Could i get some critique for my archery based lantern bearer character for Wrath of the Righteous please?


Advice


We've only done the first session so far but I know next to nothing about the mythic rules or archery based characters so I am hoping to get some assistance for you fine people. :)

What I have so far is

Andrion Kale:
Andrion Kale
Lg Half Elf male Fighter for Wrath of the Righteous

At a young age Andrion was caught up in a dark cult's ritual to summon demonic aid, he remembers very little of the event in the waking world but his dreams are a different story. His first actual memories are of the young band of neophyte pathfinders that rescued him and thier lodge which took in the young orphan and trained him.

Stats 25 point buy

Str 14 (5 points)
Dex 20 (17 points +2 race)
Con 10 (0 points)
Int 14 (5 points)
Wis 12 (2 points)
Cha 7

Hp 10
Ac 20 (5 Kikko armor 4 dex 1 trait)
Fort +2
Ref +5
Will +1

Racial
+2 Dex
Humanoid (elf,human)
Medium
Speed 30
Langs Elven, Common, Abyssal, Hallit
Immune to magical sleep effects
+2 to saves vs Enchantment Spells and Effects
Adaptability (Skill focus perception)
Keen Senses +2 perception
Low Light Vision
Elf Blood
Multi Talented (Fighter,Monk)

Feats
Weapon Master Fighter 1 Lvl 1
Point Blank Shot
Deadly Aim
Skill Focus Perception

Traits
Stolen Fury (For the champion path)
Defender of the Society

Skills
Climb 1 (6)
Craft (Bows) 1 (6)
Survival (Favored class) 1 (5)
Perception 1 (7)
Knowledge Dungeoneering 1 (6)
Gear Kikko armor (30),Composite Long Bow (100), Bardiche (13) Rangers Kit (backpack, bedroll, belt pouch, flint and steel, iron pot, mess kit, rope, torches (9), trail rations (5 days), and a waterskin 23 gp Arrows (58 )
Special Items Scale of Terendelef (Align weapon 3/day lvl 19)
Bow + 5 to hit 1d8+2 dmg (+6 1d8+3 in 30')
Bardiche +3 to hit 1d10 +3 damage Reach

Zen Archer 1 Lvl 2
Precise Shot MW Str +2 bow +7 to hit 1d8+4 dmg

Zen Archer 2 Lvl 3
Weapon Focus Bow
Rapid Shot +7/+7
Weapon Finess?

Fighter 2 Lvl 4 +1 dex
Stabbing Shot +7/+7

Fighter 3 Lvl 5
Reckless Aim +9/+9 1d8+5
+1 to hit and damage

Fighter 4 Lvl 6
Weapon Spec Retrain Stabing shot to Point blank master +10/+10 1d8+7

Lantern Bearer 1 Lvl 7
Multi Shot +11 (2d8+14) /+11/+6 1d8+7

I intend to use the Mythic abilities to wear full plate armor with no dexterity limits but other than that I have no real idea what would be good choices either for vanilla feats and abilities or mythic ones.

So any thoughts or ideas that could help would be greatly appreciated.


Shame filled bump.


Take Deadly Aim and Snap Shot, Improved Snap Shot, Combat Reflexes. From the mythic options, Legendary weapon is great from the universal abilities, otherwise I don't know much. I guess that the champion path has the most relevant options.


Pathfinder Adventure Path Subscriber

Mythic Rapid Shot. If you can start with it that is.
3 attacks at level 1 is pretty nice.
Unless there's a story reason, I'd recommend bumping your Con up to at least 12.
Consider dropping that 20 dex to a 19? That will free up a lot of points for your point buy.
Nothing else comes to mind.

Grand Lodge

Pathfinder PF Special Edition, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber

Dumping Con is a very bad idea for this and just about any other AP, but this one in particular.

Have you considered starting out as a Ranger instead? Favored Enemy Demon and Human will go a long way here.


I'll have to have a word with my gm and see if I can do a slight rebuild for the con I'm fairly sure he'll be ok with it.

As to ranger its too late to start as one although I'm not totally against the idea of picking up a level of it after the monk levels to kick start the favoured enemies I get from lantern bearer.

I will strongly consider the snap shot feats but hopefully as all 3 of my companions are melee range I'm hoping to stay out of close range.

If anyone can suggest a better feat at 3rd than weapon finesse either for archery or just something interesting that would be great.


I wouldn't go with medium armor for a high dex character unless you get armor training. You might be better off dropping Weapon Master archetype if you want to go with medium armor.

Also, I think you have a couple of errors in your build:

Dex 20 (17 points +2 race)
17+2 = 19

Composite Long Bow (100)
Composite bows are +100 over the base cost for each point of Strength added to damage, so +2 is 300. (As soon as you can afford it, get an Adaptive bow.)


Gwen Smith wrote:
I wouldn't go with medium armor for a high dex character unless you get armor training. You might be better off dropping Weapon Master archetype if you want to go with medium armor.

In the OP he stated his intent was for his mythic abilities to let him wear full plate with no dex limit.

Gwen Smith wrote:


Also, I think you have a couple of errors in your build:

Dex 20 (17 points +2 race)
17+2 = 19

17 points buys you an 18 in a stat in point buy. So, 17 points = an 18 stat + 2 for race

Gwen Smith wrote:


Composite Long Bow (100)
Composite bows are +100 over the base cost for each point of Strength added to damage, so +2 is 300. (As soon as you can afford it, get an Adaptive bow.)

Absolutely correct. Composite bows are pricey!

--------------

If you can't retool your Con score, you might want to consider Toughness or Great Fortitude at level 3 instead of Weapon Finesse. The first'd net you the same bump in hp as a 12 Con would over a 10 Con while the second will bump your Fort save a bit more than the 12 Con would. Alternatively, you might consider Vital Strike for those times you can't full attack but can still get a single shot off.

Should you be fortunate enough to survive long enough, I'd also recommend picking up Clustered Shots as soon as you can.

Dipping into Ranger isn't a bad idea (favored enemy is super good), but as you've already started out I think sticking with your fighter levels once you're done with monk will net you the most gain.

Grand Lodge

Gwen Smith wrote:

I wouldn't go with medium armor for a high dex character unless you get armor training. You might be better off dropping Weapon Master archetype if you want to go with medium armor.

Also, I think you have a couple of errors in your build:

Dex 20 (17 points +2 race)
17+2 = 19

Composite Long Bow (100)
Composite bows are +100 over the base cost for each point of Strength added to damage, so +2 is 300. (As soon as you can afford it, get an Adaptive bow.)

17 points is buying an 18 in the stat. So it is actually 18+2

As for the medium armor thing, he said he's taking the ability to go no max dex penalty on his armor.

For the OP:
Buff con. Please.


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A better stat array would be:

STR 16
DEX 19 (+1 at 4th, 8th, 12th, 16th, 20th lvl)
CON 12
INT 12
WIS 12
CHA 7

Avoid mixing Zen archer and fighter. Both make for great archers, I don't see the appeal of multiclassing between them though.

Weapon master fighter is fine for a singel classed archer, a good dip however is two lvls of Urban Barbarian / Invulnerable rager Barbarian. Rage and increase your Dex, use Reckless Abandon for even more accuracy. I believe that you are still better by going straight fighter.

Also, with Improved Snap Shot you do not want to avoid melee, you actively seeking to be just outside your enemies' reach for more AoOs.

Here is a sample build:

Weapon Master Fighter 10 / Lantern Bearer 10

1 Fighter Point-Blank Shot, Precise Shot, Skill Focus: Perception
2 Fighter Rapid Shot
3 Fighter Weapon Focus (Composite longbow)
4 Fighter Weapon Specialization (Composite longbow)
5 Fighter Combat Reflexes
6 Lantern Bearer
7 Lantern Bearer Snap Shot
8 Lantern Bearer
9 Lantern Bearer Improved Snap Shot
10 Lantern Bearer
11 Lantern Bearer Improved Precise Shot
12 Lantern Bearer
13 Lantern Bearer Point Blank Master
14 Lantern Bearer
15 Lantern Bearer Deadly Aim
16 Fighter Manyshot
17 Fighter Clustered Shots
18 Fighter Greater Weapon Focus (Composite longbow)
19 Fighter Greater Snap Shot
20 Fighter Improved Critical

Favored class bonus to health every lvl.

You will see that I have put Deadly Aim and Manyshot very late inti the build. This is not becaus ethey are not good (they are), but i find more important to have Improved Snap Shot and its prereqs by ninth lvl, and then Improved precise shot becomes available and point blank master is essential if you are going into melee range.


Dal Selpher wrote:


Gwen Smith wrote:


Composite Long Bow (100)
Composite bows are +100 over the base cost for each point of Strength added to damage, so +2 is 300. (As soon as you can afford it, get an Adaptive bow.)
Absolutely correct. Composite bows are pricey!

The composite bow is +0 str at level 1 so its 100gp atm I've factored in deadly aim which is where the +2 damage comes from.

--------------

Dal Selpher wrote:


If you can't retool your Con score, you might want to consider Toughness or Great Fortitude at level 3 instead of Weapon Finesse. The first'd net you the same bump in hp as a 12 Con would over a 10 Con while the second will bump your Fort save a bit more than the 12 Con would. Alternatively, you might consider Vital Strike for those times you can't full attack but can still get a single shot off.

Should you be fortunate enough to survive long enough, I'd also recommend picking up Clustered Shots as soon as you can.

Dipping into Ranger isn't a bad idea (favored enemy is super good), but as you've already started out I think sticking with your fighter levels once you're done with monk will net you the most gain.

Considering the mythic tiers also add hit points Toughness is not a feat I had considered thanks for the suggestion. Fort saves get boosted by both classes and the prestige class too so I'm not so worried about them atm. ... at least I wasn't but I'm getting a feeling from the amount of folks suggesting it that I should.


XMorsX wrote:

A better stat array would be:

STR 16
DEX 19
CON 12
INT 12
WIS 12
CHA 7

Avoid mixing Zen archer and fighter. Both make for great archers, I don't see the appeal of multiclassing between them though.

Weapon master fighter is fine for a singel classed archer, a good dip however is two lvls of Urban Barbarian / Invulnerable rager Barbarian. Rage and increase your Dex, use Reckless Abandon for even more accuracy. I believe that you are still better by going straight fighter.

Also, with Improved Snap Shot you do not want to avoid melee, you actively seeking to be just outside your enemies' reach for more AoOs.

Here is a sample build:

Weapon Master Fighter 10 / Lantern Bearer 10

1 Fighter Point-Blank Shot, Precise Shot, Skill Focus: Perception
2 Fighter Rapid Shot
3 Fighter Weapon Focus (Composite longbow)
4 Fighter Weapon Specialization (Composite longbow)
5 Fighter Combat Reflexes
6 Lantern Bearer
7 Lantern Bearer Snap Shot
8 Lantern Bearer
9 Lantern Bearer Improved Snap Shot
10 Lantern Bearer
11 Lantern Bearer Improved Precise Shot
12 Lantern Bearer
13 Lantern Bearer Point Blank Master
14 Lantern Bearer
15 Lantern Bearer Deadly Aim
16 Fighter Manyshot
17 Fighter Clustered Shots
18 Fighter Greater Weapon Focus (Composite longbow)
19 Fighter Greater Snap Shot
20 Fighter Improved Critical

Favored class bonus to health every lvl.

That is a really interesting build and I will likely steal large chunks of it for one of my other projects which is a stalwart defender archer. :) The appeal of Zen archer to me is a small boost when I can't wear my armor, some very nice skill boosts, and the cluster of bonus feats I can pick up not to mention the unarmed strikes means I can't get caught with no melee weapon.


Bertious wrote:
XMorsX wrote:

A better stat array would be:

STR 16
DEX 19
CON 12
INT 12
WIS 12
CHA 7

Avoid mixing Zen archer and fighter. Both make for great archers, I don't see the appeal of multiclassing between them though.

Weapon master fighter is fine for a singel classed archer, a good dip however is two lvls of Urban Barbarian / Invulnerable rager Barbarian. Rage and increase your Dex, use Reckless Abandon for even more accuracy. I believe that you are still better by going straight fighter.

Also, with Improved Snap Shot you do not want to avoid melee, you actively seeking to be just outside your enemies' reach for more AoOs.

Here is a sample build:

Weapon Master Fighter 10 / Lantern Bearer 10

1 Fighter Point-Blank Shot, Precise Shot, Skill Focus: Perception
2 Fighter Rapid Shot
3 Fighter Weapon Focus (Composite longbow)
4 Fighter Weapon Specialization (Composite longbow)
5 Fighter Combat Reflexes
6 Lantern Bearer
7 Lantern Bearer Snap Shot
8 Lantern Bearer
9 Lantern Bearer Improved Snap Shot
10 Lantern Bearer
11 Lantern Bearer Improved Precise Shot
12 Lantern Bearer
13 Lantern Bearer Point Blank Master
14 Lantern Bearer
15 Lantern Bearer Deadly Aim
16 Fighter Manyshot
17 Fighter Clustered Shots
18 Fighter Greater Weapon Focus (Composite longbow)
19 Fighter Greater Snap Shot
20 Fighter Improved Critical

Favored class bonus to health every lvl.

That is a really interesting build and I will likely steal large chunks of it for one of my other projects which is a stalwart defender archer. :) The appeal of Zen archer to me is a small boost when I can't wear my armor, some very nice skill boosts, and the cluster of bonus feats I can pick up not to mention the unarmed strikes means I can't get caught with no melee weapon.

I see. Remeber though that after you get point blank master you never need to swap weapon (you will probably never need to swap anyway). And also consider taking 6 lvl of Zen Archer and no lvls of Fighter if decide to go into Zen archer. This way you will have Improved Precise Shot and Weapon Specialization from the 6th lvl, along with Wisdom to attack bonus and otehr nice goodies.


The main problem with zen archer monk is it makes the build more MAD as I would then need lots of wisdom on top of the strength and intelligence (needed for the prestige class) though at least I could have less dexterity. It also would require 7 levels for the +5 bab needed and sadly the most important part for me move away from my heavy armor archer idea.

I was wondering with the new rules on SLAs would the last 4 character levels be well served as arcane archer for the arrow enhancements or am I better off with fighter or ranger levels?


fighter 1/wiz or sorc 1/EK 5/AA 10/EK3 is the only build I like AA for these days

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