construct an uber archer

[Metalsmith]

Actually you can hide as part of your movement(o in a way it is a free action), and since I'm moving my normal move I'm only at -5, and with all the +to hide items out there and the smaller number of +spot items hiding is fairly easy. Also since I've moved somewhere around 15' after my shot you can't just target a 5' square and you basically auto-miss.

Bummer. I guess I'll just have to shoot you with the Seeking Arrow with the daylight spell after all. That will nail all your shadows untill you rehide, and the followup arrows in the same round aught to do you. Rinse and repeat with Phase Arrow and Hail of Arrows.

or

Ready a wand of Farie Fire

or

Tie a packet of Dust of appearance to an arrow.

or

Use the Track Feat at a mere -5 to wilderness lore I can keep up with you and know exactly where you went to. The roll will get even eaiser after you're stuck with a few phase/seeking arrows and are leaking blood. I can even use wands of Improved Invis while tracking you.

or

Be Glad I'm wearing my +1 Full Fortification Armor or Buckler. Make Bluff checks everytime you shoot me, "Owww (smiles) that realy hurt! Ugg I'm Dead"

Anyone whos counting on not being found is just begging for a beating.

Metalsmith

 

[Metalsmith]

I think that the Cleric/Archer is very well a highly effective archer.
I didn't say the best BUT he can HEAL and fire deadly arrows himself. Even if he stops progression at 17th level and takes Archer PrCs he still ranks up there being UBER mighty.

Heck he doesn't even need to multiclass at all.

Yep the Cleric is the best character class in the game. With a few carefully chosen Domains you can build just about any character Idea. The only one he can't pull off is the Psion or the Mage. He can come really close with the Domains of Magic, Travel, Time ect...

One of the funniest/greediest ideas I had as a long term character was the Cleric with the prestige domain of Creation. At 17th level you can cast Genesis and create a small Demi-Plane with Mountains of Gold, Adandamite, Silver, Mithral, Gems ect.....

Yep thats Balanced.

Metalsmith

 

[Mistwell]

Yep the Cleric is the best character class in the game. With a few carefully chosen Domains you can build just about any character Idea. The only one he can't pull off is the Psion or the Mage. He can come really close with the Domains of Magic, Travel, Time ect...

One of the funniest/greediest ideas I had as a long term character was the Cleric with the prestige domain of Creation. At 17th level you can cast Genesis and create a small Demi-Plane with Mountains of Gold, Adandamite, Silver, Mithral, Gems ect.....

Yep thats Balanced.

Metalsmith

It somehow figures that a guy named Metalsmith though up an evil plot to obtain mountains of precious metals.

 

[Kai Lord]

Not at all, stealth types should be stealthy. Spell types usually are everything and then some. Spells handle way to many things, make people better at way to many things, and answer way too many problems. Somone who plays peak-aboo for 30 points of damage a round doesn't bother me. Single shots that take down dragons, invisible, flying, hasted wizards, harm, uber-buffed clerics that fight just as good or better than fighters, the yo-god what's the answer spells etc. bother me though.

Yeah, archers who instakill dragons with critical hits can get pretty out of control. How long does it take your Shadowspawn to take over the world again?

 

[Arcanus]

Balance comes from the GOD OF ALL GODS (no I don't mean GARY GYGAX) the DM.

You know another very kick-shadowdancer butt archer is the
Are you ready?????

The Eldritch Master from Monte Cook.
His hit points suck the almighty grandma titties but he can get spells from any spell lists and treat them as arcane.

He too can make Persistent Divine Favor, Divine Power, Shield,
Blazing Shield, Mirror Image, Protection from Arrows, Reverse Arrows,Boost all his scores to "holy crap" levels, GMW his arrows. He can even make you freeze in place with his Supernatural Stare (whatever its called).

He too can get Hunters Mercy, Assassins Senses, and if he doesn't want to cast any more spells use Tensers Transformation to boost his hit points up.

And the easiest way to mess with anyones character (fighter type mostly) is to cast UNHAND (from Book of Eldritch Might II) and you are disarmed of your bow.

 

[Kai Lord]

Yeah, Eldritch Masters rule. Don't forget to take two levels of Arcane Archer so you can imbue all of those Cleric/Druid spells into your arrows.

 

[Jeremy]

The problem with crit dependent classes(including sneak attacks like mine) is that any target worth taking the shot on is usually potected, foritficaiton isn't a high priced enchantment. (+1,+3,+5) At the +3 level its a 75% chance to avoid all crits.(I bought it on my character at 9th level) On top of that anyone can use a bow of coup de grace, and the fort save gets brutal enough that doing 15 points of damage or 300 means virtually nothing.

Perhaps, perhaps not. The point of the deepwood sniper variant is the range from which he can take the shot, the fact that IF he rolls a 1 he can reroll, and he reduces the concealment, meaning that all important one shot is very likely to hit.

And oft times, a target worth taking the shot on is a 30 year old Aristocrat4 King as he gives a speech. Or a paladin who has been a thorn in the side of an evil organzation as he strips off his battle garb and sets it aside to polish it.

Fortification will not save these people.

As to anyone using the bow, maybe so, but none are quite as effective with it as someone who further increases the critical multiplier (which coup de grace's automatically are). So while other archers are good snipers, this variant is arguably the best assassin one shot one kill long range sniper.

Short of a spellcaster of course. Spellcasters can do anything anyone else can do better given significant preparation.

 

[Thanee]

Geez, is Kai Lord still daydreaming about killing a dragon with one arrow? Hey, all maxed damage rolls are not THAT likely!

And if you fail, the dragon WILL eat you alive!

About Spot and Track and such: Can that even compare to True Seeing, Scry, Discern Location and other powerful divinations? I think not.

That Eldritch Master sounds rather broken, hehe!

High level Wizards can also get all the decent spells, tho, Hunter's Mercy, Persistant Divine Favor (even without the feat), and so on. Limited Wish is highly useful (sure it costs 300 XP, but sometimes you know it's worth to spend them)!

Bye
Thanee

 

[Arcanus]

Everyone here who loves their own Archer types should post their favorites.

I'd say at 16th level with whatever classes and feats that are from any D20 published product.

Only no monster pc classes, only use races from WOTC books.
Be serious.

Go ahead and post stats and whatever else you would put on a character sheet.

If you could make this character to play in a game tailored for your abilities as a 16th level character and could only start with 1 magic item that is within the price limit for 16th level what would it be?

Feel free to explain your character and list his special abilities.
I'd be interested to see what Thanee, Kai Lord, Shard O' Glass, Mistwell, Metalsmith, Jeremy and Crothian would have as their favorite.

 

[Thanee]

I'd make it similar to my current high level character, gray elven arcane trickster!

Using standard rules (we have a few house rules), that would be a rogue 4/wizard 5/arcane trickster 7, just one level short of getting the ultimate power called Limited Wish!

Bye
Thanee