What makes the best Ranged Attacker?

[Rashak Mani]

As a DM I too was surprised by the power of the Archer... and it was a fighter only archer... no prestige class !!

WHICH IS MORE EFFECTIVE ? BOW INITIATE or ARCANE ARCHER ? Plain FIGHTER ONLY ?

 

[Scarab]

WHICH IS MORE EFFECTIVE ? BOW INITIATE or ARCANE ARCHER ? Plain FIGHTER ONLY ?

I don't know what the bow initiate is, but the AA has the Enchant Arrow ability, making every arrow he fires act for all purposes as a +1 arrow at level 1, +2 arrow at level 3, and so on up to a +5 arrow at level 9. Very nasty.

Where can I find the bow initiate?

 

[Rashak Mani]

Sword and Fist if I am not mistaken

 

[wolff96]

Re: Ranged Attacker

Fighter 4/Wizard 5/Arcane Archer 10
Decent spells to imbue into your arrows, Greater Magic Weapon for your bow (which stacks with the ammunition damage), weapon specialization, and lots of yummy fighter feats.

While the Order of the Bow Initiate is powerful, nothing compares to the free +X arrows of the Arcane Archer. Combine that with some good wizard spells and you've got a truly fiendish combination.

 

[Zhure]

My vote is for Psychic Warrior. While a straight Fighter has a better BAB and slightly better hit points, I think the PsyWar can make up the difference.

- 2/3 BAB.
- Knows all martial and all simple weapons.
- almost as many Feats as a Fighter.
- gains specialization like a Fighter, albeit with only 1 weapon, but it's free.
- access to Psionic Feats like Fell Shot (for 5 PP can turn a ranged attack into a touch attack) and Psionic Shot (for 1 PP can "charge" ammunition to do an extra 1d4 non-elemental damage), Return Shot (pluck hurled/fired weapons from the air and return them as a free action or a MEA... with Deflect Arrows, this is just sick as it adds your BAB to your foe's BAB to determine if your returned shot hits), and various mobility Psionic Feats, like Speed of Thought, Mental Leap, and Up the Walls, all of which would make a sniper amazingly dangerous for hit-and-run tactics.
- access to Powers like Call Weaponry (summon weapons from the planes, eventually up to +4), Bolt (create projectiles for a short time), Metaphysical Weapon (just like Greater Magic Weapon but a flat +3) on your bows and arrows, Greater Metaphysical Weapon (using the online updates to the PsiHB at a flat +5).
- access to buff Powers for both Defense (Displacement, Vigor, Verve) and enhanced Movement (Dimension Door, Burst) and missile combat (Animal Affinity).
- as a Manifester, access to item creation feats, specifically Craft Psionic Arms & Armor to make custom magic weapons, or Craft Universal Items to make other augmentation devices.

If one takes a PsyWar and a few cross class skills, a Soulknife is an easy multiclass. With Far Shot and upgrade weapon, their ranged mindblade is doing 1d8+5 at a range increment of 60'. It won't compete at long range against a STR bow, but the damage is amazing for a zero PP expenditure. Like the Arcane Archer, the Soulknife can imbue his hurled (or melee!) mindblade with Powers.

I also think Clerics come close to the efficacy as archers as a Psychic Warrior, but only truly lack in the Feat department. Unless they're elves or have War as a domain with a bow, they have to burn their first Feat to become proficient with the efficient missile weapons (long bows, etc), or take a level of Fighter/Paladin/Barbarian/Ranger/etc and hurt their spellcaster levels.

Hope that helps,
Greg

 

[Zhure]

Re: Re: Ranged Attacker

While the Order of the Bow Initiate is powerful, nothing compares to the free +X arrows of the Arcane Archer. Combine that with some good wizard spells and you've got a truly fiendish combination.

Some of the OoBI special abilities are fantastic. The best of which, IMO, is one which lets them take a shot in melee without provoking at AoO. A few levels of OoBI can make any archer far, far more dangerous.

Greg

 

[Oni]

Barring prestige classes, I've always been of the opinion that a Fighter/Rogue would make quite a good archer. The ranged sneak attacks as well as the additional skill points (for hiding and fletching and whatnot) were a good addition to the multitude of feats a fighter received for this sort of thing.

 

[Tzarevitch]

Im talking the best all around Archer...

Fighter?
Rouge?
Ranger?
Psionic Warrior?
I've no idea myself

and I don't mean casters..

A stone giant fighter with a sack of boulders, point blank shot (throw), rapid shot (throw) and quickdraw.

Tzarevitch

 

[Desdichado]

Oh: Be aware that a Fighter has one disadvantage: He is a front line Fighter and has to spend most his feats on this job... So Rogues, Monks (Elven for the Bow Profiency) and other "back up" Combattants might be better suited...

This is only true if you are unimaginative. A fighter is not a role, it is a mechanic, and it is one of the most flexible mechanics in the game. You can tailor a fighter to long rance combat and make one that absolutely sucks in melee, and its still a fighter. To say that a fighter is a front line fighter and must therefore use his feats on such and such is silly.

 

[Jack Daniel]

I would go with either a straight fighter, or an Elf ranger with maximized Dexterity. Remember, you can put your good score into DEX and get more out of it as a ranger. If you want the feats too, for serious archery, a fighter/ranger is a great way to go.