Arcane Archer: Imbue Arrow

[Centaur]

At 2nd level, the arcane archer gains the ability to imbue an area effect spell into an arrow, essentialy allowing her to trade the normal range of that spell for the arrows range. The arrow must be fired in the same round as the imbue action.

Would it be too much to allow someone else to be the source of that spell, rather than the Arcane Archer. This would be that persons action for the round, but it does allow a mid to high level wizard to team up with an arcane archer to achive some realy long ranges.

Someone making a magical item can already team up with someone else as a source of a spell to make the item, but is this too much of an extension of that?

 

[Lord Pendragon]

Yes, I think it would. For the reason you already mentioned.

 

[Nifft]

Would it be too much to allow someone else to be the source of that spell, rather than the Arcane Archer.

Would you allow someone to use a Wand to Imbue an arrow? IMO, this is equivalent.

-- Nifft

 

[Zad]

Here's the thing to realize: Imbue Arrow is a useless ability. It always has been. A given campaign can either ignore it, or change it, but it's useless as written.

First off, let's accept that an AA rarely will have that many spells they can cast. They will often only dabble in an arcane casting class and since the class has no increase in casting power, they will most likely be a very low level wiz/sor/bard.

Now, in that range of spells, there are very few area spells, and even fewer that you'd need to have a longer range for. Fireball has a hideously long range - no reason to bother imbuing it. That's just an example. Most AA's won't have more than first or second level spells anyway in my opinion. If you actually look at the list of spells that can be imbued, you find it to be a *very* small list.

This ability might have been more appropriate for use on touch spells (perhaps too powerful then) or something else. But as written, it's going to be rarely used - most of the time you can just cast the spell using the range of the spell and ignore the arrow completely.

 

[Destil]

Here's the thing to realize: Imbue Arrow is a useless ability. It always has been. A given campaign can either ignore it, or change it, but it's useless as written.

First off, let's accept that an AA rarely will have that many spells they can cast. They will often only dabble in an arcane casting class and since the class has no increase in casting power, they will most likely be a very low level wiz/sor/bard.

Now, in that range of spells, there are very few area spells, and even fewer that you'd need to have a longer range for. Fireball has a hideously long range - no reason to bother imbuing it. That's just an example. Most AA's won't have more than first or second level spells anyway in my opinion. If you actually look at the list of spells that can be imbued, you find it to be a *very* small list.

This ability might have been more appropriate for use on touch spells (perhaps too powerful then) or something else. But as written, it's going to be rarely used - most of the time you can just cast the spell using the range of the spell and ignore the arrow completely.

The point of Imbue arrow is you can both attack and cast a spell as a standard action, IMHO. It works great with web or glitterdust at low levels. Also I'm not sure, but it looks like you can't have your concentration interupted when you use it...

 

[Rackhir]

The point of Imbue arrow is you can both attack and cast a spell as a standard action, IMHO. It works great with web or glitterdust at low levels. Also I'm not sure, but it looks like you can't have your concentration interupted when you use it...

You are missing Zad's point. The ability to attack and cast is essentially meaningless without useful spells. Since very few AA's have a substantial number of caster levels they

a) Have essentially no good spells to cast (the two you mentioned are about the only ones).

b) The DCs are so low that in anything past a moderate level (9-12) game that foes will only fail their saves on a one.

 

[Zad]

And for what it's worth, I do use Glitterdust like a fiend

 

[Hypersmurf]

a) Have essentially no good spells to cast (the two you mentioned are about the only ones).

Don't forget the value of Detect Magic in a 1000-foot-plus radius quarter circle.

-Hyp.

 

[hong]

Don't forget the value of Detect Magic in a 1000-foot-plus radius quarter circle.

... which is blocked by most solid barriers. If you can detect it, chances are you can already see it; unless it's at night or something.

 

[Hypersmurf]

... which is blocked by most solid barriers. If you can detect it, chances are you can already see it; unless it's at night or something.

Ah, but seeing it and knowing it's magic are two different things...

And it's much harder for an invisible creature to get out of a thousand-foot cone in three rounds than a 60 foot one.

-Hyp.