To build a Living Greyhawk elven archer

[Gaiden]

That sounds like the old RUP's, the current LGCS 4.2 dosen't say anything like that. At the end of every adventure every item is sold for half price and the gold is given out to the PC's and not even all the gold as there is a GP cap at each APL, there is no keeping of items from a module. Every PC gets gold to buy what they have access to only.

I do have the LGCS 4.2 but had not read the details thoroughly enough. I still can't find the part that says you have to sell your equipment, but I'll take your word for it. Incidentally, from someone in the know, how does it then work with equipment you gain while adventuring - in particular, single use items that are expended?

Do you sum up everything in the adventure log regardless of whether or not it was used, like in Eberron's Mark of Heroes, or do you just tally what is left? Also, is there any adjucation for the distribution of equipment during play? Finally, what is to stop you from pausing - in other words, you are knee deep in giant terrritory and get attacked by a rust monster destroying your chain shirt. You are in a higher level party with a cleric with word of recall. What's to stop you from going to Greyhawk and purchasing equipment and then word of recalling back in a few days? I recall something about regional campaigns being limited to that region but how can they tell you not to teleport out of the region?

 

[Gaiden]

It's always nice to plan things that way, but it often doesn't work out.

I realize circumstances can be such that your planned out strategy can go awry within seconds. Having played RttToEE, I know that all too well. So, I think an archer that is versatile enough to handle himself in melee is the best option - so I'll take the 12 con. I also am going to ditch improved initiative and iron will in favor of melee feats. So which feats ought I take?

I was thinking TWF'ing and Racial familiarity to dual wield a light blade and thinblade. However, the most powerful weapons a TWF-er can wield are sylvan scimitars or sunblades. To my knowledge, you can't pay to enhance a nonstandard base weapon with these abilities, so I may want to forego Racial Familiarity and just use a longsword and short sword. I am not sure if I should go with TWF'ing though. The age old - 2-H is better than TWF nags at me - I think it is really the Legolas image that is swaying me towards TWF'ing. The earliest I could take a bonus feat to be used with melee (or anything else for that matter), is 4th level (2 Ranger, 2 Fighter). The next available bonus feat slot doesn't occur until either level 12 or level 15 (I would take improved rapid shot for one of those two slots). So I am thinking that I'd want the two feats to be good stand alone feats because of the distance in level between their acquisition. I also want to take Ranger spell access into consideration. Blade Storm is a strong reason in and of itself to take TWF'ing. It doubles the usefulness of that spell and given the preference of ranged combat for this character, the fewer times I am in melee (relative to a more melee focused character), the spell will come into play (at least at high levels anyway).

Another thing to consider are feats that would be useful for melee combat but also for ranged. Actually, contrary to my earlier post, improved favored enemy might not be such a bad choice. It does in fact work for all favored enemies and would work on both melee and ranged attacks.

There are creatures with better spot and hide checks than you, creatures with blindsight, blindsense, tremorsense, etc, and then there are judges who just read the box text without thinking of how the party's actions might change the described situations.

The better skill checks are unavoidable. Fortunately, there are a number of ranger spells that greatly increase both detection and stealth skill checks. If they are better than me, distance in combination with a skilled animal companion is the only thing I can really rely on.

(Gawd! This character is so turning into a Drizt, Legolas combo.)

(Sometimes there are even judges who don't read the box text and just assume that it's auto-surprise or something lame like that--when I was observing the playtest of my last meta-regional, watching the judge do that made me change around my text so that the spot check was much easier to see).

So you write up some of the LG adventures then? I have a suggestion: include three text boxes for each encounter. The first is the standard monster ambushing PCs, the second would be the opposite (PCs surprise monsters), and the third would be where they are both surprised.

However, I would think that the most common reason for combat to happen at close quarters is simply the limitations of terrain. Obviously, in a dungeon, most distances will be short. A 50x50 room is a big room. In a forest, visibility is also pretty short so even if you know where the enemy is, odds are good that, at 100 yards you won't be able to see or engage them. And fights will often break out after a challenge or negotiations, in which case, you're obviously within speaking distance. Tower shields also enable their wielders to take full cover and avoid all damage from arrows while they advance. Through a combination of all those factors, you're unlikely to face a lot of enemies who can just be killed by archery at 300 feet.

You, of course, are right. Dungeons are the bane of most archers - the exception being the arcane archer (one aspect in favor of the class). However, there are a few things that can be done: balancing lorecall with the expensive 5 rank deposit in Balance to be able to balance on vertical surfaces is useful for continuing ranged attacks. With woodland archery and improved precise shot as well as spell access to Branch to Branch and the like I am not so concerned about forested regions and of course during negotiations, I would not be present.

It can't be understated that the right tool for the job phenominally increases the usefulness of archers. With the variety of specialty arrows in the different LG allowable materials, hopefully, this character's ranged attacks can be made more versatile.

Now, that's the kind of archer I won't call a wussy girly-man Best of luck with the giants.

Thanks

 

[Gaiden]

I don't think I know about Wild Runner. Are you being sarcastic?

I think enough people are emphasizing the 12 con that I may reduce my dex for it.

See above about the woodelf, stat boosting items, and starting as a ranger.

I just found the wild runner - in RotW for anyone interested and at second level there is indeed an ability that grants a +6 dex. I am almost inlcined to ditch fighter all toghether now in favor of the wild runner. The fighter gets me the two bonus feats I am trying to figure out what to do with and weapon specialization. I could still take TWF'ing losing IC and then not have any bonus feats to select and lose weapon specialization in exchange for 2 daily alotments to boost my dex by 6 and a handful of other useful abilities. The real reason to dip into this class is to get balance as a class skill. I could take 8 ranks in it with the two level dip then return to ranger, get spells sooner, and use balancing lorecall to great effect. With an 8 Chr I am not sure how worth it, it is to take this class though.

 

[Elder-Basilisk]

I realize circumstances can be such that your planned out strategy can go awry within seconds. Having played RttToEE, I know that all too well. So, I think an archer that is versatile enough to handle himself in melee is the best option - so I'll take the 12 con. I also am going to ditch improved initiative and iron will in favor of melee feats. So which feats ought I take?

I was thinking TWF'ing and Racial familiarity to dual wield a light blade and thinblade. However, the most powerful weapons a TWF-er can wield are sylvan scimitars or sunblades. To my knowledge, you can't pay to enhance a nonstandard base weapon with these abilities, so I may want to forego Racial Familiarity and just use a longsword and short sword. I am not sure if I should go with TWF'ing though. The age old - 2-H is better than TWF nags at me - I think it is really the Legolas image that is swaying me towards TWF'ing. The earliest I could take a bonus feat to be used with melee (or anything else for that matter), is 4th level (2 Ranger, 2 Fighter). The next available bonus feat slot doesn't occur until either level 12 or level 15 (I would take improved rapid shot for one of those two slots). So I am thinking that I'd want the two feats to be good stand alone feats because of the distance in level between their acquisition. I also want to take Ranger spell access into consideration. Blade Storm is a strong reason in and of itself to take TWF'ing. It doubles the usefulness of that spell and given the preference of ranged combat for this character, the fewer times I am in melee (relative to a more melee focused character), the spell will come into play (at least at high levels anyway).

Another thing to consider are feats that would be useful for melee combat but also for ranged. Actually, contrary to my earlier post, improved favored enemy might not be such a bad choice. It does in fact work for all favored enemies and would work on both melee and ranged attacks.

As an archer who wants to be able to melee when the situation demands it, you want the most efficient and effective feats. Two Weapon Fighting should be out (unless you really emphasize your favored enemy abilities) since it requires three feats (TWF, Imp TWF, and Gr TWF) to keep up at high levels and also requires a large investment of treasure in order to have decent weapons to use.

1. Power Attack.
It's the premiere melee feat and enables you to beat through DR and punish low-AC foes. There are a few ways to build on it too:

With a few more feats (Brutal Throw, Quickdraw, and Power Throw), you can use it at range as well--something that may occasionally be useful. For a ranger, though, that's probably more feats than you want to spend on a niche strategy.

Improved Sunder or Improved Bull Rush would open up Combat Brute or Shock Trooper giving you several more powerful options.

Favored Power Attack would enable you to mow through favored enemies in melee as well as at range.

2. Quickdraw.
This feat is useful for both melee and ranged fighting. With a quiver of Ehlonna, you could have your normal bow and an elemental-bane, construct bane, or merciful bow for various situations. It will also enable you to make a full attack in the first round you find yourself in melee rather than spending a move action to draw your melee weapon. As a side benefit, it will enable you to draw wands as a free action and many DMs will let you draw alchemists' fire, tanglefoot bags, etc as a free action as well. Some DMs will even rule that potions are close enough to alchemist's fire or holy water to be considered "weaponlike" and allow you to draw a potion as a free action as well.

Another thing to consider here: using feats to set yourself up for a melee (or at least not ranged) prestige class wouldn't be a bad idea if you decide not to go straight ranger or multiclass out after getting Improved Precise Shot. As long as it gives full BAB, it does nearly as much for your archery as ranger levels. Thus, Holy Liberator, Occult Slayer, and even Exotic Weapon Master could be decent choices for an archer.

So you write up some of the LG adventures then? I have a suggestion: include three text boxes for each encounter. The first is the standard monster ambushing PCs, the second would be the opposite (PCs surprise monsters), and the third would be where they are both surprised.

Not a bad idea, but I don't think I'll try it just yet. The difficulty is that there are at least as many differences in how the PCs might get surprise on bad guys as the three situations you describe here. In general, I try to avoid box text for highly variable encounters altogether and trust the DM to deal with a ranger/shadowdancer sneaking 200 feet in front of the party with a DC 67 hide check. Box text is supposed to be read when appropriate, not just read because the party opened door A-4.

 

[Majoru Oakheart]

That sounds like the old RUP's, the current LGCS 4.2 dosen't say anything like that. At the end of every adventure every item is sold for half price and the gold is given out to the PC's and not even all the gold as there is a GP cap at each APL, there is no keeping of items from a module. Every PC gets gold to buy what they have access to only.

Basically, at the end of every mod there is a treasure summary. It lists all of the treasure you get from each encounter and gives the GP value of it, broken up by item and total(the GP total in the mod is already split 6 ways, as you always have to split the gold 6 ways regardless of how many people are at the table).

If you use up one of the items you find during the adventure before the end, it's gold piece value is removed from the amount you gain at the end of the adventure.

Then, at the end of the adventure you may purchase, at full cost, any item listed as having access at the end. So, you may find 5 wands, 9 swords, 3 suits of armor, and 10 potions, but the cert at the end will say "access: +2 greatsword" and that is the only thing you can buy, and it costs the full amount of a +2 greatsword. Of course, you can still purchase things from previous adventures as long as they were labelled as giving access for longer than one adventure.