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“Nice bracers dude, what do they do?” says bard to orc.
“Oh, they help me hit things with a bow and arrow.” replies orc.
“Sweet dude, how much they set you back?” inquires the wizard.
“5,000gp.” smiles the orc.
Dwarf jumps from behind and smacks orc upside the head, “Should have had a V8 or stayed at the Holiday Inn.”
Bracers of Archery: +1 to hit with bows and arrows ONLY. Cost: (5,000gp)
Belt of DEX +2: +1 to hit with any missile weapon, +1 to initiative, +1 to AC, +1 to all DEX based skills, and allows access to feats that require higher DEX. Cost: (4,000gp)
Are we expecting this to be changed in PFS or the equipment errata? Or anywhere in 2013?
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It hasn't changed since it came out in 2009, so I don't know why we'd expect it to change now.
Bracers of Archery also give proficiency with the bow. So this is effectively +4 to hit if you don't have proficiency otherwise. Feats are generally priced around 5k gold, which is what this item is priced at. Since it's basically either Weapon Focus or Martial Weapon Proficiency, the price is fine.
And the Bracers will also stack with that belt of dexterity, which the dedicated archer will have anyways.
So I don't see a need for the price to change.
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I want to know the rest of the story.
What happens to the dwarf and the orc? Does this confrontation hurt their friendship?
Does the inquisitive wizard find that his use of non-academic vernacular helps him fit in with less intelligent creatures, or does it backfire?
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It hasn't changed since it came out in 2009, so I don't know why we'd expect it to change now.
Bracers of Archery also give proficiency with the bow. So this is effectively +4 to hit if you don't have proficiency otherwise. Feats are generally priced around 5k gold, which is what this item is priced at. Since it's basically either Weapon Focus or Martial Weapon Proficiency, the price is fine.
And if it gave Weapon Focus as a feat to the PC, I'd love it, I'd switch out that feat for something else and gladly pay 5,000gp for a feat. But it doesn't, it just gives you a +1 to hit, which sucks.
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Which is effectively the same as weapon focus.
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Weapon Focus is an untyped bonus for just one specific bow.
Belt of DEX gives bonus to all DEX stuff.
Bracers of Archery gives a Competence bonus with all bows AND proficiency with all of them too.
Those all stack.
If you want the feat, get it. If you can afford the belt, get it. But also buy the bracers for an extra +1 on the attack. Or, alternatively, a class that can't use bows can just grab the bracers and start using any bow at full proficiency without wasting a feat to become proficient AND with a +1 to hit (and he can still get the belt and the feat if he wants to).
I would say it's just fine at its current price.
What DM Blake said. It can be a nice item for a melee focused cleric that needs a backup long range weapon. Why be stuck w/ a crossbow when you can get a composite bow and put that Strength to some use?
Since it's basically either Weapon Focus or Martial Weapon Proficiency, the price is fine.
Oh, but it's not like Weapon Focus that gives you +1 to attack rolls. lesser bracers of archery give you +1 competence bonus to attack rolls. So, it doesn't stack with bard's inspire courage, for example. Also, cracked pale green prism ioun stone give you the same +1 competence bonus to attack rolls for 4,000 gp.
Bracers of Archery are a bit overpriced, IMO. Longbow proficiency is not that good, because if you want to be an archer, you'll either grab the feat or, most likely, pick a race/class that gets it for free. The +1 is okay, but it doesn't compare to Belts of Incredible Dexterity, Pale Green Ioun Stones or Bracers of Falcon's Aim.
Greater Bracers of Archery are even more overpriced. They are definitely not worth 25000gp, IMHO, unless you have so much gold you don't what to do with it.
I don't remember ever buying those Bracers. They were too expensive in 3.5 and are still too expensive in PF.
If you have a character who needs bow proficiency but doesn't want to invest a feat, the bracers are worth the gold.
Otherwise there are much better items, most notably the "bracers of the falcon" or whatever they are called.
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I keep forgetting that Bracers of Archery grant a character bow proficiency. I'll have to keep that in mind for my PFS Cleric. He's primarily a melee character who currently uses a sling or crossbow as a backup ranged weapon (Prehensile Tail plus a sling for the win at low levels!). May indeed spend 5K eventually to get longbow proficiency.
I'll just +1 Adamantine Dragon's post (and silently scheme of a way to profit from selling all that adamantine once he's dead ;-)
Slings firing magic stones with a decent STR bonus can royally ruin some undead critters' days. Just sayin'.
For a character with no good ranged combat option, Bracers of Archery and an Adaptive Composite Longbow +1 means you can get a solid ranged attack for 8,000 gold.
For a dedicated archer, it's a +1 attack bonus stacked on top of everything you already have.
I agree that 25,000 for the Greater Bracers of Archery is a bit steep, but since its bonuses stack so well, it still gets purchased by any dedicated archer in the teen-levels.
The irony is that Bracers of Archery are not best suited for an Archer-only character. That guy is going to want Bracers of Falcon’s Aim.
Aura faint transmutation; CL 3rd
Slot wrists; Price 4,000 gp; Weight 1 lb.
DESCRIPTION
Each of these crimson leather bracers is emblazoned with the image of a soaring golden falcon scanning the ground for easy prey.
They continually grant the wearer the benefits of the aspect of the falcon spell, though without the spell’s physical transformation.
You take on an aspect of a falcon. Your eyes become wide and raptor-like, and you grow feathers on the sides of your head. You gain a +3 competence bonus on Perception checks, a +1 competence bonus on ranged attacks, and the critical multiplier for your bows and crossbows becomes 19-20/x3.
This effect does not stack with any other effect that expands the threat range of a weapon, such as the Improved Critical feat or a keen weapon.
For a character with no good ranged combat option, Bracers of Archery and an Adaptive Composite Longbow +1 means you can get a solid ranged attack for 8,000 gold.
This is a valid point.
For a dedicated archer, it's a +1 attack bonus stacked on top of everything you already have.
This one... Not so much... Bracers of Falcon's Aim are cheaper and much better.
I agree that 25,000 for the Greater Bracers of Archery is a bit steep, but since its bonuses stack so well, it still gets purchased by any dedicated archer in the teen-levels.
I'd still rather have Bracers of Falcon's Aim and spend the remaining 21000gp in something better... But I can see your point.
Count me among those who pipe in with "it grants proficiency to Clerics, Bards, Rogues and the like"
This is great stuff if the Archer of the group finds a +4 Longbow of speed, and so asks "anyone want my old +3 Longbow of Flaming Burst?" only to find his party has a Cleric, a Bard and a Wizard.
Well now the Cleric or Bard drops 5k on these bracers, and suddenly you have a backup archer. Said Cleric prepared Divine Power regularly for when he wants to be a bit more dedicated. Result: nice.
Well, the Bracers of Falcon's Aim are another story, and they're so underpriced that they're currently banned in PFS.
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We actually had this discussion in our group. After talking about it we figured that it was priced just fine. Because it stacks with the belt and it doesn't really take up a competitive slot like neck/ring/belt.
The other part to consider is that the gloves can help out any character and not just archer only characters. So a fighter doesn't have to worry about putting them on when he has to pull out his bow to hit nasty flying critters.
I want to know the rest of the story.
What happens to the dwarf and the orc? Does this confrontation hurt their friendship?
Does the inquisitive wizard find that his use of non-academic vernacular helps him fit in with less intelligent creatures, or does it backfire?
They all quake before the bards awesomeness because he is a first edition bard!!!!
Well, the Bracers of Falcon's Aim are another story, and they're so underpriced that they're currently banned in PFS.
heheh, It's been that way since 2009? so I don't know why we'd expect it to change now.
Well, the Bracers of Falcon's Aim are another story, and they're so underpriced that they're currently banned in PFS.heheh, It's been that way since 2009? so I don't know why we'd expect it to change now.
Aren't Bracers of Falcon's Aim in the Ultimate Equipment Guide, published in 2011?
Maybe - but my wit couldn't be bothered with searching for facts. Note the ? =)
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Aren't Bracers of Falcon's Aim in the Ultimate Equipment Guide, published in 2011?Well, the Bracers of Falcon's Aim are another story, and they're so underpriced that they're currently banned in PFS.heheh, It's been that way since 2009? so I don't know why we'd expect it to change now.
Illegal in PFS.
Well, the Bracers of Falcon's Aim are another story, and they're so underpriced that they're currently banned in PFS.heheh, It's been that way since 2009? so I don't know why we'd expect it to change now.
Well, they were released in 2012 and the dev team has already said they were going to revisit their price to make them not 10000% times better than the Bracers of Archery ;)
My druid archer has the Bracers of Falcon's Aim, but the GM doubled the price of them.
Yep, that's right here. See? Different issue :)
*laughs* It was -still- funny. =)
RPG Superstar 2010 Top 8
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*laughs* It was -still- funny. =)
Less so since technically bracers of archery have been 5,000 gp since 2000 :)
Well, except for the people who the bracers make into an archer :)
And it helps with Deadly Aim too, and I don't recall too many other good wrist slots, although that may have changed in UE.
We have an Alchemist in our group who uses BoA and has the discovery that allows bomb-arrows. We found a longbow +2 of icy burst.
That isn't suck.
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I'm fine with Bracers of Falcon's Aim... It's a Bracers of Archery that actually helps archers.
Why raise it's price? BoA has always been obsolete unless a) You're not an archer or b) You have way too much gold.
I hate seeing stuff getting nerfed so a weak option doesn't seem as weak. It still bothers that Paizo decided to nerf he Combat training for animal companions just so Cavaliers wouldn't seem so weak... -.-'
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I'm fine with Bracers of Falcon's Aim... It's a Bracers of Archery that actually helps archers.
Why raise it's price? BoA has always been obsolete unless a) You're not an archer or b) You have way too much gold.
I hate seeing stuff getting nerfed so a weak option doesn't seem as weak. It still bothers that Paizo decided to nerf he Combat training for animal companions just so Cavaliers wouldn't seem so weak... -.-'
That does seem to be an annoying trend with Paizo's thought process. Applying the nerf bat to make things that are better than borderline useless options is not the way to do things. It was the same line of thought that kept the monks weak for so long. Any good options must be nerfed so they don't overshadow the useless options.
Bracers of Falcon's Aim and Bracers of Archery do occupy different niches. Several people have pointed out how BoA can be useful on account of granting proficiency, while Falcon's Aim is aimed at dedicated archers. That said, Falcon's Aim is a bit on the cheap side for what it gives.
And really, PFS makes some very strange ban decisions sometimes.
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Someone is forcing the people that feel that the bracers or archery sucks to buy them?
Bracers of archery work with any level of bow enhancement, so, use wise, they are worth half of the next level of enhancement for a archer.
With the added benefits that they aren't linked to a specific bow, so if you enemy sunder your main bow you can use your fall back bow and still benefit from the bracers.
You don't price that kind of stuff on the minimum use they can have, you price them keeping in mind what is the maximum effect they can have.
Edit: that doesn't actually work nvm. /sadface
The 'treated as proficient thing' is still really good, though. The only other way for it is to use ioun stones.