Nail said:
Sorry about that, but I really wanted some ideas from you before the weekend hit.
Nail said:
Yeah, thanks! I thought about what you wrote and kept much of it in mind while I worked on this, as well as comments from others in this thread and in Nifft's. I think I plagiarized something from just about everybody posting in all three threads (and Monte of course!
)
Some random thoughts:
I really liked what Monte did with the Mageblade, so I included that mechanic in this write-up. It allows the AA to surpass (by only +1, but still, that's surpass!
) a fighter-type of her level, but
only with her chosen bow! With any other weapon (even another bow) she actually becomes worse compared to a fighter-type as she gains more AA levels because of the 3/4 BAB progression. I see the AA as a pure super-super-sub-specialist, so this really worked for me (YMMV).
I haven't seen anyone else address Arcane Spell Failure in their write-ups, and Monte addresses that as well in a very slick manner, IMO.
The enhancement bonus the AA gets right from the beginning is a full +1 greater than Greater Magic Weapon provides anyone else at every level (assuming you take ftr-type6/Wiz1 to meet the requirements and enter the class at 8th level). It also makes the chosen bow much tougher to sunder.
The Penetrate Arrow mechanic Nail came up with translates into a -25% chance to overcome Spell Resistance at AA 1, but that closes to just a
-5% chance at AA 10 (again, assuming the fast track with ftr-type6/Wiz1; if you take two Wizard levels and only 5 fighter-type levels it's actually
equal at AA 10!).
Anyway, here's what I came up with:
ARCANE ARCHER
The arcane archer is neither a master of combat nor of the arcane arts. By forgoing further general martial and arcane training and concentrating on the magical combination that can be achieved through archery, she wields powers unattainable by most. Arcane archers gain renown throughout entire kingdoms for their supernatural accuracy with a bow and their ability to imbue their arrows with magic. In a group, they can strike fear into an entire enemy army.
Hit Die: d6
REQUIREMENTS
To qualify to become an arcane archer, a character must fulfill all the following criteria.
Base Attack Bonus: +6.
Skills: Concentration 3 ranks, Knowledge (Arcana) 3 ranks.
Feats: Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot, Weapon Focus (any bow).
Spells: Ability to cast 1st level arcane spells.
CLASS SKILLS
The arcane archer’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Hide (Dex), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Ride (Dex), Spot (Wis), Survival (Wis), and Use Rope (Dex).
Skill Points at Each Level: 4 + Int modifier.
Code:
[u]Lvl BAB Fort Ref Will Spellcasting Special Abilities[/u]
1 +0 +0 +2 +2 -- Mehta +3
2 +1 +0 +3 +3 +1 Level Imbue Arrow
3 +2 +1 +3 +3 -- Penetrating Arrow
4 +3 +1 +4 +4 +1 Level Enhance mehta (+1 bonus)
5 +3 +1 +4 +4 -- Mehta +4, Greater Imbue Arrow
6 +4 +2 +5 +5 +1 Level Call mehta (standard action)
7 +5 +2 +5 +5 -- Enhance mehta (+1 bonus)
8 +6 +2 +6 +6 +1 Level Combined casting
9 +6 +3 +6 +6 -- Mehta +5, Call mehta (free action)
10 +7 +3 +7 +7 +1 Level Enhance mehta (+1 or +2 bonus)
CLASS FEATURES
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: An arcane archer is proficient with all simple weapons, all bows (not crossbows), light armor, medium armor and shields.
Spells per Day: When a new arcane archer level is gained, the character gains new spells per day as if she had also gained a level in an arcane spellcasting class she belonged to before adding the prestige class. She does not, however, gain any other benefit a character of that class would have gained, except for an increased effective level of spellcasting. If a character had more than one arcane spellcasting class before becoming an arcane archer, she must decide to which class he adds the new level for purposes of determining spells per day.
Mehta (Su): The arcane archer selects a bow that she is proficient with and performs a daylong ceremony to make it her key weapon, also called a “mehta”. An arcane archer can have only one mehta, and the mehta must be a physical weapon (not the creation of a spell), although it can be enhanced with magic. The mehta gains a +3 enhancement bonus, which functions only in the arcane archer’s hands and does not stack with any existing enhancement bonus the weapon has (only the highest enhancement bonus applies). At 5th and 9th levels this bonus increases by +1 (maximum +5). The weapon does not have to be masterwork to use it as an mehta, but if the arcane archer ever wants to enhance it with weapon special abilities, such as Flaming or Seeking, it must be masterwork. This ability provides enough of an enhancement bonus to give the bow special abilities without first giving it at least a +1 enhancement bonus using the normal item creation rules.
The mehta gains a small modicum of sentience in the ceremony. It has a very basic empathic link with the arcane archer, so the character always knows where the weapon is (distance & direction). The mehta serves as a special focus for all the arcane archer’s arcane spells. As long as it remains in her hands, her spells have no somatic components (and therefore she doesn’t suffer Arcane Spell Failure chances in armor).
An arcane archer can create a new mehta by performing the ceremony again, but this results in the destruction of the previous mehta, if it still exists.
Imbue Arrow (Sp): At 2nd level, an arcane archer gains the ability to place an arcane area spell upon an arrow. When the arrow is fired, the spell’s area is centered on (or originates from) 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. If the spell has a directional component, the effect continues in the direction of the arrow’s flight (usually directly away from the archer).
Penetrating Arrow (Su): Starting at 3rd level, when using any of her Imbue Arrow abilities, an arcane archer may add her class level as a bonus to caster level checks when trying to overcome a target's Spell Resistance. This bonus stacks with caster levels gained as an arcane archer, as well as with feats like Spell Penetration.
Enhance Mehta (Su): Beginning at 4th level, an arcane archer can further enhance her mehta with another daylong ceremony. She may choose to add any Ranged Weapon Special Ability (appropriate for her mehta) with a +1 Base Price Modifier (see the DMG magic ranged weapons section). This ability becomes a permanent part of the arcane archer’s mehta enchantments and is fixed once chosen. Like the enhancement bonus on the mehta, this ability only functions in the arcane archer’s hands.
At 7th level she may choose another +1 Special Ability to her mehta, and at 10th level may choose either a third +1 Special Ability or a single +2 Special Ability. No ability may be chosen more than once (except Bane or similar abilities, whereupon a different foe or selection must be chosen each time). These abilities may be selectively suppressed as a free action by the Arcane Archer.
Note: the mehta’s enhancement bonus and special ability bonuses can’t total more than +10 (regardless of whether they are natural to the bow or from the arcane archer’s mehta abilities, or both). If this should occur the Special Ability selected at 10th level is effectively unavailable, then the 7th level and 4th level abilities, then a reduction in the mehta’s enhancement bonus in +1 increments, in that order, until the total is +10 or less.
Greater Imbue Arrow (Sp): At 5th level, an arcane archer gains the ability to place a touch attack or ranged touch arcane spell upon her arrow, though the arrow must hit normally to affect the target (it is not treated as a ranged touch attack but as a ranged attack which also delivers the touch spell). In all other respects, this ability functions the same as Imbue Arrow.
Call Mehta (Su): Starting at 6th level, the arcane archer can call her mehta to appear immediately in her hand as a standard action. The bow can be up to 10 miles per class level away, although if it is in someone else’s possession or in a locked room, she must make a caster power check (DC 25) to call it. Starting at 9th level, this call becomes a free action, usable once per round.
Combined Casting (Sp): Beginning at 8th level, as a full-round action, the arcane archer may both cast a spell (with a casting time of 1 standard action) and use a standard attack action with the bow. This ability may not be used with the Imbue Arrow or Greater Imbue Arrow abilities. Both of these provoke Attacks of Opportunity as normal, though the spell can be cast defensively.
So, whaddy'all think?
