Cleric Archers?

[Corlon]

I've heard talk over this on en-world, and my question is
What is a cleric archer?
I don't see how a cleric could make a good archer, can someone tell me?

 

[mikebr99]

Well... Elven Clerics of certain Elven deities could get the martial weapon feat, and Weapon focus in the long bow... a perferred weapon for some Elven dieties.

Clerics have Magic Weapon, Greater Magic Weapon, Bull's STR, Cat's Grace, etc. making a better bowman.

there will be others...

 

[Theovis]

Elven clerics make wicked archers. It's a great role for them as well, since they keep at range, then move in with the healing when needed.

 

[mikebr99]

Elven clerics make wicked archers. It's a great role for them as well, since they keep at range, then move in with the healing when needed.

And firing those healing arrows at your allies!

 

[Jeremy]

I don't see how a cleric could make a good archer, can someone tell me?

Oh! With pleasure.

This is out of context but bear with it as it does answer your question.

Edit: Sorry for the confusing context. This was to answer whether a cleric archer on his very best day could kill a young adult white dragon with a single shot.

A Ftr10/PA10 and a Wood Elf Clr20 are going white dragon hunting today. We don’t really have a lot of information about the Ftr10/PA10 except that if he crits within 30’ of a young adult white dragon that he is somehow sneak attacking even though it’s not flatfooted and he can’t flank it and rolls max damage on everything, he’ll kill the bugger in one shot. A very impressive feat on this, his best day, but this is also the cleric’s “best day of his life”, so let’s see how he fairs.

-------------------------------------------

So the two intrepid adventurers are climbing through the mountains when 8 white dragons begin circling high above them. The Peerless Archer unlimbers his bow and withdraws a single arrow, winking at his peer.

“Get their attention for me, wouldja? I want to show you a shot I’ve been working on.”

The cleric looks up at what the archer is pointing at and immediately shimmers as a Contingency is fired (Haste, AC 32). He nods in his accelerated state and unlimbers his bow as well.

Everyone rolls init, and as this is the best day of the cleric’s life, he rolls a natural 20 and gets an init of 38 and manages to go first.

He estimates that the dragons are about 500 yards away, one hell of a shot, but he feels lucky today and swears to kill the first dragon. With his Will Save of +26 he has no problem with the dragon’s frightful presence of DC 16 and hits AC 60 with his first arrow even at that range. A critical hit! 4d8+1d6+3d10+80 damage… And he rolls maximum on everything! 148 damage!

The young adult white dragon plummets to the earth, dead.

But the cleric has 4 more shots and is not sure if he’s got the dragon’s attention yet…

So he fires four more arrows, swearing to kill each dragon in turn, and this being the best day in his entire life lands 4 more maximum damage critical dropping four more young adult white dragons. Apparently Labelas wants to make sure Entherion is known as an elf who keeps his word.

But Entherion is hasted, so he uses his extra partial action to cast Time Stop. 30 seconds pass for him while time is frozen and he casts Shield of Faith (+5 deflection bonus—AC 37), Protection from Evil (in case they are spellcasting dragons), Gate (to summon a Solar to beckon them to attend the Peerless Archer), and Summon Monster VII twice (to summon a pair of Avoral Guardinals to complete the Solars retinue so he delivers his request in style).

Of the three remaining dragons whose turns come around in the init scale, 2 flee immediately as apparently the proxy of a Deity walks in the mountains below, and he is WROTH. Unfortunately, one of the remaining dragons is a little slower than the average Intelligence 8 young adult white dragon. It has an Intelligence of 4 and is curious.

It is approached by a solar and two avorals who request it attend a peerless archer and his peer below.

It nods with an evil glint in its eyes and seeks an easy lunch.

Unfortunately for it, this is the Peerless Archer’s best day of his life(tm). And it slays the dragon in a single shot once it closes within 30’.

Entherion smiles and comments, “That was a well placed arrow. Well done.”


-------------------------------------------------------------------
Enterion Windwhisper; Wood Elf Clr20 of Labelas Enoreth from the Moonshea Isles

Domains: Time, Elf

Str 13, Dex 30*, Con 13, Int 13, Wis 16 (22), Cha 10

*20 base, +5 inherent from Manual of Quickness of Action, and +5 from levels.

Feats: Point Blank Shot (Elf Domain), Improved Initiative (Time Domain), Empower Spell, Extend Spell, Rapid Shot, Persistent Spell, Precise Shot, Quicken Spell, Improved Critical: Composite Longbow

Constantly Active Spells (Cast upon waking, last 24-40 hours):

Persistent Divine Power (Caster Level 24 due to Bead of Karma, Strength increased to 18, BAB changed to +24/+19/+14/+9)
Extended Greater Magic Weapon (Bow and 50 or more arrows +5)
Extended Magic Vestment (Armor and Buckler +5)
Extended Double Empowered Cat’s Grace (Domain Spell, Dexterity increased to 39)
Energy Immunity: Cold (As apparently they are hunting White Dragons today)
Persistent Divine Favor (+6 Luck Bonus to hit and damage)
Persistent Bless (+1 morale bonus to hit and fear saves to all within 50’)
Contingency (Domain spell, Haste upon sighting White Dragons as apparently they are hunting White Dragons today)
Spell Turning (See Magical Equipment)

Magical Equipment:

Periapt of Wisdom +6
Necklace of Prayer Beads (Bead of Karma)
Manual of Quickness of Action +5 (Used)
Pale Green Ioun Stone (+1 Competence Bonus to attacks/saves/checks)
Bracers of Archery (Combined with Point Blank Shot affords a total +2 to attack and damage to targets within 30’)
Third Eye: Aware (+10 Competence Bonus to Spot and Search Checks) (Psionics Handbook)
Ring of Spell Storing (Ten Castings of True Strike Stored)
Ring of Spell Turning (Used once every two and a half hours)
Vest of Resistance +5 (Tome and Blood)
Winged Boots
Cloak of Displacement (Greater)
Robe of Eyes (+15 Circumstance Bonus to Spot and Search checks, Cannot be Flatfooted, Darkvision/See Invisibility/See Ethereal 120’ range)
Quiver of Ehlonna
Mithral Fullplate Armor +1 of Nimbleness, Negative Energy Protection, and Moderate Fortification (Magic of Faerun)
Mirthal Bucker +1 of Reflecting
Mighty [+4] Oathbow of Acidic Burst and Distance

Attack Bonus:

+24 Base +14 Dexterity +10 Enhancement +6 Luck +1 Morale +1 Competence -2 Rapid Shot (+2 within 30’)

+54/+54/+49/+44/+39 (+2 within 30’)

Damage Bonus:

(+4 Strength +10 Enhancement +6 Luck)x2 Oathbow +1d6 Acid +2d8 Arrow (+2 within 30’)

2d8+1d6+40 (20/x4**) (+2 within 30’)

**Upon a critical hit, an additional 3d10 acid damage is applied.

Armor Class:

+10 Base +8 Armor Bonus +5 Enhancement +5 Dexterity

AC 28

Spot Check (Since it was noted that this is mandatory for archers):

+6 Wisdom +10 Competence +15 Circumstance

Spot Check of 41 if Enterion takes 10. But since this is his best day, he rolls it and gets a twenty for a spot check of 51.
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[Thanee]

Yeah, the point is, that with some of the FRCS domains, which grant useful archery feats (Point Blank Shot (Elf) and Improved Initiative (Time) from the uber god of elven cleric archers, or was that the elven god of cleric uber archers? ), you have a good start and with the awesome buff spells clerics get (Persistant Divine Favor, Greater Magic Weapon, Cat's Grace (from Elf domain), Haste (from Time domain), Divine Power, etc), they are very well able to compete with the best of the fighters. And then they also happen to be full-fledged spellcasters (the healing spells alone are incredible) with decent saves and hit points as a little bonus!

Bye
Thanee

 

[Kai Lord]

I've heard talk over this on en-world, and my question is
What is a cleric archer?
I don't see how a cleric could make a good archer, can someone tell me?

Clerics don't make great archers, but they make very good "virtual archers"; good archers under certain conditions, namely being at least 15th level with lots of ubermagic weapons, certain spells and non-core metamagic feats.

Even then on the best day of their lives they're still not the best.

 

[Chun-tzu]

Or, to put it another way, bows can be great weapons for (certain) clerics. And if they decide to spend all their spells buffing themselves instead of the party's fighters, then yeah, they can kick some ass.

 

[Skaros]

I agree with Chunt-tzu's perspective.

In our next campaign, it'll be run in the DMs new world, which is pretty rugged, with a lot of old empires and dead gods having left footprints in history.

He's ported in many aspects of the FR pantheon (mostly for the sub-races), and I'll be playing a cleric of Labelas Enoreth. With his focus on recording and learning from history, my character will be trying to drive the group (Indiana-Jones style) into dead civilizations to recover artifacts and tomes that might allow the elven loremasters to piece together earlier histories of these cultures.

He'll use a bow, and put money towards the typically elven boots and cloak, and hopefully be quite an effective and interesting explorer on behalf of his God.

-Skaros

 

[Jeremy]

Re: Re: Cleric Archers?

Clerics don't make great archers, but they make very good "virtual archers"; good archers under certain conditions, namely being at least 15th level with lots of ubermagic weapons, certain spells and non-core metamagic feats.

Even then on the best day of their lives they're still not the best.

Don' listen to him. He's just bitter.

Clerics make good archers from 6th level on. They just make better archers at 15th level with the appropriate magical gear well within the limits of 15th level character's possessions.

No one says they're the best. Nobody's the best at anything. But yes, it is possible for a cleric to be a good archer. Not as good maybe as I-always-win-init-and-crit-with-every-shot-power-attacking-at-30-foot-range-4-arrows-on-my-bow-at-a-time-sneak-attacking-non-core-prestige-class-non-core-feat-very-specific-condition-powerless-archers with uber magical gear, but better on average than the usual fighter with the standard: point-blank shot, precise shot, rapid shot, far shot, dodge, mobility, shot on the run combination.

IMVHO IYKWIM AITYD TYMMV B/C spoofs.