So my fiancee wants to make a pair of Kitsune archers for PFS. She's going to go with a pretty simple Ranger build since she's still learning the game, but that's not good enough for me. I want something with a little more oomph to it, so I'm soliciting suggestions for an archer to play alongside her. I'm looking for versatility, lots of tinkering under the hood, and a combination of archery and support. Here's what I've thought of so far:
-Bard (bog standard archer build)
Pros: Good stat synergy, good support capabilities
Cons: I already have a bard I play with her other character, not much original about it
-Summoner (archer eidolon with support/archer summoner)
Pros: Haste at level 4, better action economy
Cons: Too cheesy? Super feat starved
-Swashbuckler (flying blade archetype)
Pros: Cinematic feel, good stat synergy
Cons: Short range, not really archery
-Oracle (warsighted + maybe psychic searcher + wood mystery)
Pros: Flexible, full spellcaster
Cons: Already have a martial oracle
Any other suggestions?
|
-Warpriest
Pros: Blessings allow interesting options. Air gices you point blank master and unlimited range. Sacred weapon damage gives a nice boost. Bonus feats are always good.
Cons: Poor Skills, poor stat synergy
-Inquisitor
Pros: Good Skills, Good Nova capability, Full pet with the right archetype
Cons: No access to Improved Precise Shot, poort stat synergy
-Zen Archer
Pros: More feats than you need, freeing you to take magical tail feats or other things for flavor.
Cons: poor stat synergy
Bolt Ace gunslinger
Pros: Dex to Damage, flavor
Cons: The archetype has some editing flaws that make it less than ideal for PFS.
-Warpriest
Pros: Blessings allow interesting options. Air gices you point blank master and unlimited range. Sacred weapon damage gives a nice boost. Bonus feats are always good.
Cons: Poor Skills, poor stat synergy-Inquisitor
Pros: Good Skills, Good Nova capability, Full pet with the right archetype
Cons: No access to Improved Precise Shot, poort stat synergy-Zen Archer
Pros: More feats than you need, freeing you to take magical tail feats or other things for flavor.
Cons: poor stat synergyBolt Ace gunslinger
Pros: Dex to Damage, flavor
Cons: The archetype has some editing flaws that make it less than ideal for PFS.
For the Warpriest, I think the skills are the big thing keeping me away. I don't think I'd want fewer than 4 skills/level total.
Inquisitor is OK, but I just started a melee inquisitor. Zen Archer just seems a little bland.
What are the issues with Bolt Ace? I looked over it, but nothing jumped out at me.
And I would like to use my Charisma bonus for something besides social skills.
Bloodrager with an adaptive bow.
Hmm. Are there any bloodlines that would be especially helpful to an archer?
RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32
|
Dunno; can't access my PDF from here. But if nothing else, the Arcane bloodline can give you free blur (or other buffs) when you rage, starting at 4th level. Good for when the baddies decide that sundering your bow would be a good countermeasure, you know? I'm sure you could find other, even better options.
Oh, also, you're a copycat for making a kitsune duo with your lady.
Hey, she's the one who wants to do it.
You know there is that Savage Technologist barbarian archetype now, which does a Str+Dex rage. Are there any rage powers that would help an archer, besides basic defensive stuff?
Reckless Abandon seems especially good, since he won't be in melee.
Gearbreaker doesn't seem worth it for as rarely as I'd encounter constructs with hardness, even in Season 6. Rolling Dodge could be good to protect against ranged attacks, and Spirit Totem could help with that too.
What about the other build ideas I listed? Any suggestions or opinions on those?
|
|
Gearbreaker doesn't seem worth it for as rarely as I'd encounter constructs with hardness, even in Season 6. Rolling Dodge could be good to protect against ranged attacks, and Spirit Totem could help with that too.
I've been seeing more critters with hardness lately. Not only season 6, but also in
If one of your archers might shoot things with a gun rather than a bow, gunslinger with the mysterious stranger archetype uses charisma. A ninja can be made into a decent archer and uses charisma also. Also, the hooded champion archetype of the ranger from the ACG uses charisma though I'm not convinced of its effectiveness.
Some adamantine arrows or bullets might help with hardness.
Oh wow. I hadn't seen the Hooded Champion archetype. That might be good for my fiancee, although I'm not sure how well she'd do at managing a panache pool. Thanks!
I actually already have a Ninja that I didn't like very well, and I'm not hopeful about trying to get sneak attacks with ranged attacks. And I'm too scared of misfires to do a Mysterious Stranger.
I guess the major issue is that I'm looking for a build where the things I gain as a Kitsune (bonus to Charisma, access to Arcane Strike through his racial SLA) at least come close to making up for what he loses by not being human (bonus feat for a feat-starved build, bonus skill points).
Kitsune have great stats for a Paladin, specifically the Divine Hunter archetype. You get Precise shot for free at level 1, and your smite evil applies to every arrow you fire, including with rapid shot (I think). I know the shapeshifting thing isn't completely in line with a Lawful Good Character, but that might make it fun to play.
I have a Halfling version of this character that bought a combat trained pony to let her make full round attacks and still move 40' per turn. She's a lot of fun.
Kitsune have great stats for a Paladin, specifically the Divine Hunter archetype. You get Precise shot for free at level 1, and your smite evil applies to every arrow you fire, including with rapid shot (I think). I know the shapeshifting thing isn't completely in line with a Lawful Good Character, but that might make it fun to play.
I have a Halfling version of this character that bought a combat trained pony to let her make full round attacks and still move 40' per turn. She's a lot of fun.
I can't believe I didn't think of doing a Divine Hunter! But they are starved for skills, and the code of conduct can be nigh-impossible to follow in some PFS scenarios, so I'm leaning away from it.
Right now, I think we may both do Hooded Champions, and I might add the Infiltrator and/or Trapper archetypes on top of that.
Another idea: Spellscar Drifter 3/Mysterious Stranger 1/Fighter
Get the Quick Clear deed from Spellscar Drifter, then get Cha to damage from the dip into Mysterious Stranger, then Fighter for the bonus feats.
If you're going to be multiclassing that much grab one level in a class which gets panache. Grit and Panache pools stack and so you'd get twice your charisma mod to the combined pool.
If you want to capitalize on the Dex / Cha bonuses, a Hooded Champion ranger might not be a bad choice. The hooded champion uses a Charisma-based panache system, like the swashbuckler, but most of the character's feat choices are locked into archery (example: they're required to take the archery combat style).
In short, you basically become Robin Hood, and as a kitsune, you're Disney's Robin Hood.
OK, here's what I'm leaning toward right now for the two of us:
His:
Kitsune Ranger (Hooded Champion, Skirmisher)
12/17/12/12/12/14
Traits: Dangerously Curious, Reactionary
1: Point Blank Shot, panache
2: Precise Shot
3: Deadly Aim, favored terrain
4: hunter's bond (not the animal companion)
5: Rapid Shot, hunter trick (sudden shift), favored enemy (humanoid [human]) +4
Hers:
Kitsune Ranger (Hooded Champion, Trapper)
12/17/12/12/12/14
Traits: Reactionary, ???
1: Point Blank Shot, panache
2: Precise Shot
3: Deadly Aim, favored terrain
4: hunter's bond (not the animal companion)
5: Rapid Shot, ranger traps, favored enemy (outsider [evil]) +4
A quick glance at your builds reveals that you don't want your character to be mechanically identical to your wife's. That's good, as things will get boring fast for both of you if you are mechanical clones of one another. However, feat-wise you both are still pretty much identical. Furthermore, having two dedicated archers in a group can be problematic because if you combine that with, say, a wizard and a cleric in PFS, then the game turns into a squishy rocket tag of dead people.
With that in mind, here's my suggestion:
Hers:
Kitsune Ranger (Hooded Champion, Trapper)
1: Panache, Deeds, Trapfinding, Wild Empathy. Point-Blank Shot.
2: Combat Style: Archery. Precise Shot.
3: Endurance. Rapid Shot.
4: Hunter's Bond (Animal Companion)
5: Favored Enemy 1 (Any), Trap (Any). Deadly Aim OR Escape Artist.
Here are some points. First, skills are VERY easy for new players. VERY easy. Hooded Champion is set up to be pretty good at skills thanks to derring-do deed in addition to the ranger's usual skill benefits. Stacking trapper only makes this better for your wife, as she'll be the one that everyone expects to search for all of the things that can (and will) kill you. Take the animal companion instead of the hunter's bond at 4th level. The big reason is that a companion's bond functions by sharing your favored enemy bonus with your allies, but at level 4 you don't HAVE a favored enemy bonus because you traded it with the hooded champion archetype. You'd have to wait an entire level for that class feature to be useful when an animal companion is always helpful, even if she only uses it as a bodyguard while she shoots at people. (Animal companions are REALLY good at that, especially if both archer and animal take the Escape Artist feat. That way, if your wife stays near her animal, she can make quick escapes because Fluffy will stop her movement from provoking attacks of opportunity.
His:
Kitsune Ranger (Divine Tracker / Hooded Champion), Swashbuckler (Inspiring Blade)
1: Panache, Deeds, Favored Weapon. Weapon Focus (bow), Point-Blank Shot.
2: Panache, Deeds, Inspired Finesse. Weapon Focus (rapier)
3: Combat Style: Archery. Rapid Shot, Fencing Grace (see text).
4: Blessings (any two).
5: Favored Enemy 1 (Any). Quick Draw.
Here are some points. First, the Divine Tracker archetype is awesome. It trades Wild Empathy for Weapon Focus with a deity's favored weapon (YOUR deity's, as a matter of fact). Erastil (LG) is an obvious choice for longbows, although there are a couple of Empyreal Lords with the longbow / shortbow as a favored weapon too. (The demigod in B4 comes to mind.) After this, you dip one level into inspiring blade swashbuckler because it grants you Weapon Finesse and Weapon Focus with the rapier, plus the opportune parry and riptose deed (which hooded champions do not normally get.) From there, you go back to ranger and pick up Rapid Shot as your bonus feat. Why not Precise Shot? First, your build is designed to switch between melee and ranged as you feel like it. You don't need to worry about ranged penalties, especially since you can count on your wife's character to stay out of combat. When you finally get your blessings, rejoice! They have some awesome benefits, depending on which one you pick. Much better than the "I'm not doing anything useful" hunter's bond ability.
Just a couple ideas. If you really wanted this build to be different, you could also swap out your ranger levels for warpriest levels (having a free Weapon Focus ability with your rapier would allow both your bow and your rapier to use your sacred weapon die) and pick up the champion of the faith archetype, which is more Charisma-based to complement the kitsune and the swashbuckler.
Note that in your example, your favored enemy bonus at 5th level is only +2. You traded away favored enemy 1 at first level, so you're only just getting favored enemy 1 at 5th level.
Note that in your example, your favored enemy bonus at 5th level is only +2. You traded away favored enemy 1 at first level, so you're only just getting favored enemy 1 at 5th level.
Hooded Champion doesn't stack with Divine Tracker.
And that's not how I read the archetype replacement. It says it replaces the favored enemy gained at level 1, but doesn't say anything about delaying the increases at level 5 and later.
I'm not too worried about a lack of melee. That doesn't happen much in PFS, and if it did, that just means we have a lot of ranged damage and support instead.