Building a ranged fighter - Arcane Archer vs. Battlemaster

[MarkB]

I'm sure I'm late to this discussion, but I didn't really look at the subclass when it first became available, so I'd like to get a general feel for peoples' opinions of it.

I've been looking at building a ranged combat specialist for a forthcoming game, and on first glance the Arcane Archer from Xanathar's Guide to Everything looked like a really fun and effective option. However, on closer examination and seeing the usage limits of Arcane Shot, it really feels just like a limited version of the Battlemaster, with fewer usages of its special attacks and a smaller selection to choose from. Some of the Arcane Shot attacks are potentially more powerful than the Battlemaster options, but not really a great deal moreso.

Add to that the fact that they are, of course, all exclusively applicable to ranged attacks, whilst the Battlemaster's maneuvers can be used in melee, and I start to feel like the Arcane Archer doesn't really stack up.

Is there anything I'm missing, or are my impressions of the subclass accurate? Just for reference, I'd be making a 9th-level character.

 

[Yunru]

Well, there's the fact that the Battlemaster can actually raise his accuracy better than the Arcane Archer, but that doesn't affect your general conclusion.

 

[MarkB]

Well, there's the fact that the Battlemaster can actually raise his accuracy better than the Arcane Archer, but that doesn't affect your general conclusion.

Is that a reference to the lack of MAD (since the Battlemaster maneuvers' save DC is based on your Strength or Dexterity score rather than Intelligence), or is there something else I'm missing?

 

[TheCosmicKid]

Is that a reference to the lack of MAD (since the Battlemaster maneuvers' save DC is based on your Strength or Dexterity score rather than Intelligence), or is there something else I'm missing?

Battlemasters can add their superiority dice to attack rolls.

 

[MarkB]

Battlemasters can add their superiority dice to attack rolls.

Ah, Precision Attack? That is a strong maneuver to take, but I wasn't sure if there was something more general I was missing.

 

[Leatherhead]

Yeah, the Arcane Archer falls to the same problem that the Way of the Four Elements Monk has:
Not enough resources to do the thing you wanted the subclass for. They really should have had some Cantrip level abilities to make sure you could always punch with fire or shoot a minor trick arrow, then be worried about the big flashy stuff later.

 

[Charlaquin]

There are a few neat things you can do with the Arcane Archer that you can’t do with the Battlemaster, but they are all pretty niche. For example, the Illusion Arcane Shot option (forget the name, but it blinds the target beyond 10 feet on a failed save) is pretty neat. Hit them with that on your first attack, and your Extra Attack(s) have advantage against the target. Throw in Action Surge and you can capitalize on that advantage with a bunch of shots, ideally all enhanced with Sharpshooter. For added fun, throw in Elven Accuracy.

But yeah, neat trick, too bad it only works once per day and the rest of the time you’re just a worse Battlemaster. That’s kinda the Arcane Archer in a nutshell, lots of neat abilities with a lot of potential utility, but not enough resources to capitalize on them effectively.

 

[MarkB]

Yeah, the Arcane Archer falls to the same problem that the Way of the Four Elements Monk has:
Not enough resources to do the thing you wanted the subclass for. They really should have had some Cantrip level abilities to make sure you could always punch with fire or shoot a minor trick arrow, then worried about the big flashy stuff later.

Yeah, that sounds right. I do like Curving Arrow - it's a great way to mitigate the chances of missed attacks while making the class feel properly magical.

One that I can't quite decide whether or not it's almost completely irrelevant is Magic Arrow. At first glance I felt that it was unlikely to matter - what are the chances of a specialised archer not acquiring at least a +1 bow by 7th level or thereabouts? - but I'm now wondering whether my 3.5e and 4e preconceptions are getting the better of me. It used to be the case that ammunition fired from a magical ranged weapon was itself considered magical for purposes of overcoming resistances or immunities, and I've played it the same way in 5e largely out of habit, but I'm struggling to find anything in the rules that actually confirms that. It's not specified either in the Monster Manual or the DMG so far as I've been able to determine.

 

[clearstream]

... too bad it only works once per day and the rest of the time you’re just a worse Battlemaster.

Shadow Arrow - once per turn.
Action Surge - once per rest.
Elven Accuracy - once per attack that has advantage.
Basing the saves on Intelligence is exasperating, though.

I think given Sharpshooter the archetype is playable. Possibly Curving Shot, if played close to RAW, works out better than Precision on power-attacks.

 

[GMforPowergamers]

Yeah, the Arcane Archer falls to the same problem that the Way of the Four Elements Monk has:
Not enough resources to do the thing you wanted the subclass for. They really should have had some Cantrip level abilities to make sure you could always punch with fire or shoot a minor trick arrow, then worried about the big flashy stuff later.

Cantrips are like the most basic magic...I wish every time you took any type of caster you got access to them. I mean imagine Monk Elements Cantrips, Arcane Archer Cantrips, and Eldritch Knight cantrips specific to each