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I may build a character with a view to becoming an Arcane Archer. Based on prior experience with archery-based characters, I absolutely want Improved Precise Shot, and the quickest way to do that is to start with 6 levels or archery ranger. Now, I will need a level in a spell casting class. One one hand, wizard or sorcerer gives more spells, but magus lets me cast in light armor without penalty, plus the other abilities of a first-level magus. Any thoughts?
The trick to making an AA is to only take 3 levels of AA and mostly eldritch knight levels.
Fighter 1/Wizard 5/EK Until you qualify for/AA 3/EK rest/Wizard until 20
That's how I'd go.
This seems to be the most common answer that folks on these forums offer when the subject of AA is brought up. To make an AA without really making and AA.
When my group ran through the Kingmaker AP, I made an AA without any levels in EK. By level 20, the character would have been Ranger (archery) 6/Wizard 5/Arcane Archer 9. At level 12 it was R6/W3/AA3.
Edit: For the wizard specialty, I went transmutation essentially for the enhancement bonus to one physical stat ability.
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I should have mentioned that I generally play PFS, so I would be limited to level 12.
No longer true. I'm not positive, but I recall hearing the absolute cap is upwards of level 18.
I'm going to make an aspiring Arcane Archer myself, and I'm going to make him a Wizard-of-some-sort (some subschool of Transmuter, Evoker or Diviner)/Fighter (of either the Archer or Weapon Master Archetypes).
I can see the advantages in a Magus (or Bard!), but particularly in the case of the Magus, you're screwing around with a lot of this-that-and-the-other that doesn't lend itself the Arcane Archer much - you could make it work somehow, though, if you really wanted to.
As per a recent ruling, Spell-Like Abilities can count as spellcasting to qualify for a Prestige Class. So you can take one level of Fighter or Ranger, one level of Wizard with the Divination (Scryer) school, and take Eldritch Knight at third level. Take EK levels until level 7 (when you have enough BAB to qualify) and then three levels of Arcane Archer.
This way you've only lost a total of three spellcasting progression levels - One level of Fighter, one from the first EK level, and one from the first AA level. There is a way to get these three levels back through some kind of guild reputation, but someone will have to help me out with the name and source book. IIRC it only helps you gain three levels, so more than four Arcane Archer levels will still hamper your caster progression.
The early entry ruling allows you to eventually have full Wizard spellcasting along with full BAB minus one, and the main schtick of the Arcane Archer. You can then keep going to EK 10, and then take Wizard levels until retirement.
Edit: Taking this route won't get you early Improved Precise Shot, unfortunately.
Not really hax. Paizo deliberately ruled that way because many prestige classes (like Eldritch Knight, Arcane Archer, and Mystic Theurge, among others) are otherwise quite unappealing.
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I see. Well, based on that, it looks to me like that still places special favor on (in the case of Wizards) Diviners, Enchanters, and Conjurers since they're the ones who get subschools that feature spell-like abilities that duplicate 3rd-level or higher spells. If we want to take such classes as something else, are we really just SOL, or is there a workaround?
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I see. Well, based on that, it looks to me like that still places special favor on (in the case of Wizards) Diviners, Enchanters, and Conjurers since they're the ones who get subschools that feature spell-like abilities that duplicate 3rd-level or higher spells. If we want to take such classes as something else, are we really just SOL, or is there a workaround?
I never got an answer to this - is there one out there? *emits SETI signals*
I see. Well, based on that, it looks to me like that still places special favor on (in the case of Wizards) Diviners, Enchanters, and Conjurers since they're the ones who get subschools that feature spell-like abilities that duplicate 3rd-level or higher spells. If we want to take such classes as something else, are we really just SOL, or is there a workaround?I never got an answer to this - is there one out there? *emits SETI signals*
A race with that can cast a 3. lvl arcane spell. Aasimar with Daylight should work
Have you considered a Zen Archer? They get more bonus feats then the ranger and can also ignore prerequisites. With a Ranger you get 2 bonus combat feats and endurance, you also get to use any martial weapon, medium armor and shields. The last two are not really all that good for an arcane archer.
A Zen Archer gets improved precise shot at 6th level, and has flurry instead of rapid shot. They get a total of three selectable bonus feats vs. two for the ranger. They also have the following static feats improved unarmed strike, Perfect Strike, Point Blank Master, Weapon Focus, and Weapon specialization. They can also spend a point of Ki to get an extra attack.
You can also go for an Empyreal sorcerer to use Wisdom as your primary stat. Having a single stat that for your bonus to hit, AC, and as your casting stat is a huge advantage.
Does the answer to these "I want to play X" threads really always have to "Play Y instead"?
OP asked for an Arcane Archer, not an Eldritch Knight with a bow who has a small dip in Arcane Archer. (And certainly not a Zen Archer.)
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I'd probably go with Scryer Wizard1/Ranger1/Eldritch Knight5/Arcane Archer10/Eldritch Knight3.
Eldritch Knight is just to replace the standard Fighter or Ranger levels so that you get the BAB and spellcasting, keeping Caster Level and BAB relevant. Not to replace the Arcane Archer levels.
Arcane Archer isn't a great PrC, but the great thing about PFS is that as long as you are viable you should be fine. You don't have to be the most optimal PC to survive it, so concept characters do just fine.
Does the answer to these "I want to play X" threads really always have to "Play Y instead"?
OP asked for an Arcane Archer, not an Eldritch Knight with a bow who has a small dip in Arcane Archer. (And certainly not a Zen Archer.)
I suggested a Zen Archer instead of a Ranger as the base class before taking Arcane Archer. If you read my whole post you would have seen I also suggest a Empyreal Sorcerer to reduce the number of STATS he needs to raise. How is this any less of an Arcane Archer than a Ranger/Wizard?
Ah, I didn't realize you were suggesting Zen Archer as the martial base for the AA. Thought you were saying to go full Zen Archer and to abandon Arcane Archer entirely, and that the mention of the sorcerer at the end was just a separate suggestion of something that could also be used if the OP didn't go for your first suggestion.
Sorry 'bout that, I misunderstood your meaning.
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A race with that can cast a 3. lvl arcane spell. Aasimar with Daylight should workI see. Well, based on that, it looks to me like that still places special favor on (in the case of Wizards) Diviners, Enchanters, and Conjurers since they're the ones who get subschools that feature spell-like abilities that duplicate 3rd-level or higher spells. If we want to take such classes as something else, are we really just SOL, or is there a workaround?I never got an answer to this - is there one out there? *emits SETI signals*
What bothers me is that, unless there's a better workaround, it sounds like this trick means certain specialist Wizards (like subsets of Diviners and Enchanters) have an unfairly HUGE advantage over others (like Evokers and Necromancers) when trying to qualify for prestige classes - especially if this came out of a "word of mouth errata" ruling specifically meant to make prestige classes with spellcasting requirements better, it should go farther/in a different direction. As it currently stands (and realize this is a reductio ad abdsurdum), an Aasimar (or an elf with 15+ Charisma and the Dreamspeaker alternate racial ability) needs only 1 level in Fighter/Barbarian/Ranger/Cavalier/Paladin/Magus/etc. in order to become an Eldritch Knight starting at level 2, and they and some other races (i.e. Samsarans and Wayangs with 11+ Charisma, or Gnomes with the Fell Magic alternate ability and 11+ Wisdom) could all become Arcane Archers without any arcane spellcasting levels at all. Wouldn't it be better in every single way to just go down the prestige classes list and lower the spellcasting requirements to 1st-level?