Post/Author/DateTime	Post
marcus_antonius 01-30-04, 05:45 PM	ok, so here is my problem: I'm currently playing a Ranger/Deepwoodsniper 5/1 who is about to level up to lvl 7. I somehow pictured him as a mounted archer but i never got any mounted feats (took all archery feats) but i invested heavily in handle animal and ride (both 8 ranks). Right now i feel i should take some ranks (maybe 5) in skills like climb and swim but i dont know how useful that would be. I also fear that my mount will die in combat (because of not having mounted combat). Also my mount troubles me when trying to be sneaky and hide...... I'm kind of stuck between the image of "Riding Shooter" and "Lonely Sniper" Can anyone give some advice ? What would you do ? give up mounted combat ? (for additional info, just ask) thanks in advance
Zorloff 01-30-04, 06:08 PM	I'm in a similar situation. I have a level 7 orc (half-orc template) Ranger who is about to go to level 8. I have also taken all of the archery feats (Point blank shot, precise shot, & improved rapid shot). If you want your mount to be tougher than normal do what I am going to do. Get a light or heavy horse as your animal companion when you pick up the 6th level of ranger and train it for combat. Because you are a sixth level ranger your animal companion's stats will increase (+2HD, +2 Natural armor, +1 STR/DEX, and evasion). Get it some light barding and you are all set! Ride around and pick 'em off from a distance.
ksbsnowowl 01-31-04, 12:02 PM	I'd say cut your losses and ditch the horse. The ride ranks won't be completely wasted; you can still make use of them when trying to catch or outrun someone on horseback, but for the most part horses and archery do not mix well. In my opinion, you will end up being a much stronger character devoting yourself to your archery path rather than wasting resources on horse handling. Oh, one other word of advice; take a look at the Peerless Archer PrC in the Forgotten Realms accessory 'Silver Marches.' A build of Ranger 5 (or ranger 1/fighter4)/DWS 2/Peer Arch 3/DWS 5/ something else 5 can reach sniper damage ranges of 350-450 points of damage with one shot. Do a search for *sniper* posts by me and you should find the build fairly quickly - it recently was locked down because of another poster - but the lock icon should make it easy to find. edit: typo
lotterybucks 02-01-04, 05:13 PM	Originally posted by marcus_antonius I somehow pictured him as a mounted archer but i never got any mounted feats (took all archery feats) but i invested heavily in handle animal and ride (both 8 ranks). Right now i feel i should take some ranks (maybe 5) in skills like climb and swim but i dont know how useful that would be. I also fear that my mount will die in combat (because of not having mounted combat). Also my mount troubles me when trying to be sneaky and hide...... I'm kind of stuck between the image of "Riding Shooter" and "Lonely Sniper" you know, I went through this exact fork in the road to sniperhood. This is what I did: -Ditched my horse, replaced it with a hawk animal companion, the massive spot ranks he had made him an aeral spotter for me. -Took brachiation as a feat (Masters of the Wild). This allowed me to swing through tree tops at my base landspeed. It's very useful if you frequently operate in forests or jungles. -Maxed out in the skills Hide and Move Silently. This is what a sniper's life revolves around. You no longer have to worry about your animal companion revealing your position since he'll be flying above, relaying you any new information. Suggestions for you: -You can follow my steps if you want. They're just an example of what I did. -Take some more ranks in climb and balance. It's always useful to be sure you won't fall off your treetop perch in the middle of combat. -If you still can't get rid of the "Riding Shooter" image and if you have the gold (about 8000GP), you can buy a giant eagle/owl/hawk as an exotic mount!!! You can not only fly and fight, but have an intelligent friend who can simply fly away when you need to sneak up on someone. Then he can swoop back down and carry you out of the battle. whatever path you choose, good luck and happy hunting!!!