Post/Author/DateTime	Post
echoota 05-29-06, 01:27 PM	A lot of the development is designed with the short term in mind. I foresee myself taking years to actually get my character up to level 16 and I can’t reliably say I will be playing a couple of years down the line as at that point we might be having kids. Because of that I have short-term goals set up. Str 18, Dex 17, Con 10, Int 10, Wis 10, Cha 8 I've picked this spread of abilities, a less than optimal spread for the archer, because I want to be somewhat competent at my skill picks. I don't want my character to just be the guy who shoots a bow, but bring something else useful to the table. 1: Ranger 1: Point Blank Shot 2: Fighter 1: Precise Shot 3: Fighter 2: Coordinated Shot (from Heroes of Battle), Weapon Focus (composite longbow) 4. Ranger 2: Rapid Shot, Dex 18 The first chunk is the up to level 4. When I hit level 3 I’ll be able to stand in the back while the party’s tank runs up into close combat. With Precise Shot and Coordinated Attack I’ll be able to fire through my tank with any penalties and into close combat without any penalties. I should be at +8 to hit. At 4th Level I’ll get rapid shot and be able to the same for two shots with a revised to hit bonus of +8 (+9 with PB). So by 4th level I’ll have realized my raison d’être, which is to help track for the party and act as an artillery piece. Also since I’ll be in the back and hopefully out of close combat I’ll be able to run where needed to administer first aid on bleeding characters or whatever else the scenario requires. If I do get this far then my next stage will probably take a page from Mommy is an Orc’s archer build. I’ll be prepping myself for survival at higher levels and so I’ll take some monk so I can evade, tumble and get better saves across the board, along with extra skill points. I’ll also dip into Pious Templar so I can get Mettle, and lastly take an early level of Order of the Bow Initiate to get those extra save bonuses. 5: Monk 1: Improved Unarmed Strike, Improved Grappling 6: Monk 2: Combat Reflexes, True Believer 7: Pious Templar 1 (Ehlonna) 8: Order of the Bow Initiate 1: Dex 19 At this point it’s all kind of theoretical. If I can seriously play by the time I get to 9th level and on I’ll probably do the below, just maximize out as best I can my archer abilities. It would be great to do the Occult Slayer, but Pious Templar and OotBI stack well in terms of requirements, whereas OS would require different feat and skill picks that I might be unable to pull off. 9: Pious Templar 2: Manyshot 10: Pious Templar 3: WS: Composite Longbow 11: Pious Templar 4: Improved Rapid Shot 12: Order of the Bow Initiate 2: Improved Precise Shot: Dex 20 13: Order of the Bow Initiate 3 14: Order of the Bow Initiate 4 15: Order of the Bow Initiate 5: Woodland Archer, GWF: Composite Longbow I think the only thing I'm not that satisfied with this build is that I'd like to have the Improved Initiative feat early on. Initiative comes up in every game and having a big advantage there with a bow shot that largely removes the to hit penalties would be very handy in any situation, but especially if you are dealing with a spellcaster. I am excited about the Coordinated Shot. Rather than have to wait till 11th level to remove the inevitable cover penalties when the tanks run into combat I can get rid of it at 3rd level.
Arvagor 05-29-06, 01:33 PM	I am excited about the Coordinated Shot. Rather than have to wait till 11th level to remove the inevitable cover penalties when the tanks run into combat I can get rid of it at 3rd level.Remember, though, that it is a Limited feat with no guarantee of access...
echoota 05-29-06, 02:43 PM	Remember, though, that it is a Limited feat with no guarantee of access... Argh! Well, I am in Bissel and every PC is pretty much in the army so perhaps I can swing it. The sheer density of material you need to read for LG can be overwhelming sometimes.