Improved Precise Shot or Seeking Weapon?

[Makknus]

My switch hitting ranger, sliding toward dedicated archer, just hit level 10. I have the option to get a +1 Holy Bow with improved Precise Shot as a feat, or a +2 Seeking Bow and an alternate feat choice with combat style. Campaign is chok full of evil baddies of all kinds, but we also keep getting into fights with enemies that can attain invisibility, and are sorely lacking in ways to combat it (leaning toward Seeking for that reason).

Current Stats: 19str 18 dex 16 con 10 int 14 wis 7 cha (dex is low for dedicated archer, yes, but that is a recent development due to change in party comp)

[Smallfoot]

Makknus wrote:

My switch hitting ranger, sliding toward dedicated archer, just hit level 10. I have the option to get a +1 Holy Bow with improved Precise Shot as a feat, or a +2 Seeking Bow and an alternate feat choice with combat style. Campaign is chok full of evil baddies of all kinds, but we also keep getting into fights with enemies that can attain invisibility, and are sorely lacking in ways to combat it (leaning toward Seeking for that reason).

Current Stats: 19str 18 dex 16 con 10 int 14 wis 7 cha (dex is low for dedicated archer, yes, but that is a recent development due to change in party comp)

You need 19dex for Improved Precise Shot, so that may not be an option. If you can get the extra point of dex, I'd recommend Holy over Seeking, since Holy is roughly equivalent to +7 damage when it's in effect. On the other hand, you're more familiar with the evil/invisible ratio in your encounters.

[Mysterious Stranger]

He is a ranger so is probably using his bonus feat which ignores prerequisites.

[Djelai]

I suggest Improved Precise Shot and a "boring" +3 Bow. More to-hit bonus is nice, especially when your Dex is lower than the standard for a dedicated archer.

[Andy Brown]

If it's invisible creatures you're worried about, Improved Precise Shot doesn't help (it doesn't work against total concealment). Seeking will help if you can pinpoint the square the target is in.

[Smallfoot]

Mysterious Stranger wrote:

He is a ranger so is probably using his bonus feat which ignores prerequisites.

I'm sure you're right. My mistake, with apologies to Makknus. As Andy Brown points out, it comes down to how much Makknus is worried about invisible enemies.

[Athaleon]

Why not both? Seeking doesn't help with the AC bonus your targets get from cover, and Improved Precise Shot doesn't help with miss chances from Blur, Invisibility, etc.

[Djelai]

Athaleon wrote:

Improved Precise Shot doesn't help with miss chances from Blur

Actually, it does.

IPS lets you ignore cover AND miss chance other than "total".

[TriOmegaZero]

Always go both.

[Athaleon]

Djelai wrote:

Athaleon wrote:

Improved Precise Shot doesn't help with miss chances from Blur

Actually, it does.

IPS lets you ignore cover AND miss chance other than "total".

The exact wording "the miss chance granted to targets by anything less than total concealment" does seem to support that. I had always taken it to mean "any concealment less than total".

[Makknus]

To add some complexity to this - I don't currently have Precise Shot, as anytime melee broke out I waded in with a greatsword. Would I be further ahead to take Improved PS with the combat style and take PS with my level 11 feat to have both, or get PS now and wait for my next style feat to get Improved?

In the campaign we have vampires, dragons, devils and demons, plus a slew of casters we've been up against. It was enough that I took Blind Fight for melee because of all the greater invisibility and darkness spells going around (we don't have a caster in our group - the sorcerer got bored and rerolled as a cavalier).