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I am currently running a PFS Ranger (6) who is a very dedicated archer. He's got all the standard abilities (Rapid Shot, Point Blank, Improved Precise, Deadly Aim, etc...) and once he hits (7) we can add Manyshot to that list as well.
The general idea is to put as many arrows in the air as possible with reasonable accuracy, and maintaining damage output with Deadly Aim, Gravity Bow and possibly an elemental enchantment.
I was wondering if you folks had any suggestions for bow enchantments! I'm currently equipped with a Mastercraft Composite Longbow (+3 Strength Bonus Enabled). There are a lot of options for enchantment, and I would relish any sage advice you all might have.
Budget = 12,000 GP. I could potentially wait a few adventures to get up to 18,000 GP as well, to allow for an additional +1/enchantment.
My first thought was to simply get an elemental enchantment (Corrosive jumped to mind) and end it there. Critical "burst" abilities seem wasted on a weapon that only crits on a 20, and I'm inclined to get Dex boosting gear rather than add to-hit bonuses.
I was also toying with the Seeking enchantment, but it seems a little situational (especially since I already have Improved Precise Shot).
I look forward to your feedback!
The actual enhancements such as +1, +2 are very good. They boost damage and you chance to hit. If you are going to give it up then go for something that gives more options like seeking.
How does PFS handle upgrading items?
The actual enhancements such as +1, +2 are very good. They boost damage and you chance to hit. If you are going to give it up then go for something that gives more options like seeking.
How does PFS handle upgrading items?
You can upgrade the enhancement on bows (from +1 to +2, for instance) just by paying the difference in price. No need to buy the whole thing all over again.
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one thing to consider while using rapid shot and deadly aim together is the cumulative negatives you take to your attack rolls. if you are having problems landing any of your shots might i suggest avoiding the flowery enhancements and just go with straight enhancements. i know a +3 strength bow with a +2 on it might not sound as cool as a corrosive +1 strength bow of +3. but that +1 to hit will quickly add up to more of your shots landing and then you get the full damage of the shot.
on another note i notice your feats listed didn't include clustered shots. i would note that this for a pure archery fighter is a must have.
Two schools of thought for bows (not general weapons):
School 1) increase Enhancements on the bow so that you never have to worry about accuracy or DR (at appropriate levels).
School 2) Increase special abilities on the bow and use Greater Magic weapon so that you dont have to worry about accuracy. This will do nothing for DR.
I personally subscribe to School 2 IF there is a reliable source of Greater Magic Weapon and then I would use either clustered shots or a variety of specialized arrows to deal with DR.
So for 12000gp I would spend it like this:
School 1) +2 to the bow = 8000gp, save the remaining 4000gp for +3.
School 2) +1 to the bow and a +1 property of choice that would depend on the nature of the campaign. Save up for another +1 property or if you desire a +2 property save up. Then buy ALOT of arrows to bypass varying DRs.
- Gauss
In that case(paying the difference) I would probably get the +2 bow equivalent for about 8000 gp, and save the rest of the money. If I was lacking gear in other places I would get a +1 bow to make sure I can bypass DR 10 magic.
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on another note i notice your feats listed didn't include clustered shots. i would note that this for a pure archery fighter is a must have.
Clustered shots is definitely on my radar! My feat breakdown is going to be something like this:
Currently: Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot, Rapid Shot, Improved Precise Shot, Deadly Aim.
7) Manyshot
9) Clustered Shot
10) Pinpoint Targeting (combat style feat)
11) ??? (open to suggestions)
I personally subscribe to School 2 IF there is a reliable source of Greater Magic Weapon and then I would use either clustered shots or a variety of specialized arrows to deal with DR.
I'm playing PFS, so there is no reliable source of anything really. Randomized parties depending on who shows up for the most part!
I like the elemental damage bonus from both a flavour perspective, and because it would be nice to gain the ability to do some energy damage. Assuming that I do end up picking an elemental damage type, is there a huge difference between flaming/frost/corrosive?
I would almost be inclined to steer away from flaming because there are so many other things in PFS that do fire damage.
I really like the Seeking enhancement. It's also great for getting past mirror image, if that is something you're worried about seeing often.
For an energy type, I'd go with Corrosive first.
With that said, for your build it might be best to just use the numerical enhancements and aim for greater accuracy/dr penetration/damage that won't be resisted. So +1 to people who've already said that.
EDIT: I love, love, love, love Holy as an enhancement on a bow. If the majority of things you fight are evil, the Holy enhancement is absolutely golden. Plus, it overcomes DR/good, skyrockets your damage vs. evil, and won't be resisted by anything evil (unlike the elemental enhancements which are resisted by almost every extra-planar creature ever).
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I played an archer through 16th lvl. I went with seeking as soon as I could, as we fought a lot of invisible/blurred/displaced/mirror imaged enemies. I only had a +1 enhancment, the rest was a couple of elemental damages and holy. For PFS human bane might be a good choice for you. It seems like most enemies you encounter in pfs are human, though YMMV. I'd probably go for a +1 corrosive bow now, and when you get the gold get a backup bow with something else. With an efficient quiver, you can have several bows stored and pull out the one you'd want for the current fight. Say have +1 holy bow and a +1 seeking bow. If you start off using the holy bow and an enemy gets displaced, put it away and pull out the seeker.
Agree with most others. Straight plusses are best unless you can regularly get Greater Magic Weapon. Seeking is still ok despite the overlap w/ IPS, but probably not worth it. Corrosive is the best choice is you want energy damage, and Holy is outstanding though costly.
For feats, it's good you're getting Manyshot and Clustered Shots. Pinpoint Targeting is tempting for a non-full attack option, but I'd really consider Point Blank Master for your level 10 feat. Never provoking again is very nice.
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I believe corrosive is a really popular for dealing with creatures with regen and as resistance or immunity is less common that fire or electricity. as to the enchantment as a whole I'd say it depends on how much trouble your having hitting with all your minus's. if your hitting regularly, go with some elemental damage to boost your killing power, and if your having some trouble hitting regularly go with raw enhancements for better hit with a small damage boost.
Asta
PSY
2 votes for seeking. :)
Well, I will again point out that you can make this much easier by creating a spreadsheet for your character, setting up different configurations and comparing the results so that you can make an informed choice.
I disagree with much of what is said above, but I'm just tired of arguing about it.
Do the math. You might be surprised.
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Agree with most others. Straight plusses are best unless you can regularly get Greater Magic Weapon. Seeking is still ok despite the overlap w/ IPS, but probably not worth it. Corrosive is the best choice is you want energy damage, and Holy is outstanding though costly.
For feats, it's good you're getting Manyshot and Clustered Shots. Pinpoint Targeting is tempting for a non-full attack option, but I'd really consider Point Blank Master for your level 10 feat. Never provoking again is very nice.
Point Blank Master would be a good choice for level 11. Thanks for bringing it to my attention!
I'm pretty set in keeping Pinpoint Targeting for my level 10 feat. It's a combat style feat, and I can only pick between it and Shot on the Run. Also, it requires a +16 BAB to take it normally, so I would not be able to get it within PFS otherwise.
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Budget = 12,000 GP. I could potentially wait a few adventures to get up to 18,000 GP as well, to allow for an additional +1/enchantment.
My first thought was to simply get an elemental enchantment (Corrosive jumped to mind) and end it there. Critical "burst" abilities seem wasted on a weapon that only crits on a 20, and I'm inclined to get Dex boosting gear rather than add to-hit bonuses.
I was also toying with the Seeking enchantment, but it seems a little situational (especially since I already have Improved Precise Shot).
OK, the way I would do it is like this: 8K on the bow itself, seeking is good, so is distance, or just plain +2. Don't bother with damage boosters like flaming, instead go for magic arrows - a few bane arrows to most things will not cost a huge amount if the DM lets you buy them individually (most do), and you can add adamantine arrows, mithral (silver) arrows, all sorts. See if you can get some special amunition crafted, like an arrows that explode into a fireball, or obscuring mist.
Treat your bow as a Swiss army knife, and the arrows as the blades.
Agree with most others. Straight plusses are best unless you can regularly get Greater Magic Weapon. Seeking is still ok despite the overlap w/ IPS, but probably not worth it. Corrosive is the best choice is you want energy damage, and Holy is outstanding though costly.
For feats, it's good you're getting Manyshot and Clustered Shots. Pinpoint Targeting is tempting for a non-full attack option, but I'd really consider Point Blank Master for your level 10 feat. Never provoking again is very nice.
Point Blank Master would be a good choice for level 11. Thanks for bringing it to my attention!
I'm pretty set in keeping Pinpoint Targeting for my level 10 feat. It's a combat style feat, and I can only pick between it and Shot on the Run. Also, it requires a +16 BAB to take it normally, so I would not be able to get it within PFS otherwise.
Actually, a Ranger can ONLY get Point Blank Master as a bonus feat. That's why I suggested it for 10. You do need to already have Weapon Focus by then, though.
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Actually, a Ranger can ONLY get Point Blank Master as a bonus feat. That's why I suggested it for 10. You do need to already have Weapon Focus by then, though.
Oh, I misread a thing or two there! Point Blank Master > Pinpoint Targeting at level 10. PFS modules often lean towards cramped hallways and catacombs, so not provoking would be a huge plus.
(I do have Weapon Focus for the Composite Longbow, I just didn't mention it above).
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Budget = 12,000 GP. I could potentially wait a few adventures to get up to 18,000 GP as well, to allow for an additional +1/enchantment.
My first thought was to simply get an elemental enchantment (Corrosive jumped to mind) and end it there. Critical "burst" abilities seem wasted on a weapon that only crits on a 20, and I'm inclined to get Dex boosting gear rather than add to-hit bonuses.
I was also toying with the Seeking enchantment, but it seems a little situational (especially since I already have Improved Precise Shot).
OK, the way I would do it is like this: 8K on the bow itself, seeking is good, so is distance, or just plain +2. Don't bother with damage boosters like flaming, instead go for magic arrows - a few bane arrows to most things will not cost a huge amount if the DM lets you buy them individually (most do), and you can add adamantine arrows, mithral (silver) arrows, all sorts. See if you can get some special amunition crafted, like an arrows that explode into a fireball, or obscuring mist.
Treat your bow as a Swiss army knife, and the arrows as the blades.
He mentioned a few times this was for PFS. Sadly in PFS you can only buy magic arrows in bundles of 50, unless smaller bundles appear on a chronicle sheet. I know there's at least one scenario where 4 +1 holy arrows are available on the sheet. But they are few and far between. I know many have given input to authors about including things like small amounts of magic arrows as treasure, so hopefully they'll start putting more in.
Now, to the OP, definitely pick up silver/cold iron arrows to keep on hand. And make sure to buy weapon blanches and apply them to arrows. Lots of archers overlook weapon blanches, but they can all be applied to 10 pieces of ammunition. On normal weapons they're good for one hit, but with arrows who cares? One hit is all the arrow is good for anyway. Especially get the Ghost Salt weapon blanch! Its the only way without spells to be able to hit incorporeal creatures without damage penalty with arrows! Yeah, its 200gp, but well worth it when you need it!
Weapon Blanch (Ghost Salt): This gritty alchemical
powder is made from exotic minerals mixed with an
infusion crafted from the ectoplasmic remains of
destroyed incorporeal undead. When rubbed onto a
weapon that is then placed over a hot f lame for a full
round, ghost salt melts and forms a temporary coating on
the weapon. The blanching gives the weapon the ability
to do full damage to incorporeal creatures, even if the
weapon itself is nonmagical. An application of ghost salt
remains effective until the weapon makes a successful
attack. Each dose of weapon blanch can coat one weapon or
up to 10 pieces of ammunition. Only one kind of weapon
blanch can be on a weapon at one time (see the Advanced
Player’s Guide for other forms of weapon blanch).
Wow. Didn't know about the Ghost Salt. It's not even on the PFSRD. That's UNREAL how good it is.
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Wow, Ghost Salt is great! I'll have to pick some of it up next time I have the chance.
And thanks for the advice everyone. I'm probably going to start out with a +2 bow, then make a judgement call down the line whether I want to add Corrosive/Seeking/Holy or simply jack up the pluses to monstrous levels.
Since I'm going to be investing in a few different arrow types (cold iron, silver, ghost salted, smoke, blunt, normal, etc...), I'm going to pick up an Efficient Quiver to help shoulder the load. It'd be fun to have the ability to carry around some random stuff over my shoulder as well!
I like enhancement bonuses, so straight +3. This has a bit to do with damage calculation BTW, since ranger archers rolls so many dice as they are that I wouldn't want to roll more. Also, energy properties are nice but depending on the campaign resistances can ruin your fun: this will never happen with enhancement bonuses.
That said another very solid choice for most campaign is holy. Seeking is good too.
A more costly (for now) but fantastic alternative (if you mostly have only one though encounter per day) is the oathbow. aroung 22000 gp for a +2 bow which once per day, as a swift action, becomes +5 bane against an enemy until you kill it. This will happen very fast.
I appear to have misread the oathbow quite a bit...Always thought it had to be weilded by an elf. Pair that with an archer inquisitor, and you really don't need much more, at least in PFS.
well, an inquisitor already get bane, for a ranger this would be even better :)
I'm going to pick up an Efficient Quiver to help shoulder the load. It'd be fun to have the ability to carry around some random stuff over my shoulder as well!
Efficient quiver is a must. Get it now and never look back. Assuming your party arcanist is using haste, you'll be dumping 4 arrows per round and emptying a quiver in 30 seconds. Without an extra-dimensional space, you're gonna run out of places to put quivers, and fast.
I played Age of Worms a while back, and the party ranger had most of the extra item slots in his efficient quiver filled with extra mundane quivers. We use to joke that if anyone wanted to track us, they could follow the trail of empty quivers.
I never know if it's more appropriate to necro a thread or make a new one with the same topic. Sorry if this is the wrong choice.
Here are some feats that haven't been mentioned. Rangers get an option for Focused Shot. It might be good if you didn't dump your INT. Another feat you might consider is Hammer the Gap. It gives you +1 per previous successive shot made. Good if you can make several shots in one turn. Kind of a lottery feat though. Perhaps Bullseye Shot might be useful to you under the right circumstances. Finally, if there is another ranged attacker in your party, you might consider both taking Target of Opportunity. If your teamwork partner makes a successful ranged attack, you immediately make a single ranged attack as well.
If you can somehow acquire the Scent ability, Pheromone Arrows will give you +2 att & dam on a marked target. Also, the Bane Baldric is a shirt that gives you the Inquisitor's Bane ability.
Did they change the Baldric? Used to only work with melee and light weapons.
RAW says "If the wearer is not an inquisitor, ...must first attune a light or one-handed melee weapon to the baldric". In another thread where this was discussed, the consensus was that an Inquisitor could use it on whatever weapon they use.
For 12,000 gold... think either a
+2 flame-burst bow. = 12,000 gold and gives you a avrg damg of 10 (4to16)
OR a
+1 flame-burst bow for 8,000 gold, avrg damg of 9 (3to15) and an endless quiver 1,800 to 2,000 gold, with a set of +1 soft armor for under you normal armor 1,000 gold (Yes you could get your breastplate bumped up to a +1 but when you are 'in town' and not wearing the breastplate enchanting the shirt beneath it will allow you to retain the bonus)
Personally, i'd go for the second choice. You do give up the point of hit&dam but you don't have to keep counting the ammunition. and pick up a point of armor. (and neither adds to your encumbrance.)
M'Ress