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Message: <blockquote data-quote="DrSpunj" data-source="post: 1183270" data-attributes="member: 994">Since I'm considering playing an Arcane Archer as my next PC, I wanted to get an idea about how useful the Imbue Arrow ability really was. Here's the ability:Since I plan on taking only a handful of Wizard levels I looked through the 3.5 PHB and wrote down all 0 through 3rd level Wiz/Sor spells that had an Area descriptor or an Effect descriptor that delineated an Area. Here's that list [Spell (Range) Area/Effect]:0-level spells<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Detect Magic (60') cone</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Detect Poison (Close) 5' cube</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Prestidigitation (10') 1' cube</li> </ul>1st-level spells<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Burning Hands (15') cone</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Color Spray (15') cone</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Dancing Lights (Medium) 10' rad</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Detect Secret Doors (60') cone</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Detect Thoughts (60') cone</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Detect Undead (60') cone</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Grease (Close) 10' square</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Hypnotism (Close) 15' rad</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Obscuring Mist (Personal) 20' rad</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Silent Image (Long) 4 10' cubes + 1 10' cube per level</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Sleep (Medium) 10' rad</li> </ul>2nd-level spells<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Flaming Sphere (Medium) 5' diameter sphere</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Fog Cloud (Medium) 20' rad</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Glitterdust (Medium) 10' rad</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Hypnotic Pattern (Medium) 10' rad</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Locate Object (Long) Long rad</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Minor Image (Long) 4 10' cubes + 1 10' cube per level</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Shatter (Close) 5' rad</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Web (Medium) 20' rad</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Whispering Wind (1 mile/level) 10' rad</li> </ul>3rd-level spells<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Dispel Magic (Medium) 20' rad</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Fireball (Long) 20' rad</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Gust of Wind (60') line</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Invisibility Sphere (Personal) 10' rad</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Leomund's Tiny Hut (Personal) 20' rad</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Lightning Bolt (120') line</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Magic Circle against Chaos/Evil/Good/Law (Touch) 10' rad</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Sleet Storm (Long) cylinder</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Stinking Cloud (Medium)  20' rad</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Summon Swarm (Close) 10' square</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Wind Wall (Medium) wall</li> </ul>Please let me know if I've missed any other spells.Now then, since the earliest you can qualify for Arcane Archer is 7th level the earliest anyone could get Imbue Arrow is at 9th level, and then you'd only have access to 0 & 1st level spells. To get 2nd level spells you'd have to put off your first level of Arcane Archer until 9th level and wouldn't get Imbue Arrow until 10th.But assuming you take the fast track, Medium range for a 9th level caster is 190'. Since a composite longbow has a range increment of 110' you're well into your second increment with a -2 penalty using the Imbue Arrow ability to gain any additional range for your spell. That doesn't seem overly worthwhile to me personally. YMMV but it's my post <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" /> so I'm going to ignore all spells of Medium range or longer on the above lists. That leaves us with these spells IMO that actually gain any real benefit from the ability:0-level spells<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Detect Magic (60') cone</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Detect Poison (Close) 5' cube</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Prestidigitation (10') 1' cube</li> </ul>1st-level spells<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Burning Hands (15') cone</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Color Spray (15') cone</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Detect Secret Doors (60') cone</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Detect Thoughts (60') cone</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Detect Undead (60') cone</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Grease (Close) 10' square</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Hypnotism (Close) 15' rad</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Obscuring Mist (Personal) 20' rad</li> </ul>2nd-level spells<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Shatter (Close) 5' rad</li> </ul>3rd-level spells<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Gust of Wind (60') line</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Invisibility Sphere (Personal) 10' rad</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Leomund's Tiny Hut (Personal) 20' rad</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Lightning Bolt (120') 120' line</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Magic Circle against Chaos/Evil/Good/Law (Touch) 10' rad</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Summon Swarm (Close) 10' square</li> </ul>Now, the wording of the ability allows some pretty funky effects with cones. That is, if you shoot your arrow/spell out to 200', it seems to me your spell's Area of effect becomes a cone still originating at the caster, but now 200' long & 200' wide at its base. I think that's a bit unbalanced when talking about Burning Hands & perhaps Color Spray, but is of no real consequence with the Detect spells. If you instead interpret the ability to mean the standard cone originates from the arrow itself, then you have to make a judgement call about which direction the cone is oriented in (I'd assume away from the caster) and whether the effect is at all modified by actually shooting the arrow into an enemy or some other object.Lightning Bolt also poses an interesting puzzle. Does the arrow extend the length of the Lightning Bolt such that it starts at the caster and extends to the arrow several hundred feet away? Or does the 120' line defined in the Area entry mean that it originates from the arrow and goes 120'? (Again, I'd assume with the latter its direction would be away from the caster.)Does anyone have any official word on any of these questions? Or thoughts on the ability in general? How would you DM the cone & Lightning Bolt interpretations if one of your players brought this to your attention?On a separate note, with Damage Reduction being just "magic" and not +1, +2, etc. as it was in 3.0, and with magical enhancement to arrows and bows no longer stacking, does anyone feel the Arcane Archer is a bit...weaker now? Is it worth playing vs just sticking with base classes? I'm planning on taking mostly Ranger levels, with a level or 3 of Wizard if the spells are worth it for Imbue Arrow (but looking at the above list for 2nd level spells, ie. Shatter, I probably won't take more than 1 level of Wizard).Thanks.DrSpunj</blockquote>

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