Archers vs. Damage Reduction

[The_Gneech]

Okay, so we've got Legolas' cousin Armolas running around with Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot, Rapid Shot, Wpn Focus: Bow, and the other standard sorts of archery feats, and he comes up against a critter with DR 10/bludgeoning. Assuming he doesn't have a "bow of bludgeoning" or something similar, what should he do? Even with a composite bow, Armolas' high stat is Dex, not Str, so he doesn't have more than +2.

A melee fighter, with high Str, can punch through DR with Power Attack, or alternatively he can go for high to-hit values and use a weapon with a high critical threat range. But the archer's specialty, for the most part, is doing large numbers of small attacks. Since rapid shot isn't helping in this situation (having 6 points of damage bounce off twice in a round instead of once), should the archer plink away and hope for a critical?

d20 Modern has a feat called "Double Tap" that lets a gunfighter do +1d6 damage by firing off two bullets into one target; the D&D equivalent, Manyshot, specifically mentions that each arrow does individual damage and DR is applied separately to each one. Is there a feat or ability that can be used here to up the damage done with a bow, or is Armolas just stuck until he can start getting levels in Arcane Archer?

Your input desired!

-The Gneech

 

[Patlin]

Sneak Attack is one way to go, if you don't mind taking a few Rogue levels and if the target is subject to sneak attack.

Weapon Specialization and Greater Weapon Specialization work out for fighter builds (or the new Bowman Charger in the most recent Dragon, which looks cool in an NPCish kind of way.)

Unfortunately, though, the most common solution is going to cost you money. Magical bows and arrows can add significant amounts of damage, especially if you know what you are planning for. You can never have enough magic arrows... even if you are using a +5 Holy Flaming Burst Bow, half a dozen +1 Bane arrows for each of several different types are very usefull to have around. (I suspect that a +5 bow shooting an apropriat +1 Bane arrow is still +5, not +7 but I am not 100% sure.)

For that matter, an Artificer can help with the above suggestion with infusions, at a substantially lower cost. Various other spells help, too, such as divine favor, and a little Bardic music is all to the good.

What's Armolas's background, and who else is in the Party?

 

[DanMcS]

Okay, so we've got Legolas' cousin Armolas running around with Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot, Rapid Shot, Wpn Focus: Bow, and the other standard sorts of archery feats, and he comes up against a critter with DR 10/bludgeoning. Assuming he doesn't have a "bow of bludgeoning" or something similar, what should he do? Even with a composite bow, Armolas' high stat is Dex, not Str, so he doesn't have more than +2.

A melee fighter, with high Str, can punch through DR with Power Attack, or alternatively he can go for high to-hit values and use a weapon with a high critical threat range. But the archer's specialty, for the most part, is doing large numbers of small attacks. Since rapid shot isn't helping in this situation (having 6 points of damage bounce off twice in a round instead of once), should the archer plink away and hope for a critical?

Once he determines the needed effect (bludgeoning), Armolas' player thinks fast. He runs his idea past the DM, and then Armolas springs into action. He whips out his knife and cuts the arrowhead off his arrow, leaving him with a 1d4 dull-tipped arrow that inflicts, tada, bludgeoning damage. Or he uses his PBS and other ranged feats to throw clubs (range increment 10'), or he grabs a big stick and whacks the monster with it, accepting that his bow won't help in this encounter.

You can try to work around that kind of thing with a DM, and if you're creative you'll often succeed. Or you can accept that his schtick won't help in this instance, the way a greatsword-wielding power attacker's schtick won't help against a flying quasit that shoots magic missiles at the party from 20 feet in the air.

 

[The_Gneech]

What's Armolas's background, and who else is in the Party?

Well, he doesn't have one, he was just created on-the-fly for purposes of the post. I am pondering an elven archer sort of archetype for my next character, and trying to work out his tactics.

Sneak attack is a good option when it works -- but ranged sneak attacks are notoriously difficult to arrange, and practically impossible once combat has been engaged. I vaguely remember reading about a feat or class ability that enabled you to have a threatened area (and theoretically therefore flank?) with a bow, but I also remember thinking that it was a pretty cheesy idea.

Once he determines the needed effect (bludgeoning), Armolas' player thinks fast. He runs his idea past the DM, and then Armolas springs into action. He whips out his knife and cuts the arrowhead off his arrow, leaving him with a 1d4 dull-tipped arrow that inflicts, tada, bludgeoning damage. Or he uses his PBS and other ranged feats to throw clubs (range increment 10'), or he grabs a big stick and whacks the monster with it, accepting that his bow won't help in this encounter.

Well, given that the point of the exercise was to come up with some way to not be useless, I'm more partial to the first option. Thanks for the suggestion!

-The Gneech

 

[Len]

How about a sling?

As DanMcS said, there will be times that any given character is not much help in a fight. My approach with my rogue/Shadowdancer is to keep a pack full of useful magic and non-magic items. If I can't think of anything else to do, I flip through my equipment sheet looking for something useful. I don't always come up with something, but it's fun when I do.

Aside from that, there's always the golf bag of DR-penetrating arrows and melee weapons. Or, if you're not afraid of melee, go in just to give flanking to a fighter or rogue.

 

[MichaelH]

As I recall, there are not many creatures with this type of DR, and most have DR 5/bludgeoning so your archer is not totally useless with his arrows. Of course, even Legolas pulled his swords from time to time. Maybe you should get a greatclub for these situations.

 

[hong]

Of course, even Legolas pulled his swords from time to time.

I suppose that's one way to put it.

Maybe you should get a greatclub for these situations.

Don't believe that spam about "enlarging your club" and whatnot. It's not good for you.

 

[rowport]

As Len implied (I think), lots of his ranged-focus feats will still work with other ranged or thrown weapons, just not quite as well as his primary bow. But, that is not really much different than a longsword melee specialist (with WF, WSpecial, Imp Crit, etc.) switching to a mace when the circumstance suggests it. Right?

 

[Len]

As Len implied (I think), lots of his ranged-focus feats will still work with other ranged or thrown weapons, just not quite as well as his primary bow.

Yes, but I should probably point out that Rapid Shot is one that doesn't. Loading a sling is a move action, so only one shot per round. Still, a sling can be useful at low levels against skeletons - it's probably worth carrying one just for that.

 

[was]

You could pick up some wizard levels and cast ray spells when arrows fail. I don't know if point blank and precise shot works for them though.