Str 14(+2) Dex 15(+1) Con 13 Int 10 Wis 12 Cha 8
Human
1st level: Point blank, precise shot
2nd level: rapid shot
3rd level: weapon focus
5th level: deadly aim
6th level: point blank mastery (when you get there)
I like urban and guide for archetypes.
Str 14(+2) Dex 15(+1) Con 13 Int 10 Wis 12 Cha 8
Human1st level: Point blank, precise shot
2nd level: rapid shot
3rd level: weapon focus
5th level: deadly aim
6th level: point blank mastery (when you get there)I like urban and guide for archetypes.
All of those are really great feats. I think getting improved precise shot at 6th is really important because soft cover from friendly units and concealment really hurts with the -4 to attack. A ranger I am using in a play by post is similar. Also put your +2 into dex. You can get manyshot n ot from the combat feat and then point blank master at 10th.
Changing for multishot or improved precise shot aren't bad trades if you can stay out of melee.
It would be +5 BAB +3 Dex +1 weapon focus + 1 magic bow (or masterwork) -2 rapid shot -2 deadly aim +1 point blank shot = +7/+7
Damage would be 1d8+3(strength)+1(point blank shot) + 1(magic)+4(deadly aim) = 1d8+9
If he trades out for multi shot his first shot would deal 1d8+9 and 1d8+9.
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* Point Blank Master requires fighter4 and Weapon Specialization.
* Animals are not as useful for archer-rangers as TWFs (who need flank- and trip-buddies) -- and smart enemies will use your own animal as soft-cover.
* rangers don't make the nastiest archers.
15pt array: 15,14,14,12,10,7(INT) ...or 17,14,14,10,7,7, (min/max cheese-weasel). Best stat is in strength; two 14s are in DEX and CON. 7 always in INT. Favored-class fighter.
Human, STR:17(15+2), DEX:14, traits: Heirloom Weapon, Berserker of the Society
1. barb1. rage 9r/day, Point Blank Shot, Rapid Shot
2. figh1. Precise Shot, Weapon Master fighter variant
3. figh2. Weapon Focus, Quickdraw, Weapon Guard+1(WMfv)
4. figh3. STR>bump, Weapon Training +1(WMfv)
5. figh4. Weapon Specialization, Point Blank Master
Tactic: this character will own three (maybe even more) bows. Let's say he went min/max for the starting 17. He owns one MW STR+3 bow, one MW STR+4, and one MW STR+6 (his Heirloom bow, which he keeps safely locked in a trunk at home until 4th). When raging, he uses the strongest bow; before 4th (or when fatigued or enervated) he falls back to his first, weakest bow. When not raging and not penalized, he uses the middle-of-the-road.
As the character's STR fluctuates, he uses Quickdraw to swiftly keep the right weapon always in-hand (or his Heirloom away from sunder).
Deadly Aim is delayed because attack-bonus is behind DEX:highest archer.
Character continues as a fighter, and takes the favored class skill point for 3/level as a human. Barbarian grants most of the same useful skills as ranger (especially Perception).
For the win:
6. figh5. Reliable Strike (WMfv)
7. figh6. Deadly Aim, Manyshot, Weapon Guard+2(WMfv)
8. figh7. Weapon Training+2(WMfv)
9. figh8. Improved Critical, Critical Focus
10 figh9
11 figh10 Improved Precise Shot, FEAT
Note: This character has bupkiss for will-save, has no racial bennies and eschews Iron Will, so throw big cash at cloaks of resistance and other brain-protecting baubles.
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* Point Blank Master requires fighter4 and Weapon Specialization.
* rangers don't make the nastiest archers.
Rangers can take Point Blank Master at 6th level, as a special, as long as they already have Weapon Focus:
Special: Starting at 6th level, a ranger with the archery
combat style may select Point Blank Master as a combat
style feat, but he must have Weapon Focus instead of
Weapon Specialization in the selected weapon.
And whether a Ranger is the most deadly, remember that the Ranger will get +4 to hit and damage against their primary favored enemy, and +2 against their secondary favored enemy at 5th level. Choose the correct enemies, and that comes into a serious piece of nastiness.
And isn't there a spell that lets them gain favored enemy for a short time against an enemy of their choice?
On the stats, I tend to lean toward Dex being the most important stat for an archer, with Str being secondary, since the most damage is done by being able to hit reliably.
* Point Blank Master requires fighter4 and Weapon Specialization.
Unless you are an archer ranger -- go read the fine print.
Just out of curiosity, how does the Zen Archer compare? Lower BAB of course, but he's got just as many relevant feats, and flurrying with the bow would be pretty huge. (Also, Perfect Strike -- not sure how actually useful that is, but it looks cool as heck.)Doug M.
It compares -- depends on how you build it. It's a bit of a contradiction because you want good dex for AC and initiative, but you don't need more than a 13 (to get deadly aim) in all honestly and you are better off with high strength and wisdom.
Perfect strike can be nice for that last shot in a routine that you *need* to hit -- but the damage isn't going to be better than what an archer fighter can put out.
* Point Blank Master requires fighter4 and Weapon Specialization.
* Animals are not as useful for archer-rangers as TWFs (who need flank- and trip-buddies) -- and smart enemies will use your own animal as soft-cover.
* rangers don't make the nastiest archers.
15pt array: 15,14,14,12,10,7(INT) ...or 17,14,14,10,7,7, (min/max cheese-weasel). Best stat is in strength; two 14s are in DEX and CON. 7 always in INT. Favored-class fighter.
Human, STR:17(15+2), DEX:14, traits: Heirloom Weapon, Berserker of the Society
1. barb1. rage 9r/day, Point Blank Shot, Rapid Shot
2. figh1. Precise Shot, Weapon Master fighter variant
3. figh2. Weapon Focus, Quickdraw, Weapon Guard+1(WMfv)
4. figh3. STR>bump, Weapon Training +1(WMfv)
5. figh4. Weapon Specialization, Point Blank MasterTactic: this character will own three (maybe even more) bows. Let's say he went min/max for the starting 17. He owns one MW STR+3 bow, one MW STR+4, and one MW STR+6 (his Heirloom bow, which he keeps safely locked in a trunk at home until 4th). When raging, he uses the strongest bow; before 4th (or when fatigued or enervated) he falls back to his first, weakest bow. When not raging and not penalized, he uses the middle-of-the-road.
As the character's STR fluctuates, he uses Quickdraw to swiftly keep the right weapon always in-hand (or his Heirloom away from sunder).
Deadly Aim is delayed because attack-bonus is behind DEX:highest archer.
Character continues as a fighter, and takes the favored class skill point for 3/level as a human. Barbarian grants most of the same useful skills as ranger (especially Perception).
For the win:
6. figh5. Reliable Strike (WMfv)
7. figh6. Deadly Aim, Manyshot, Weapon Guard+2(WMfv)
8. figh7. Weapon Training+2(WMfv)
9. figh8. Improved Critical, Critical Focus
10 figh9
11 figh10 Improved Precise Shot, FEATNote: This character has bupkiss for will-save, has no racial bennies and eschews Iron Will, so throw big cash at cloaks of resistance and other brain-protecting baubles.
That is why I say get improved precise shot. If the campaign will not got past 12th level or so you can get manyshot and improved precise shot by 7th and shot through your animal while getting cover from enemy ranged attacks.
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The other 11th level feat in that build would be either Extra Rage, Raging Vitality, a Critical feat, or some other BAB:11 prerequisite.
(This is why I always like staggered/multiclass builds to get the even numbered fighter levels lined up with BAB11 (and sometimes BAB6 and BAB8 if I'm not taking a ton of fighter.)
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Go for a mounted archer to take advantage of mount's move + full attack with your bow.
Inspired by my Human Spell-less Ranger (from KQ) in RotRL :
Str 14(+2 to get your max bonus composite longbow from the start) Dex 15(+1 at 4th) Con 13(+1 at 12th) Int 8 Wis 12(+1 at 8th to cast 3rd level spells) Cha 10
Human, Favored Class bonus = hit point for you till 3rd level then skill point for the AC
1st level: Point blank, precise shot
2nd level: rapid shot
3rd level: deadly aim
5th level: iron will
6th level: improved precise shot
7th level: boon companion
9th level: mounted combat
10th level: manyshot
11th level: mounted archery
4th level : Hunter's Bond = Animal Companion (Horse)
AC's feats :
1st level: Dodge
2nd level: Mobility
5th level: Combat Reflexes
8th level: Bodyguard
10th level: In Harm's Way
4th level Ability score increase: +1 INT
9th level Ability score increase: +1 DEX
Put AC skill points in Acrobatics (to avoid AoO) and Stealth (to scout while mounted) or Survival (to track by scent)
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Go for a mounted archer to take advantage of mount's move + full attack with your bow.
Under the general rule than any "unique schtick" worth having is worth having ASAP, if you plan on taking Mounted Archery, then you should be taking it as soon as you have Rapid Shot.
E.g.,
1. figh1 PBS, RS, Mounted Combat
2. figh2 Mounted Archery
3. rang1 PS, ...etc.
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Go for a mounted archer to take advantage of mount's move + full attack with your bow.Under the general rule than any "unique schtick" worth having is worth having ASAP, if you plan on taking Mounted Archery, then you should be taking it as soon as you have Rapid Shot.
E.g.,
1. figh1 PBS, RS, Mounted Combat
2. figh2 Mounted Archery
3. rang1 PS, ...etc.
I did not do it this way because
1) You do not really need Mounted Combat nor Mounted Archery to full attack with a ranged weapon while riding
2) Many encounters will take place in close quarters where you just cannot go with a Large mount (for a Medium character, of course)
Thus I chose to focus on making my archer deadly in all encounters before making him a riding machine-gun of death. And ...
3) I will make my attacks from the back of my faithful Griffon AC. So I needed to wait till 7th level of Ranger anyway for it to become Large ;-)
Also, I wanted to keep my character a pure Ranger, as the OP apparently wishes too.
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1) You do not really need Mounted Combat nor Mounted Archery to full attack with a ranged weapon while riding
<checking> ... In that case, it's barely worth having at all. Surely there are much better feats to grab at the tail-end of the build.
Other observations:
* I have never regretted taking Rapid Shot before Precise Shot IF I was also capable of handling myself in melee. (In fact, if I was forced to pick only one, I'd take Rapid every time.)
* If this is a PFS character, I'd rather have a (barb2-or-figh2)/rang10 than a rang12 at 12th level. Lot more bang for the buck.
* If this is a PFS character, I'd rather have a (barb2-or-figh2)/rang10 than a rang12 at 12th level. Lot more bang for the buck.
Why? For example Fighter gets 2 combat feats, witch I admit can be chosen better than Quarry and Camouflage. But Ranger gets compared to Fighter at levels 11-12 also:
* 8 more Skill Points
* 2 Caster Levels (For example Barkskin goes from +3 to +4)
* 2 Animal Companion levels (meaning to Animal Comp: +2 HD, +2 BAB, +1 to Fort&Ref Saves, +2 Natural Armor, +1 to STR & DEX, Feat, Multiattack & Ability Increase)
* 2nd level & 3rd level Spell Slots (Especially 3rd level Spell Slot is important as it gives you Instant Enemy spell)
* I think +1/+1/+1 to Saves is better than +3/0/0, but that is debatable
Edit: Oh Fighter gets also Bravery or something to replace that
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> > If this is a PFS character, I'd rather have a (barb2-or-figh2)/rang10 than a rang12 at 12th level.
>
> Why? For example Fighter gets 2 combat feats, witch I admit can be chosen better than Quarry and Camouflage.
Leaving aside the animal stuff (which I haven't looked up), figh2 for the extra two feats (which archers can never get enough of) or barb2 for melee power and will saves on-demand.
> Oh Fighter gets also Bravery or something to replace that
I almost always take one of the fighter variants that replace that with something useful (unless you need bravery, which I suppose most human builds do).
When someone brings an archer to the table the first (and likely second thing as well) that they should bring is damage. Other things are all secondary to that.
IMO the most important thing they bring is their damned bow -- because many PCs have a ranged capacity which lays inbetween zilch and bupkiss. IMO the second most important thing a ranger brings is his meatwall body stuffed full of d10 hitpoints which should step into melee and "eat" a few rounds of severe pounding every once in awhile to protect an ally. IOW: don't neglect Power Attack and a greatsword strapped over your back if your archer is built like Sly Stallone.
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From my most recent experience, being a Ranger and taking the Lookout feat for both your mount (Animal Companion) and yourself is just great.
Less chance to be surprised = flat-footed during a surprise round.
More chance to unleash your deadly full attack a round earlier AND your mount can also take a full action.
http://www.d20pfsrd.com/extras/community-creations/treatmonks-lab/test2/tre antmonk-s-guide-to-rangers
Best dissertation I've seen so far.