What's the point of magic arrows?

[Vysirez]

Yes, NOT overcoming the DR is always a viable option. Some people still insist on their golf bags, though, feeling that doing 5-10 fewer hp of damage per round is simply unacceptable.

When you are TWF with light weapons doing 5-10 less damage per hit means your pretty worthless. That is one of the reasons people worry about the golf bag issue. For a THF it's not as bad no.

 

[Ithilorien]

When you are TWF with light weapons doing 5-10 less damage per hit means your pretty worthless. That is one of the reasons people worry about the golf bag issue. For a THF it's not as bad no.

Off topic, but: If you're a two-weapon fighter capable of only doing 5-10 with each attack you're pretty worthless to begin with.

TWF is not valuable unless you're adding a lot of damage with the extra attacks (either through sneak attack, magic weapons, or some other source) otherwise two-handed or sword and board is the way to go.

 

[MerakSpielman]

Hopefully when you begin fighting DR 5 creatures, you deal, on average, >5 damage per hit. Hopefully, by the time you run into DR 10 creatures, you deal >10 damage per hit. Just bear in mind that the CR for the creature doesn't necessarily assume you have the capability of bypassing the DR, you might just have to spend twice as long whittling it down, round after round.

 

[Gez]

Since the bow's and arrow's plusses no longer stack, do you get to add your Dex bonus to damage, now?

I always considered "3.O" stacking as the compensation for not being able to Power Attack or add Str to damage.

 

[Nail]

Since the bow's and arrow's plusses no longer stack, do you get to add your Dex bonus to damage, now?

Nope.

 

[Nail]

Back on Topic: Arcane Archer

I'm kinda partial to DrSpunj's re-build of the Arcane Archer right here.

 

[MerakSpielman]

Since the bow's and arrow's plusses no longer stack, do you get to add your Dex bonus to damage, now?

I always considered "3.O" stacking as the compensation for not being able to Power Attack or add Str to damage.

No, you don't, but that's a good idea for a feat:

Penetrating Shot (or some other, better name)
Prerequisite: Precise Shot, Dex 13+
Benefit: For every point of Dex bonus and not exceeding your base attack bonus, you may subtract 1 from your to-hit roll with a dex-based missile weapon and add 1 to the damage.

 

[Ransom]

Further, the bow will even make your arrow magical for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction!

Last I check bows can imbue magical abilities (i.e Flaming, shocking) but don't make arrows magical to overcome DR.

 

[James McMurray]

Then you haven't checked since 3.5 came out.

 

[DrSpunj]

Last I check bows can imbue magical abilities (i.e Flaming, shocking) but don't make arrows magical to overcome DR.

Ammunition fired from a projectile weapon with an enhancement bonus of +1 or higher is treated as a magic weapon for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction.

Hope that helps.

DrSpunj