Is anyone out there picking up what I'm putting down? I am playing with a concept for a high armor class, high save, rapid fire archer that scoffs at AoOs as he wades through melee with a bow striking here,over there and in between reigning death and terror whilst his enemies futile attempts to bring him down only buy the archers allies more time to seal the victory! Does anyone want to give this a "Shot"?
Uh, Zen Archer with super high AC?
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At any level above 10, I'd take a ranger with Point-Blank Master and a few level 3 pearls of power over a zen archer.
Have very high AC and fire in melee with no problems, have an animal companion that can screen and prevent charge actions from your opponents, and hit all the BBEGs as though they are your highest favoured enemy with instant enemy.
Is anyone out there picking up what I'm putting down? I am playing with a concept for a high armor class, high save, rapid fire archer that scoffs at AoOs as he wades through melee with a bow striking here,over there and in between reigning death and terror whilst his enemies futile attempts to bring him down only buy the archers allies more time to seal the victory! Does anyone want to give this a "Shot"?
The main archer builds can easily do/get all this. Zen archers, fighter archer, fighter archer archetype, ranger archer, all are excellent choices.
To do what you want they just need the point blank master feat, snapshot and imp snapshot to get AoO on enemies, and a really good AC, which the zen archer, and fighter excel at.
Perhaps it is my aversion toward monks but I have trouble stomaching the Zen Archer, and as far as point blank master it is nice but I said scoff at AoO's not avoid them, as I am looking to tank so drawing fire is ok thus the high AC and saves. Basically, I want to be able to hit a lot, and be nearly impervious to harm while not seeming to be. I am picturing a walking tin can or a tattooed battle-scarred elf or something. An example being my 12 dex half orc inquisitor not really built for archery. He found a +1 Icy burst Composite Longbow strength +4, and with Bane, judgement of justice and protection, the spells heroism and divine power, he tore up a battle field full of stone giants at close range at APL10 more or less soloing Teraktinus and meat grinding his troops to the point the rest of the party just did clean up. I am looking to harness that feeling of strolling through the battle field nigh untouchable with foes trying left and right to take me down and unable to do so... if I could do it with a character not designed for it I would like to see what a character that WAS designed for that purpose would be like!
It could be a bit repetitive playing a character who just stands there firing arrows.
Also, remember that high AC does not mean high CMD, so people could use those AoOs to disarm you or whatever. And fighters and rangers both have poor will saves - I'm not sure if that matters to you.
point taken, thank you my good fellow.
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My character played from level 1-19 actually tested and never 1ce died in combat. Great damage and from virtue of being fighter has high health and because of the dex needed for archer has high ac. Admittedly saves are its weak point but that is true for any fighter sadly.
-Race-
Human
-Class-
Fighter (Weapon Master)
-Stats 20pb-
STR 16 (+2 racial)(+2 leveling) = 20
DEX 16 (+2 leveling)(+6 item) = 24
CON 10
INT 14
WIS 09
CHA 07
-Feats-
01 Point-Blank Shot, Precise Shot, Weapon Focus Composite Longbow
02 Deadly Aim
03 Rapid Shot
04 Weapon Specialization
05 Point Blank Master
06 Manyshot
07 Clustered Shots
08 Greater Weapon Focus
09 Snap Shot
10 Improved Snap Shot
11 Combat Reflexes
12 Pin Down
13 Greater Weapon Specialization
14 Hammer the Gap
15 Penetrating Strike
16 Greater Penetrating Strike
17 Vital Strike
18 Improved Vital Strike
19 Greater Vital Strike
20 Bullseye Shot
-Method-
Clustered Shots and Penetrating shot makes DR apply to the total damage from full round attacks and reduced that DR by 5/10. Snap Shot gives the ability to perform AoO and Pin Down makes it were withdraw actions and 5ft steps provoke and will force enemies that get into melee to stay in melee when needed. Vital Strike chain and Bullseye Shot ar to make use of the Weapon Master's Unstoppable Strike when forced to make only standard action attacks or when facing an enemy that's ac is so high that only one attack will hit. Unstoppable Strike btw ignores DR and hardness anf hits Touch AC.
I've mentioned this before in other threads, we have a Dwarven Inquisitor in our current group. He wears Fullplate and since he is a dwarf, he is not encumbered by it. He has a crossbow and several guns, as well as a silver Warhammer. (picture Madmax in Thunderdome when told he has to lay down all his weapons and how long it takes to do so, that's our Dwarf).
With all the weapons and his high AC plus the spell Expedicious Retreat, he can be anywhere on the battlefield. He has a variety of buffs going and the bow is the least of your problems.
Thanks guys sorry I nodded off before you answered.
Ngc I am a dwarf dwarf lover so the mad max inquisition speaks volumes! Psion, about the saves, with a bit of stat shifting and resource allocation, saves could go from bad to not too bad.
Point blank master is so you can shoot into melee with your bow, not avoid attacks. Otherwise it forces you to make to take an AoO.
Zen archers are actually better overall then the fighter archers. The fighter can get more damage pumped out, but zen archers get many more attacks, and with clustered shots, ou need not worry about the minimal damage.
However, I loved my archer archetype fighter, so fighters can be versatile as an archer, besides just damage in combat. Wear heavier armor, gloves of dueling, goz mask, many types of trick arrows. Have fun.
Well the zen archer is good just not my flavor. I like armor. Plus monks are imo cheesy and zens are the Chester cheetah of cheese to me.
one thing ive learned while playing as a ranged class is provoking AoO's is a terrible idea, and while playing with a paladin tank friend is this, at upper level play even when you hit 40+ AC most enemies have 5 or so attacks per round, or one massive attack, or combat reflexes, or step up, and a nat 20 ALWAYS hits. our paladin with 40+AC and 135 hp got oneshot on his only death from level 1 all the way up to 13, even after Hero's Defiance. so lets say this, you have a shortbow, Improved Snap Shot, Point Blank Shot, Rapid Shot, whatever else. BBEG walks into your threatrange, and you AoO and hit him once, he continues moving towards you and reaches you, movement only provokes once. he attacks you and you maybe get hit, maybe not. you five foot and fullround, he either steps up, has reach, has friends and possibly flank, or has lunge. he has combat reflexes, you provoke 4, 5, or 6 times, he rolls 6 times and doesnt hit you. he steps up and fullrounds on you. he rolls a 20, hits you, you take 50 points of damage. rinse repeat until one of you is dead. now you have to worry about his friends, or the purple worm that has a +40 CMB to grapple you, or the four armed summoned monkey that has 6 attacks per round
Idk I general build to hit REALLY hard so scrap like that doesn't occur. That and the raging pouncing barbarian and conjured are backing my play while the cleric is a buffing, healing and removing adverse effects.
or has lunge
Lunge doesn't give extra reach when it is not your turn in the round. You can use it to attack with extra reach on your turn, but once your turn is over, the extra reach goes with it. This means you can't take AoOs utilizing the reach lunge gave you on your turn.
or has lungeLunge doesn't give extra reach when it is not your turn in the round. You can use it to attack with extra reach on your turn, but once your turn is over, the extra reach goes with it. This means you can't take AoOs utilizing the reach lunge gave you on your turn.
remind me to point this out to my local gm...
Idk I general build to hit REALLY hard so scrap like that doesn't occur. That and the raging pouncing barbarian and conjured are backing my play while the cleric is a buffing, healing and removing adverse effects.
its just in my experience that eventually one of that kind of 1v1 scrap will occur, im just attempting to point out a weakness in the build, another weakness is for sure your lackluster CMD. large, giant, and other high-CMB creatures will cause you no end of trouble, particularly when they roll a nat20 on an AoO and have Grab. another weakness is your Touch AC, because even with a high dex (to hit) you will have a low Touch AC because of your dex penalty, and there are a good amount of nasty touch effects that will wreck you.