That's really awesome Nifft, a useable and fun arcane archer!!! My first draft was exceedingly similar when I first started designing this class (albeit mine was way overpowered, allowed arrow touch and combined casting at level 1, and full casting with a medium BAB... yeah, I was insane). I hadn't even considered the imbue arrow effects, and penetrating arrow, good ideas! Never was a fan of arcane strike/shot mechanics though, but that's just me.
That's got me thinking that at the very least, I'll need to make my PrC have poor BAB progression. I know, it's not that much of a power reducer (woo, one less point of BAB), but it'll help. In essence, I want to build a PrC much like your Arcane Archer, but substitute good BAB to poor, two good saves to one, 4 skill points to 2, boost the HD to d8, and give full casting. To do so, I still think I'd have to have class abilities slightly weaker than what you have going with your PrC. But if you don't mind, I think I may use your imbue arrows ability to some degree, to give allow all the flavor I want but not overload the class with abilities. But instead of having them always apply to arrows, I'll grant accelerated abilities that only function when spell slots are expended.
Check out my first post for the modified version... is granting a +4 equivalent bonus as the crowning ability too much when it requires a 3rd level spell slot being used? Sure, you can grant three arrows with merciful, holy, blessed, evil outsider bane for a great deal of demon crushing, but you could also cast fireball or lightning bolt for 10d6 damage at that point as a standard action instead of a full rounder.
And yes, I am determined to have full spellcasting progression, so please bear with me. If what I have still seems too powerful, I'd love ways to tone down the power of the abilities without taking too much flavor away (and preferably keeping an ability at each level, even if it's cosmetic).
That's got me thinking that at the very least, I'll need to make my PrC have poor BAB progression. I know, it's not that much of a power reducer (woo, one less point of BAB), but it'll help. In essence, I want to build a PrC much like your Arcane Archer, but substitute good BAB to poor, two good saves to one, 4 skill points to 2, boost the HD to d8, and give full casting. To do so, I still think I'd have to have class abilities slightly weaker than what you have going with your PrC. But if you don't mind, I think I may use your imbue arrows ability to some degree, to give allow all the flavor I want but not overload the class with abilities. But instead of having them always apply to arrows, I'll grant accelerated abilities that only function when spell slots are expended.
Check out my first post for the modified version... is granting a +4 equivalent bonus as the crowning ability too much when it requires a 3rd level spell slot being used? Sure, you can grant three arrows with merciful, holy, blessed, evil outsider bane for a great deal of demon crushing, but you could also cast fireball or lightning bolt for 10d6 damage at that point as a standard action instead of a full rounder.
And yes, I am determined to have full spellcasting progression, so please bear with me. If what I have still seems too powerful, I'd love ways to tone down the power of the abilities without taking too much flavor away (and preferably keeping an ability at each level, even if it's cosmetic).
