Archer Feats Advice : Concealment?

[aberkov]

So I'm drafting an archer build - I'm still in very rough stage, but I noticed a feat that made me wonder if concealment is something I should be concerned about.

Namely, the feat I'm looking at is Elven Accuracy; it allows bow attack roll that missed due to concealment to be re-rolled. Pre-req is, obviously, Race: Elf.

Now, this will have a significant impact on the build : Going for this feat requires me to go Elf, which means I'm netting 2 feats less than Human archer (losing 1st level bonus feat, plus feat slot spent on Elven Accuracy). So, is it worth it? :)

PS: I noticed picking Elf would also open "Stabbing Shot" feat to me - allowing me to make melee attacks against adjacent opponents; succesful hit pushes the target back and allows me to follow up with ranged attacks in the same round. Does that sweeten the deal? I'm still on the fence - there are tons of archery feats I could be burning slots on.

Thanks,
Andro

[Alexander Kilcoyne]

My answer depends on your class- Ranger? Fighter?

[Kortz]

Short answer: no, in my opinion.

Concealment will come up from time to time, but not often enough to make it the reason you choose Elf and lose one or two feats.

And eventually (BAB +11) you can take Improved Precise Shot.

[Alexander Kilcoyne]

Depending on how important skills are to you, I consider Elf a better choice than Human.

Both get the +2 Dexterity. Elf gets the +2 Intelligence (skilled and a +1 bonus to int based skills) in exchange for the -2 Constitution; and as an archer constitution is less important than for a melee warrior.

Also, bear in mind the APG race feature tradeouts. Elven magic may be useless to a dedicated archer, but Silent Hunter could be extremely useful, or Woodcraft.

[Kortz]

Yeah, I definitely wouldn't recommend against an Elf Archer, but I don't think the Elven Accuracy feat is worth changing anyone's original idea for a character and/or build. And from a "to hit" and damage perspective, I don't think it's a good trade.

But if someone is interested in the Elf racial traits and flavor, then there is no reason not to go Elf.

[Alexander Kilcoyne]

It would depend a lot on whether he's going ranger or fighter for me. I lean human with one and ranger with another.

[aberkov]

@Xander: I'm not sure how much of a impact class choice has on the question of "Will concealment be a major issue for me"

@Kortz: That's roughly my line of thinking, after consideration.

Also, to tie into both of your questions: I've actually done a bit of reading and I think Zen Archer Monk variant from APG might be a good solution - smong other things, it'd unlock Improved Precise Shot as bonus Monk feat for me at 6th level, so that'd solve my concealment dillema.

@Xander: Re: Elf VS Human, I'm torn. I don't expect an archer build to be heavily Int-dependent, and as Int impacts nothing except couple Knowledge skills and Skill-points for a non-caster (and Human skill bonus pretty much equals +1 skill point/lvl from Elf's +2 Int) I'm actually leaning towards Human, in favor of that extra feat and extra Ki per level.

[Alexander Kilcoyne]

If you go Zen Archer human all the way.

[james maissen]

aberkov wrote:

So I'm drafting an archer build - I'm still in very rough stage, but I noticed a feat that made me wonder if concealment is something I should be concerned about.

Concealment happens, but improved precise shot and seeking enhancement tend to remove it entirely.

If you are going ranger then at 6th you can pick up improved precise shot, likewise for monk zen archer. This selection, while technically a choice is a MUST.

If you are going pure fighter then pick up improved precise shot at 11th, its one of the advantages that the other archer classes have on fighters in that they can get this feat earlier, c'est la vie.

-James