Pathfinder 1E A nit-picky Pathfinder question

[yu gnomi]

Out of curiosity, I used an Excel based character sheet to make up a 12th level ranger/pathfinder to see what such a character would look like. For stats I made Dex and Str equal (both are 19 at 12th level) and most of the encounter powers I selected are interrupts (Fox's Cunning, Disruptive Strike and Wrong Step (path Power)). The character also has the Quick Draw feat.

The rationale for those selections are as follows: she is a fairly effective longbow user who can use twin strike and nimble strike to to pepper foes with arrows round after round if she chooses. However, if at any point she would be more effective in melee, she can use an interrupt power to launch a melee attack in an opponents round.

The way in which she would do this would be to simply drop her bow as a free action, and then, via Quickdraw, her melee weapons appear in her hands to make her interrupting melee attack.

I thought this was a moderately clever character concept, however I am not entirely certain that it works. Specifically, I do not know if once she drops her bow, whether she qualifies for any of her interrupt powers.

Does anyone else have an opinion?

If this has been brought up before, I apologize. I didn't see it anywhere.

 

[Danceofmasks]

Sure, you can drop bow & quickdraw in the manner you wish. You can even do that for OAs ... can I make a melee basic attack? Sure, I can punch. I quickdraw as part of the melee basic attack power.

A couple of points, though:
Fox's cunning is a reaction, not an interrupt, so you can't actually dodge an attack with it.
19 str/dex is poor for a 2WF ranger at 12th. Effectiveness is conditional on being able to land hits. At least one or the other stat ought to be 21.
In comparison to a pure archer, which is likely to have 23 dex at 12th, I consider the build unreliable.

 

[yu gnomi]

I thought one or more of the interrupt powers specified must be wielding two melee weapons or a ranged weapon, but I was wrong.

I have a slightly different view of two weapon rangers. They are rangers who get the toughness feat as a bonus, can wield full-size weapons in either hand, and can take Pathfinder and Stormwarden paragon path. That's it. I see nothing inherently wrong with a twin blade ranger using archery extensively.

As for Fox's Cunning being a reaction, it does not change her basic strategy.

Edit: about the build, I have been assuming that twin strike would allow her to do her hunter's quarry damage on most rounds. However, this is an experiment in making a dual purpose ranger and could very well be a flop as a character.

 

[Danceofmasks]

There's nothing wrong with a 2WF ranger using archery exclusively, let alone extensively.
There's everything wrong with a 16 for an attack stat.

 

[yu gnomi]

I admit that I have yet to actually play a single session of 4ed, so you are undoubtedly the voice of experience in this thread (which so far has been a dialogue). However lemme explain the basis of this characters' combat strategy.

By looking at various lvl 12 monsters in MM, I estimate typical AC's she would attack to be around 25. A single attack vs AC 25 with a + 15 (for melee or when she lacks Prime Shot) has a 55% chance of hitting.

However, by attacking the same quarry two or three times every round, the chances of hitting at least once and doing quarry damage are much greater. (1- (.45 X.45)) = I don't have a calculator handy but I think it's around 80%.

Attack early and attack often, and focus on a single target at a time, is the essence of this characters' strategy.

 

[yu gnomi]

I tried to upload the .xls file for the character, but I got an error message that it exceeds the 244.1 kb limit for that filetype.

I will happily post or send you the file, but I am a primitive when it comes to forums and posting. It looks as if I will need a bit of guidance on how to do that.

You would need Excel or Open Office to view it.

 

[Danceofmasks]

Well, the easiest way to compare combat effectiveness is to compare it with a min-maxed build.
Here's one (although a couple of feat choices aren't the best for combat):
Oh, and I use excel to build characters ... I just use a level by level plan.


Elf Ranger
Str 10 Dex 20 Wis 16
Con 11 Int 10 Cha 8
Nature, Acrobatics, Heal, Perception, Stealth

1 Weapon Focus (Bow)
Nimble Strike, Twin Strike, Fox's Cunning, Split the Tree
2 Elven Precision
Crucial Advice
3
Disruptive Strike
4 Dex+1 Wis+1 Improved Initiative
5
Splintering Shot
6 Lethal Hunter
Weave through the Fray
7
Spikes of the Manticore
8 Dex+1 Wis+1 Escape Artist
9
Attacks on the Run
10 Durable
Open the Range
11 All Stats +1 Battlefield Archer, Lasting Frost, Retrain: Durable->Wintertouched
Combined Fire
12 Agile Athlete
Archer's Glory

 

[yu gnomi]

Character was made using Weisbaden character sheet, which can be downloaded from thread in 4ed tools section. It uses Excel workbook format, but I personally have virtually no experience with Excel.

She was originally made with standard array scores because she was first done with pen and paper, as a first level character, and before I realized that the point buy method is thoroughly superior to standard array. When I transferred her to character sheet and advanced her, I used the same scores.

Heres level by level:
Human Ranger
Str 14 (+2, Human) Dex 16 Wis 13
Con 12 Int 10 Cha 11

Nature, Athletics, Dungeoneer, Heal, Perception, Stealth (+1 Skill, Human)

1st Feats= Toughness (bonus), Action Surge, Quick Draw (+1 Feat, Human)
@ Will= Hit & Run, Nimble Strike, Twin Strike (+1 @ Will, Human)
Encounter= Fox's Cunning Daily=Sudden Strike
2nd: Util= Crucial Advice/ Feat= Student of Battle (skill=Endurance)
3rd: Encounter= Disruptive Strike
4th: +1 Str, +1 Dex / Feat= Durable (Iron Will @ 11th level)
5th: Daily= Frenzied Skirmish
6th: Util= Evade Ambush/ Feat= Alertness
7th: Encounter= Claws of the Griffon (undecided since Sweeping Whirlwind looks so neat)
8th: +1 Str, +1 Dex / Feat= Lethal Hunter
9th: Daily= Attacks on the Run
10th: Util= Expeditious Stride/ Feat= Blade Opportunist (undecided)
Paragon= Pathfinder / +1 all Attributes
11th: Enc= Wrong Step/ Feat= Scimitar Dance
12th: Util= Act together/ Feat= Secret Stride

Of course she is only 12th level by virtue of 32000 phony experience points. She has never seen real combat.