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Before I start into the details, I may as well give a little bit of exposition.
A friend of mine has recently started the Skull and Shackles adventure path, and has asked that we all make level 1 characters. She also gave us the opportunity to draw from the Harrow deck before creating a character. I opted to draw three cards, from which the following effects I've gained (somewhat tailored by the GM):
- My character must be the opposite gender (since I normally play male, I'm forced into female.
- Any successful hits made against me or made by me that critically threaten ALWAYS confirm.
- The next creature I single-handedly kill (doesn't take damage from anything but my own attacks/efforts), I gain one of its ability scores (my choice).
In light of those effects, I've decided to make a halfling mobile fighter that focuses on ranged attacks. Here's a quick rundown of her stats:
ABILITY SCORES
STR 10 (12 - 2)
DEX 20 (18 + 2)
CON 14
INT 13
WIS 12
CHA 09 (07 + 2)
SKILLS
Stealth 1
Acrobatics 1
Perception 1
Escape Artist 1
Current Total Attack Bonus (Within 30 Feet)
8 = 1(BAB) + 1(Size) + 5(DEX) + 1(PBS)
FEATS (Planned beyond level 1)
1-Point-blank Shot, Rapid Shot (Bonus)
2-Precise Shot (Bonus)
3-Weapon Focus(Longbow)
4-Deadly Aim (Bonus)
5-Weapon Specialization (Longbow)
6-Manyshot (Bonus)
7-Snap Shot
8-Combat Reflexes(Bonus)
9-Improved Snap Shot
10-Greater Weapon Focus (Longbow) (Bonus)
11-Improved Precise Shot
TRAITS
+2 INITIATIVE (Raised by a wild Half-elf)
Reduce Armor penalty check by 1
You may have noticed that I stopped my progression at lvl 11. This is because of the Rapid Attack extraordinary ability:
Rapid Attack (Ex): At 11th level, a mobile fighter can combine a full attack action with a single move. He must forgo the attack at his highest bonus but may take the remaining attacks at any point during his movement. This movement provokes attacks of opportunity as normal. This ability replaces armor training 3.
In the hands of bow user, this allows for all sorts of positioning shenanigans, like moving out from behind total cover and concealment, letting loose 5 arrows (4 attacks when hasted), and then moving back behind total cover and concealment. You could also position yourself near an enemy caster to threaten with Imp. snap shot while plucking away at a melee attacker, while using the enemy caster as soft cover.
This, to me, screams 'cap-stone ability'. While it's perfectly natural to continue as a fighter, I can't help but think that dipping into another class/prestige class may provide benefits without having to go for some awkward gimmick. I was thinking Ninja, if only for the mechanical benefits that a ninja ki pool provides/ can activate (extra attack on a full attack, alway have a running start when jumping, invisibility as a swift action, +20 on a single acrobatics check) and sneak attack damage.
I'm a bit on the fence about what feats I should opt for. Improved Critical is a lot more valuable considering I ALWAYS confirm due to the harrow card effect. Clustered shots is nice against DR, but I've got a plethora of different arrows to get around that (cold iron, silver, blunt, maybe even adamantine later on). If I were to get any of these within the first 11 levels, which feats should I replace?
As for equipment, the good old Gloves of Dueling won't work because I gave up Weapon Training as a class feature for something else. A +1 Seeking Ghost-touch Composite Bow seems to be the obvious choice of weapon. I'm torn between Boots of Springing and Striding, Winged Boots, or Boots of Speed (we have a Wizard in our group, but I'm not sure if he's a team player/buffer). Greater Bracers of Archery also seem obvious.
I apologize for the large amount of text to go through, but the more specific one is about his situation and inquiry, the easier it is to help. Thanks for any suggestions!