Fighter/Cleric (4/4) as an Archer

[Ian O'Rourke]

Weird combo I know, but I've got the imagery in my head. If I want to turn a 4/4 Fight/Cleric into the ultimate archer what feats should I take, etc.

I'm thinking Zen Archery might be a choice....? Also, what will I be loosing in doing this? And should I use my weapon specialisation on the bow?

No Prestige class options please.

 

[Celebrim]

I think cleric archers are widely regarded as some of the most potent smack down characters you can create. I've often made the claim that a party could do quite well with nothing but clerics of various flavors.

So I don't think the combo is that odd. Have fun with it. Take Zen Archery if you think it would be appropriate.

But I'm no smackdown expert so if you want details of the implementation you'll have to wait for someone else. If I remember correctly taking an Elf with the FR Elf domain was highly regarded as an effective munchkinizing tactic.

 

[Ian O'Rourke]

Interesting thanks. WIth respect to future posters - I'm not see interested in the baddest of the bad, I'm just trying to avoid things I'll regret down the line that become major 'oh buggers'.

This char is in competition with a Monk sort, who I understand are best not multiclassing - in fact they seem quite vanilla, you just go up in level, get your abilities and attacks....?

 

[krunchyfrogg]

Well, only take Zen Archery if your WIS is higher than your DEX, ZA doesn't stack w/ DEX bonus to hit.

It's a great combo, and should be a lot of fun. My advice would be to advance only to 4th level as a Fighter, and use the rest on your Cleric class (you should have the archery feats you want by 4th level, and the spells probably outweigh the better BAB of the Fighter class). Of course, if you're not Human, Half Elf, or Dwarf, ignore that idea.

And yes, if you're going to be an archer, specialize in your bow of choice.

 

[Ian O'Rourke]

Yeah, I was only going to progress fighter to fourth, I was really wanting it to be less, but I thought the specialisation would be a good idea.

As for the Zen Archery, good point about the Dex Bonus not stacking - I was thinking more about the effect of armour on my Dex? If I have my Dex reduced due to armour, would a Wis with a +3 Bonus ignore the armour penalty (not going to armour up to much, but it is an interesting question)?

Do you know NWN you can get weapon specialisation just by having a BAB of +4 (or something), and so its often worth just taking one Fighter level to get it....madness

 

[Rackhir]

Yeah, I was only going to progress fighter to fourth, I was really wanting it to be less, but I thought the specialisation would be a good idea.

As for the Zen Archery, good point about the Dex Bonus not stacking - I was thinking more about the effect of armour on my Dex? If I have my Dex reduced due to armour, would a Wis with a +3 Bonus ignore the armour penalty (not going to armour up to much, but it is an interesting question)?

First, armor dex bonus limits are ONLY for the bonus to AC from dex, it does not limit the dex bonus with regards to skills or to hit with missile weapons (of course there are still the Armor check penalties, but that's a separate issue).

That said it is still probably worth getting Zen Archery, since as a cleric it is your primary stat and thus most of your stat boosts should be going into it. Your wisdom bonus would not be affected by any armor penalties in any case.

I know you did say no PrC advice, but I feel I should point out that one of the OoBI high level abilities (I think its at 7-9 lv) lets you stack Zen archery and dex bonuses. However, it's not worth it if you are planning a primarily cleric based character.

Weapon Spec is definitely worth it and it is a requirement for some feats and PrCs if you do decide to go one of those routes. Also to hit bonuses are easy to rack up with archers, your options for increasing damage are much more limited.

 

[krunchyfrogg]

If you're not dead-set in 4 levels of Fighter, I'd advise thinking about 2 levels of Fighter, and the rest Cleric.

 

[Numion]

Interesting thanks. WIth respect to future posters - I'm not see interested in the baddest of the bad, I'm just trying to avoid things I'll regret down the line that become major 'oh buggers'.

This char is in competition with a Monk sort, who I understand are best not multiclassing - in fact they seem quite vanilla, you just go up in level, get your abilities and attacks....?

Drop the fighter levels. Losing four levels of cleric costs you +4 to hit / +4 to damage. Thats a net gain of +3/+2 over the fighter, but you weren't looking for min/max info? Anyway, thats the big 'oh bugger' for me

 

[gariig]

Hmm, Munchy advice is going all cleric and using the persistent and extend feats to buff yourself to an obscene amount. Just the targeted dispels really suck! I would probably only do 2 levels max of fighter, the specialization isn't all that when you want to be 35 ft. back. Also, Quickdraw would be a handy feat for you. Sling bow as MEA and whip out the Divine Focus for free..

Gariig

 

[Ian O'Rourke]

Drop the fighter levels. Losing four levels of cleric costs you +4 to hit / +4 to damage. Thats a net gain of +3/+2 over the fighter, but you weren't looking for min/max info? Anyway, thats the big 'oh bugger' for me

Well, I'm always interested. I was going to have fighter levels to represent the fact she was a mercenary before she found religion. But I could always limit it to 1.

Interesting use of Cleric spells might also be some interesting advice, as I don't normally play spellcasters. What are the must dos in terms of Buffs, general spell use, etc?