High STR, Mid DEX Archer?


Advice


Does anyone have any experience/opinions on a high STR, mid DEX archer? Specifically, Ranger?

My idea here, is that a Freebooter Ranger gains a +1 to 5 bonus to attack and damage as a move action. For purposes of accuracy damage, this counts as a +1 modifier to STR and DEX.

With a 6th level ranger, with a stat distribution such as this:

STR 14(16)>17
DEX 16
CON 12
INT 12
WIS 14
CHA 7

and putting your stat boosts into STR... Can your accuracy be maintained purely through the Freebooter's Bane ability?

1 Point Blank Shot
1 Precise Shot
(2)Rapid Shot
3 Deadly Aim
5 Weapon Focus: Longbow
(6)Point Blank Master
Assuming no special equipment or other items, But your Bane running, your BAB would be:

6+3+1+2=12/7
rapid Shot: 10/10/5 (1d8+5)
Deadly Aim: 10/5 (1d8+9)
RS and DA: 8/8/3 (1d8+9)

After this point, Going straight for Snap Shot, Combat Reflexes, and Improved Snap Shot.

With lower DEX, you can maintain a higher AC via Medium Armor, and have a higher damage. Push come to shove, you can use a back up melee with similar accuracy to a dedicated melee character.

Between Combat Reflexes and the Snap Shot, it seems overall damage should be much higher than a typical archer.

Is it worth it as a concept?

Thanks, everyone.


Higher str ranger is a very viable concept, and there's a class guide on it here: https://docs.google.com/document/pub?id=11JBYSqZhVxgKCPjYJBhH13k73j6fUoeFnV CKwutC42M&pli=1.

My only recommendation would be to consider taking Improved Precise Shot at level 6 instead of Point Blank Master, then picking up Point Blank Master at 10. That's going to be based on how the game is going, whether you end up in the middle of melee or dealing with cover/concealment more often.


that guide is a more typical archer approach: 14 STR, 17+ DEX. You shoot straight for light armor and a belt of +DEX.

Its of course great for general archer advice either way.

Im looking more for an archer that never exceeds 20 DEX, even with items. Everything else goes into STR. In my particular example, I chose Point Blank Master due to the effect of the Freebooter's Bane being limited to 30 ft range. a 5 ft step back and Snap Shot line would be fine too, I suppose.

Sczarni

I used a similar stat array for my Switch Hitter Ranger. Now that we are level 13 I don't hit as much with my Bow so I focus more on melee.

Up until about 8th I was a terror with the bow, which could explain why I'm always facing the Melee/Cover penalties that your character wouldn't have to deal with if he had Precise/Improved Precise Shot. You will also be dedicating more money towards your Bow than I am... + the Bane...

It could work. If it does your GM will hate you.

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