Hi, y'all. I recently started playing a ranger in a certain undead-heavy adventure path, and it's been a lot of fun taking out skeletons with blunt arrows, but suddenly we're fighting nothing but zombies, and the DR 5/slashing is something to notice.
Does anyone know of a decent way to do slashing damage as a ranger other than the Versatile Weapon spell? I'm currently trying to break through by using Abundant Ammunition with Raining Arrows (from Elves of Golarion), but am curious if there are any actual slashing arrows out there.
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Favored enemy: undead.
For ranged? There's no real good way other than picking up some chakram.
Though depending on your level... favored enemy plus deadly aim should get you through DR on anything but minimum damage rolls.
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Don't be squeamish, just pick up a sword and go to work. You're still a full BAB class with all martial weapon proficiency and your FE bonus works regardless of weapon.
If it's allowed Inner Sea Combat has the Weapon Versatility feat that allows you to change out your damage type.
Edit: My bad Undead Slayer's Handbook, sorry about that.
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Hi, y'all. I recently started playing a ranger in a certain undead-heavy adventure path, and it's been a lot of fun taking out skeletons with blunt arrows, but suddenly we're fighting nothing but zombies, and the DR 5/slashing is something to notice.
Does anyone know of a decent way to do slashing damage as a ranger other than the Versatile Weapon spell? I'm currently trying to break through by using Abundant Ammunition with Raining Arrows (from Elves of Golarion), but am curious if there are any actual slashing arrows out there.
Hit them with a sword.
You have the proficiency.
Oh, Weapon Versatility is interesting. I've heard of that, but every time I searched for it I only got the Versatile Weapon spell and assumed that's what people were working about.
That said, the consensus on Weapon Versatility seems to be "without an errata, we'll never know if it works with bows," and wow that seems overpowered while also taking up a feat slot I can't justify freeing up until at least level 10 (but maybe should anyway).
And oh, I do carry a slashing weapon. Decent strength bonus, masterwork Dwarven Waraxe, tends to do a decent bit of damage.
Only thing is that, with a bow, I get two attacks; at level 6 with Multishot, I'll get four, three at a higher attack bonus than I could with an axe.
(Right now, when fighting undead I can choose between 1 attack with a waraxe, for 1d10+4 ~8 damage, or 2 attacks with a longbow, each for 1d8+10 ~15 damage each before DR)
I guess maybe I should also mention that the party is me, a Kensai Magus, and two Clerics. It's all I can do to take out as many skeletons as them in a round, and the fact that I can't one-shot zombies is just slightly disappointing.
Still, Weapon Versatility would stack with endless raining arrows, which could be excellent. (With deadly shot and favored enemy, these currently hit for 1d8+2d4+10 damage, and overcoming an extra 5 points of DR would be icing on the cake)
EDIT: Yeah, what's with those fighters who don't carry bows? Last time I was in a game where we fought medusas, I had to spend every round pulling javelins out of my Efficient Quiver to share with the rest of the party.
Unfortunately, without Quick Draw, they don't benefit from Rapid Shot either. Still a cool option.
Personnally, I would always prefer packing an extra weapon instead of taking an extra feat. Besides, being forced into melee range as a ranger can be a blast and you hold your own pretty well in the frontline.
This being said, of course for later levels you might want to benefit from your bow and feats. At this point, depending on what money permits, your might want to look into a Holy Bow, the extra damage vs the undeads should be more than enough to counter the DR.
For ranged attacks, you may also consider bringing a few throwing axes, as they are slashing weapon and ranged as well!
Enjoy killing zombies!
I thought all rangers took quick draw for switch hitting. Even if you are primary ranged, it's a great feat for the option to switch to melee.
People keep telling me this, but the numbers on the switch hitter just don't make sense. Unless I need to constantly move for some reason, a bow always gives enough extra attacks to deal more damage, and spending feats on 2WF would seriously reduce my damage.
Meanwhile, Point Blank Master, at level 6, makes bows function just as well in melee range, and suddenly any melee feats taken earlier become a waste.
(I guess I could mention that the goal of my build was to get Improved Snap Shot and Combat Reflexes as soon as possible, in order to get full-BAB attacks on around 10 enemies per round)
fire arrows, fire bombs of some kind (bet your dex is good),fire!, fire!, fire!, fire!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XchwE9zVdnw
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Clustered Shots. That feat makes any DR become a joke.
Maybe it's me, but doing no damage with a bow seems worse than doing sub-optimal damage with a melee weapon. "I don't have the feats" is a terrible reason to not try to be useful in combat. Of course, this is just my opinion.
You said you don't have melee weapons. Just find a club and use that. You can build your character to archery, just fine. You don't have to be super awesome to just hit some zombies on the head. I am sure you will do plenty of damage. Clubs are awesome!
Edit: Stupid me. Duh, slashing. I always think zombies are DR/bludgeoning. So, you are a ranger. And you don't have a dagger? How do you skin your venison?
No, guys, I absolutely carry slashing weapons, but the damage just can't stack up with what my bow outputs, even after DR 5/slashing. I was just wondering if there were better ways to do slashing with a bow, and it sounds like the only (debatable) good way to do that is with the Weapon Versatility feat.
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Take a polearm that does slashing damage and has the Brace property. Brace for the zombies' charge; kill them with double damage before they even get to make an attack roll. Since they're permanently Staggered, they have to use Charge actions to both move and attack in the same round. And they're too mindless to know how much you're taking advantage of that.
Versatile Weapon spell does it.
put your bow away and step up and fight...anything else requires us to cancel your man-card
My advice would be to include a hit that this is about archery in the title. At first I thought this was some kind of joke or riddle when reading the title.
Other than that: If the bow still deals the best damage just carry on until you get either clustered shots or weapon versatility.
No, guys, I absolutely carry slashing weapons, but the damage just can't stack up with what my bow outputs, even after DR 5/slashing. I was just wondering if there were better ways to do slashing with a bow, and it sounds like the only (debatable) good way to do that is with the Weapon Versatility feat.
Dude, you're fighting outside of your specialty. Doing less damage is a given. Just roll with it.
Unless the DM starts throwing nothing but zombies at you. Then he's just being a jerk.
I must agree.
Your complaint is that 'fighting in melee does less damage then just shooting arrows with full attacks every round."
Well, DUH. (not to be harsh). That's true because it's how the game WORKS. It's not because melee weapons are deficient.
Grab your axe, up your strength, take Power attack, and hack away.
If you want to go back to 3.5, broadhead arrows did slashing damage.
==Aelryinth
Two-hand a Falchion and hack away.
I thought all rangers took quick draw for switch hitting. Even if you are primary ranged, it's a great feat for the option to switch to melee.People keep telling me this, but the numbers on the switch hitter just don't make sense. Unless I need to constantly move for some reason, a bow always gives enough extra attacks to deal more damage, and spending feats on 2WF would seriously reduce my damage.
Meanwhile, Point Blank Master, at level 6, makes bows function just as well in melee range, and suddenly any melee feats taken earlier become a waste.
(I guess I could mention that the goal of my build was to get Improved Snap Shot and Combat Reflexes as soon as possible, in order to get full-BAB attacks on around 10 enemies per round)
A switch hitter doesn't use two weapon fighting. It uses two handed fighting, which requires Power Attack, and if you want to have a full round worth of melee attacks, Quick Draw, that's it. You don't move as a switch hitter. You stand in one spot, pelting the enemy with arrows until they finally reach melee, and then anyone still standing gets a 2 hander to the face. It is literally the basest of character concepts, and ranger pulls it off easily.
Sling with sharpstones. Not as much damage, but you can still use most of your ranged feats. Did this with a halfling fighter as a challenge, annoyed the DM to pieces.
for me my sword does fine dmg even though im a halfling ranger because i got high ass roles but for the most part favored enemy and favored terrain should help you in combat.
Sometimes, a character needs to use something other than their "usual" attack/spell/etc. This is a feature, not a flaw.
"One-trick ponies" are boring, IMO.
