You can check this discussion:
https://paizo.com/threads/rzs2u5ef?BestStrongest-Archery-Build#1
I think it covers almost any option worth considering
Honestly archery is one of the most powerful combat options in Pathfinder and pretty hard to screw up. You are looking at getting Rapid Shot and Manyshot as soon as you can, but the BAB requirement of +6 on manyshot (8th level for 3/4 BAB characters) means without any real tricks it comes online at a decent time for just about everyone. Other feats (deadly aim, cluster shot, point blank master etc.) can enhance and some work better for some builds, but in most cases they are just nice extras, the cores is lots of attacks.
Archery is powerful because you can pretty much always take a full attack action without any particular investment. Even with investment in getting full attacks (pounce for example) melee characters are more limited (if my pouncing barbarian kills his opponent with one swing, the rest of his attacks are lost, your archer can just switch to the next target.) Additionally things like terrain that often negatively effect a melee characters ability to get into combat seldom effect archers (although the things that do effect you, like wind wall, can shut you down hard so having a plan for that in good).
A second advantage that archers have is that distance is often a great defense. If your AC is lower than ideal, a melee character is going to feel it all the time, an archer, not so much. This if course frees up resources for other things.
So basically, I wouldn't focus at the beginning on 'maximize damage' as you are almost certain to have very good damage anyway. I'd think about other things you might want to do and use that to guide which of the many effective archer builds you want to make.
I've just built an archer-based Inquisitor that is awesome. Great for archery, great for some spell casting as well. Archery is kind of king of the martial damage builds. It's very feat intensive so I usually recommend human, but that thread Alzhan mentioned is a great one.
They start being good at level 1, especially if you have both point blank shot and precise shot. They scale well with damage, and even affecting multiple targets.
I took inquisitor because I can take the feather domain and have an animal companion as a guardian for me, as well as the solo tactics feather which lets me take companion feats that actually work, like friendly fire maneuver and enfilading fire.
If you want more specific advice, please ask.
J
First level
All PF content (no 3rd party content)
Would like to maximize damage
Willing to wait for the build to become good, but would like to hear when it is expected to become good (around what level)
Would rather use a bow, but willing to hear about different ranged weapons
Considerations:
* Bows are expensive, and you'll be selling them off for half and replacing them as your strength improves -- unless you wait (for what seems like an eternity playing-from-1st unless your GM slam-plays with a fairly "rich" WBL curve) for a +1/Adaptive bow, which exceeds 3,000gp. Later on, that'll seem like nothing, but it's a grind at low-level, especially since that's when you have very few feats.
* Archers are MAD: they can dump charisma and short intelligence, but they need the other four stats.
* Archers who dump their charisma and short their intelligence are, at least in my experience, boring to play, especially as pure martial (i.e., fighter chassis with a few dips out) one-trick-ponies. "I shoot at it!" repeated ad nauseam wears thin fast. With a typically excellent Perception score, the character might notice when a situation is about to head south, but that's about the extent of their OoC contribution. With above-average player charisma and IQ, your guy can become the life-of-the-party, but it won't be a function of the build-mechanics.
* You can be a quite decent archer with a small handful of feats; you can become about 50% better than that by throwing every single feat you ever get at it.
* An archer caught by surprise usually has awful AC (due to being flat-footed in light armor); as you're typically positioned off on a tangent from the rest of the party to avoid soft-cover penalties, you are ambush-bait. (And, as you acquire reputation for deadly marksmenship, intelligent adversaries will prep accordingly.) For this reason, archers are frequently "Live fast, die young" types of characters.
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Questions:
1) Point-buy or rolled stats?
2) WBL expectation?
3) Are the Retraining rules permitted?
4) What other roles are "filled" in the party so far?
5) Is the GM an experienced home-game runner, or will this be an AP romp?
6) Multiclassing sky's-the-limit, or is a dim view taken?
7) Lots of RP, or mainly dungeon-crawls?
Sorry had to clean up the soda I spit out @Slim Jim
Let me cover your points first:
*Yeah that mw composite longbow (+2 str) for 600 gold is expensive but worth it. Most archers I've seen never up their str so not sure what you are talking about buying/selling etc..granted EVERY character has the same problem as upgrading the main weapon.
*MAD how? A 14 str is a good compromise, yeah a 18 dex is nice maybe a 12 con..since you aren't a front liner, and maybe a 14 wis? that is hardly MAD.
* yeah if you play a dumb archer, you get a boring character...same with a barbarian yelling ME SMASH!
* yeah not even gonna entertain how false that one is. Yeah you need to put all your feats in it but the payout is there.
*Every class has a awful AC under X circumstance and? Yeah soft cover penalty sucks. But "live fast, die young" I have a level 10 archer with a 10 con that a gm rolls her eyes when I tell her I'm playing him. Since it is pretty much a "I win" button.
Not talking down on ya by any means, but I feel you might be lacking in seeing a real archer :) Granted I'm being a tad sarcastic because I know slim knows a lot but I feel he is a bit wrong here.
So trying to be brief here this is a quickie of my level 10 Sanctified Slayer Inquisitor. First stats 14str, 20 dex, 12 con, 12 int, 16 wis, cha 8... I put my level 4 and 8 boost in wis and cha and a Belt of physical might dex and con. (so yes a 10 con) I have +10 init and +12 in a surprise round. Fort +12 ref 12 and will 14 AC 22 and a massive 69 hp.
Skills +18/21 for knowledge arcana, dungeon,nature,planes, religion (He is a monster hunter after all) 27 perception, 20 sense motive, 21 survival 13 spellcraft and 9 diplomacy (there is more but I think that shows he does more than point a bow)
Feats: boon companion, clustered shot, coordinated shot, deadly aim, friendly fire maneuver, improved spell sharing, manyshot, point blank shot, precise shot and rapid shot. You take friendly fire maneuver at level 3 your allies no longer provide soft cover.
For a ambush..first +12 init so might help, I have a +1 spell storing mithril agile breastplate with Stricken heart (stagger a big bad) Oh and my Velociraptor guarding me 28 ac 94 hp feats: friendly switch, power attack, step up and toughness... Typically she does: bite +14 1d6 +12, 2 claws +14 +1d4+12 and 2 talons +14 1d8+12. If they arent dead they will be in a second.
The archer when he needs to kill something: +24 (2 arrows) +24/+19 each arrow hitting at 1d8+19+2d6+1d6 acid oh forgot point blank in this one. Oh and I've saved the party with spells too Resist energy communal was insane.
Sorry for a rant but a archer can be lots of things
Sorry had to clean up the soda I spit out @Slim Jim<doff tricorn> "I aims ta please, m'Lady!" <Rake’s Smile Diplomacy-check>
*Yeah that mw composite longbow (+2 str) for 600 gold is expensive but worth it.You're unlikely to have it at 1st level (pro tip to the youngster weebles out there: do NOT blow a trait on Rich Parents; the Retraining rules do not apply to starting traits), IOW piss-poor archery until 2nd, sometimes 3rd (when Rapid Shot comes online in many builds if not taken before Precise Shot). --"Archers" should have a plan for before then.
Most archers I've seen never up their str so not sure what you are talking about buying/selling etc.
Every (primarily-an-)archer I've ever built features upgraded strength because, in addition to a noticeable percentage increase in damage, it lets you not suck in melee. Because the game isn't always nice to you.
Right after your post, Meirril wrote: "Your first goal is to get a +1 adaptive bow," underscoring that sentiment.
*MAD how? A 14 str is a good compromise, yeah a 18 dex is nice....I.e., you need both. (MAD doesn't mean that both have to be equal, just that both are necessary for the build to function. By contrast, I wouldn't recommend playing a heavy-armor sword-n-board with a dexterity of 7, but I have seen it done, and rather successfully.)
... maybe a 12 con..since you aren't a front liner, and....You're a front-liner the moment the opposition wants you to be a front-liner. Or when you want to be, because switch-hittery makes those one-trick-pony blues go away...see below...and your allies might appreciate it if, on occasion, you brought your untouched meatwall of hitpoints into melee and offered yourself as a diversionary target before somebody wheezing on fumes dies. (I have an especial hate-on for those cowardly paladins called Divine Hunters, but I digress.)
* yeah if you play a dumb archer, you get a boring character...You could have quoted my actual text directly alluding to such being a possibility.
same with a barbarian yelling ME SMASH!
The difference is that such is the barbarian stereotype, and stereotypes are fun in to play in RPGs, especially when carried over the top in a package whose class abilities are tailored to enable getting away with it.
Speaking of strong archers, dipping barb is one of the more synergistic martial multiclassings.
I have a level 10 archer with a 10 con that a gm rolls her eyes when I tell her I'm playing him. Since it is pretty much a "I win" button.Mainly for non-archery reasons (as we shall see).
Not talking down on ya by any means, but I feel you might be lacking in seeing a real archer :) Granted I'm being a tad sarcastic because I know slim knows a lot but I feel he is a bit wrong here.I currently have the highest DPR build in that other linked thread. (And before anyone brings it up, as noted there, it's not a "viable" build, just a theoretical exercise. But it could easily be very viable with 25-33% detuning from maximum.)
Nice armor trick. (If the enemy ever learned how to do that, all the pounce builds would be very unhappy.)So trying to be brief here this is a quickie of my level 10 Sanctified Slayer Inquisitor. First stats 14str, 20 dex, 12 con, 12 int, 16 wis, cha 8... I put my level 4 and 8 boost in wis and cha and a Belt of physical might dex and con. (so yes a 10 con) I have +10 init and +12 in a surprise round. Fort +12 ref 12 and will 14 AC 22 and a massive 69 hp.
Skills +18/21 for knowledge arcana, dungeon,nature,planes, religion (He is a monster hunter after all) 27 perception, 20 sense motive, 21 survival 13 spellcraft and 9 diplomacy (there is more but I think that shows he does more than point a bow)Feats: boon companion, clustered shot, coordinated shot, deadly aim, friendly fire maneuver, improved spell sharing, manyshot, point blank shot, precise shot and rapid shot. You take friendly fire maneuver at level 3 your allies no longer provide soft cover.
For a ambush..first +12 init so might help, I have a +1 spell storing mithril agile breastplate with Stricken heart (stagger a big bad)
Oh and my Velociraptor guarding me 28 ac 94 hp feats: friendly switch, power attack, step up and toughness... Typically she does: bite +14 1d6 +12, 2 claws +14 +1d4+12 and 2 talons +14 1d8+12. If they arent dead they will be in a second.The audience will note that the pet dinosaur is coming from his taking the Animal domain and off-setting its -4 level penalization with Boon Companion.
The archer when he needs to kill something: +24 (2 arrows) +24/+19 each arrow hitting at 1d8+19+2d6+1d6 acid oh forgot point blank in this one.Could you break-down that damage? TIA.
Oh and I've saved the party with spells too Resist energy communal was insane.
What you have made is indeed a very solid build, albeit one with a lot of moving parts requiring a goodly amount of system-mastery.
-- This is why I asked the OP about the power-level his GM was going for. Pathfinder does indeed have serious class-imbalance reasons (so much so that Paizo has decided to kill the game and replace it with it with a new one under the same name), and if you say you're bringing an "archer", and he's thinking Legolas, but then you show up with a pet-monster-sidekicking spellcaster who carries a bow for kicks, there might be problems. Or not, if he just sighs and doubles the monster-count in order to give Inquisitor and Warpriest characters something to do.
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I currently have the highest DPR build in that other linked thread. (And before anyone brings it up, as noted there, it's not a "viable" build, just a theoretical exercise. But it could easily be very viable with 25-33% detuning from maximum.)
"Not viable" is a bit of an understatement. Not only do your numbers rely on multiple rounds just spent buffing, but also on several 1/day abilities. Not only would that character only be useful for one combat a day, but also by the time he's ready to fight the rest of the party will have already just about ended it.
Theoretical numbers do not a character make. Take away your free buff rounds and 1/day abilities and you won't be able to keep up with a well built party.
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I'm too paranoid for 1x per day. I do have some pre-buffs, mainly heroism, heightened awareness, bloodhound and magic weapon greater.
This character IS complicated and involves a bit of floating numbers.
So the breakdown of 24x2/24/19 and 1d8+19+2d6+1d6 acid: +7 bab +5 dex +2 enhancement (greater magic weapon) + 4 luck (divine favor) +2 morale (heroism) +4 untyped (coordinated shot will give +1 or +2 based on who is next to opponent..I assume +1. +3 of it is from studied target) -4 (rapid shot and deadly aim) +2 from bane +2 circumstance from pheromone arrow (scent from spell)
Damage: +2 str, + 4 enh (bane and weapon), + 9 untyped (deadly aim and studied and pheromone)+4 luck. 2d6 bane and 1d6 from deliquescent gloves.
Round 1 is a buff phase divine favor to myself and to the animal companion...she will attack first target and I study one opponent. If I really want to be silly I could cast greater invisibility to give me bonus hit and 3d6 sneak attack per arrow)
Feats Rapid shot and manyshot give you extra arrows and extra damage. Deadly aim is of course damage, clustered shot is GM tears when you tell her that all the arrows hit and you only apply the DR 10 once.
Gear...is a lot I am at level 10..Fear my mighty +1 composite (+2 str) seeking bow. (greater magic weapon overides it to +2) 2 efficient quivers with 50 pheromone arrows, 50 adamantine durable arrows and 100 normal arrows. Jaunt boots if in trouble, Ring of tactical precision on the animal companion (improved spell sharing) swarmbane clasp and silver nocking point
I've always wanted to use the Overwatch Style, but it comes online a bit late for my taste. The idea is to combine the ability to make several readied actions, with the Concentrated Fire feat. You'll also need a familiar using a bow, so a monkey would work if your GM is okay with it.
This is a feat-intensive path, so there's not much room for customization.
Zen Archer Monk 2
1. Deadly Aim, Precise Shot (B)
2. Rapid Shot (B), Weapon Focus (Longbow) (B)
Eldritch Guardian / Mutation Warrior Fighter 4
3. Point Blank Shot, Familiar
4. Share Training
5. Overwatch Style, Mutagen
6. Concentrated Fire (B)
Here is when you'll roll twice on your attack rolls.
After this I'd take Target of Opportunity, Advanced Weapon Training (Warrior Spirit), Overwatch Tactician and Overwatch Vortex (BAB 11).
**
Uses a bow until level 3.
Zen Archer 2
1. Deadly Aim, Precise Shot (B)
2. Rapid Shot (B), Weapon Focus (Longbow) (B)
Bolt Ace 5
3. Rapid Reload
4.
5. Weapon Focus (Light Crossbow)
6. Overwatch Style (B)
7. Concentrated Fire
Eldritch Guardian 2
8. Familiar
9. Improved Critical, Share Training
Finally. 17-20/x3 crit range and you roll twice on your attack rolls. (36% chance to score a critical threat)
10.
11. Target of Opportunity
12. Weapon Training
13. Overwatch Tactician, Overwatch Vortex (B)
Four readied attacks per round, and Target of Opportunity.
You'll probably want to stick with fighter after this.
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Augh. Missed PBS in the second build.
Either wait another level for things to come online, or buy Weapon Focus with the Light Crossbow for 4250 gp. (Cracked Opalescent white pyramid + Wayfinder)
Hold that thought....I currently have the highest DPR build in that other linked thread. (And before anyone brings it up, as noted there, it's not a "viable" build, just a theoretical exercise. But it could easily be very viable with 25-33% detuning from maximum.)"Not viable" is a bit of an understatement. Not only do your numbers rely on multiple rounds just spent buffing, but also on several 1/day abilities. Not only would that character only be useful for one combat a day, but also by the time he's ready to fight the rest of the party will have already just about ended it. Theoretical numbers do not a character make. Take away your free buff rounds and 1/day abilities and you won't be able to keep up with a well built party.
I'm too paranoid for 1x per day. I do have some pre-buffs, mainly heroism, heightened awareness, bloodhound and magic weapon greater. This character IS complicated and involves a bit of floating numbers.
So the breakdown of 24x2/24/19 and 1d8+19+2d6+1d6 acid: +7 bab +5 dex +2 enhancement (greater magic weapon) + 4 luck (divine favor) +2 morale (heroism) +4 untyped (coordinated shot will give +1 or +2 based on who is next to opponent..I assume +1. +3 of it is from studied target) -4 (rapid shot and deadly aim) +2 from bane +2 circumstance from pheromone arrow (scent from spell)Damage: +2 str, + 4 enh (bane and weapon), + 9 untyped (deadly aim and studied and pheromone)+4 luck. 2d6 bane and 1d6 from deliquescent gloves.
Round 1 is a buff phase divine favor to myself and to the animal companion...she will attack first target and I study one opponent. If I really want to be silly I could cast greater invisibility to give me bonus hit and 3d6 sneak attack per arrow)...
Whole lotta buffing going on there, and he's not even a warpriest roasting otherwise unused swift actions.
<raspy grandpa voice> Back in the old days when we walked two miles to school uphill both ways through the snow and also PFS mods were written to make it a royal PITA to secure a full-attack sequence, the character would make lemonade out of his lemons by swift- and move-buffing whenever he was denied a full-attack.
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The Zero-Buff Martial "Archer" Who Murderhobos From 1st
STR: 14
DEX+ 17 (half-orc: 15,14,14,14,12,7 20pt array)
CON: 14
(Mental stats: 14,12,7 arrayed as you please)
01 Barbarian1 [Savage Technologist], Extra Rage
-- "Wait, that's not an 'archer'!" I hear you shouting. Oh? He's not? Are you sure? ...He can rage for str+2 and dex+2 as a free-action (so am not calling rage an action-economy-eating "buff") and throws a javelin for d6+4, which is a better attack bonus for more damage than the d8+2 arrow shot your typical PBS+Precise two-feat starter kit archer gets. Few if any combats at this level will be at long range; and anything within 80' the barb can just charge with a polearm for d10+6 (with good odds of one-shot-dropping any non-boss opponent). The barb's total expenses on weapons are under 20gp for a bardiche and some javelins. Unlike arrows, javelins don't have a break chance. In other words, he's saving his money. (The archer can too, of course -- but only by forfeiting an out-of-gate bow and throwing or slinging himself, lowering his damage commensurately.)
02 Fighter1 [Weapon Specialist][feat: Quick Draw]
03 Fighter2 [feat: Point-Blank Shot], Rapid Shot
Full-attack (at 3rd): two javelins. No Precise Shot (yet, anyway), as build is enjoying a ground-state +2 attack bonus advantage over non-rage/no-buff builds, and we're good in melee and so don't mind diving in instead of instead of eating soft-cover archery penalties. WBL at 3rd is 3000gp, so an Adaptive bow is still waiting in the wings.
04 Fighter2 [Weapon Training +1 (composite longbow)], DEX>18
WBL has finally caught up, and we purchase our permanent +1/Adaptive weapon: either a special-materials longbow or an Orc hornbow (which I assume cannot be darkwood/whipwood/etc if the GM adheres to this item's "flavor text"). Attack bonus jumps +3 this level, offsetting the Rapid Shot penalty (this is especially significant if we play 'up' in PFS versus better enemy AC).
05 ...This is where our multiclass decides whether to fork, or remain fighter. Boon Companion taken here in conjunction with a critter class provides a full-level sidekick and probably some spellcasting applicability. But this build won't do any casting, so....
05 Cavalier [Luring/Order of the Land], Boon Companion
While the options are more limited (at least in RAW) versus an unrestricted animal companion, if the companion's primary purpose is melee defense rather than top-drawer striker capability, then just about anything with decent AC and hitpoints will do. In exchange for less-than-best animal, we keep full-BAB and pick up Challenge (which, since it's a Swift-action to deploy and therefore doesn't disrupt full-attacking, we won't consider a "buff"). The juiciness we're working toward here is the fact that Gloves of Dueling and Vambraces of the Tactician take different item slots. Champion's Banner to complete the picture.
Or, now secure in office we brazenly lie to the voters and go caster after all with...
05 Hunter1 [Primal Companion/], Boon Companion
...going off full-BAB for an anything-goes animal companion with evolution swift-buffing, druid+ranger spell list, and Amplified Rage at 7th pumping rage bonuses even higher. Fighter4 at any point for another feat (e.g., the briefly delayed Manyshot, etc).
One of the big problems I see with any caster build for an archer is you need time to get buffs. Ekibus' build dumps a round every combat to cast 2 buffs (thanks to fervor I assume). If that character wants to use studied target that is more actions used.
Not sure how Ekibus gets Bane but I'm assuming it isn't a swift action? Or is it? Bane doesn't appear on that bow and if you are going to be so bold as to say its part of your damage calculation you better be able to change what creature type the Bane is every fight. Actually, I'm really curious how Ekibus does that? The only class I know that can Bane on the fly is Fighter using the appropriate Advanced Weapon Training.
Inquisitors can use Bane as a swift action.
"At 5th level, an inquisitor can imbue one of her weapons with the bane weapon special ability as a swift action. She must select one creature type when she uses this ability (and a subtype if the creature type selected is humanoid or outsider). Once selected, the type can be changed as a swift action... This ability lasts for a number of rounds per day equal to the inquisitor’s level. These rounds do not need to be consecutive."
The nice thing about being an archer is that unless you're being personally threatened, you can use your move action to study target and your swift to assign bane, and make a full attack. Once a target is studied you don't need to do it again until/unless you switch targets. Same thing with Bane.
J
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Once the spell is cast, you and the companion creature can move farther apart without ending the effect.
They were taking about using it in your buffing round.
Remember that a buffing round for a ranged PC is really only losing out on a single attack compared to melee pc in most situations, as they will have to move. Also, making up attacks is easy when you are make more of them around than most melee pcs.
Uh @Slim you do realize a inquisitor is a hybrid so magic is his thing. That said Greater magic weapon and bloodhound last 10 hours. Heroism and heightened awareness last about 100 mins. He only buffs in round 1 with divine favor. Dang no wonder in every post you bring up the savage technologist..pretty broken and the fact you just want it for a dip proves it. It's a nice switch hitter.
@Meirril Fighter sadly cant get bane in pfs :( Round one is spent on my study and divine favor split between me and the velociraptor...then the velociraptor pounces at +14 to hit with bite 1d6+12, claw x2 1d4 +12 and talon x2 1d8+12..now the companion in front and center..so even my buff phase has me attack.
The durable adamantine arrows are VERY expensive but it bypasses hardness (which clustered shot doesn't) Also I can gather them after.. granted I tend to use the disposable but it's a option. Obviously that was a late purchase for me
Uh @Slim you do realize a inquisitor is a hybrid so magic is his thing.
I am fully aware of the fact that Inquisitors (and warpriests) straight-up outclass (as straight-classes) most straight-class martial builds. (The caster/martial disparity always existed, but CRB wizards and sorcs at least had the common decency to not be better than the fighter with a sword.)
From a power-gamer standpoint, about the only reason not to play an Inquisitor or Warpriest weapon-specialist of any type, whether sword or bow, is because you don't want to be an Inquisitor or Warpriest.
Looks like Meirril is right. I guess you can cast Divine Favor for normal and less challenging encounters and then cast Blood Scent for tougher challenges. The bonus won't be as high as Divine Favor, not in the first round at least unless you use bleeding arrows, but it will affect the whole party.
I'm getting drawn to the caster archer more and more. I'm a bit thorn between Hunter and Inquisitor though. I'd like to use a hornbow and Hunter makes this easier for a Half-Orc character. Inquisitor has some nifty trick up his sleeves though, especially regarding action economy. Both are better than Warpriest IMO for their utility out of combat.
Meirril wrong feat, improved spell sharing teamwork feat.
I'm not a huge fan of the warpriest due to the 2+int skills and even the skills you get you aren't great at.
Hunter vs inquisitor? Inquisitor. You get divine favor and bane. But I'll double check when i get a moment, pretty sure when hunter came out i checked but worth a second look.
they actually seem to be completely different feats.
Improved Spell Sharing (Teamwork)
->Requires both the caster and target to have this feat
->Splits the spell between yourself and the target
Share Spells (Teamwork)
->Requires your target have the bonded mind feat, but not this feat
->Target gains the full benefit of your spell instead of you
The improved version doesn't work on characters that lack a companion without some kind of work around, with the only benefit being that one casting covers both for half the time.
Edit: The improved spell sharing also requires that the target "BE" your animal companion, meaning that unless you have a class feature that automatically shares your teamwork feats with your animal companion this feat can't be used at all. Even if the companion could take it it would be a tax for the animal companion.
So, while they may "look" related, they are quite different. The improved tag is referring to the companion ability "share spells" and is an augmentation for pet class characters. The other feat, allows the party wizard to cast mage armor on the rogue (provided that the wizard in question has a familiar).
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I'm getting drawn to the caster archer more and more. I'm a bit thorn between Hunter and Inquisitor though. I'd like to use a hornbow and Hunter makes this easier for a Half-Orc character. Inquisitor has some nifty trick up his sleeves though, especially regarding action economy. Both are better than Warpriest IMO for their utility out of combat.
If you want to use an Orc Hornbow, you absolutely want to be an Inquisitor, since you can take Friendly Fire Maneuvers at level 3 to give you the equivalent of Improved Precise Shot (probably also with Sanctified Slayer archetype). Either that, or you push off Friendly Fire Maneuvers to 6 and instead take the Ravener Hunter archetype, choosing the Wood Bond relevation of the Wood Mystery to give you a scaling bonus to attack rolls with your bow.
The durable adamantine arrows are VERY expensive but it bypasses hardness (which clustered shot doesn't) Also I can gather them after.. granted I tend to use the disposable but it's a option. Obviously that was a late purchase for me
Do many enemies out there even have hardness?
J
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There's also DR/adamantine, but once you get Clustered Shots you care a whole lot less about that. Durable adamantine arrows are nice to have around in general, but I wouldn't buy more than 10 or so.
It's also worth noting that they only bypass hardness LESS THAN 20. So there will be things where you're still SOL.
Okay, thanks. I'd think bracers of archery would help as well. It's a competence bonus, does that conflict with anything?
J
Lol people seem to be hung up on the adamantine durable arrows.. I had the gold and nothing really stuck out..so I picked it up for when hardness was a issue...that and to joke with the gm that my arrows should be able to go through the door now :) Also I made him with "monster hunter" in mind so he is made to cover his bases.
The bracers would work nothing in the list gives competence. While it is nice to get +1 to hit 5000g makes me hesitant and the 25000 price really makes me nervous. While it is nice to get more to hit I actually feel this build is in a good place for hit.
I'm not seeing much that would make me go hunter TBH but then the inquisitor gets divine favor and studied target which gets you +3 hit and damage (with trait) at level 1. Also losing solo tactics really hurts just losing the ability to avoid soft cover from your enemies at level 3 is a game changer