Converting Arcane Archer

[tophu]

Despite a mention during previews that Arcane Archer made the transition to paragon path, it seems to have been dropped in the final. I have a player who has a whole character concept that is pivotal on Arcane Archer, so I'm doing my best to recreate it. To that end, I'm posting my first go at it so you guys can beat it all to hell and tell me what I'm doing wrong.

Arcane Archer

"Corellon, imbue my arrow with your will and guide my shot."

Prerequisite: Elf, proficiency with bow (other than crossbow), at least 1 attack power with arcane keyword

You have chosen to enhance your ranged combat prowess with arcane power. You can channel your arcane powers through your bow.

Arcane Archer Path Features

Arcane Implement Mastery: Bow (11th level): In your hands, even a mundane bow may impart magical energy to its ammunition. You can use your bow as an arcane implement when casting your spells, and you can use Imbue Arrow as an encounter power.

Arcane Bow Action (11th level): When you spend an action point to make an attack with your bow, your bow gains a +2 enhancement bonus until the end of your turn. At 21st level, increase the enhancement bonus to +4.

Arcane Fork (16th level): When you spend an action point, in addition to the action you get, the Imbue Arrow power recharges.

Imbue Arrow Arcane Archer Feature
Encounter + Arcane
Free Action Personal
When you make a ranged or area attack with the arcane keyword, you may imbue an arrow with the spell and use your bow to deliver that attack. Make the attack as Dexterity vs. AC and use your bow's range.

Seeker Arrow Arcane Archer Attack 11
Encounter + Arcane, Implement, Weapon
Standard Action Ranged weapon
Target: One creature known within range
Attack: Dexterity vs. AC
Special: You must be wielding a bow. This attack ignores cover and concealment, including superior cover but not total concealment.
Hit: 2[W] + Intelligence modifier damage.
Miss: Half damage.

Partial Reflection Arcane Archer Utility 12
Encounter + Arcane
Immediate Interrupt Personal
Trigger: A ranged or area attack deals damage to you.
Effect: You take half damage from the attack and the creature that attacked you takes the other half.

Arrow of Death Arcane Archer Attack 20
Daily + Arcane, Implement, Weapon
Standard Action Ranged weapon
Target: One creature
Attack: Intelligence vs. Fortitude
Special: You must be wielding a bow.
Hit: 3[W] + Intelligence modifier damage and the target is weakened (save ends). If the target is bloodied, deal an additional 2[W] + Dexterity modifier damage.
Miss: The target is weakened (save ends).

[sblock="Was:"]Arcane Bow Implement (11th level): In your hands, even a mundane bow imparts magical energy to its ammunition. Treat any nonmagical bow you wield as a +2 bow (increase to +3 at 16th level, +4 at 21st, and +5 at 26th) You can use your bow as an arcane implement when casting your spells.

Imbue Arrow Action (11th level): When you spend an action point to make a ranged or area attack with the arcane keyword, you may imbue an arrow with the spell and use your bow to deliver that attack. Make the attack as Dexterity vs. AC and use your bow's range.

Arcane Fork (16th level): When you use your Imbue Arrow Action, you may make that attack twice.

Seeker Arrow Arcane Archer Attack 11
Encounter + Arcane, Implement, Weapon
Standard Action Ranged weapon
Target: One creature known within range
Attack: Dexterity vs. AC
Special: Weapon must be a bow. This attack ignores cover and concealment, including superior cover but not total concealment.
Hit: 2[W] + Intelligence modifier damage.
Miss: Half damage.

Partial Reflection Arcane Archer Utility 12
Encounter + Arcane
Immediate Interrupt Personal
Trigger: A ranged or area attack deals damage to you.
Effect: You take half damage from the attack and the creature that attacked you takes the other half.

Arrow of Death Arcane Archer Attack 20
Daily + Arcane, Implement, Weapon
Standard Action Ranged weapon
Target: One creature
Attack: Intelligence vs. Fortitude
Special: Weapon must be a bow. Target takes a penalty to saving throws it makes against this power equal to your Wisdom modifier.
Hit: The target is weakened (save ends). If the target fails its first saving throw against this power, the target becomes slowed (save ends). If the target fails its second saving throw against this power, the target's hit points become 0.
Miss: The target is weakened (save ends).[/sblock]

 

[ZetaStriker]

The Arcane Bow Implement feature seems too much... just allowing Magical Bows to be used as implements, granting their bonus to both arrows and spells, should be more than enough. Giving a free +2 or what have you is overkill.

Imbue Arrow and Arcane Fork sound fine, as long as you don't double the spell in the latter's case. And extra 1 or 2d8 damage when using an action point sounds like a good idea to me.

Seeker Arrow seems too weak. Cover and concealment are very situational, and the attack's damage seems 1[W] too low. Compare it to Battlefield Archer's Combined Fire, which is an immediate action with 1[W] higher damage. I'd suggest giving it a bonus equal to cover on the attack roll(+2), give it a special reading which lets it treat invisibility and full cover as regular concealment or cover, and maybe make it 3[W] damage.

Arrow of Death, on the other hand, seems a bit too much. I could be wrong, but I don't think any PCs are supposed to have those kind of death powers. It's a monster-only thing, because the PCs have so many more options available to them to prevent things from going that far. Hell, in some cases, you party might have powers that FORCE the enemy to fail those saves, which would allow you to kill Orcus in a handful of turns. Slowed(save ends) -> Weakened(save ends) -> Unconscious(until damage is taken) seems a much better balance.

 

[tophu]

I'm a little confused. You think Arcane Fork is okay as long as it doesn't do what it says it does? Huh?

If Arcane Bow Implement has to lose something, I'd rather have it lose the 'use as implement' bit instead of the 'mundane bows are magic for you' bit, as that is the core bit of Arcane Archer. If the 'use as implement' part is dropped, then I'd also drop the Implement keyword from the attack powers.

As for the 20th level attack, the 3e arrow of death was a save or die DC20 v. Fort, and I was trying to update that to the "no save or die" 4e mantra. Perhaps I could just drop the penalty and drag it out so you need four total failures to die:

Arrow of Death Arcane Archer Attack 20
Daily + Arcane, Weapon
Standard Action Ranged weapon
Target: One creature
Attack: Intelligence vs. Fortitude
Special: You must be wielding a bow.
Hit: The target is weakened (save ends). If the target fails its first saving throw against this power, the target becomes slowed (save ends). For any further saving throw against this power the target fails, the target takes damage equal to its bloodied value.
Miss: The target is weakened (save ends).

 

[ZetaStriker]

I was referring to apprehension over whether Arcane Fork let the spell be cast twice, if I wasn't clear enough.

As for the rest, neither the 'my weapons are magic!' thing, nor the death attack, will ever translate well into 4E, and I think your problem is that you're trying to convert every ability to 4E, rather than figuring out what those abilities represent.

For instance, giving an unspecified bonus to attack or damage with bows, maybe the attack bonus at 11th, and the damage bonus at 16th, would be a good way of simulating the first thing without affecting the magic item economy. It makes for a better ability than Arcane Fork, in my opinion, as the one Action Point related ability should be enough. I will also note that Paragon Paths shouldn't scale; they're meant to represent a certain level of power, and your Epic Destiny will give you your cool stuff after that. Another reason not to go 'my bow is magic!' with the PP.

The Death Arrow is just going to be hard to convert. Inducing a death-like state, giving you a free crit on them, seemed the best solution to me. Those kind of abilities just aren't something that should be in the PC's hands, so I'd strongly suggest you find another flavor for that ability. It's still your game though, so if you don't mind introducing it, you can certainly feel free to. I just don't think it's a good idea.

EDIT: Almost forgot to mention the other half of the implement thing. I think you should stick with the bow becoming an implement, at the very least. Anything else would make the PP less of an Arcane Archer, and more of a dude who just happens to have a couple of neat magic arrows.

 

[tophu]

Damnit. Why couldn't they have just put it in the book... I see what they did, of course. They put Wizard of the Spiral Tower in its place. That's basically an Arcane Swordsman. I don't like the death arrow either, but I don't know what else to do. I knew I wanted the "cast spells through your arrows" part, but I just can't translate this well, I guess. I wish somebody with more skill would do this for me already.

 

[ZetaStriker]

Just a thought, but maybe you could make the Death Arrow thing a high damage attack that deals even more against Bloodied foes? That way it can be a sort of finishing hit, in more cases, retaining some of its original flavor. It is different though, so I can see the reasons for not using it as well.

 

[Cryptos]

I suggest keeping the implement part of it, and making any mundane or magical bow that the archer uses an arcane implement for which the archer gets a per encounter implement mastery power: you can cast a spell through the arcane bow with the bow's range rather than the spell's range once per encounter.

You would then need to change Imbue Arrow a bit, but I think the above works better for the implement special feature. Or replace it with a different ability. Maybe when you spend an action point to cast a spell with a bow as an implement, you can add 1[W] to the damage of the spell?

 

[tophu]

That's not bad, Cryptos. I like that: Arcane Archers can use bows as implements and use imbue arrow as an implement mastery power...

I think I'll go with ZetaStriker's suggestion for Arrow of Death, a big boom that's bigger on bloodied targets.

Perhaps to retain the "bows are magic in my hands" I could swap the utility spell to be an encounter minor action ability that lets me treat any bow as though it had an enhancement bonus equal to my level/5 until the end of turn.

 

[tophu]

Uh, I thought the spoiler tag would make the collapsed section that has the Show button. I guess it just blacks out the text. If somebody could tell me what tag does that I'll update it, but in the mean time, how does this incarnation of Arcane Archer suit everyone. Anything still rub you the wrong way?

 

[drothgery]

Uh, I thought the spoiler tag would make the collapsed section that has the Show button. I guess it just blacks out the text. If somebody could tell me what tag does that I'll update it,

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