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So, I have a character design idea that I think would be fun to play. A mounted archer that always attacks in melee, being as awesome as he is. What I want some advice on is the best way to do this, particulary with which class/classes to go with. Here's what I'm looking for:
First: Have a good animal companion to ride. If I go goblin, I'd go with the velociraptor, else probably a tiger.
Second: Gain access to point blank master (no AoO from using a ranged weapon in melee).
Third: Be a beast with the bow, getting rapid shot, many shot, snap shot/improved snap shot, and impact critical shot.
Fourth: Get mounted archery and trample.
I really want to focus on combat with this character, a little less on role playing (I'm leaning towards goblin for this group, that'll take care of role-playing in and of itself). What suggestions do you guys have to build this character? I have access to the PRD, and anything else outside that is society approved (My gm's official statement).
Luring beast rider cavalier. Talk your gm into the order of the bow from Super Genius
Sticking with Paizo material, you want a Ranger since that will do most of what you want.
Rangers with the archer fighting style get access to Point Blank Master at level 6.
I then suggest the Beastmaster archetype to open up your mount options (Rangers are limited on mount choices).
- Gauss
Just had a post about using ranger. But I suggest waiting with the point blank master till 10th level, and getting improved precise shot at 6th level. Cover is too much of a hindrance to wait 4 more levels than you already have.
Get combat reflexes to use your Hugh dex to optimal and have your mount get greater overrun. You'll need it so that you can now have enemies provoke AoO for you when you knock them prone as you run by.
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Lastoth already designed a guide around that character exactly, have a look: Lastoths Guide to Archery Rangers
Sohei do not have an Animal Companion nor do they have access to Point Blank Master.
- Gauss
Super Genius Games Talented Monk
First: Have a good animal companion to ride. If I go goblin, I'd go with the velociraptor, else probably a tiger.
Can gain the sohei's monastic mount ability as soon as levle 1.
Second: Gain access to point blank master (no AoO from using a ranged weapon in melee).
Can take it as a bonus feat starting 6th level with any talent without needing to meet prereqs.
Third: Be a beast with the bow, getting rapid shot, many shot, snap shot/improved snap shot, and impact critical shot.
Be as good as a zen archer with a bow, good enough? Doesnt have full bab progression to meet the prereqs quickly for snap shot but you can take them when you qualify for them.
Fourth: Get mounted archery and trample.
Both mounted archery and trample become bonus feats when you take the sohei edge.
I really want to focus on combat with this character, a little less on role playing (I'm leaning towards goblin for this group, that'll take care of role-playing in and of itself). What suggestions do you guys have to build this character? I have access to the PRD, and anything else outside that is society approved (My gm's official statement).
The talented monk would work very well for your purposes. It basically just allows you to pick and choose from the various monk archetypes. If your GM is willing to allow it, I strongly recommend it.
You could also play a fighter and pickup the multitude of archery feats to churn out damage. On straight damage I think the fighter beats out the ranger, assuming the fighter gets some access to important buffs. However, the ranger can self buff and has lots of options other than do damage. The fighter can make himself a mounted combat by taking leadership and using it to select an animal or monstrous cohort. To that end you could select a flying creature of some sort to be your mount. With so many feats as a fighter it's easy to grab leadership for this purpose and still have others to use for other things.
Ranger, definitely. Good archers, plus an animal companion and some very good spells for both bows and companions.
You probably want Mounted Combat and Mounted Archery, and if you want to be a melee threat it doesn't take much to do godawful amounts of damage (Spirited Charge!!!), but you can get those feats with your regular ones, and be good with your bow on the combat style.
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First of all, thanks for all of the replies!
@Gauss Rangers don't get point blank shot at level 6? It's not on the Paizo PRD, or the core rule book, or the errata... D20 has it. Is that an error? (That really really sucks?)
@Grizzly I don't think I'll have to worry too much about cover. I'll be in melee range for crying out loud.
@Tonyz Spirited charge is for melee weapons only, not bows :(.
So, my thoughts so far:
I could go with luring beast rider cavalier, but no fighter training or other access to weapon specialization, the pre-req for point blank master. The answer would be a 3 level dip into Zen-Archer, or a 4 level dip fighter (The first 3 levels of Zen Archer give ALOT of feats). My issue is the waste of the challenge. Luring isn't even worth it if your in melee (Take -4 to AC from your target... if your hit it doesn't apply to range attacks and bonuses from your order are not used while using the ranged challenge?)
I could also go with a 3 level dip Zen Archer before going into ranger, but I honestly feel there's alot of extra fluff to rangers that I don't want to deal with. With min-maxing, would a 3zen-archer Ranger do better than a 3zen-archer Beast Rider?
Because archery is so feat demanding, I really wouldn't be able to do some sort of spell caster on a mount, except for a few specific archetypes (The cleric's crusader archetype with the animal domain, for example).
And finally, I guess this is more of a rules question, but if I took a 1 level dip into druid before going, lets say, samurai, what would happen to my animal companion choices? Am I allowed to have a tiger as my mount at a effective druid level of 10 (assuming I was druid: 1 samurai: 9)?
FrodoOf9Fingers, I assume you meant Point Blank Master, not Point Blank Shot.
Rangers with the archery combat style may select it as their style feat starting at level 6.
Special: Starting at 6th level, a ranger with the archery combat style may select Point Blank Master as a combat style feat, but he must have Weapon Focus instead of Weapon Specialization in the selected weapon.
You can pretty much build this entire thing out of a Ranger with no problem.
- Gauss
How about a Mad Dog/Urban barbarian? I haven't looked much at barbarian archers but there might be something worthwhile there.
If you want zen archer partially, go wisdom build, with dex as secondary stat. Take 3 levels zen archer, the rest in ranger. It'll give you most of the feats you want and have your attack roll be off wisdom, which for an archer is needed a lot typically. Then get a Guided enhancement on the bow so now your damage comes from wisdom as well. Your spellcasting from ranger will also be off of wisdom.