Archer (Fighter Archetype) Trick Shot and CMB

[tristen_e]

Hello

I have an Archer and, as he approaches attaining "Trick Shot" I've started wondering about the validity of the CMB.

"At 3rd level, an archer can choose one of the following combat maneuvers or actions: disarm, feint, or sunder. He can perform this action with a bow against any target within 30 feet, with a –4 penalty to his CMB. Every four levels beyond 3rd, he may choose an additional trick shot to learn. These maneuvers use up arrows as normal."

Why does the guide specify using CMB? CMB is based upon strength in melee combat - as opposed to the dexterity necessary to the archer's specialised ranged combat. Is this possibly a mistake or perhaps an oversight?

Agile Maneuvers leaps out as a solution to the problem...but that strikes me more as an "expensive" work-around...

Any advice is appreciated!

Cheers
Tristen

[blackbloodtroll]

In this case he uses his dex, this has been gone over. Just like performing combat maneuvers with Weapon finessable weapons.

[StreamOfTheSky]

You use Dex. The Weapon Finesse FAQ clearly states that if you use a weapon for a maneuver and are applying dex to hit instead of strength (in the case of the FAQ, it was specifically about weapon finesse and finessable weapons) with it, you would use dex instead of str for CMB.

As for the bonus...combat maneuvers are already hard, the -4 is pretty painful. Might be useful on occasion, but you're likely better off most of the time just attacking normally. Feint and Sunder are pretty worthless to you anyway and disarm is often not even possible (monsters w/ natural attacks), so IMO trick shot doesn't even get that good until level 11 when you can bull rush and trip.

[tristen_e]

goodo! thank you (and sorry i didn't read that in the faq).

[blackbloodtroll]

Dirty Trick should be an option, but it is not.

[blackbloodtroll]

I wonder how the CMB checks are affected with different ammunition like splintercloud arrows.

[ZanThrax]

Necroing this for a related question.

An Archer fighter gets to use his Dex for the disarm attempt. Does an Archer / Zen Archer get to use his Wisdom instead?

[Lord_Malkov]

ZanThrax wrote:

Necroing this for a related question.

An Archer fighter gets to use his Dex for the disarm attempt. Does an Archer / Zen Archer get to use his Wisdom instead?

Yes I would say so. The rules here are pretty straightforward, if you are performing a maneuver with a weapon, use whatever stat that weapon uses for attacks for CMB as well. Apply any penalties to that weapon or bonuses to that weapon as normal. For the most part, your attack bonus and CMB when performing a maneuver with a weapon are the same. The onpy differences are size modifiers and feats and such that may apply differently.

[ZanThrax]

Well then, I'd say that an Archer / Qinggong Zen Archer w/ True Strike should be able to fairly reliably pull off ranged disarms as needed.

[blahpers]

Seems reasonable.

[Mojorat]

If you took two levels of rogue The rogue talent to full attack in a surprise round and the one that treats your iniative as a 20 for the first round for rsnge attacks. You could disarm multiple people while they are flat footed.