Arcane Archer's Imbue Arrow ability...

[RigaMortus2]

Did you succeed at a touch attack? Then it blows up on target, and you've lost nothing.

Succeed at a touch attack? Firing an Imbued Arrow is still a normal ranged attack, right? Or does it turn into a touch attack and I missed it? Where is the rule found that if you miss with a ranged attack, but succeed with a touch attack, that the Imbued Arrow effect still goes off?

He deflects the arrow - which doesn't do any damage to him, but still blows up. Of course, he's got Evasion, so it's unlikely that your normally-targeted fireball would have affected him anyway, so you've lost nothing.

Oh great, now we have a level 1 character completely negating the effects of a bazooka.

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

When you determine the result of an attack, you can compare the attack roll to either of two ACs. If you beat your target's touch AC, then you've made contact with them. If you beat your target's full AC, then you've made contact with them and penetrated whatever armor they were wearing enough to do damage.

Many attacks that "miss" are, in fact, successful touch attacks. They just failed to penetrate the target's armor.

So, to bounce your question back at you, where's the rule that says if you miss with an Imbued Arrow, it doesn't go off?

Referring to Deflect Arrows:

Benefit: You must have at least one hand free (holding nothing) to use this feat. Once per round when you would normally be hit with a ranged weapon, you may deflect it so that you take no damage from it. You must be aware of the attack and not flatfooted.

You take no damage from the arrow - fine. Where does it say that this prevents the Imbued spell from going off?

 

[Hypersmurf]

When you determine the result of an attack, you can compare the attack roll to either of two ACs. If you beat your target's touch AC, then you've made contact with them. If you beat your target's full AC, then you've made contact with them and penetrated whatever armor they were wearing enough to do damage.

If I attempt to deliver a Shocking Grasp with an unarmed strike, and I beat your touch AC but miss your normal AC, I haven't touched you (which would discharge the spell); I've missed.

-Hyp.

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

If I attempt to deliver a Shocking Grasp with an unarmed strike, and I beat your touch AC but miss your normal AC, I haven't touched you (which would discharge the spell); I've missed.

Which is an oddness introduced only with touch spells being delivered as a part of unarmed attacks. I believe I understand why they put the rule in there (complexity reduction), but I'm not entirely sure it makes sense.

 

[Lonely Tylenol]

Although, I do think the AA would be a little bit better if it gave spellcaster levels, as well as a couple special abilities. The later one - especially the slaying arrow - just aren't really worth much.

The AA in Wizardru's story hour got a slow sorcerer progression. He never posted the mods he made to the class, as far as I know...

I agree, the higher-level powers just aren't worth writing home about. I'd much rather space out the powers, drop the higher ones, and get a 1/2 caster progression.

 

[Lonely Tylenol]

And what happens when you miss with that arrow? Whose to say how far off track the arrow flies?

And what if you come across a 1st level Monk with Deflect Arrows? What happens then?

I'd use the grenade-like weapons table. An exploding arrow is quite a bit like a grenade, methinks.

 

[Hypersmurf]

Which is an oddness introduced only with touch spells being delivered as a part of unarmed attacks.

Perhaps... but it is introduced

-Hyp.

 

[CronoDekar]

Looking through the list of Sor/Wiz spells, I'd probably use Grease, Obscuring Mist/Fog Cloud/Solid Fog, Antimagic Field (though this would just have to be dipping into AA), Detect Thoughts (I'm not even completely sure how -- or if -- this would work), Invisibility Sphere, Magic Circle Against X, Lightning Bolt, Color Spray, Shatter, and Cone of Cold.