X-BOW WITH VITAL STRIKE AND OVERWATCH STYLE

[Nosta1300]

Couple of questions

1: would a build of 1 level of bolt-Ace + 19 levels of Crossbowman be any good (Starting at level 3)

I want to target touch AC well using readied VITAL STRIKE Attacks (My GM Allows OVERWATCH STYLE and VITAL STRIKE to work together)

What should be my order of feats up to 11th level?

[avr]

I tried this just now and it's one of those things which requires even more feats than a fighter gets. Not really doable sorry.

BTW your Caps Lock key is broken.

[Coolwasabi]

Seemed doable to me up to level 11, but pretty much all feats are taken with only 1 spare if something like human or elf with crossbow training.

1 human? Rapid Reload
1 Point blank Shot
2 f1 Precise shot
3 f2 Rapid shot
3 Crossbow mastery
5 f4 weapon focus
5 Overwatch style
7 Vital strike
7 f6 Overwatch tactician
9 f8 Devastating strike
9 ?
11 f10 Improved Vital Strike
11 Overwatch Vortex

Extra feat at level 9 can be stuff like Improved Initiative, Iron Will, Weapon spec etc or you can be goofy and try to talk a team member into getting Artillery Team with you to occasionally shoot a large heavy crossbow... Can also supplement a build with a Training weapon enchant for spare feat at end of a feat chain.

[Covert Operator]

I did this with the Double Crossbow and it was OK. I used a specific oracle curse that gives you a free Move Action (to reload) to go along with your readied action.

[avr]

I came up with about the same list, but the other two essential feats I put on it were improved critical (so you can get grit back more than once/10 attacks; keen ammo is absurdly expensive, and keen crossbows don't bestow the property on their ammo) and weapon spec. or deadly aim (because otherwise your damage with non-vital strike is embarrassing). Extra grit would be a nice to have feat too. It doesn't seem to fit to me.

The training enchantment could be hard to get for the exact feat you want but could - just - make it fit.

[Nosta1300]

Coolwasabi wrote:

Seemed doable to me up to level 11, but pretty much all feats are taken with only 1 spare if something like human or elf with crossbow training.

1 human? Rapid Reload
1 Point blank Shot
2 f1 Precise shot
3 f2 Rapid shot
3 Crossbow mastery
5 f4 weapon focus
5 Overwatch style
7 Vital strike
7 f6 Overwatch tactician
9 f8 Devastating strike
9 ?
11 f10 Improved Vital Strike
11 Overwatch Vortex

Extra feat at level 9 can be stuff like Improved Initiative, Iron Will, Weapon spec etc or you can be goofy and try to talk a team member into getting Artillery Team with you to occasionally shoot a large heavy crossbow... Can also supplement a build with a Training weapon enchant for spare feat at end of a feat chain.

can you show me what should my damage look like at various levels

Can you show me the damage of Readied Vital strikes?

[Nosta1300]

Covert Operator wrote:

I did this with the Double Crossbow and it was OK. I used a specific oracle curse that gives you a free Move Action (to reload) to go along with your readied action.

Intriguing ....

Do you need to be a lizard man to take that curse?

[Wonderstell]

I'd not go with the Crossbowman archetype since it's pretty boring. You lose both Armor and Weapon Training so no Advanced options are available. That leaves you with a very feat-intensive build that deals damage and nothing else.

I'd probably just leave the Vital Strike feats alone and focus on Overwatch Style.

[Coolwasabi]

Try to get a training weapon enchant with Crossbow mastery for Heavy Xbow for the reloading eventually. Try to get easy ways of using Gravity Bow, through wands etc. Also should ask if you can use gloves of dueling to upgrade crossbow expert later.

1 human Rapid Reload
1 Point blank Shot
2 f1 Precise shot
3 f2 Rapid shot
3 Deadly Aim
5 f4 Weapon focus - (see if can retrain to heavy xbow later unless already have training one)
5 Overwatch style
7 Vital strike
7 f6 Overwatch tactician
9 f8 Devastating strike
9 Improved Critical
11 f10 Improved Vital Strike
11 Overwatch Vortex

assuming 18 dex and without weapon/stat enhancement bonuses or Point blank.. gravity bow makes light xbow 2d6, and heavy xbow 2d8..
lvl 3.
Normal - 7, or rapid 5/5.. 1d8 dmg.... Deadly Aim 6, or 4/4 rapid 1d8+2
_______________
lvl 5.
Normal - 9, or Rapid/Readied 7/7.. 1d8 dmg .... Deadly Aim 7, or 5/5 rapid/Readied 1d8+4 (+2dmg readied)
________________
lvl 7 (assuming training heavy xbow by now)
Normal - 12/7, or rapid 10/10/5.. 1d10+1 dmg .... Deadly Aim 10/5, or 8/8/3 Rapid 1d10+5
Readied 2 Vital Strikes - 10/10 2d10+3 or 8/8 2d10+7 deadly aim
________________
lvl 9
Normal - 15/10, or rapid 13/13/8.. 1d10+1 dmg .... Deadly Aim 12/7, or 10/10/5 Rapid 1d10+7
Readied 2 Vital Strikes - 13/13... 2d10+5 dmg or deadly aim 10/10 ... 2d10+9 dmg
________________
lvl 11
Normal - 18/13/8, or rapid 16/16/11/6.. 1d10+2 dmg.. DA 15/10/5, or 13/13/8/3 Rapid 1d10+8
Readied 4 Vital Strikes - 16/16/16/16.. 3d10+8 dmg or deadly aim 13/13/13/13 .. 3d10+14 dmg

[Covert Operator]

@Nosta1300

There are a couple of races that fit the 'cold blooded' requirement, but it's just like any other racial content really.