The Zen Archer archetype specifically adds Rapid Shot and Manyshot to the list of bonus feats a monk can select.
The Zen Archer archetype allows a monk to use flurry of blows with a bow.
The Zen Archer archetype specifically says those feats cannot be used as part of a flurry.
The benefit of these feats are exactly the same as the benefit of using flurry of blows, but with a relative cumulative penalty on the attack rolls at level 1 and every 4 levels thereafter (and fewer attacks made over all after level 10).
There is no situation where a Zen Archer could use Rapid Shot or Manyshot when they could not instead use flurry of blows.
So... why do they get access to bonus feats they literally cannot ever get any benefit from? Was there some last minute change and the original intent was that these could be stacked, and their inclusion on the bonus feat list was never fixed because it's not worth issuing errata over? Is the restriction itself an error? Is there some bizarre corner case I'm not seeing which makes these feats actually useful in some way?
Well, theoretically it could make a difference if they're encumbered or using armor.
But yeah it's pretty much completely useless.
And my guess is either:
1. Because they thought it would look better for "symmetry" or what to call it, to add all the archery feats, and they had some spare words in the page count.
2. Because they originally intended them to be usable together, but realized that could be too powerful and put in a restriction but did not remember to remove them from the feat list.
3. Because whoever wrote it still operated under the "trap options are a good thing"-attitude from 3.x
I'm partial to 2.
Multiclassing?
To meet pre requisites for other archery feats?
1. For those who are multiclassing.
2. Need to fill out those bonus feat lists somehow, and I guess they just couldn't find other options. I disagree...Deadly Aim s notably missing, for one.
In any case, between PBS and Precise Shot, you've got your first two bonus feats covered. You just have to find something to do with the 1st level general feat. Getting Dodge to set up for Crane Wing down the road is a decent idea. The "Local Feat" version of Noble Scion feat (which d20pfsrd currently features as a broken link... *shakes fist*) is 1st level only and offers some cool options. The most relevant being house Narikopolus, which gives you +2 damage when using bow of your strength bonus or lower.
And..apparently Archives of Nethys ditched it, too. Holy crap that's annoying. It's a completely different feat from the Inner Sea Guide one! Not much proof left that it even ever existed... There is me asking about it and a few posts down someone quoting from the old Archives of Nethys site...
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Hi all! Chiming in here, owner and operator of the Archives of Nethys.
First: The logic I use in my site in the code detects when anything in the same group is named the same. If there is a spell named Summon Ham and another one named the same, it will detect these. Then, it checks which one came latest. Summon Ham from book A or book B. If it came from book B more recently, that is the one it shows.
I do this for a number of reasons. First and foremost being to avoid clutter. Hide Shirt, Klar, a lot of other basic things, these have been reprinted countless times. I can't have a database that lists them each four or five times, that'd be madness.
I also can't have it check for exact text throughout the whole thing. Things get updated, even with subtle changes. Look at the evolution of the Meteor Hammer, for example.
As such, I go off of name.
Now, I have edited the name of my own prerogative on occasion, if I feel that the mechanic is very different and likely not intended as a reprint/update, but probably just a mistake in using the same name. An example is the two versions of "Brute" found here. One is very much a large and hulky brute, the other is an intimidating brute. Different enough, so I adjusted the names.
When it came to the Noble Scion feats, I initially considered the new one an update. It had a very similar description, similar benefits, and came out in the Inner Sea World Guide, which *did* update a lot of material from the Pathfinder Campaign Setting (where the original came from). It seemed like a very logical connection.
The other logic here being that the new one was PFS-legal, old one wasn't. In that case, I'm especially more inclined to treat it as an update. If people want to use the old feat still, they could just reference the PFCS still, right?
So, onto the second point.
Second: I'm not a bad guy. If you have a legitimate reason why something should be done differently on my site, by all means, tell me. If the change isn't too difficult, and you make sense, I'll likely make it. In this case, I can totally see why you would want to see both feats. One is a more general noble house feat, the other was specialized for Cheliax. Ok, awesome!
As such, I adjusted the title of the old one so it would show up on the site. It should be visible here now. One thing to remember with me: I never delete anything. I have painstakingly entered the same monster, spell, whatever more times than I can count. If you see multiple sources for something, that means I entered that item from each individual source. It's all in the database, it just is only showing you the latest. Now, I wouldn't do this for everything, if you really liked the old version of something that *was* updated, I'm probably not going to show that one too. Again, avoiding clutter. In this case, they are different enough that it makes sense.
In the end... please. If you see something that seems wrong, or you'd like changed, and it doesn't sound like a huge request, contact me. Even if it is huge, contact me. This is a free site, it's just me working on it, but still, I'll try to help. If it's too big for me to handle, I'll still probably say no, but I'm not going to be a jerk about it. The site was started specifically to help everyone out, and it's going to continue to be something that I want everyone to benefit from.
-Stuff about Archives and things-
Um, 'kay, but, uh, what does that have to do with this thread?
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Sorry for any confusion, I was responding to the post above me. Didn't mean to derail the rest of the thread any. :)
And..apparently Archives of Nethys ditched it, too. Holy crap that's annoying. It's a completely different feat from the Inner Sea Guide one! Not much proof left that it even ever existed... There is me asking about it and a few posts down someone quoting from the old Archives of Nethys site...
Thank you for adding it back in. I was just surprised/frustrated to see it gone from the site, it was there the last time I had checked. AoN has been a reliable place to find PF info that's missing from d20pfsrd, like that feat or the Tusked trait. I'll contact you next time if I notice anything else.
I'd say the 'for prerequisites' and 'for multiclassing' is the big reason.
I am playing a Divine Hunter right now, and I plan, when we reach Tien, to go Zen Archer for 3-4 levels. And I'm planning on using the bonus feats to pick up Rapid Shot and Point Blank (Divine Hunter get's precise for free at 1st).
I've removed a post. Remember the most important rule of the Paizo message boards.
I've actually just allowed Flurry of Bows to count for prereqs for feats that need Rapid Shot. Feels like too much of a feat tax to force a player to take a feat that they essentially cannot use.