Post/Author/DateTime	Post
LachlarlanIII 01-30-07, 03:54 PM	This is a non-casting Arcane Archer build. Race: Wood Elf Abilities: Str 16, Dex 17, Con 14, Int 6, Wis 8, Cha 12 1: Ranger 1 - Point Blank Shot 2: Hexblade 1 3: Hexblade 2 - Precise Shot 4: Hexblade 3 - Dex 18 5: Hexblade 4 6: Ranger 2 - Rapid Shot, Weapon Focus (Longbow) 7: Arcane Archer 1 8: Arcane Archer 2 - Dex 19 9: Arcane Archer 3 - Manyshot 10: Arcane Archer 4 11: Arcane Archer 5 12: Arcane Archer 6 - Improved Precise Shot, Dex 20 13: Arcane Archer 7 14: Arcane Archer 8 15: Arcane Archer 9 - Improved Rapid Shot A pretty straightforward build with a very high attack bonus as it doesn't lose any BAB and decent saves at 15th level. A low Int doesn't affect anything this build can do so I made it the dump stat. The biggest benefit is that you can focus all your weath on weapon enchantments such as Bane or Holy and don't have to worry about increasing your attack bonus through weapon enhancement bonuses.
Sieylianna 01-31-07, 12:09 PM	Did you spend too many points? Ed
UMiskatonic 01-31-07, 12:44 PM	Are you SURE you want to wait until 6th level for Rapid Shot? I'd take Ranger 2 at 2nd level, and then go hexblade.
LachlarlanIII 01-31-07, 12:51 PM	Did you spend too many points? Ed Base before racial mods: Str: 14 = 6 Dex: 15 = 8 Con: 16 = 10 Int: 8 = 0 Wis: 8 = 0 Cha: 12 = 4 Total = 28
LachlarlanIII 01-31-07, 12:52 PM	Are you SURE you want to wait until 6th level for Rapid Shot? I'd take Ranger 2 at 2nd level, and then go hexblade. The order doesn't really matter. I just did this order to get Mettle asap while getting the ranger skill points.
UMiskatonic 01-31-07, 01:41 PM	Yes, the order does matter. I understand you want mettle. However, think about how many save or die effects you see at APL 2-4. Very few. Now, think about how many encounters will involve you shooting arrows? All of them, I figure. Rapid shot almost doubles your damage output. You need it, fast. Remember, the thing about arcane archers is that they are ARCHERS. Your party won't like you if you don't have all the archer feats by third level.
solbergb 02-01-07, 02:26 PM	Yeah. You want the holy trinity of point blank, precise and rapid shot by level 3 to really call yourself an archer. I've seen some archers put off precise until level 6, but IMHO that's also a mistake. Mettle is certainly no substitute for precise shot. In the lower APL's the only thing it will apply to is unholy blight, and simply being neutral is a better defense :) Or, you know, killing the enemy cleric with your second shot.
Mommy was an Orc 02-01-07, 02:42 PM	Yeah. You want the holy trinity of point blank, precise and rapid shot by level 3 to really call yourself an archer. Just to confirm this - my rogue archer build doesn't get Rapid Shot until 4th level, and playing up to APL 4 was often brutal when sitting at weak tables. I had to do that for feat reasons - tactile trapfinder was a must have feat at 3rd and I was getting Rapid Shot from Ranger 2. There just wasn't any way to pull it off without delaying Rogue. But Mettle does apply against Soundburst(as we realized after DMing a table with 2 low level hexblades...)
solbergb 02-01-07, 02:53 PM	Yah, but geeze...only if you save. The real danger of sound burst is failing a save, and mettle doesn't help at all then. the 4.5 damage isn't usually that big a deal.
Mommy was an Orc 02-01-07, 03:04 PM	Yah, but geeze...only if you save. The real danger of sound burst is failing a save, and mettle doesn't help at all then. the 4.5 damage isn't usually that big a deal. Not when it is a trap and you have no clerics in the party :)
UMiskatonic 02-01-07, 03:32 PM	Yes, but we're comparing one kind of possible trap to every creature which is vulnerable to arrows. In my mind, Rapid shot is FAR superior.
Mommy was an Orc 02-01-07, 04:05 PM	Yes, but we're comparing one kind of possible trap to every creature which is vulnerable to arrows. In my mind, Rapid shot is FAR superior. Didn't say otherwise - I believe I pointed out how much trouble I had at 3rd level - I kept being grouped with players who had no idea what they were doing. My Rogue 1/Fighter 1/Ranger 1 actually had to be the 'frontline tank' and the 5th level arcane casters kept trying to run away in the 1st round of every combat.
UMiskatonic 02-01-07, 06:35 PM	I hear ya. I once sat down with a wizard who had gotten to 6th level, died, and made it back to 6th. He decided that he could solve all of his problems in combat (10 Con) with.....the Run feat. He was good for exactly one spell per encounter, and then he ran away. So sad.
Mommy was an Orc 02-01-07, 07:32 PM	I hear ya. I once sat down with a wizard who had gotten to 6th level, died, and made it back to 6th. He decided that he could solve all of his problems in combat (10 Con) with.....the Run feat. He was good for exactly one spell per encounter, and then he ran away. So sad. One guy, in a group where he was the 8 bringing a group of 4s/5s, mostly melee experts, up to APL 6, in one combat, was going to decide to cast Dimension Door on round 1 to the max range. Where he wouldn't be able to do anything significant, such as casting Haste and moving behind cover. Fortunately, he listened when everyone said he was about to get us all killed so he could save his own skin.
solbergb 02-01-07, 08:58 PM	Huh. I've had way more trouble with overly brave arcanists who got munched and mangled and needed rescuing than those who run away to where they can't help. Olivia's cry in the early days was "I am NOT running away. I attack just as well from way over here!" But I guess there is regional variation. I haven't seen a lot of cowardly players in the RPGA, except in one intro mod which had some folks new to RPGA including one that (after trying to rob a bunch of pholtan NPC's, annoying the party so much that they didn't chase the bad guys stealing his backpack even though it had all the party food in it) decided to spend the near TPK fight hiding and running away from the party. He said "I don't think this campaign is for me" when the game was over, much to all of ou relief.
JamesMaissen 02-02-07, 01:47 AM	But I guess there is regional variation. I haven't seen a lot of cowardly players in the RPGA, . Its not really a regional thing more than a contagious disease. Atleast I haven't seen it endemic to an entire region but rather it spreads a little slower than that at the gaming group level. The worst is when it spreads to a critical mass during a module. I recall one mod where there was one such character completely convinced that we couldn't survive, etc. He was so adamant and vocal about it that others were starting to buy into it and were ready to run from otherwise easy encounters. It's a subset of the case where a character is out of his traditional element and gives up trying to be helpful to the party. This is something I think is common enough to have been seen by all. But despair is worse in that it can infect others into the same condition. -James
LachlarlanIII 02-02-07, 10:00 AM	The worst is when it spreads to a critical mass during a module. I recall one mod where there was one such character completely convinced that we couldn't survive, etc. He was so adamant and vocal about it that others were starting to buy into it and were ready to run from otherwise easy encounters. -James Sometimes that's the truth of the matter. In a mod I played recently we were playing APL2 with an APL1 party. The fight was against an Allip. Impossible to kill at that APL without magic weapons, which none of us had. We RP'd it for a while, the sorcerer ran out of magic missiles, then we ran. More accurately, I said, it's a lost cause and ran. Everyone else followed suit.
Mommy was an Orc 02-02-07, 10:35 AM	Sometimes that's the truth of the matter. In a mod I played recently we were playing APL2 with an APL1 party. The fight was against an Allip. Impossible to kill at that APL without magic weapons, which none of us had. We RP'd it for a while, the sorcerer ran out of magic missiles, then we ran. More accurately, I said, it's a lost cause and ran. Everyone else followed suit. A reason why every weapon user should pick up an oil of magic weapon or shillelagh after their first adventure.
LachlarlanIII 02-02-07, 10:46 AM	A reason why every weapon user should pick up an oil of magic weapon or shillelagh after their first adventure. Not possible if it is your first adventure. Only one person in the party had played anything previously. When I said APL1, I meant APL1. AUTHORS: Please, please, stop putting incorporeals at APL 2!
Reylance 02-02-07, 11:10 AM	Not possible if it is your first adventure. Only one person in the party had played anything previously. When I said APL1, I meant APL1. AUTHORS: Please, please, stop putting incorporeals at APL 2! If the module provides a loan of a magical weapon or oils of magic weapon/bless weapon/shillelagh, that's more acceptable. For one such module with an APL 1 incorporeal, the con coordinator made sure there was a cleric at each table.
solbergb 02-02-07, 12:32 PM	Yeh...there was an intro mod with a critter that had dr/magic with a magic mace in the room with it. It even got used, but most parties got it with magic spells or just hitting it hard. (dr/5). I dunno. Intro mods should make allowances for PHB only equipment, but APL2 mods assume that at least a couple people in the party have actually played some adventures (and actually, if there are firsties, there should also be 3rd level characters or a full table including some L2s)
Daverius 02-07-07, 03:21 AM	Here was my arcane archer build: Bard4/rgr2/ftr1/arcane archer8 Half-elf str 12, dex16, con10, int12,wis10,cha14 This was my first character and the con 10 was a pretty big mistake. But the character hasn't died yet. At apl 10, he could die from a failed save against a flame strike. So I have to pretty much far from combat. But being a bard I can sing and fall back and fire at mages. Got decent diplomacy and gather info if needed. Can hide and move silent and got decent spot and listen. Funny thing is I play up all the time. I'm currently level7, haven't taken levels in arcane archer yet. With inspriational boost + bard song my attack roll is +12/+12/+7 I have a frost bow, my damage is 1d8+4 +1d6. My many shot is +11 2d8+10. 1 brd1 point blank shot 2 rgr1 track 3 rgr2 rapid,precise shot 4 brd2 - dex17 5 brd3 - 6 brd4 weapon focus (longbow) 7 ftr1 many shot 8 arcane archer1 dex18 9 arcane archer2 improved rapid shot 10 arcane archer3 11 arcane archer4 12 arcane archer5 feat? dunno dex19 13 arcane archer6 14 arcane archer7 15 arcane archer8 spells: 0 - message (works great with bard song and can be 100 + feet away), prestidgation, read magic, detect magic, dancing lights 1 - cure light wounds, inspriational boost, exp. retreat 2 - sound burst, minor image (but if I could do it over, I would have taken sonic weapon)