Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Necrochaos 03-25-06, 10:56 PM	I stole this from Mommy was an Orc: Wood Elf Ranger 3/Monk 2/Fighter 2/Pious Templar 4/Order of the Bow Initiate 4 Str 18, Dex 18, Con 12, Int 8, Wis 8, Cha 8 1: Ranger 1: Point Blank Shot 2: Fighter 1: Precise Shot 3: Ranger 2: Rapid Shot, WF: Composite Longbow 4: Monk 1: Improved Unarmed Strike, Improved Grappling: Dex 19 5: Monk 2: Combat Reflexes 6: Ranger 3: Endurance, True Believer 7: Fighter 2: Woodland Archer(RW) 8: Pious Templar 1(Ehlonna): Dex 20 9: Pious Templar 2: Many Shot 10: Pious Templar 3: WS: Longbow 11: Pious Templar 4: Improved Rapid Shot 12: Order of the Bow Initiate 1: Improved Precise Shot: Dex 21 13: Order of the Bow Initiate 2 14: Order of the Bow Initiate 3 15: Order of the Bow Initiate 4: ?, GWF: Composite Longbow 16: ?: Dex 22 I'm current at level 3. I was thinking that Order of the Bow isn't much of a fit as I prefer the rapid shot to the one shot arrows I would get from Order of the Bow. I would be interested in Wildrunner instead and wondered when and where I should put this into my build. Also, is it worth to get more than 2 levels in Wildrunner? Do I still need the monk levels? Any help at this point would be fabulous..
boogahwoof 03-25-06, 10:58 PM	you might consider darkwood stalker mor efavored enimies as well or even scout for the skirmish ability if you go with order of the bow and one shot
opa 03-25-06, 11:40 PM	I play a 6th level archer and have taken Order of the Bow initiate, and will take it to level 2 for the close combat shot, also the precise shot gives me an alternative to rapid shot because I frequently now have to move...
Mommy was an Orc 03-25-06, 11:53 PM	Order of the Bow is not so much for their precision shot ability as it is for their two good saves, particularly Will. If Will saves aren't a problem, then Wildrunner becomes a lot more feasible. You then replace two levels of Order of the Bow with Wildrunner. If hitting is a big issue, then you can push Wildrunner into Pious Templar levels. Monk levels are for similar reasons - you get a huge boost in saves, a bunch of feats, and Evasion. Part of the concept is that you're the guy who is almost impossible to take out via spells(great saves, evasion, mettle), decent hit points, good ac(high dex, ability to tumble/fight defensively, hard to grapple due to high strength/Improved Grapple), yet you still consistently hit the bad guy despite all that. That's what makes the build dangerous.
Swiftbrook 03-26-06, 09:33 PM	I went with a straight ranger build ... so far. Wood Elf Ranger 6 Str 16, Dex 18, Con 12, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 8 (I think) 1: Ranger 1: Point Blank Shot 2: Ranger 2: Rapid Shot 3: Ranger 3: Endurance, Percise Shot 4: Ranger 4: Wis 14 (+1 from an AR ... This was not planned) 5: Ranger 5: 6: Ranger 6: Improved Percise Shot, Improved Rapid Shot Basically, what I have found is that I need to hit and hit often. Rapid shot and Percise shot are great for that. The extra damage from PrC usally comes at a penalty ... Order of the Bow if I recall correctly, only allows 1 shot for the extra damage. I get that extra damage by adding "Frost" to my bow. But I get it 3 or 4 times a round. That adds up faster. -Swiftbrook
redgamer 03-27-06, 12:23 AM	Are you taking ranger 3 because you think you need endurance for Pious Templar because that isn't true anymore. I don't like wildrunner for an archer. I would suggest it doesn't fit anywhere in your build mechanically or flavor-wise. Since you can't cast spells take fighter 3,4 instead of pious templar 2,3,4. Take fighter until you have all the feats you want then take tatooed monk. You may also consider rogue x or wiz 1/arcane archer x at high levels. Once you have the feats you want you generally need damage more than anything else. You can't get you AC high enough on a regular basis. You should be hitting almost all the time. Another good option is go back to ranger and relearn how to scout.
Mommy was an Orc 03-27-06, 07:33 PM	Ranger 3 is to delay Fighter 2. You can't qualify for Woodland Archer until BAB +6, which you get at 7th level. It could be easily replaced by something else, but Endurance + 6 skill points is worth something. Pious Templar is a lot better than Fighter 4 when you have an 8 Wisdom - you might not cast spells, but it vastly increases your Will Saves. Archers can be pretty good at getting high ACs - they have few ways of increasing damage and feats that specifically kick in only when they miss. So Tumble Defensively and eventually getting an animated Tower Shield might hurt attack rolls a bit, Woodland Archer/Improved Rapid Shot/Maxxing out Dex will make up for it. Basically, the Tumble Defensively makes up for the +2 lost for Animated and the +1 lost for wearing say Mithril Chain/Max Dex instead of Mithril Full Plate/Max Dex. i.e. essentially, you're the guy wearing Full Plate and Tower Shield, yet mobile and can hit anywhere on the battlefield. You do have a -6 to hit for doing so, but if you miss just once, you gain +4 to hit for the rest of the round. As you get an extra attack, it mostly evens out. I do like my trapfinding archer build better though. Just got Sacred upgrade access for him and I'm two mods away from Rapid Shot. The problem of course is trying to save up 6K when you're 3rd playing to APL 4, you realize you're the party's tank and your wizards don't know what a buff spell is... Are you taking ranger 3 because you think you need endurance for Pious Templar because that isn't true anymore. You can't get you AC high enough on a regular basis. You should be hitting almost all the time. Another good option is go back to ranger and relearn how to scout.