proditor said:
You're missing my point.
+5 bow with Speed (+4), Distance (+1)
50 arrows: +1 with Bane (+1), Holy( +2), Flaming Burst (+2), Lawful (+2), Shocking Burst (+2)
Now the fighter has +14 in "buffs", and a net +5 (Bow being bigger and all) on to hit and damage.
The AA can only do +9, since they cannot use magic arrows with their enhance ability, and the bow has to be +1 to accept any other enchantments.
Like I said, pricey, but a net 5 point loss in buffs to the AA, the "Master" of combining these two things.....
I think
you're missing
their point. The AA can buy those same 50 arrows, and the total attack will be the same as for the fighter. (The AA's enhance arrow ability won't apply, but they can stilll
use those arrows!) And when the AA and the fighter have both run out of arrows, the AA will
still have an unlimited supply of 'regular' magic arrows to use. More likely, the AA will not bother spending money on consumables like arrows and rely on her enhance arrow ability, using the money saved on more permanent magical enhancements (on the bow, on gloves of dexterity, manuals of quickness of action, etc.). For the fighter to stay ahead or even keep abreast of the AA, he will have to continually sink money into the bottomless magic arrow pit. After 50-100 arrow shots, the 200,350 gp the fighter sank into his 50 +1 holy lawful shocking burst flaming burst bane arrows is
gone; and the AA who spent instead 137,500 on a +5 manual of quickness of action and 36,000 on +6 gloves of dexterity is still shooting magic arrows, and has +5 or +6 extra ranged attack bonus from her increased Dex and 26,500 extra gp left over. Who's the better archer again?
And frankly, money isn't unlimited, even at very high levels. Even a dedicated archer character will put his money towards weapon enhancments on his bow rather than on expendable arrows, especially in 3.5 where normal arrows can penetrate DR when fired from a magic bow. The difference in equipment between a fighter/archer and an arcane archer at a given level will invariably be that the AA has more non-plus enhancements on her bow, making up for the difference with her enhanced arrows.