Best Archer Build?

Its an epic feat, and you dont need it if you want to be a ranger....arrowmind lets you fire a bow in melee without provoking AoOs and you threaten all squares adjacent to you.

Which isn't much good for a 12th level character, but it's nice to know that feat exists.

Its all about the elven cleric with the right domains such as Elf and another hmmm can't remember which. That's the ultimate archer smackdown with the right buffs

One option

Here's a potential build based on 28pt buy.

Human, Ftr8, Exotic Weapon Master 1, Peerless Archer 3

Str: 18 (14base+4item)
Dex: 23 (16base+4item+3levels)
Con: 18 (16base+2item)
Int: 8
Wis: 10
Cha: 8

Feats:
Point Blank Shot (Human)
Precise Shot (1)
Rapid Shot (Ftr1)
Exotic Weapon Proficiency [Greatbow] (Ftr2)
Weapon Focus [Greatbow] (3)
Quickdraw (Ftr4)
Manyshot (6)
Improved Rapid Shot (Ftr6)
Improved Critical [Greatbow] (Ftr8)
Far Shot (9)
Improved Precise Shot (12)

Class Abilities:
Close Quarters Ranged Combat (does not provoke AoOs for using Greatbow in threatened squares)
Ranged Sneak Attack (1d6) (only usable with ranged weapons)
Power Shot (power attack for ranged attacks... -1 to hit for +1 to damage, capped at base attack)

Skill Points: 8+22 = 30

Craft (weaponsmithing) : 3
Craft (bowyer) : 10
Tumble (cc) : 6
Jump : 5

Possible Items:
Belt of Giant Strength +4
Gloves of Dexterity +4
Amulet of Health +2
Boots of Speed
Mithral Chain Shirt +3
+1 Holy Migthy (+4) Composite Greatbow of Shock

You may want to drop shock from the bow to get a bit more cash for defensive or utility items.

HP: 124 (76base + 48con)
AC: 24 (10+6dex+7armor+1haste)
Hasted Full Attack: +21/+21/+21/+16/+11 at 195' range for 1d10+5+2d6holy+1d6electricity with 19-20/x3 with opponents gaining no benefit of any cover or concealment short of total... add power shot to taste

You can continue on with fighter levels to grab WS, GWF, GWS, Dodge/Mob/SoTR chain... or add in rogue for more sneak attack... personally though, I think that keeping full base attack is more important to take advantage of power shot. Note, that you also have full base attack, 18 strength, and quickdraw.... so you can whip out a melee weapon on the fly if you need to threaten a foe.

Edit: note... zero actions spent buffing.... well, zero non-free actions spent buffing

If you go with the Greatbow (CW, exotic wpn, d10, Too large to be used Mounted) you can take a level of Exotic weapon master which will get you the close combat feat. But Arrow mind is better and as a first level spell shouldn't be too expensive to get made into a constant item or as a power on your bow.

two said:

Don't forget at that level some of the basic items.

+1 Holy Sonic bow is a good start, or just +1 Holy.
Then have your pal make you 50 bane arrows of bane - X and 50 bane arrows of bane - Y.

Where X and Y are common types of enemies in your world.

Undead and Human might be typical examples.

Also get 20 seeking arrows and 10 bane arrows of a few other types.

Bane arrows obviously pump up your damage dramatically.

The seeking arrows are mirror image killers. See a wizard with mirror image? Close your eyes after targeting the right square, and fire using the seeking arrows. There is no miss chance from Mirror Image that way, nor from being blind.

Ranger allows for bonuses to types of enemies as well.

If your campaign has a common "big bad type" a build with Ranger2 and bane arrows might be useful.

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I'm curous as to why Holy is considered better than, say, Flaming plus Shock; both have a +2 cost. Each has its downside: non-evil enemies for Holy; energy resistance for the others.

By the way, I'd also favor the straight fighter route, especially over rogue levels. There are too many undead, plants, constructs, and other "no sneak" creatures in the campaigns I've been in, and you still need certain conditions to sneak the rest, conditions which are harder to achieve with a ranged weapon.

We're in an adventure where almost everything we fought was infested with a disease that made them a plant; one of the few things we encountered that wasn't a plant? A pair of golems. The rogue is pretty bored.

--Axe

Pickaxe said:

I'm curous as to why Holy is considered better than, say, Flaming plus Shock; both have a +2 cost. Each has its downside: non-evil enemies for Holy; energy resistance for the others.

By the way, I'd also favor the straight fighter route, especially over rogue levels. There are too many undead, plants, constructs, and other "no sneak" creatures in the campaigns I've been in, and you still need certain conditions to sneak the rest, conditions which are harder to achieve with a ranged weapon.

We're in an adventure where almost everything we fought was infested with a disease that made them a plant; one of the few things we encountered that wasn't a plant? A pair of golems. The rogue is pretty bored.

--Axe

Click to expand...

?? But the fighter has even less choices, and is stuck when focused on missile weaponry against a multitude of situations. Even with Greater Weapon Specialisation, (W00t! +4 damage vs a plant!), and greatly restricted in a large number of other situations.

Pickaxe said:

I'm curous as to why Holy is considered better than, say, Flaming plus Shock; both have a +2 cost. Each has its downside: non-evil enemies for Holy; energy resistance for the others.

--Axe

Click to expand...

energy substituted flame arrow can put those properties on your ammunition... holy also counts as good aligned, and is not as easily duplicated.

There's a Ranger spell which lets you attack everything in a 30' radius.

Holy is better because a LOT of enemies are evil, and your bow is good-aligned, bypassing the DR of most fiends.