I am building an Elven Ranger and I'm taking the Archery Style. I've picked out my feats in advance up to 11th level with an eye as to which feats will be the best to take when they become available, and the most useful ones to take for a general campaign.
I wanted to see what people thought. I'm also interested in hearing what you suggest for further feats as I continue to level.
I will say I have a MW composite longbow and plan on having it enchanted with Seeking, which should reduce the usefulness of Improved Precise Shot and I purposefully did not take Point Blank Shot because it traps you into thinking you alaways need to be within 30ft of the enemy. I have a 110ft short range, not many creatures can charge that in one round, so I may as well use it to feather you.
I'm not taking any of the different types of ranger from the APG, however I am taking Silent Hunter as an Elf. But I digress, this thread is about feats.
1st Weapon Focus (MW Comp LB)
2nd Rapid Shot
3rd Precise Shot, Endurance (Mandatory and free)
5th Deadly Aim
6th Manyshot
7th Vital Strike
9th Improved Critical
10th Point Blank Master
11th Improved Initiative
I reaaaallly am thinking hard about Boon Companion for my Pet, I just don't know where I'd fit it in. Getting it at 5th level makes the most use out of it but then I'd have to ditch Vital Strike or Improved Crit and take Deadly Aim at 7th.
Thoughts? Suggestions?
Thanks for the link, but I already read the guide.
It offers nice suggestions, but really doesn't tell you when to take what featwise.
Thanks for the link, but I already read the guide.
It offers nice suggestions, but really doesn't tell you when to take what featwise.
Yes, it does.
Feats:
Well, naturally you are going the archery route, so some of your feats will come from that, but beyond the archery combat style feats, the rest of your feats need to also concentrate on archery. Fortunately, there are plenty of choices:
Point blank Shot **: The obvious first choice. A first level archery Ranger needs to be willing to enter melee, but when firing his regular bow, that +1 to hit and damage will be significant.
Rapid Shot ***: Getting 2 arrows in the air is a big deal. Essentially you are doubling your offensive output. Once again, be prepared to draw a sword once everyone enters melee, but until then, twang twang!
Precise Shot ***: Now you are a dedicated archer. Hopefully by this time you are using a mighty composite bow, and now you have no penalties for firing into melee, you should be able to deliver damage steadily and reliably
Deadly Aim ****: This is a great deal, -1 to hit for +2 damage is good, and it gets better as levels increase. Your arrows will be mighty painful at this point. You absolutely need this somewhere down the line. Certainly by 9th level if you haven't taken this yet, get it.
Manyshot ****: You can now put 2 arrows into the air with a standard attack, or at least one extra on a full attack, and they all should be delivering very nice damage.
Weapon Focus **: If you have a weakness in archery, it's all the to hit penalties, so even a +1 is handy
Improved Critical **: You are only improving the threat range by one, but Archery criticals are very nice (and all your bonuses multiply) so this is worth it
Improved Precise Shot ***: Cover bonuses come up all the time in archery (often by the positioning of your own allies), so eliminating them is terrific
Critical Focus *: By itself nothing special, but it opens up all the nice critical options
Staggering critical ***: Staggered is a devastating effect, and it also prevents enemies from charging you.
Vital Strike***: This feat only helps you on a Standard attack, which generally you want to avoid in archery. However, if you want to use your move action on the same round you fire, then Vital Strike simply improves your damage for no penalty to hit. Costs you a feat, but if you like that tactic, then this should be a standard for you.
Other Feats you may want to consider:
Fleet **: Extra movement is good, it helps positioning, and gives you control over range. Even 5 feet is helpful
Mobility **: Allows retreat from adjacent foes with less chance of being pounded.
Mounted Archery **: Prerequisite: Mounted Combat. Mounted Rangers are a definite option, and it's great for maneuverability.
I am building an Elven Ranger and I'm taking the Archery Style. I've picked out my feats in advance up to 11th level with an eye as to which feats will be the best to take when they become available, and the most useful ones to take for a general campaign.
I wanted to see what people thought. I'm also interested in hearing what you suggest for further feats as I continue to level.
I will say I have a MW composite longbow and plan on having it enchanted with Seeking, which should reduce the usefulness of Improved Precise Shot and I purposefully did not take Point Blank Shot because it traps you into thinking you alaways need to be within 30ft of the enemy. I have a 110ft short range, not many creatures can charge that in one round, so I may as well use it to feather you.
I'm not taking any of the different types of ranger from the APG, however I am taking Silent Hunter as an Elf. But I digress, this thread is about feats.
1st Weapon Focus (MW Comp LB)
2nd Rapid Shot
3rd Precise Shot, Endurance (Mandatory and free)
5th Deadly Aim
6th Manyshot
7th Vital Strike
9th Improved Critical
10th Point Blank Master
11th Improved InitiativeI reaaaallly am thinking hard about Boon Companion for my Pet, I just don't know where I'd fit it in. Getting it at 5th level makes the most use out of it but then I'd have to ditch Vital Strike or Improved Crit and take Deadly Aim at 7th.
Thoughts? Suggestions?
This does not work with taking precise shot as third as you still need to meet the prequistes for taking archery combat style feats at third level. You would need point blank shot. Also why no improved precise shot cover can come up from your own allies and other characters and tihs lets you ignore concealment. I would get precise shot before rapid shot as well because it is now on the archery and if your are rapid shoting into melee you will take a massive minus 6 penalty to both attacks. which will probably not hit no matter how high your dex is. I would then at 5th get deadly aim and pick up weapon focus later at 9th take improved precise shot at 6th manyshot though not as a bonus feat at 7th and then point blank master at 10th. This will work best on the way to 11th. Vital strike is not as important with improved precise shot as you will not have to move to aviod cover just worry about line of sight blocking you can still take it a 11th.
This does not work with taking precise shot as third as you still need to meet the prequistes for taking archery combat style feats at third level. You would need point blank shot.
From the PRD:
At 2nd level, a ranger must select one of two combat styles to pursue: archery or two-weapon combat. The ranger's expertise manifests in the form of bonus feats at 2nd, 6th, 10th, 14th, and 18th level. He can choose feats from his selected combat style, even if he does not have the normal prerequisites.
It does not say that he only is able to ignore the pre-requisites for bonus feats, any of the feats listed in his style may be taken at the level they become available.
Also why no improved precise shot cover can come up from your own allies and other characters and tihs lets you ignore concealment. I would get precise shot before rapid shot as well because it is now on the archery and if your are rapid shoting into melee you will take a massive minus 6 penalty to both attacks. which will probably not hit no matter how high your dex is.
Concealment is ignored the Seeking bow. The cover issue is an important one, and here is where proper the proper care and training of your fighter comes into play.
Fighters are naturally eager to please, so if you reward them with a treat every time they exhibit the correct behavior of not standing directly between you and the monster, you can give them a dead monster as a present. When they do not display the correct behavior, the monster will apply negative reinforcement for you, thus acting as a learning tool. This behavior is often self correcting when pointed out to the fighter, although some of them do take a bit longer to learn than others.
After looking at the Aspect of the Falcon spell, I think it would be safe to drop Improved Critical and take Boon Companion instead.
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I could be wrong but point blank master is not like other combat style bonus feats as per its text it still does have a requirement of weapon focus. So eventhough this contradicts the ranger text I think it stands as a special rule.
From the srd
Point blank master
Prerequisite: Weapon Specialization with selected ranged weapon.
Benefit: Choose one type of ranged weapon. You do not provoke attacks of opportunity when firing the selected weapon while threatened.
Normal: Using a ranged weapon while you are threatened provokes attacks of opportunity.
Special: Starting at 6th level, a ranger with the archery combat style may select Point Blank Master as a combat style feat, but he must have Weapon Focus instead of Weapon Specialization in the selected weapon.
I would replace vital strike with boon companion or weapon focus. As you had stated you don't feel the need for point blank and your short range is 110ft. The only times you should have to move is to get line of effect to a target. Otherwise you will almost always get a full round of attacks.
I find if I have to move I often cast a buff spell with the move or double move into a position that wont require further movement.
I could be wrong but point blank master is not like other combat style bonus feats as per its text it still does have a requirement of weapon focus. So even though this contradicts the ranger text I think it stands as a special rule.
From the srd
Point blank master
Prerequisite: Weapon Specialization with selected ranged weapon.Special: Starting at 6th level, a ranger with the archery combat style may select Point Blank Master as a combat style feat, but he must have Weapon Focus instead of Weapon Specialization in the selected weapon.
Since I'm taking weapon focus at 1st level, I really don't understand what you're trying to say here. Read the bold text again if you don't understand why I'm confused.
This does not work with taking precise shot as third as you still need to meet the prequistes for taking archery combat style feats at third level. You would need point blank shot.From the PRD:
At 2nd level, a ranger must select one of two combat styles to pursue: archery or two-weapon combat. The ranger's expertise manifests in the form of bonus feats at 2nd, 6th, 10th, 14th, and 18th level. He can choose feats from his selected combat style, even if he does not have the normal prerequisites.
It does not say that he only is able to ignore the pre-requisites for bonus feats, any of the feats listed in his style may be taken at the level they become available.
I think it's quite clear from the PRD text that the feats in question are the bonus feats received at the levels mentioned in the previous sentence.
It's possible I'm wrong, of course, but that is certainly the reading I think most people would have of the rule.
+1 rangers ignore preqs on COMBAT STYLE feats.
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Concealment is ignored the Seeking bow. The cover issue is an important one, and here is where proper the proper care and training of your fighter comes into play.
Fighters are naturally eager to please, so if you reward them with a treat every time they exhibit the correct behavior of not standing directly between you and the monster, you can give them a dead monster as a present. When they do not display the correct behavior, the monster will apply negative reinforcement for you, thus acting as a learning tool. This behavior is often self correcting when pointed out to the fighter, although some of them do take a bit longer to learn than others.
You mean that you need other PCs to use suboptimal tactics in combat just so that you can take a feat other than Improved Precise Shot ?
Do you really expect this to work ?
Thankfully for you, the seeking property seems to take care of cover provided by characters too.
However, you should compare what you could gain with another +1-equivalent enchantment on your bow vs what you gain from getting a feat other than Improved Precise Shot. I am not sure that seeking is the best choice.
Also consider that your bow can be sundered, its enchantments dispelled, or just that you can lose enough STR to not be able to use your enchanted composite bow anymore. Or do you aim to get an additional seeking composite bow (with a lower STR rating) as a back-up ? Sounds expensive to me just to avoid taking Improved Precise Shot
BTW, also +1 for the "no-prerequisite" rule applying only to feats selected through the Combat Style Feat class feature
You mean that you need other PCs to use suboptimal tactics in combat just so that you can take a feat other than Improved Precise Shot ?
Do you really expect this to work ?
Yes
I hardly think it's too much to ask for the fighter to take a 5ft step to give me a clear shot. In situations where he can't due to the environment, a flanking bonus, or a charge move, then everybody just sucks it up and we do the best we can. I don't think having a group that works together in combat is using "suboptimal tactics".
When people start to play together well they can develop a feel for what is going to happen next, the wizard prepares a fireball, the rouge is moving to the left to flank, the monk is leaping to the other flank, the fighter is charging in, and the ranger is picking the biggest target. Everyone is doing their own thing, but they're also mindful that the fireball will be arriving soon, so let's leave it some space in the middle, the fighter tells the rogue who he's charging so that in the next round the Rogue is there to flank him, the ranger sees where the fighter is going, so he either softens up his target for a quick kill or, targets the next guy over so that brute doesn't have the ability to flank the fighter next round.
Thankfully for you, the seeking property seems to take care of cover provided by characters too.
No, it doesn't. It only negates miss chances, it has no effect on modifiers.
So after some more thought and input I think the final build will be:
1st Weapon Focus (MW Comp LB) - Needed for PBM @ 10th
2nd Precise Shot - Shooting into melee happens more often than you think
3rd Rapid Shot, Endurance (Mandatory and free) - two arrows, say no more
5th Boon Companion - Leopard is now a threat rather than annoyance at low levels where the monsters won't just step on it.
6th Manyshot - more arrows, say no more
7th Deadly Aim - deadlier arrows, say no more
9th Improved Initiative - more arrows sooner, ready an action more often to disrupt enemy spellcasters
10th Point Blank Master - no more worries about getting AoO'ed
11th Improved Precise Shot - Nothing better to take at this point
The Character is in the Pathfinder Society organized play, so he'll only be going to 12th level and can only have one combat animal.
@ Kender, how is that feat better than a seeking bow?
@ Brain, two problems.
1. The Ranger can't have a tiger companion, check his class features for a list of allowed animals.
2. This thread is about his feat selection.
Pinky, I can see the lure of the Beastmaster.
If I were going to go that route I would do this for feats;
.
1st Weapon Focus (MW Comp LB)
2nd Precise Shot
3rd Endurance, Rapid Shot
5th Deadly Aim
7th Manyshot
9th Improved Initiative
10th Point Blank Master
11th Improved Precise Shot
I would skip Boon Companion totally, when the beastmaster reaches 12th level, the feat would become worthless unless I was multiclassed.
