Battlefield Archer PrC

Having a fighter's BAB, a d8 for hit points, and (too many) special abilities is excessive. No need for Sneak Attack (and needlessly limits the field of potential archers). I (personally) don't like the options to add javelins, shuriken, thrown hammers, darts, etc... The weapons are simply too different. It seems odd to have other prestige classes want to take another prestige class. It might be more logical to assume base classes move into the PrC. After all, why do assassins want to be caught in the middle of battle? Doesn't fit the mold, IMO.

That said, I like the idea of the class, just not all of the mechanics...
 

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Many thanks for your feedback!

First of all, balancing concerns:
I don't think full BAB and a d8 on a next-to-frontliner is excessive, even given sneak attack/skirmish progression and good class features.

I'd compare this guy to a Ranger: similar chassis, but worse saves and worse skillpoints; precision damage instead of Favored Enemy and Combat Style; Ranged Feint and Superior Feint instead of wilderness-related class features; Arresting Shot instead of Animal Companion; Hampering Shot instead of spellcasting.
A similar comparison could be drawn to the Scout, which gets middling BAB, but many more skillpoints, and has precision damage included.

I consider Arresting Shot and Hampering Shot superior abilities, but that's why this is a prestige class, and those features only get really good rather late. And while Rangers can be built to do many different things, the Targeteer/Battlefield Archer only does one thing (combat), but does it well.

That done, other stuff:
I don't think the class has that many special abilities, really. It's just three different abilities, two of which work off the third. Those abilities just get better with levels and add a few new options. Note that the class doesn't even reference a complete mechanical subsystem, like spellcasting or maneuvers. Instead, everything the class can do is spelled out in a few paragraphs, and there's no need to skim pages upon pages of additional rules information (spell lists etc.) to make heads or tails of what the class features can do for you.

I don't think requiring sneak attack "needlessly" limits potential archer builds, either. In fact, I originally envisaged the class as a sneak attacker that made different use of close-range precision damage. Or, to put it differently, I wanted to add an option that made ranged sneak attacking actually useful, instead of... not.

I originally envisaged the PrC as a pure archer (just look at what name I gave it...), but realized that certain thrown weapons might work just as fine (shuriken have been mentioned upthread). Instead of listing all the throwing weapons you could use this with, then being told that Harpoons or Shotput or whatever ought obviously to be included, too, I opted not to restrict what ranged weapons could be used. Throwers don't get enough love as it is, except for Bloodstorm Blade and Master Thrower. But maybe I could have restricted the class to archery, then added an "adaptation" section, like many other classes from later in the 3.5 lifecycly do.

Assassins that are interested in fighting will be drawn to becoming T/MAs, simply because sneaking up on your opponent doesn't always work, and this PrC offers the chance to use your training in striking quickly and precisely in a new and different way!
 

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