Jasonomicon Ex Mortis wrote:
Can anyone explain the purpose of Stalker's Shot to me? This is a reaction, you must be unseen, and the enemy must fail a check to detect you and then you get to shoot the enemy with a -2 penalty to hit. You then become visible to everyone. I have no idea what this is for, why not just take the shot without the penalty, with the exact same effect afterwards. I might not understand the action economy well enough yet to get this.. Can anyone please explain?
You are mostly correct about how it works. There is a weird gap in when this works and when this doesn't which I'll get to later. But here is my understanding:
1) You have to designate the Target using Hunt Target. You'll note the descriptions says, "The target you’re hunting" which I believe is the term of art used to indicate that the target has been identified as your Hunt Target.
2) The trigger event is the hunted target's failed Seek roll. It would appear that Seek is only used to find "Unseen" objects/creatures. So that means the Ranger must be able to approach the target Unseen and trigger the Seek check.
3) The -2 penalty is typically going to be canceled by the target being flat footed, I suppose this is Paizo's way of balancing the fact that you're getting a free attack.
4) So what is Paizo thinking with this Feat? Let 's look at some scenarios:
A) Ranger hears something. At which point, the Ranger can technically use the HT feat. Ranger must use Sneak to remain Unseen and approach the target. I think the idea is that the target then rolls a Seek and if it fails, the Ranger get to immediately fire an arrow against a flat-footed target before Init.
Problems - The key challenge for a GM is determining when checks are made or when they have to be made. Consider a Ranger stumbling across a patrol of Orcs. Both parties make Perception checks and the Ranger is not perceived. So the Ranger is now Unseen, designates one of them as his Hunt Target and then what happens? Does the Ranger have to use Sneak to trigger a Seek?
1) the ability is technically only triggered when the target fails a Seek against an Unseen target. What if the creature does not make a Seek check? What if the creature is unconscious or asleep? As long as the creature is considered to have failed this check if it does not make one, then it could still work.
B) In combat. A Ranger would have to first, use Hunt Target, then, find Concealment, then use Sneak. At the point, this would trigger the Seek from the target and the Ranger would get a free attack against a flat footed target. Why would you do this instead of just plain attacking? I have no idea.
C) The Ranger is benefited from being Unseen in the middle of combat. This would be accomplished by Camouflage at level 10 and using Sneak. So first you HT on someone, then you use Camo to approach said target or move round them. This would trigger the first attack. You'd have another action to then attack them out right.
So my initial reading suggest Stalker's Shot. Is going to useful on the RARE occasion that the Ranger can somehow both use HT and approach a target unseen. Then, at 10 level, it can be used to gain two attacks in natural setting in the first round while moving. Providing you're a Master in Stealth and take Camo. So as I see it, it's only really useful if you're in Natural terrain and you need to move before shooting. Then it would seem you'd get three attack per round.
Problem When is the attack triggered, at the end of the Sneak, at the beginning, or at any point? Or, when does a GM technically use Seek against an Unseen target, before it moves during its movement, or after it moves?
