bragging rights for taking this class. I don't see how any of the aforementioned PC's somehow suffering as a result of not being archeologist's.

Like you said, a distinction should be made here between an archaeologist and a scholar, and also between an adventurer and an archaeologist. This PRC really does seem to straddle the line between Lara Croft and Indiana Jones, but the spectrum of classes that would be interested in archaeological research is much wider.

The way I'm reading it, the whole point of the class seems focused on making the initial discovery, but not much beyond that. The PRC would still need someone like Tainth, Garlin, or Highwind to make sense of what they found. The appeal of the PRC to those characters would be entirely vicarious.

[Egon the Monkey]

the thing is, Jharla's more useful than this class. She's got more spells, a wider range of them, sneak attacks, and can use wands without UMD. She can solo explore well, or buff up a party with basic spells and then shoot and de-trap.

Archaeologist would give you better search, lore, open and disable, and better saves. Not a great trade-off IMO compared to multiclassing rogue instead. 1 level of Archaeo, sure, you could even get that for your character, as I thought she'd discovered some quite significant stuff, and the 1st level feats are very good. I think that's a nice alternative to 1 Rogue for a wizard character looking to explore more.

The problem with this class is it has RP skills, exploring skills and trap skills but absolutely no combat capability either offensively or in support. You haven't got the BAB to shoot or hit things, you have no offensive spells, buffs (other than one grace) or heals, and you can't set traps. It's hell on wheels for DM quests and trap removal but short of UMDing wands you've no way to assist your party either by enhancing, healing or fighting. And since you will likely need levels anyway to do the exploring and make that discovery, you won't even have the spells for a while.

[Howlando]

Somehow in the process of my original suggestion, ScottyB's proposed revision, and implementation Archeologist got dramatically nerfed. To be honest I hadn't even noticed.

I personally agree that some of the proposed bonuses (such as, yes, medium BAB) should be returned, but I'll have to check in to see why it was changed.

[Amourae]

In my uncreative, unimaginative and completely out of place opinion, I don't see this PrC as being coherent to the supposedly intense studying time that most wizards should have.
 
The way I see it, it's more likely that, let's say, a bard becomes an Archeologist to dive deep down a certain ruin, to find tomes, relics or whatever, to bring back for the wizard\scholar to study and learn new things, etc.

[ExileStrife]

This is the Indiana Jones PrC.

[Egon the Monkey]

Then Give It Tumble, before I produce a screenshot montages of Indy's Greatest Tumble Checks :P.

[The Beggar]

not a prc I would ever app for in it's current state. very mechically weak for the standard app range for prc characters. normally people are around level 6-7 before gaining a prc just due to normal playing and time needed to meet requirements.

the prc as it stands now I view as a 'capstone' class, like to get the name only, for special prc oriented gear, etc. for me,, to mechanically weak to justify taking it earlier.

[I can has fun?]

Then it needs the following:

Weapon Proficiency: Exotic
Weapon Focus: Whip
Weapon Specialization: Whip
Improved Disarm
Favored Enemy: Nazi
Skill Focus: Hide in Refrigerator vs. Nuclear

[Aldrick Tanith]

Here are my suggestions for improvements.  

•  Requires 8 Lore and 4 Search, making it so that the first level of this class is taken at 6th.
•  Increase AB progression to medium.
•  Add Tumble, Set Trap and Craft Trap as a class skills.
•  For each level gained in the class you gain +1 disarm trap, open lock, search and lore.
•  For level two, increase Uncanny Dodge to III instead of II (+2 reflex save vs. traps) - this gives the PrC +4 reflex save vs. traps from class benefits alone.  Remove darkvision, it's useless in NWN, replace it with Stonecunning (+2 Search indoors) from level three.
•  For level three, remove cat's grace and replace it with a flat +2 Dex bonus.  Add Stealthy (+2 bonus to hide and move silently checks).
•  For level four, remove Invisibility and replace it with Skill Focus:  Hide, Move Silently.  Remove Hit Die Increase: 8 and replace it with the Toughness feat.

The Archaeologist is Indiana Jones.  You live and die by your wits, skill and knowledge.  You're good at getting into and out of places you weren't meant to be in, disarming things you weren't meant to disarm, and finding things that weren't meant for you to find.  In a nutshell:  you discover things.  This is what you do.

An Archaeologist PC, by level ten who has focused on what the core of the PrC is about (disarming traps, opening locks, searching for secret doors, and reading / translating ancient texts) should be able to do these things better than anyone else.  

They aren't a magical class, which is why I suggested removing darkvision (in addition to sucking), invisibility and cat's grace.  Replace those things by being stealthy.

William Bell would have been a Wizard 5 /  Archaeologist 5, though clearly the class is aimed at Rogues and Rangers.  Indiana Jones or Lara Croft would have been a Ranger 5 /  Archaeologist 5.

[Thomas_Not_very_wise]

I much prefer Tanith's version.

[Garem]

I like Tanith's version too, but it seems even less powerful than the existing version. Something is missing to make archeologist REALLY stick out, which in my opinion, they should! Maybe the option to re-roll on failed translation attempts?

Maybe something like how Palemasters get really neat undead grafts, Archeologists get special access to certain devices?