Just wondering if the Ranged Spellstrike is a good base for the Arcane Archer's Enhance and Imbue Arrows. Go Myrmidarch for 7 levels and then go into Eldritch Knight for 2 and Arcane Archer for 3 levels. Wondering if that is a good play build up to EK and then into AA.
I'd personally recommend Urban Archer? Same Ranged Spellstrike Ability, without the reduced spellcasting? I've not crunched the numbers though but look into it?
Urban Archer? Can you provided a link, please?
^If you mean Eldritch Archer from Heroes of the Street, that is the better archer archetype of Magus, but last I heard it is banned in PFS. I am not a PFS person, though, and do not have the PFS supplementary materials, so it could have gotten un-banned some time this spring without my knowing about it.
Myrmidarch isn't really an archer archetype of Magus -- you can use it for that, but it doesn't work very well, because while you get Ranged Spellstrike, you don't get Ranged Spell Combat (which Eldritch Archer does), and you don't get an easy way to make Touch range spells into ranged Spellstrike spells (which Card Caster Magus does -- as a Myrmidarch or for that matter an Eldritch Archer, you have to use the Reach Spellstrike Magus Arcana to enable this, and then the Distant Spellstrike Magus Arcana to extend beyond Close range, but Myrmidarch Magus only gives you 3 Magus Arcana total, and the alternative of Reach Spell metamagic is expensive on your limited spell slots). In addition, using Ranged Spellstrike normally means you are converting a Ranged Touch Attack into a normal Ranged Attack, which means you are less likely to hit unless you manage to get enough enchantment on your ranged weapon to overcome the difference, or find some way to make your ranged weapon work as a Ranged Touch Attack (easiest way is to dip into Gunslinger and use a gun as your ranged weapon, optionally using the Deadeye Deed to extend the range at which your attack works against Touch AC).
The real use for the Myrmidarch archetype is to get Weapon Training and Armor Training on a Magus, letting you do some interesting things with switch-hitting, such as get Ace Trip (which depends upon Weapon Training or Martial Focus) and Advanced Weapon Training (which depends upon Weapon Training and won't accept Martial Focus as a substitute). The substitution of Spell Recall and Improved Spell Recall with Ranged Spellstrike is a straight downgrade unless you are doing the Gunslinger dip as noted above. The only other way to get Weapon Training and Armor Training on a Magus without an unreasonably long Fighter dip or the Armored Battlemage archetype (which only does Armor Training and isn't very good) is to go VMC Fighter, which eats 5 feats, takes too long time to get online, and last I heard is not allowed in PFS anyway.
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Lots of good information from UnArcaneElection. The only thing I can add it this:
^If you mean Eldritch Archer from Heroes of the Street, that is the better archer archetype of Magus, but last I heard it is banned in PFS. I am not a PFS person, though, and do not have the PFS supplementary materials, so it could have gotten un-banned some time this spring without my knowing about it.
The list of what's allowed in PFS is the additional resources list.
I did mean Eldritch Archer, sorry. I have an Urban Ranger in my Hells Rebels campaign, got the two Archetypes conflated in my head.
Apparently its not PFS legal according to that list though, which is a pity. Wonder why not? (I don't PFS myself, so theres probably a good reason-ish)
This may not be what you ant at all, but I am just going to throw it out there.
I did mean Eldritch Archer, sorry. I have an Urban Ranger in my Hells Rebels campaign, got the two Archetypes conflated in my head.
Apparently its not PFS legal according to that list though, which is a pity. Wonder why not? (I don't PFS myself, so theres probably a good reason-ish)
Probably because being able to full-attack with longbows and cast spells at the same time was considered too powerful. This was balanced with melee attacks because spellcasting in melee combat is risky and forces you to engage an opponent. Letting you use a longbow throws that balance factor out the window.
There was a pretty huge debate about this on the PFS forums with valid points on both sides, but the decision remains firm.
Oh that makes sense. I was struggling to see what was so powerful about it.
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^Actually, the Card Caster is more intended for throwing weapons; in principle, you could use a Myrmidarch for throwing weapons, but if that's all you want out of it you aren't getting the optimal use of it. To make Myrmidarch good, you really need to make use of the Weapon Training in the ways introduced in the Weapon Master's Handbook (and to a lesser extent Armor Training in the ways introduced in the Armor Master's Handbook), and making good use of the Ranged Spellstrike that doesn't have a Ranged Spell Combat (or the Card Caster's Harrowed Spellstrike additional upgrade) to go with it requires some specialized investment (such as the Guslinger dip as I mentioned above).
Myrmidarch is pretty neat with throwing weapons thanks to Weapon Training, so he can simply get Ricochet Toss at level 9 for free returning weapons.
I'm going to agree with UnArcaneElection on this. I love the Myrmidarch, but think it is best as a melee-focused switch-hitter in the style of Treantmonk's switch-hitter Ranger. That said, Myrmidarch 8/Arcane Archer X isn't the worst Arcane Archer that you can build.
All wonderful suggestions and thank you all who pointed out the flaws in the Myrmidarch archetype. I wish the Eldritch Archer was PFS worthy. But alas tis not.
I think I deciding on an elf Wizard (Wood) 5, Ranger 4, Arcane Archer 3 to focus on being a balanced magical archer and still have the woodland appeal of elves. I shall work out the details and then post them here for suggestions.
So this is my PFS build for an enjoyable and playable arcane archer.
*Wizard= Bonded Wizard
*Ranger=Trapper (no spells but adds disable device and trapfinding)/Tanglebriar Demonslayer (Demonologist- added for RP)/Divine Tracker (Blessings- Good and Weather)
*Race=Elf
*Starting Abilities= STR=14 / DEX=17 / CON=12 / INT=16 / WIS=12 / CHA=7
1-Wizard 1 Flexible Enhancement DEX +1/ FEAT= PBS
2-Ranger 1 Favored Enemy=Demons / Trapfinding / Track
3-Ranger 2 / Ranger Combat Style= Precise Shot/ FEAT= Rapid Shot/
4-Wizard 2
5-Wizard 3 / Bonded Magic / FEAT= Deadly Aim
6-Wizard 4
7-Ranger 3 / Demonologist / FEAT= Weapon Focus-Longbow
8-Ranger 4 / Blessings Holy and Storm Strike
9-Arcane Archer 1 / Enhance Arrows / FEAT= Manyshot
10-Arcane Archer 2 / Imbue Arrows /
11-Wizard 5 / Flexible Enhancement CON +2 / FEAT= Dodge
12-Arcane Archer 3 / Elemental Arrows /
*Flexible Enhancement slotted to DEX until money purchased to buy a belt of + DEX, then Flexible Enhancement slotted to CON for +2
Ends up with the following=
*BAB= +9
*FORT= +9
*REF= +12
*WIL= +7
Spells= Wizard Caster Level 7th
^Don't you want the first level of Ranger to be before the first level of Wizard, to get better hit points (first HD = Max; other HD aren't Max)?
Also, I think Demonslayer and Trapper are technically incompatible, because Demonslayer adds spells to your spell list, but Trapper gets rid of your spell list.
