Ithilorien
First Post
All credit goes to Nifft and Cesare Corvus, whose own revisions of the Arcane Archer were shamelessly butchered and cobbled together to create this version.
Let me know what you think.
ARCANE ARCHER
Hit Die: d6. Dropped down from d8. Archers are not frontliners, and the greater arcane focus of this version is better emphasized by a lower hit die.
Base Attack Bonus: Good (as fighter).
Saves: Poor Fortitude, Good Reflex, Good Will (as bard). Good Fortitude made no sense to me whatsoever, Reflex best fits an archer, and Will best fits arcane.
Requirements
To qualify to become an arcane archer, a character must fulfill all the following criteria.
Race: Elf or half-elf.
Base Attack Bonus: +4. I felt that the feat requirements already required enough waiting without having to enforce taking six levels in fighter or ranger, so I dropped the BAB requirement a bit. Now a Fighter 2/Wizard 4 can qualify rather than needing a Fighter 6/Wizard 1.
Feats: Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot, Weapon Focus (longbow or shortbow).
Spells: Ability to cast 2nd-level arcane spells. Upped to compensate for the dropped BAB requirement.
Class Skills
The arcane archer’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Hide (Dex). Knowledge (Arcana) (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Ride (Dex), Spellcraft (Int), Spot (Wis), Survival (Wis), and Use Rope (Dex).
Skill Points at Each Level: 4 + Int modifier.
Class Features
All of the following are Class Features of the arcane archer prestige class.
1. Enhance Arrow I
2. Imbue Arrow, +1 caster level
3. Enhance Arrow II
4. Spell Arrow +1 caster level
5. Enhance Arrow III
6. Seeker Arrow, +1 caster level
7. Enhance Arrow IV
8. Phase Arrow, +1 caster level
9. Enhance Arrow V
10. Arcane Arrow, +1 caster level
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: An arcane archer is proficient with all simple and martial weapons, light armor, medium armor, and shields.
Enhance Arrow (Su): At 1st level, every nonmagical arrow an arcane archer nocks and lets fly becomes magical for purposes of overcoming damage reduction. Unlike magic weapons created by normal means, the archer need not spend experience points or gold pieces to accomplish this task. However, an archer’s magic arrows only function for her.
At first level, and for every two levels the character advances past 1st level in the prestige class, the magic arrows she creates gain an extra magical enhancement selected from the following list: Bane*, Distance, Flaming, Frost, Ghost Touch, Keen, Merciful, Seeking, Shock, or Thundering; or gain a single alignment trait (Chaotic, Evil, Good, Lawful) for the purpose of penetrating damage reduction.
Each special ability can only be chosen once, except Bane, which can be chosen multiple times (picking a different designated foe each time). Once chosen, special abilities are fixed (cannot be exchanged).
A maximum of two Alignment traits may be chosen, and they may not conflict with one another (e.g. Lawful and Chaotic).
Only one enhancement may be placed on any single arrow. (Thus, a 7th-level arcane archer with four attacks per round could fire a bane arrow, a flaming arrow, a frost arrow, and a keen arrow but no keen bane flaming frost arrows.)
Imbue Arrow (Sp): At 2nd level, an arcane archer gains the ability to place a spell upon an arrow. When the arrow is fired, the spell’s effect is centered on where the arrow lands, even if the spell could normally be centered only on the caster. This ability allows the archer to use the bow’s range rather than the spell’s range. It takes a standard action to cast the spell and fire the arrow. The arrow must be fired in the round the spell is cast, or the spell is wasted.
Spell Arrow (Sp): At 4th level, an arcane archer may, as a full round action, cast a single spell and fire a single arrow.
Seeker Arrow (Sp): At 6th level, an arcane archer may expend the casting of a 1st-level arcane spell slot in order to launch an arrow at a target known to her within range, and the arrow travels to the target, even around corners. Only an unavoidable obstacle or the limit of the arrow’s range prevents the arrow’s flight. This ability negates cover and concealment modifiers, but otherwise the attack is rolled normally. Using this ability is a standard action (and shooting the arrow is part of the action).
Phase Arrow (Sp): At 8th level, an arcane archer may expend the casting of a 2nd-level arcane spell slot to launch an arrow at a target known to her within range, and the arrow travels to the target in a straight path, passing through any nonmagical barrier or wall in its way. (Any magical barrier stops the arrow.) This ability negates cover, concealment, and even armor modifiers, but otherwise the attack is rolled normally.
Using this ability is a standard action (and shooting the arrow is part of the action).
Arcane Arrow (Sp): At 10th level, an arcane archer can channel the energy of a prepared spell or unused daily spell slot into one of their arrows as a free action. An arrow thus empowered gains an attack bonus equal to the level of the spell channeled and a damage bonus equal to 1d6/spell level. This ability may only be used a number of times per day equal to half the arcane archer’s class level.
Let me know what you think.
ARCANE ARCHER
Hit Die: d6. Dropped down from d8. Archers are not frontliners, and the greater arcane focus of this version is better emphasized by a lower hit die.
Base Attack Bonus: Good (as fighter).
Saves: Poor Fortitude, Good Reflex, Good Will (as bard). Good Fortitude made no sense to me whatsoever, Reflex best fits an archer, and Will best fits arcane.
Requirements
To qualify to become an arcane archer, a character must fulfill all the following criteria.
Race: Elf or half-elf.
Base Attack Bonus: +4. I felt that the feat requirements already required enough waiting without having to enforce taking six levels in fighter or ranger, so I dropped the BAB requirement a bit. Now a Fighter 2/Wizard 4 can qualify rather than needing a Fighter 6/Wizard 1.
Feats: Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot, Weapon Focus (longbow or shortbow).
Spells: Ability to cast 2nd-level arcane spells. Upped to compensate for the dropped BAB requirement.
Class Skills
The arcane archer’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Hide (Dex). Knowledge (Arcana) (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Ride (Dex), Spellcraft (Int), Spot (Wis), Survival (Wis), and Use Rope (Dex).
Skill Points at Each Level: 4 + Int modifier.
Class Features
All of the following are Class Features of the arcane archer prestige class.
1. Enhance Arrow I
2. Imbue Arrow, +1 caster level
3. Enhance Arrow II
4. Spell Arrow +1 caster level
5. Enhance Arrow III
6. Seeker Arrow, +1 caster level
7. Enhance Arrow IV
8. Phase Arrow, +1 caster level
9. Enhance Arrow V
10. Arcane Arrow, +1 caster level
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: An arcane archer is proficient with all simple and martial weapons, light armor, medium armor, and shields.
Enhance Arrow (Su): At 1st level, every nonmagical arrow an arcane archer nocks and lets fly becomes magical for purposes of overcoming damage reduction. Unlike magic weapons created by normal means, the archer need not spend experience points or gold pieces to accomplish this task. However, an archer’s magic arrows only function for her.
At first level, and for every two levels the character advances past 1st level in the prestige class, the magic arrows she creates gain an extra magical enhancement selected from the following list: Bane*, Distance, Flaming, Frost, Ghost Touch, Keen, Merciful, Seeking, Shock, or Thundering; or gain a single alignment trait (Chaotic, Evil, Good, Lawful) for the purpose of penetrating damage reduction.
Each special ability can only be chosen once, except Bane, which can be chosen multiple times (picking a different designated foe each time). Once chosen, special abilities are fixed (cannot be exchanged).
A maximum of two Alignment traits may be chosen, and they may not conflict with one another (e.g. Lawful and Chaotic).
Only one enhancement may be placed on any single arrow. (Thus, a 7th-level arcane archer with four attacks per round could fire a bane arrow, a flaming arrow, a frost arrow, and a keen arrow but no keen bane flaming frost arrows.)
Imbue Arrow (Sp): At 2nd level, an arcane archer gains the ability to place a spell upon an arrow. When the arrow is fired, the spell’s effect is centered on where the arrow lands, even if the spell could normally be centered only on the caster. This ability allows the archer to use the bow’s range rather than the spell’s range. It takes a standard action to cast the spell and fire the arrow. The arrow must be fired in the round the spell is cast, or the spell is wasted.
Spell Arrow (Sp): At 4th level, an arcane archer may, as a full round action, cast a single spell and fire a single arrow.
Seeker Arrow (Sp): At 6th level, an arcane archer may expend the casting of a 1st-level arcane spell slot in order to launch an arrow at a target known to her within range, and the arrow travels to the target, even around corners. Only an unavoidable obstacle or the limit of the arrow’s range prevents the arrow’s flight. This ability negates cover and concealment modifiers, but otherwise the attack is rolled normally. Using this ability is a standard action (and shooting the arrow is part of the action).
Phase Arrow (Sp): At 8th level, an arcane archer may expend the casting of a 2nd-level arcane spell slot to launch an arrow at a target known to her within range, and the arrow travels to the target in a straight path, passing through any nonmagical barrier or wall in its way. (Any magical barrier stops the arrow.) This ability negates cover, concealment, and even armor modifiers, but otherwise the attack is rolled normally.
Using this ability is a standard action (and shooting the arrow is part of the action).
Arcane Arrow (Sp): At 10th level, an arcane archer can channel the energy of a prepared spell or unused daily spell slot into one of their arrows as a free action. An arrow thus empowered gains an attack bonus equal to the level of the spell channeled and a damage bonus equal to 1d6/spell level. This ability may only be used a number of times per day equal to half the arcane archer’s class level.
