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3E D&D Aurelia setting & houserules material (now with magic items!)
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<blockquote data-quote="Arkhandus" data-source="post: 2977745" data-attributes="member: 13966"><p><strong>Aurelian Archer, Variant Ranger</strong></p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="color: Green"><em><strong>The Archer, Variant Ranger</strong></em></span></span></p><p></p><p>Archers are much like the more-common basic ranger, but they lack the strong affinity for wilderness and nature's critters. Thus, archers lack the minor blessings of nature that other rangers possess, but archers tend to be more personally-able in combat. Skirmishing, sniping, bounty hunting, and mobile archery are the chief strengths of an archer, and no one can match an experienced archer at these activities. Archers also develop keen eyesight and ranged defenses.</p><p></p><p>As their name implies, archers are the preeminant ranged combatants of Aurelia, dedicating themselves to thorough and absolute mastery of the bow, crossbow, tomahawk, dart, javelin, throwing dagger, or similar weapons. Most archers, of course, specialize in wielding the bow, with crossbows and javelins close behind in popularity amongst archers. The archer is only mildly skilled in melee combat, but develops a few tricks for hand-to-hand combat just in case.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: Red"><strong>Races:</strong></span> Archers are most common amongst elven rangers and aeragi rangers, but also somewhat common in the ranks of firagi rangers, halfling rangers, and orc rangers. Other races only have a small number of true archers amongst their rangers.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: Red"><strong>Other Classes:</strong></span> Archers are much more likely than other rangers to work in teams, usually with fellow archers, and occasionally with other warriors of some sort. Archers tend to have less of the loner mindset of other ranger types, though some who specialize in sniping tend to become rather detached and antisocial.</p><p></p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: 10px"><span style="color: Blue"><em><u><strong>Game Rule Information</strong></u></em></span></span></p><p>Archers have the following game statistics.</p><p><span style="color: Red"><strong>Abilities:</strong></span> Dexterity is important for an archer because they tend to wear light armor and because several class skills are based on Dexterity, and it’s even more important for them because it boosts their ranged attack bonus. Strength is somewhat important for them because archers frequently get involved in combat, but usually ranged combat, and most good ranged weapons don’t receive any benefits from a high Strength. Several archer skills are based on Wisdom.</p><p><span style="color: Red"><strong>Alignment:</strong></span> Any.</p><p><span style="color: Red"><strong>Hit Die:</strong></span> d8.</p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: 10px"><span style="color: Blue"><em><u><strong>Class Skills</strong></u></em></span></span></p><p>The archer’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Animal Empathy (Cha), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Handle Animal (Cha), Heal (Wis), Hide (Dex), Intuit Direction (Wis), Jump (Str), Knowledge (all creature lore skills, taken individually) (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Search (Int), Spot (Wis), Swim (Str), Use Rope (Dex), and Wilderness Lore (Wis).</p><p><span style="color: Red"><strong>Skill Points at 1st Level:</strong></span> (6 + Int modifier) x 4.</p><p><span style="color: Red"><strong>Skill Points at Each Additional Level:</strong></span> 6 + Int modifier.</p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: 10px"><span style="color: Blue"><u><em><strong>Class Features</strong></em></u></span></span></p><p>All of the following are class features of the archer.</p><p>[sblock]<span style="color: Red"><strong>Weapon and Armor Proficiency:</strong></span> An archer is proficient with all simple weapons, one light martial melee weapon of choice, all martial ranged weapons, light armors, and medium armors.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: Red"><strong>Special Ranged Attack Bonus:</strong></span> The archer is better at ranged combat than at melee combat, so he has a special bonus on ranged attack rolls. The archer adds their Special Ranged Attack Bonus to all of their ranged attack rolls, and this stacks with Base Attack Bonus for the sole purpose of determining how many ranged attacks per round the archer may make, and at what bonuses. The Special Ranged Attack Bonus is equal to one-half the character's archer level, rounded up. It does not count towards any Base Attack Bonus prerequisites.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: Red"><strong>Bonus Feats:</strong></span> The archer gains a bonus feat at 1st-level, and another at 4th-level and every eight levels thereafter. These bonus feats must be chosen from the following list:</p><p></p><p>Ace Javelineer, Adept Musketeer, Alertness, Bone-Shattering Slinger, Expert Arbalestier, Far Shot, Focused Archer, High Marksman, Improved Critical*, Improved Initiative, Manyshot, Mounted Archery, Point Blank Shot, Power Critical*, Precise Shot, Quick Draw, Rapid Reload, Rapid Shot, Sharp-Shooting, Shot on the Run, Siegemaster, Skill Focus (must choose Listen, Spot, or Wilderness Lore), Stinging Bombardier, Throw Anything, Weapon Focus*, Whiplasher, and Zen Archery.</p><p></p><p>The archer must still meet the prerequisites for these feats before he can gain them as bonus feats, but as a special benefit, the archer may choose Ace Javelineer, Adept Musketeer, Bone-Shattering Slinger, Expert Arbalestier, Focused Archer, High Marksman, Improved Critical, Power Critical, Stinging Bombardier, Weapon Focus, or Whiplasher as bonus feats from this class as though his Special Ranged Attack Bonus counted towards Base Attack Bonus. These are the only exceptions. The feats Improved Critical, Power Critical, and Weapon Focus, when gained as bonus feats from this class, must be applied to ranged weapons or throwing weapons. Any feat marked with an asterisk (*) may be gained more than once, but a different weapon must be chosen each time.</p><p></p><p></p><p><span style="color: Red"><strong>Track:</strong></span> The archer gains Track as an extra bonus feat at 1st-level in addition to any others.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: Red"><strong>Range Boost:</strong></span> Archers are skilled at using ranged weapons of all sorts effectively, and at 1st-level in this class, they add +10 feet to the range increment of any projectile weapons they use and +5 feet to the range increment of any throwing weapon they use. This is factored in after any other alterations to range, except for environmental effects upon the range.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: Red"><strong>Aim:</strong></span> The significant focus of an archer on training for mastery of ranged combat lends a greater degree of progress, when training heavily in a particular ranged weapon. At 2nd-level onward the archer gains an extra +1 bonus on attack rolls for any ranged weapons that he or she has gained Weapon Focus with. This applies even when the archer gains Weapon Focus in a ranged weapon later. Aim only functions with ranged weapons, not other ranged attacks. The bonus granted by Aim improves to +2 at 10th-level, then to +3 at 19th-level.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: Red"><strong>Favored Enemy:</strong></span> At 2nd-level, an archer may select a type of creature (dragons, giants, goblinoids, undead, etc.), as a favored enemy (an archer can only select his own race as a favored enemy if he is evil). Due to his extensive study of his foes and training in the proper techniques for combating them, the archer gains a +1 bonus to Bluff, Listen, Sense Motive, Spot, and Wilderness Lore checks when using these skills against this type of creature.</p><p></p><p>Likewise, he gets the same bonus to attack rolls against creatures of this type, and to Armor Class against attacks by creatures of this type; the bonus to AC counts as a dodge bonus. Lastly, he gets the same bonus to weapon, unarmed, natural weapon, and grapple check damage rolls against creatures of this type. However, the bonus to attack and damage rolls with ranged weapons (and to attack with all ranged attacks) is only effective up to 30 feet, for the archer cannot strike with deadly enough accuracy beyond that range. The bonus to damage doesn’t apply against creatures who are immune to critical hits.</p><p></p><p>Every eight levels thereafter (10th and 18th level), the archer may select a new favored enemy, and the bonus associated with every previously selected favored enemy goes up by +1. For example, an 18th-level archer will have three favored enemies, with bonuses of +3, +2, and +1.</p><p></p><p>Favored enemies can be chosen from the following: Aberrations, Animals, Beasts, Constructs, Dragons, Elementals, Fey, Giants, Humanoids, Magical Beasts, Monstrous Humanoids, Oozes, Outsiders, Plants, Shapechangers, Undead, and Vermin. In the cases of Humanoids and Outsiders, a specific type of Humanoid or Outsider must be chosen; for instance, goblinoids, humans, orcs, reptilian humanoids, baatezu, or tanar’ri; thus, Humanoid and Outsider can each be chosen several times, selecting a different type of Humanoid or Outsider each time.</p><p></p><p></p><p><span style="color: Red"><strong>Close-Quarters Defense:</strong></span> Archers quickly learn to wield their bows, crossbows, javelins, whips, darts, and other ranged weapons in melee combat, although not with much skill. When wielding a ranged weapon they are proficient with, the archer of 3rd-level or higher threatens the area within arm's reach as though the ranged weapon were instead a melee weapon, so the archer may perform attacks of opportunity with such weapons. The character may also use these weapons in regular melee combat with the same reach as their unarmed attacks.</p><p></p><p>These melee attacks and attacks of opportunity cannot be used to disarm, trip, grapple, strike an object, or perform special functions the ranged weapons may normally be capable of when used in actual ranged combat. This class ability also works with bolts and arrows, but not with slings or bullets. This ability does not grant proficiency in the weapons used. The character suffers a -2 penalty on attack rolls with these weapons when used in melee, instead of the usual -4 nonproficiency penalty for using a weapon in melee that is not designed for such purposes.</p><p></p><p>Since the weapons affected by this ability are not designed for use in melee combat, the archer does not benefit from any feats or other effects that specifically only grant an attack or damage bonus with the weapons in ranged combat, nor those which otherwise give an unnamed bonus to attack or damage with the weapons. For purposes of this ability, consider a bow or crossbow to deal damage as per a club of one size smaller.</p><p></p><p></p><p><span style="color: Red"><strong>Sniper Shot:</strong></span> The archer of 5th-level or higher is capable of great precision and stealth when taking the time to study a target. When the archer spends at least 1 minute (10 rounds) staying in one position and studying a target, they gain a +2 bonus on ranged attack rolls and ranged touch attack rolls against that target for 1 round, as long as they remain in position and make their attack within 1 minute of their observation.</p><p></p><p>If the archer observes for at least 5 minutes and makes a successful Sense Motive check (DC 20), they gain a further +2 attack and also a +4 on damage, though the damage bonus is not multiplied on a critical hit and yet is only effective against targets which are subject to critical hits, similar to sneak attack damage.</p><p></p><p>Additionally, any time that the archer spends at least 1 full round taking aim at a target with less than full cover, then firing on any subsequent round while still aiming at them, the archer may treat a target as though having up to two degrees less cover. When the archer makes a ranged attack against a foe while hiding, if the archer tries to hide again immediately afterward without revealing their position, they suffer only half the usual penalty to their Hide check.</p><p></p><p></p><p><span style="color: Red"><strong>Farsight (Ex):</strong></span> An archer of 6th-level or higher has keen eyesight and is good at sighting things at a distance. They gain a +1 competence bonus on all Spot checks, and they reduce any range penalties to attack by 1 point. These effects are doubled after reaching 8th-level, tripled instead after gaining 14th-level, and instead quadrupled at 16th-level in this class. Farsight is an extraordinary ability.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: Red"><strong>Deflect Arrows:</strong></span> At 7th-level the archer gains the Deflect Arrows feat as a bonus feat, regardless of prerequisites. Since using ranged weapons often means having one hand free for loading between shots, most archers get to use the feat often.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: Red"><strong>Snappy Attack (Ex):</strong></span> By the time they reach 7th-level, an archer has honed their reflexes pretty well for battle, and has even picked up a trick or two for applying their snappy reflexes. When the archer makes a single weapon, natural weapon, or unarmed attack with a standard action, whether melee or ranged, he or she adds their Dexterity modifier as a competence bonus to the damage roll. This only applies if his or her Dexterity modifier is positive, and it does not apply to grapple check damage. The bonus damage from Snappy Attack is multiplied normally on a critical hit. This is an extraordinary ability.</p><p></p><p></p><p><span style="color: Red"><strong>Mounted Archery Focus:</strong></span> Archers of 9th-level or higher have some talent in mounted combat with ranged weapons, thus reducing the penalty on ranged attack rolls while mounted by 4 points. This is factored in after any other reductions, such as from Mounted Archery if they have that feat.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: Red"><strong>Long Shot (Ex):</strong></span> Once an archer has reached 11th-level, he or she has acquired the skill and experience needed to attack accurately at even great distances. He ignores one-quarter of the total range penalty on attack rolls for attacking beyond one range increment, rounded down. This is factored in before the archer's Farsight ability.</p><p></p><p>The archer also gains the capacity to throw or shoot further than normal. If they spend a move-equivalent action just steadying themselves and taking careful aim, followed immediately by a standard action attack with a ranged weapon, the archer gains +2 to attack and damage as well as increasing the weapon's total range increment by +10 feet. This particular use of Long Shot requires the weapon to be held before the move-equivalent action is taken, and requires the weapon to have already been loaded before then as well (if applicable). However, using Long Shot in this way may stress a bowstring or crossbow string, so there is a 10% chance that the string may snap immediately before the attack (wasting the attack action).</p><p></p><p>Replacing a ruined string is a move-equivalent action, if the new string is easily accessible, otherwise it must first be retrieved from a container as normal. Long Shot is an extraordinary ability.</p><p></p><p></p><p><span style="color: Red"><strong>Opportunistic Shot:</strong></span> An archer who has achieved 13th-level in this class has learned how to exploit openings in the enemy's defense even when that enemy is at a distance. They also know how to get off a quick shot when an enemy exposes himself up-close. The archer may now threaten the area within their natural reach using a ranged weapon, but only for one attack of opportunity per round. This does not change how many attacks of opportunity they are allowed each round.</p><p></p><p>The archer cannot perform any other attacks of opportunity for the round, and cannot use Opportunistic Shot if they have already made an attack of opportunity that round. This use of Opportunistic Shot is only available if the archer is wielding a ranged weapon that he or she can reload (or draw, if thrown) as a free action, or a ranged weapon that is already loaded (or held, if thrown), and either way it only functions if that weapon could normally have been fired with a standard attack action.</p><p></p><p>Opportunistic Shot has another use, however. When not using the aforementioned function of this ability, the archer may instead perform attacks of opportunity from any distance beyond their melee reach and no further than one range increment with their weapon. These attacks of opportunity are limited to being used when an opponent provokes attacks of opportunity from one or more of the archer's allies, and the archer must be able to see the opponent in order to perform these attacks of opportunity.</p><p></p><p>They must use a ranged weapon for this, and as above, the archer must be able to reload (or draw, if thrown) the weapon as a free action or must already have it loaded (or held, if thrown) beforehand. If the ranged weapon takes longer than a free action to reload (or draw, if thrown), it cannot be used more than once per round for such attacks of opportunity.</p><p></p><p></p><p><span style="color: Red"><strong>Rapid Tracking:</strong></span> A 14th-level archer learns to track foes and prey with more haste, using superior skill and experience. They can move at their normal speed while tracking with Wilderness Lore or Search, and they suffer no penalties for doing so.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: Red"><strong>Improved Deflection (Ex):</strong></span> By 15th-level, the archer is exceptionally adept at intercepting projectiles, so they may use their Deflect Arrows feat any number of times per round. They also gain a +2 bonus on their Reflex save to use the Deflect Arrows feat. Improved Deflection is an extraordinary ability.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: Red"><strong>Piercing Eye (Ex):</strong></span> Archers develop a special technique for focusing their vision when trying to strike at a foe behind cover or obscured by concealment. This Piercing Eye technique is an extraordinary ability that channels some of the archer's innate power to help see through cover and concealment in order to place and time his attacks just right. Thus, at 16th-level onward, the archer may treat any target as having a 30% lower concealment miss chance when attacking that target, or may instead treat the target's cover as though it were two degrees less effective. Piercing Eye does not help against targets who have full cover, and cannot reduce concealment miss chances to less than 0%.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: Red"><strong>Speed Shot (Ex):</strong></span> Archers of 17th-level have such incredible skill at ranged combat that they can launch a devastating barrage. With any standard attack action or the equivalent, if the archer is attacking from range, he or she may make one or two additional attacks. If making one, they use their combined Base Attack Bonus and Special Ranged Attack Bonus for it, while making two additional attacks instead results in both being at half this combined attack bonus, rounded up.</p><p></p><p>With any full-attack action or the equivalent, if the archer is attacking from range, he or she may make one additional attack at their full, combined bonus as noted above, along with a second additional attack at half that bonus, rounded up. Alternatively, with any full-attack action or the equivalent, if the archer is attacking from range, he or she may make three additional attacks at half the combined attack bonus noted above, rounded up. Speed Shot is an extraordinary ability.</p><p></p><p></p><p><span style="color: Red"><strong>Threat Bonus:</strong></span> An archer of 19th-level is better at scoring critical hits with ranged weapons, so they gain a +4 bonus on any threat rolls to confirm critical hits with ranged attacks.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: Red"><strong>Mighty Shot (Ex):</strong></span> At 20th-level onward, the archer is able to focus greater striking power into his ranged weapon attacks, at the expense of accuracy. This extraordinary ability allows the archer to choose at the beginning of his or her turn to take a penalty on all ranged weapon attack rolls until his next turn, in exchange for an equal bonus on ranged weapon damage. The attack roll penalty taken may be any amount equal to or less than the archer's total Base Attack Bonus. The bonus damage is multiplied normally if a critical hit is scored, and the bonus damage applies normally against targets that are not subject to critical hits.[/sblock]</p><p>[code][B][COLOR=Red][I][U]The Archer:[/U][/I][/COLOR]</p><p>[COLOR=Blue]Class Base Ranged Effective Ranged Fort. Ref. Will</p><p>Level Attack Attack Base Attack Save Save Save Special[/COLOR][/B]</p><p>1 +0 +1 +1 +0 +2 +0 Track, Bonus Feat, Range Boost</p><p>2 +1 +1 +2 +0 +3 +0 Aim +1, Favored Enemy (1st)</p><p>3 +1 +2 +3 +1 +3 +1 Close-Quarters Defense</p><p>4 +2 +2 +4 +1 +4 +1 Bonus Feat</p><p>5 +2 +3 +5 +1 +4 +1 Sniper Shot</p><p>6 +3 +3 +6/+1 +2 +5 +2 Farsight I</p><p>7 +3 +4 +7/+2 +2 +5 +2 Deflect Arrows, Snappy Attack</p><p>8 +4 +4 +8/+3 +2 +6 +2 Farsight II</p><p>9 +4 +5 +9/+4 +3 +6 +3 Mounted Archery Focus</p><p>10 +5 +5 +10/+5 +3 +7 +3 Aim +2, Favored Enemy (2nd)</p><p>11 +5 +6 +11/+6/+1 +3 +7 +3 Long Shot</p><p>12 +6/+1 +6 +12/+7/+2 +4 +8 +4 Bonus Feat</p><p>13 +6/+1 +7 +13/+8/+3 +4 +8 +4 Opportunistic Shot</p><p>14 +7/+2 +7 +14/+9/+4 +4 +9 +4 Farsight III, Rapid Tracking</p><p>15 +7/+2 +8 +15/+10/+5 +5 +9 +5 Improved Deflection</p><p>16 +8/+3 +8 +16/+11/+6/+1 +5 +10 +5 Farsight IV, Piercing Eye</p><p>17 +8/+3 +9 +17/+12/+7/+2 +5 +10 +5 Speed Shot</p><p>18 +9/+4 +9 +18/+13/+8/+3 +6 +11 +6 Favored Enemy (3rd)</p><p>19 +9/+4 +10 +19/+14/+9/+4 +6 +11 +6 Aim +3, Threat Bonus</p><p>20 +10/+5 +10 +20/+15/+10/+5 +6 +12 +6 Bonus Feat, Mighty Shot[/code]</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Arkhandus, post: 2977745, member: 13966"] [b]Aurelian Archer, Variant Ranger[/b] [SIZE=3][COLOR=Green][I][B]The Archer, Variant Ranger[/B][/I][/COLOR][/SIZE] Archers are much like the more-common basic ranger, but they lack the strong affinity for wilderness and nature's critters. Thus, archers lack the minor blessings of nature that other rangers possess, but archers tend to be more personally-able in combat. Skirmishing, sniping, bounty hunting, and mobile archery are the chief strengths of an archer, and no one can match an experienced archer at these activities. Archers also develop keen eyesight and ranged defenses. As their name implies, archers are the preeminant ranged combatants of Aurelia, dedicating themselves to thorough and absolute mastery of the bow, crossbow, tomahawk, dart, javelin, throwing dagger, or similar weapons. Most archers, of course, specialize in wielding the bow, with crossbows and javelins close behind in popularity amongst archers. The archer is only mildly skilled in melee combat, but develops a few tricks for hand-to-hand combat just in case. [COLOR=Red][B]Races:[/B][/COLOR] Archers are most common amongst elven rangers and aeragi rangers, but also somewhat common in the ranks of firagi rangers, halfling rangers, and orc rangers. Other races only have a small number of true archers amongst their rangers. [COLOR=Red][B]Other Classes:[/B][/COLOR] Archers are much more likely than other rangers to work in teams, usually with fellow archers, and occasionally with other warriors of some sort. Archers tend to have less of the loner mindset of other ranger types, though some who specialize in sniping tend to become rather detached and antisocial. [SIZE=2][COLOR=Blue][I][U][B]Game Rule Information[/B][/U][/I][/COLOR][/SIZE] Archers have the following game statistics. [COLOR=Red][B]Abilities:[/B][/COLOR] Dexterity is important for an archer because they tend to wear light armor and because several class skills are based on Dexterity, and it’s even more important for them because it boosts their ranged attack bonus. Strength is somewhat important for them because archers frequently get involved in combat, but usually ranged combat, and most good ranged weapons don’t receive any benefits from a high Strength. Several archer skills are based on Wisdom. [COLOR=Red][B]Alignment:[/B][/COLOR] Any. [COLOR=Red][B]Hit Die:[/B][/COLOR] d8. [SIZE=2][COLOR=Blue][I][U][B]Class Skills[/B][/U][/I][/COLOR][/SIZE] The archer’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Animal Empathy (Cha), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Handle Animal (Cha), Heal (Wis), Hide (Dex), Intuit Direction (Wis), Jump (Str), Knowledge (all creature lore skills, taken individually) (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Search (Int), Spot (Wis), Swim (Str), Use Rope (Dex), and Wilderness Lore (Wis). [COLOR=Red][B]Skill Points at 1st Level:[/B][/COLOR] (6 + Int modifier) x 4. [COLOR=Red][B]Skill Points at Each Additional Level:[/B][/COLOR] 6 + Int modifier. [SIZE=2][COLOR=Blue][U][I][B]Class Features[/B][/I][/U][/COLOR][/SIZE] All of the following are class features of the archer. [sblock][COLOR=Red][B]Weapon and Armor Proficiency:[/B][/COLOR] An archer is proficient with all simple weapons, one light martial melee weapon of choice, all martial ranged weapons, light armors, and medium armors. [COLOR=Red][B]Special Ranged Attack Bonus:[/B][/COLOR] The archer is better at ranged combat than at melee combat, so he has a special bonus on ranged attack rolls. The archer adds their Special Ranged Attack Bonus to all of their ranged attack rolls, and this stacks with Base Attack Bonus for the sole purpose of determining how many ranged attacks per round the archer may make, and at what bonuses. The Special Ranged Attack Bonus is equal to one-half the character's archer level, rounded up. It does not count towards any Base Attack Bonus prerequisites. [COLOR=Red][B]Bonus Feats:[/B][/COLOR] The archer gains a bonus feat at 1st-level, and another at 4th-level and every eight levels thereafter. These bonus feats must be chosen from the following list: Ace Javelineer, Adept Musketeer, Alertness, Bone-Shattering Slinger, Expert Arbalestier, Far Shot, Focused Archer, High Marksman, Improved Critical*, Improved Initiative, Manyshot, Mounted Archery, Point Blank Shot, Power Critical*, Precise Shot, Quick Draw, Rapid Reload, Rapid Shot, Sharp-Shooting, Shot on the Run, Siegemaster, Skill Focus (must choose Listen, Spot, or Wilderness Lore), Stinging Bombardier, Throw Anything, Weapon Focus*, Whiplasher, and Zen Archery. The archer must still meet the prerequisites for these feats before he can gain them as bonus feats, but as a special benefit, the archer may choose Ace Javelineer, Adept Musketeer, Bone-Shattering Slinger, Expert Arbalestier, Focused Archer, High Marksman, Improved Critical, Power Critical, Stinging Bombardier, Weapon Focus, or Whiplasher as bonus feats from this class as though his Special Ranged Attack Bonus counted towards Base Attack Bonus. These are the only exceptions. The feats Improved Critical, Power Critical, and Weapon Focus, when gained as bonus feats from this class, must be applied to ranged weapons or throwing weapons. Any feat marked with an asterisk (*) may be gained more than once, but a different weapon must be chosen each time. [COLOR=Red][B]Track:[/B][/COLOR] The archer gains Track as an extra bonus feat at 1st-level in addition to any others. [COLOR=Red][B]Range Boost:[/B][/COLOR] Archers are skilled at using ranged weapons of all sorts effectively, and at 1st-level in this class, they add +10 feet to the range increment of any projectile weapons they use and +5 feet to the range increment of any throwing weapon they use. This is factored in after any other alterations to range, except for environmental effects upon the range. [COLOR=Red][B]Aim:[/B][/COLOR] The significant focus of an archer on training for mastery of ranged combat lends a greater degree of progress, when training heavily in a particular ranged weapon. At 2nd-level onward the archer gains an extra +1 bonus on attack rolls for any ranged weapons that he or she has gained Weapon Focus with. This applies even when the archer gains Weapon Focus in a ranged weapon later. Aim only functions with ranged weapons, not other ranged attacks. The bonus granted by Aim improves to +2 at 10th-level, then to +3 at 19th-level. [COLOR=Red][B]Favored Enemy:[/B][/COLOR] At 2nd-level, an archer may select a type of creature (dragons, giants, goblinoids, undead, etc.), as a favored enemy (an archer can only select his own race as a favored enemy if he is evil). Due to his extensive study of his foes and training in the proper techniques for combating them, the archer gains a +1 bonus to Bluff, Listen, Sense Motive, Spot, and Wilderness Lore checks when using these skills against this type of creature. Likewise, he gets the same bonus to attack rolls against creatures of this type, and to Armor Class against attacks by creatures of this type; the bonus to AC counts as a dodge bonus. Lastly, he gets the same bonus to weapon, unarmed, natural weapon, and grapple check damage rolls against creatures of this type. However, the bonus to attack and damage rolls with ranged weapons (and to attack with all ranged attacks) is only effective up to 30 feet, for the archer cannot strike with deadly enough accuracy beyond that range. The bonus to damage doesn’t apply against creatures who are immune to critical hits. Every eight levels thereafter (10th and 18th level), the archer may select a new favored enemy, and the bonus associated with every previously selected favored enemy goes up by +1. For example, an 18th-level archer will have three favored enemies, with bonuses of +3, +2, and +1. Favored enemies can be chosen from the following: Aberrations, Animals, Beasts, Constructs, Dragons, Elementals, Fey, Giants, Humanoids, Magical Beasts, Monstrous Humanoids, Oozes, Outsiders, Plants, Shapechangers, Undead, and Vermin. In the cases of Humanoids and Outsiders, a specific type of Humanoid or Outsider must be chosen; for instance, goblinoids, humans, orcs, reptilian humanoids, baatezu, or tanar’ri; thus, Humanoid and Outsider can each be chosen several times, selecting a different type of Humanoid or Outsider each time. [COLOR=Red][B]Close-Quarters Defense:[/B][/COLOR] Archers quickly learn to wield their bows, crossbows, javelins, whips, darts, and other ranged weapons in melee combat, although not with much skill. When wielding a ranged weapon they are proficient with, the archer of 3rd-level or higher threatens the area within arm's reach as though the ranged weapon were instead a melee weapon, so the archer may perform attacks of opportunity with such weapons. The character may also use these weapons in regular melee combat with the same reach as their unarmed attacks. These melee attacks and attacks of opportunity cannot be used to disarm, trip, grapple, strike an object, or perform special functions the ranged weapons may normally be capable of when used in actual ranged combat. This class ability also works with bolts and arrows, but not with slings or bullets. This ability does not grant proficiency in the weapons used. The character suffers a -2 penalty on attack rolls with these weapons when used in melee, instead of the usual -4 nonproficiency penalty for using a weapon in melee that is not designed for such purposes. Since the weapons affected by this ability are not designed for use in melee combat, the archer does not benefit from any feats or other effects that specifically only grant an attack or damage bonus with the weapons in ranged combat, nor those which otherwise give an unnamed bonus to attack or damage with the weapons. For purposes of this ability, consider a bow or crossbow to deal damage as per a club of one size smaller. [COLOR=Red][B]Sniper Shot:[/B][/COLOR] The archer of 5th-level or higher is capable of great precision and stealth when taking the time to study a target. When the archer spends at least 1 minute (10 rounds) staying in one position and studying a target, they gain a +2 bonus on ranged attack rolls and ranged touch attack rolls against that target for 1 round, as long as they remain in position and make their attack within 1 minute of their observation. If the archer observes for at least 5 minutes and makes a successful Sense Motive check (DC 20), they gain a further +2 attack and also a +4 on damage, though the damage bonus is not multiplied on a critical hit and yet is only effective against targets which are subject to critical hits, similar to sneak attack damage. Additionally, any time that the archer spends at least 1 full round taking aim at a target with less than full cover, then firing on any subsequent round while still aiming at them, the archer may treat a target as though having up to two degrees less cover. When the archer makes a ranged attack against a foe while hiding, if the archer tries to hide again immediately afterward without revealing their position, they suffer only half the usual penalty to their Hide check. [COLOR=Red][B]Farsight (Ex):[/B][/COLOR] An archer of 6th-level or higher has keen eyesight and is good at sighting things at a distance. They gain a +1 competence bonus on all Spot checks, and they reduce any range penalties to attack by 1 point. These effects are doubled after reaching 8th-level, tripled instead after gaining 14th-level, and instead quadrupled at 16th-level in this class. Farsight is an extraordinary ability. [COLOR=Red][B]Deflect Arrows:[/B][/COLOR] At 7th-level the archer gains the Deflect Arrows feat as a bonus feat, regardless of prerequisites. Since using ranged weapons often means having one hand free for loading between shots, most archers get to use the feat often. [COLOR=Red][B]Snappy Attack (Ex):[/B][/COLOR] By the time they reach 7th-level, an archer has honed their reflexes pretty well for battle, and has even picked up a trick or two for applying their snappy reflexes. When the archer makes a single weapon, natural weapon, or unarmed attack with a standard action, whether melee or ranged, he or she adds their Dexterity modifier as a competence bonus to the damage roll. This only applies if his or her Dexterity modifier is positive, and it does not apply to grapple check damage. The bonus damage from Snappy Attack is multiplied normally on a critical hit. This is an extraordinary ability. [COLOR=Red][B]Mounted Archery Focus:[/B][/COLOR] Archers of 9th-level or higher have some talent in mounted combat with ranged weapons, thus reducing the penalty on ranged attack rolls while mounted by 4 points. This is factored in after any other reductions, such as from Mounted Archery if they have that feat. [COLOR=Red][B]Long Shot (Ex):[/B][/COLOR] Once an archer has reached 11th-level, he or she has acquired the skill and experience needed to attack accurately at even great distances. He ignores one-quarter of the total range penalty on attack rolls for attacking beyond one range increment, rounded down. This is factored in before the archer's Farsight ability. The archer also gains the capacity to throw or shoot further than normal. If they spend a move-equivalent action just steadying themselves and taking careful aim, followed immediately by a standard action attack with a ranged weapon, the archer gains +2 to attack and damage as well as increasing the weapon's total range increment by +10 feet. This particular use of Long Shot requires the weapon to be held before the move-equivalent action is taken, and requires the weapon to have already been loaded before then as well (if applicable). However, using Long Shot in this way may stress a bowstring or crossbow string, so there is a 10% chance that the string may snap immediately before the attack (wasting the attack action). Replacing a ruined string is a move-equivalent action, if the new string is easily accessible, otherwise it must first be retrieved from a container as normal. Long Shot is an extraordinary ability. [COLOR=Red][B]Opportunistic Shot:[/B][/COLOR] An archer who has achieved 13th-level in this class has learned how to exploit openings in the enemy's defense even when that enemy is at a distance. They also know how to get off a quick shot when an enemy exposes himself up-close. The archer may now threaten the area within their natural reach using a ranged weapon, but only for one attack of opportunity per round. This does not change how many attacks of opportunity they are allowed each round. The archer cannot perform any other attacks of opportunity for the round, and cannot use Opportunistic Shot if they have already made an attack of opportunity that round. This use of Opportunistic Shot is only available if the archer is wielding a ranged weapon that he or she can reload (or draw, if thrown) as a free action, or a ranged weapon that is already loaded (or held, if thrown), and either way it only functions if that weapon could normally have been fired with a standard attack action. Opportunistic Shot has another use, however. When not using the aforementioned function of this ability, the archer may instead perform attacks of opportunity from any distance beyond their melee reach and no further than one range increment with their weapon. These attacks of opportunity are limited to being used when an opponent provokes attacks of opportunity from one or more of the archer's allies, and the archer must be able to see the opponent in order to perform these attacks of opportunity. They must use a ranged weapon for this, and as above, the archer must be able to reload (or draw, if thrown) the weapon as a free action or must already have it loaded (or held, if thrown) beforehand. If the ranged weapon takes longer than a free action to reload (or draw, if thrown), it cannot be used more than once per round for such attacks of opportunity. [COLOR=Red][B]Rapid Tracking:[/B][/COLOR] A 14th-level archer learns to track foes and prey with more haste, using superior skill and experience. They can move at their normal speed while tracking with Wilderness Lore or Search, and they suffer no penalties for doing so. [COLOR=Red][B]Improved Deflection (Ex):[/B][/COLOR] By 15th-level, the archer is exceptionally adept at intercepting projectiles, so they may use their Deflect Arrows feat any number of times per round. They also gain a +2 bonus on their Reflex save to use the Deflect Arrows feat. Improved Deflection is an extraordinary ability. [COLOR=Red][B]Piercing Eye (Ex):[/B][/COLOR] Archers develop a special technique for focusing their vision when trying to strike at a foe behind cover or obscured by concealment. This Piercing Eye technique is an extraordinary ability that channels some of the archer's innate power to help see through cover and concealment in order to place and time his attacks just right. Thus, at 16th-level onward, the archer may treat any target as having a 30% lower concealment miss chance when attacking that target, or may instead treat the target's cover as though it were two degrees less effective. Piercing Eye does not help against targets who have full cover, and cannot reduce concealment miss chances to less than 0%. [COLOR=Red][B]Speed Shot (Ex):[/B][/COLOR] Archers of 17th-level have such incredible skill at ranged combat that they can launch a devastating barrage. With any standard attack action or the equivalent, if the archer is attacking from range, he or she may make one or two additional attacks. If making one, they use their combined Base Attack Bonus and Special Ranged Attack Bonus for it, while making two additional attacks instead results in both being at half this combined attack bonus, rounded up. With any full-attack action or the equivalent, if the archer is attacking from range, he or she may make one additional attack at their full, combined bonus as noted above, along with a second additional attack at half that bonus, rounded up. Alternatively, with any full-attack action or the equivalent, if the archer is attacking from range, he or she may make three additional attacks at half the combined attack bonus noted above, rounded up. Speed Shot is an extraordinary ability. [COLOR=Red][B]Threat Bonus:[/B][/COLOR] An archer of 19th-level is better at scoring critical hits with ranged weapons, so they gain a +4 bonus on any threat rolls to confirm critical hits with ranged attacks. [COLOR=Red][B]Mighty Shot (Ex):[/B][/COLOR] At 20th-level onward, the archer is able to focus greater striking power into his ranged weapon attacks, at the expense of accuracy. This extraordinary ability allows the archer to choose at the beginning of his or her turn to take a penalty on all ranged weapon attack rolls until his next turn, in exchange for an equal bonus on ranged weapon damage. The attack roll penalty taken may be any amount equal to or less than the archer's total Base Attack Bonus. The bonus damage is multiplied normally if a critical hit is scored, and the bonus damage applies normally against targets that are not subject to critical hits.[/sblock] [code][B][COLOR=Red][I][U]The Archer:[/U][/I][/COLOR] [COLOR=Blue]Class Base Ranged Effective Ranged Fort. Ref. Will Level Attack Attack Base Attack Save Save Save Special[/COLOR][/B] 1 +0 +1 +1 +0 +2 +0 Track, Bonus Feat, Range Boost 2 +1 +1 +2 +0 +3 +0 Aim +1, Favored Enemy (1st) 3 +1 +2 +3 +1 +3 +1 Close-Quarters Defense 4 +2 +2 +4 +1 +4 +1 Bonus Feat 5 +2 +3 +5 +1 +4 +1 Sniper Shot 6 +3 +3 +6/+1 +2 +5 +2 Farsight I 7 +3 +4 +7/+2 +2 +5 +2 Deflect Arrows, Snappy Attack 8 +4 +4 +8/+3 +2 +6 +2 Farsight II 9 +4 +5 +9/+4 +3 +6 +3 Mounted Archery Focus 10 +5 +5 +10/+5 +3 +7 +3 Aim +2, Favored Enemy (2nd) 11 +5 +6 +11/+6/+1 +3 +7 +3 Long Shot 12 +6/+1 +6 +12/+7/+2 +4 +8 +4 Bonus Feat 13 +6/+1 +7 +13/+8/+3 +4 +8 +4 Opportunistic Shot 14 +7/+2 +7 +14/+9/+4 +4 +9 +4 Farsight III, Rapid Tracking 15 +7/+2 +8 +15/+10/+5 +5 +9 +5 Improved Deflection 16 +8/+3 +8 +16/+11/+6/+1 +5 +10 +5 Farsight IV, Piercing Eye 17 +8/+3 +9 +17/+12/+7/+2 +5 +10 +5 Speed Shot 18 +9/+4 +9 +18/+13/+8/+3 +6 +11 +6 Favored Enemy (3rd) 19 +9/+4 +10 +19/+14/+9/+4 +6 +11 +6 Aim +3, Threat Bonus 20 +10/+5 +10 +20/+15/+10/+5 +6 +12 +6 Bonus Feat, Mighty Shot[/code] [/QUOTE]
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