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Hello everbody long time troller first time poster.
My buddy is Remaking Red hand of Doom Campaign to fitt Patherfinder.
Here a little background.
Red Hand of Doom
Growing up in Elsir Vale is not always the most exciting place. It is nice to be thought of as royalty but that gets old fast. Sure there were the occasional skirmishes with the orc tribes to the north in the Wyrmsmoke Mountains but the Lion Guard and Dennovar Blades always dealt with it and sent them scampering back. But now something more sinister rises, tension mounts in the vale as rumors of a combined force of orcs, hobgoblins and worse run rampart. This might be it, this might be the action you have been waiting for to prove yourself. But are you ready to face the Red Hand of Doom?
Background
In this module you will be playing a member (either by joining or being born into) a High House or Guild House. Thought of as semi royalty in the area, both types of houses carry with them power and prestige.
Classes Available
You may play any of the following Classes: Fighter, Cleric, Wizard, Sorcerer, Alchemist, Oracle, Paladin, Bard, Rogue, Ranger, Monk, Druid, Cavalier, Inquisitor, or Magus.
For Divine Classes you will be part of the Church of the Twin Sisters (Iomede & Serenrae).
For both Arcane & Divine casters we will be using the Spell Matrix Mana system - http://www.dragonarmyone.com/Home/index/fantasy-house-rules/character-creat ion2/magic option
You may choose human, half-elf, dwarf, halfling, Warforged (Ironborn), Shifter, or Changeling,
For more information on Character Creation please see my page at http://www.dragonarmyone.com/Home/index/fantasy-house-rules/character-creat ion2
You may also find information on the Pathfinder Reference Site http://www.d20pfsrd.com
In addition, because your character will be part of a High House or Guild House your will be awarded at first level the following:
300gp Starting cash
Knowledge History, Geography , Local and Nobility are all class skills
Bonus +2 Skill points
In addition you may also choose one of the following:
Bonus Feat at 1st level and a bonus trait at first level
or
Either one magic weapon of +1 Value, or one magic armor of +1 value, or one wondrous item of 2000gp value or less
And last you must choose a Guild House or High House to be a part of though your class may limit your choices. Each House offers contacts you can use for favors or information. You may also gain a bonus feat, bonus skills or bonus traits. As you level additional advantages will become available to you from each particular house.
This is te House I picked.
House Bristeir
This house is run by a group of 5 retired adventurers known as the Dennovar Blades. Currently they are taking in trainees, and will school anyone for the right price. Rumor suggest that the Leader Ysidel, has been very lavish with his spending over the past few years and the house is now having some money trouble. Gain one additional bonus feat.
If you join this house you must be a Fighter, Ranger, Magus, Oracle, Rogue.
So I picked Ranger as my class and Half Elf as my race, I get two Extra Feats, +2 Skills, +1 Trait.
So Base on the Swicth Hitter Build from Treantmonk's Guide to Rangers Heres my Build.
Lvl Feats
1 Exotic Weapon Pro (Elven Curve Blade)= Ancestral Arms Bonus Trait
Quick Draw, Power Attack, Cleave
2 Rapid Shot(Combat Style feat)
3 Furius Focus
5 Deadly Aim
6 Many Shot(Combat Style feat)
7 Vital Strike
9 Improved Critical (Elven Curved Blade)
10 Improved Precise Shot (Combat style feat)
11 Step Up
13 Lunge
14 Shot on the Run (Combat style feat)
15 Great Cleave
17 Critical Focus (Elven Curved Blade)
18 Pinpoint Targeting (Combat Style feat)
19 Bleeding Critical
I appreciate all of your constructive criticism thanks.
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If it's useful, here is my PC:
Ranger (Archer, Switch Hitter), Half Elf , Level 1
STR: 18
DEX: 16
CON: 12
INT: 10
WIS: 14
CHA: 8
AC: 18 (5 medium armor, 3 Dex)
HP: 22 (Double 1st lvl Max, there after only half max. Campagin.)
Weapon: Composite Long Bow Mighty (1) (1D8+1, x3)
Elven Curved Blade (1d10+6, 18-20/x2)
Feats:
Exotic Weapon Pro (Elven Curved Blade) (Ancestral Arms Trait)
Power attack
Quick draw
Cleave
Ability:
Arcobatics 4
Handle Animal 3
Knowledge (geography) 4
Knowledge (nature) 3
Survival 6
Linguistics 1 (Orc favored Enemy)
Perception 8
stealth 7
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Another of a million switch Hitter posts.
Treemonk was on to something when he mentioned the Idea. But he in no way perfected the ranger.
But Having played it and experimented with it I have come to the conclusion that rushing Rapid shot, Deadly aim and many shot doesn't work as well in game with the lower Dex of a switch hitter then it does for actual archers focused on Dex.
You already have a lower to hit with the bow then your Melee weapon. I as a player thought about it for a moment and said what can I gut and come back for later? My conclusion was on either Rapid shot or Deadly Aim. I tend to lean to cutting rapid shot for Precise Shot early. I value Deadly aim because Break Higher DRs require Deadly Aim.
Why precise shot? Because why get into melee when you don't have to. The Cool thing about a switch hitter is you can flow from ranged to melee. But what happens if Melee never comes to you but your friend is tied up in combat with a single enemy. You could make a move to close and try to flank...OR you could just keep shooting it in the face and stay out of the creatures reach.
2ndly in combat the person who closes only gets a single attack. If that single attack doesn't kill then your left wide open to the enemies FULL-attack. Closing with the enemy is dangerous and a double edged sword. As a melee combatant try to avoid taking a Full attack. You will be in medium armor till Mithral Full Plate.
Using the Strategy of not offering the enemies full attacks will keep you alive long enough to see later levels.
Lvl Feats
1 Exotic Weapon Pro (Elven Curve Blade)= Ancestral Arms Bonus Trait
Quick Draw, Power Attack, Cleave
2 Rapid Shot(Combat Style feat)
3 Furius Focus
5 Deadly Aim
6 Many Shot(Combat Style feat)
7 Vital Strike
9 Improved Critical (Elven Curved Blade)
10 Improved Precise Shot (Combat style feat)
11 Step Up
13 Lunge
14 Shot on the Run (Combat style feat)
15 Great Cleave
17 Critical Focus (Elven Curved Blade)
18 Pinpoint Targeting (Combat Style feat)
19 Bleeding CriticalI appreciate all of your constructive criticism thanks.
Now lets break down your feat choices.
First I noticed you saying Critical Focus (Elven Curved Blade). You don't specalize in a weapon for the feat. It works with both weapons. As do most Critical Feats. If you pick Critical feats that work on both weapons it means whether you crit with a bow or melee you still apply critical focus and the critical feat.Furious Focus- This is an OK feat. Only works when your PAing with a MELEE weapon. That means when your arching it is doing nothing but wasting space on your character sheet. And when you take Multiple attacks it only effects 1 of your Attacks. I honestly think you will be fine without this feat. Its good but not as mandatory as people like to believe it is. Works super hella good on a charger Character who is making only 1 attack a round that is ALWAYS power attacked. But because your flowing between combat styles you are not profiting from it enough to make it a core choice.
Vital Strike- It is ok. But I personally like just taking full attacks. Archery until they close...Quick Draw...And go to town. As opposed to the norm of people who Arch...then move to close....quick draw and Single attack. Using the superior method your putting more damage on a target as opposed to method 2. Also attacking more offers more chances for a critical strike to roll up.
Great Cleave- Once your over level 6 Cleave loses its effectiveness. Mobs stop lining up for the cleave because they get smarter and also gain reach. Keep that info in mind as you level and watch how much you use cleave...then you will make the determination for yourself that great cleave is a waste. I personally would just skip cleave and deal without it for 6 levels but I know a Lot of people who would say heresy to that line of thinking. There is the Mighty cleaving Enchantment as well.
Improved Critical- Does a +1 Keen weapon really break the bank for you? If it does that is fine but You can still fit it into the build. I just don't know anything better for a ranger's weapon then Keen.
Bleeding Critical at 19 really? By this point you should be at exhausting critical or Stunning critical. Bleeding is a Good one when it becomes available at level 11 but at 19 you should be putting more into your crits. But dumping a few feats and moving them around you can fit a better critical chain into your build. I recommend a Crit chain without a Save to it. Tiring>Exhausting Critical is good. Its really really Good.
Here is a build I suggest keeping a lot of the feats you picked already:
1:Power attack, Quick Draw,cleave
2-ranger-Precise Shot
3-Deadly Aim
5-Boon Companion (This guy is more Damage..make him = your HD)
6-ranger-Many Shot
7- Big Game Hunter (DM approval my group counts it as a feat)
9-Critical Focus
10-Ranger-Improved Precise Shot or Rapid Shot
11-Lunge
13-Tiring Critical
14-Ranger-Improved Precise Shot or Rapid Shot
15-Exhausting Critical
17- Free...I recommend Iron Will (your weakest Save)
18- Free-Better your defenses OR make sure it applies to all your weapons.
19- Free-Better your defenses OR make sure it applies to all your weapons.
Stats: I recommend this array
Str: 18 Dex: 15 Con: 14 Int: 10 Wis: 14 Cha: 8
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Well 2 weapon fighters have to have full attacks to reach there damage potential. That is difficult and dangerous.
Switch hitter can be very strong. Especially ghe build i suggested. Archery is a good route to go as it has high damage per round. I favor mounted combat as well on a ranger being good for first 12 levels.
Treemonk was on to something when he mentioned the Idea. But he in no way perfected the ranger.
This is good advice. With all the newer options for combat style for Rangers, I also wonder if it's been swallowed by power-creep.
I still think it's a good option for core-only (does anyone play that anymore?), since TWF is still a pretty poor option for Rangers in a core game.
In my defense, I never remember suggesting that a switch-hitting build would be as good at archery as a dedicated archer build!
Oh, and my name is TreANTmonk by the way - like a Treant, that's a Monk.
Thank you all so much, Big fan of your builds by the way Treantmonk.
Here the rest of the party.
Human Paladin - Tank
Gnome Sorcerer
Human Witch
Does This Help?
A switch-hitting build would probably fit fine with this combination. When the enemy is at range, join the witch and sorcerer in unleashing ranged pain, then when they engage the Pally, be a good teammate and flank.
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Oh, and my name is TreANTmonk by the way - like a Treant, that's a Monk.
Sorry Bro.
This is good advice. With all the newer options for combat style for Rangers, I also wonder if it's been swallowed by power-creep.
For the most part it has not lost much of its muster. There are some new feats that Fit in better with the build. Namely Boon Companion. Getting a Companion equal to your HD makes the class feature leaps and bounds better then Vanilla. Even if you still have a limited list.
Your Thinking on 2 weapon fighting as a Combat method is still pretty right on. But Rangers now can put up some of the best 2 weapon fighting numbers. If the player decides he wants to live his life on that razors edge.
I've never played around with the natural weapon combat style or the Faithful combat options from the Inner sea combat.
If you ever decide to Re-vise you guides to upgrade the source materials. Then hit me up and I can help add something for the Mounted Combat section. For PFS and Under Level 13 play it is a Power house Build. Might not put up the exact numbers to a Paladin with smite but can be very consistent and offers more skills and out of combat Benefits. But combat wise I still 1 shot my favored enemies typically...and for the most part everything else. Been playing it up to level 7 and Only 3 creatures have survived a spirited charge. And not by much...like 5-12 HP survived.
A switch-hitting build would probably fit fine with this combination. When the enemy is at range, join the witch and sorcerer in unleashing ranged pain, then when they engage the Pally, be a good teammate and flank.
I agree it will be a very good fit for the group. Having too much melee Tends to hurt a group come later levels as flying and Movement forces the melee to stay moving...You won't have to move if you don't want too. Just stand and shoot...when something closes Finish it off with your Neck-Seeker.
Now hopefully your paladin isn't lawful stupid. My Home group goes so far as Paladins can't take a poop without falling. The guy who typically plays the paladin plays him so strict he can't even take a benefit of Flanking. I've voiced my concern to my group about how strict they view code of Honorable conduct to be. But my DM for the most part refuses to change his mind. I myself can never play a paladin in my home group. It makes me sad as a player but I mentioned my idea of a Ladies Man Paladin who hunts down evil with the zeal and tenacity of Batman. Just not the need for some alter ego. Lives plain and in the open. They said I would fall because being a Ladies man a.k.a a man whore is not an honorable action. That paladins MUST be chasten. Perhaps one day I shall play one in PFS if I can get a good understanding of my local DMs interpretation of the code of conduct. My home Group is forever lost in severely hampering a Paladins actions due to a terrible interpretation. Hopefully the OP doesn't have to put up with such Non-sense.
So if your Paladin can take a flank then help out but It would probably be better to use your Animal companion to provide the flank and stay on the 2nd line waiting for someone to come to you or the Casters. Nothing like running ahead and finding out something was behind you but you failed to see it or something comes out of Invisibility and kills your caster.
The only thing that has changed since Treantmonk made his guide is the necessity of it. With point blank master available as a feat there is little to no reason to put your bow down. This lets you focus more on your archery skills and you can leave the sword at home. Enhancing a bow and a sword costs more than just a bow, not to mention taking additional feats and such.
There are still benefits. Swinging a 2 handed sword lets you add str +1-1/2 and power attack adds 3 instead of 2. I'm just saying it's not as mandatory as it used to be.
Boon Companion is a really strong feat that if allowed, needs to be in your build as early as you can fit it in. Like level 5.
Another of a million switch Hitter posts.
Treemonk was on to something when he mentioned the Idea. But he in no way perfected the ranger.
But Having played it and experimented with it I have come to the conclusion that rushing Rapid shot, Deadly aim and many shot doesn't work as well in game with the lower Dex of a switch hitter then it does for actual archers focused on Dex.
You already have a lower to hit with the bow then your Melee weapon. I as a player thought about it for a moment and said what can I gut and come back for later? My conclusion was on either Rapid shot or Deadly Aim. I tend to lean to cutting rapid shot for Precise Shot early. I value Deadly aim because Break Higher DRs require Deadly Aim.
Deadly Aim isn't great at breaking DR. It's great at increasing crit damage when you crit. It's Power Attack but for your ranged weapon. If you're looking to overcome DR and you plan on taking Rapid Shot + Manyshot I would highly recommend the feat CLUSTERED SHOTS. Add up all of your damage before applying DR instead of applying DR to each arrow? Yes please.
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Prior to special materials and magic weapons. A easy way to overcome DR is just power through it. With a composite bow he has +4 to damage. @ level 4 against DR/5 and deadly aim your still getting: arrow+3. That is still doing well.
Best way to overcome DR is special ammo. Taking clustered shots involves several other feats not included in a switch hitter build. Taking all those feats no longer makes you a switch hitter but a dedicated archer.
The OP wanted a switch hitter style build and not a dedicated bow user. IF he wanted a archer build I would have included all those feats and more like snap shot. But those are for people who don't put the bow down.