[3.5 CORE] Optimizing a Bow

[drevil]

What is The most damaging Bow in CORE?

I came up with this:
+1 Composite Longbow
+10 Str-modifier
1D6 Flaming
1D6 Frost
1D6 Shock
1D6 Merciful (non-lethal)
2D6 Holy (evil)
= 1D8 + 11 + 6D6

Additional Buff:
+5 Greater Magic Weapon
+3 Divine Favor
+1 Bracers of Archery
+1 Point Blank Shot
1D6 Flame arrow
Bane (dragon, undead, demon ++)

How can I improve this?

[Eloel]

The most powerful bow is a wizard bowing before battle.

[PhoenixRivers]

I'd probably go with the Force enhancement. Doesn't add damage, but changes the arrow into a force effect, which allows you a lot more options for reliable damage, such as bypassing DR, penetrating most resistances, hitting incorporeal/ethereal creatures, and the like.

[PinkysBrain]

That ain't core.

Since given the cost this is going to be for a game at very high level the best bow you can get in core will be a solar's bow, stealing it probably won't end up well ... but with planar ally and gate you can borrow one for a while, although if you are evil it's going to take one hell of a bluff check (doing it against the solar's will is almost certainly going to end up badly as well).

[olelia]

+ 50 Composite Longbow
* Acidic Blast
* Anarchic Power
* Axiomatic Power
* Distant Shot
* Dread
* Everdancing
* Fiery Blast
* Holy Power
* Icy Blast
* Lightning Blast
* Mighty Disruption
* Sonic Blast
* Unerring Accuracy
* Unholy Power
Didn't say what level or money cap there was :smallbiggrin:.

[AslanCross]

The biggest problem with having multiple energy damage types on one bow is that by the time you go up against outsiders, their resistances and immunities eventually rack up to completely nullify those bonuses. I'd rather just add the enhancement bonus to them or add intelligent item abilities, since those are pretty cool.

To illustrate: All baatezu have immunity to fire and resistance to acid and cold 10. Energy bonuses on weapons deal an average of 3.5. They end up as complete wastes of your investment.

[ericgrau]

Not really. Most of the damage enchantments still get through. And the base damage still gets through if you have the right arrow metal. Naturally you buy the enchantments less likely to be resisted first. Given DR vs. most melee weapons and SR, being partly resisted is par for the course.

[tyckspoon]

I'd probably drop Flaming (most common resistance/immunity) and Merciful (certain monster Types are completely immune to it, and what kind of sissy person does non-lethal damage anyway?) for Wounding. No direct HP damage, but every 2 hits drops the target's Con mod by 1, which effectively does damage equal to their HD.

[absolmorph]

+ 50 Composite Longbow
* Acidic Blast
* Anarchic Power
* Axiomatic Power
* Distant Shot
* Dread
* Everdancing
* Fiery Blast
* Holy Power
* Icy Blast
* Lightning Blast
* Mighty Disruption
* Sonic Blast
* Unerring Accuracy
* Unholy Power
Didn't say what level or money cap there was :smallbiggrin:.
The SRD states the effective enhancement (for determining cost) on a magic item can only be +10.
The max enhancement can only be +5.
You're waaaaaaaay over the limit.
Also, you just posted a bow that's Lawful, Chaotic, Good and Evil. That doesn't seem like it would work.

[Lycanthromancer]

The SRD states the effective enhancement (for determining cost) on a magic item can only be +10.
The max enhancement can only be +5.
You're waaaaaaaay over the limit.
Also, you just posted a bow that's Lawful, Chaotic, Good and Evil. That doesn't seem like it would work.Succubus paladin, anyone?

Also, make sure you get spell storing on there, then toss on some enervations.

[herrhauptmann]

The SRD states the effective enhancement (for determining cost) on a magic item can only be +10.
The max enhancement can only be +5.
You're waaaaaaaay over the limit.
Also, you just posted a bow that's Lawful, Chaotic, Good and Evil. That doesn't seem like it would work.

That's probably an epic bow, with houserules. Epic lets you get a +10 enhancement, and this is probably for a game that gets up to level 100+.

To opener.
Drop flaming and merciful, maybe the frost and lightning as well. Pick up psibane (+2) from SRD, and I think magebane is also in SRD (if not it's in MIC).
Another non-core would be 'Splitting'. Now you shoot 2 arrows with each pull, without using many-shot or something. ( I know you want core only, but this is more pertinent than "Play a wizard 20")

Actually, put flaming burst, shocking burst, acidic burst, etc on your ARROWS, as well as make them +2 arrows (should stack with +1 of bow).

Make your wielder an arcane archer. "Imbue arrow" will help wonders for damage. It's DMG/SRD, I don't remember if there's a level cap to 'imbue' but imagine an arrow that activates a Disjunction on hit, or a firestorm.

[ericgrau]

I'd probably drop Flaming (most common resistance/immunity) and Merciful (certain monster Types are completely immune to it, and what kind of sissy person does non-lethal damage anyway?) for Wounding. No direct HP damage, but every 2 hits drops the target's Con mod by 1, which effectively does damage equal to their HD.

I'd get the less resisted energy types first, but even with flaming - the most common one - most monsters are not immune. You can't avoid a type simply b/c some monster somewhere in the world is immune. That's just a reason to get more different types. Immunity to merciful is somewhat rare and it may be deactivated anyway. Wounding is probably the best around, but it's not listed for range weapons so I dunno if you can use it. And even then some monsters are unaffected by bleeding. There's really no way around immunities except to get everything.

Putting the more common resisted energy types onto the arrows is a good idea too, if there's room after the banes. Anything bane should always be on the arrows. Picking a bow enchantment just b/c some opponents are vulnerable makes even less sense than avoiding one just b/c some opponents are immune.



Make your wielder an arcane archer. "Imbue arrow" will help wonders for damage. It's DMG/SRD, I don't remember if there's a level cap to 'imbue' but imagine an arrow that activates a Disjunction on hit, or a firestorm.

Arcane archer is mostly good for the arrow enhancement bonus, assuming you don't have a party caster to tag you with greater magic weapon. Imbue arrow takes a standard action and takes a heavy half BAB caster investment to get much damage. A full attack does more. Or even if you're sniping, a Snipe allows an attack action not a standard action. Your DM may reasonably allow it, but even then the BAB tradeoff for minor damage makes it iffy.

[Lycanthromancer]

A homophobe-bane bow with arrows of FLAAAAAAMING!

Available to all elves, of course.

...and most dwarves.

[Coidzor]

Seeking is a good enchantment.

keen on the arrows might be good too.

[2xMachina]

Not core, but Desiccating Burst (require Desiccating) (MiC) is good.

+1d4 of damage (type, not really stated)

On crit,
+1d8 (and 1 dice more per higher crit multiplier).

Double damage to water elementals, plants, oozes, the like.

Also, the crit fatigues anyone who gets hit with it. Seems to stack too, so you can exhaust someone with 2 crits. They need to drink 1 gallon of water to recover from the fatigue.

For a +2 total, it's very nice.

EDIT: Holy Unholy weapons don't work. There's a rule that opposing alignment attributes can't be put on the same thing. You could use a Holy Bow to fire Unholy Arrows though.

[Kantolin]

Being able to apply either sneak attack or favored enemy damage on top of each arrow would also help.

Or raging and shooting. :P

[Lycanthromancer]

Are there any arrows (or enhancements) that deal extra damage when you pull them out? Put the returning enhancement on.

[kentma57]

The most powerful bow is a wizard bowing before battle.

Not funny, we all know wizards are broken beond belief(if the DM let's you get away with it) this is an archery thread not a wizard thread.

As for my ideas I recomend a rogue optomized with stealth in mind if you can pass the hide check with the -20 penalty for sniping you opponents, you will almost always get a few extra d6 damage in(not including what-ever magic you through on you weapon).

[Signmaker]

Are there any arrows (or enhancements) that deal extra damage when you pull them out? Put the returning enhancement on.

Returning makes no sense if you're using ammo.

Yeah, I'm going to jump on the "Get an absurd amount of Str and the corollary composite bow" wagon, with a dash of "Get every spell buff possible and reasonable".

[term1nally s1ck]

Splitting Flaming Frost Shock etc...splitting copies each arrow you fire, making each enchantment do double damage. +3, so if you have at least a +6, it's as good as any other set of enchantments, and Past there, it's better.

Just saw Core. Ugh.

I'd throw some black lotus poison and wounding on the arrows, personally...you can get more attacks with bows than you can nearly any other way (splitting + rapid/manyshot + haste etc..)

[Signmaker]

Splitting

I'd throw some black lotus poison and wounding on the arrows, personally...you can get more attacks with bows than you can nearly any other way (splitting + rapid/manyshot + haste etc..)

Splitting isn't core. Poison might be an interesting touch, though quite situational.

[term1nally s1ck]

If you're hitting with between 4 and 6 arrows a round, a 1/5 chance to fail the fort save is quite risky. VERY risky, actually.

[Signmaker]

If you're hitting with between 4 and 6 arrows a round, a 1/5 chance to fail the fort save is quite risky. VERY risky, actually.

Not if you're immune, which is quite likely.

[drevil]

Good ideas, folks!

Unfortunately, Wounding is not allowed on ranged weapons.

I am not familiar with this "Intelligent item abilities" on a bow.
Where can I find more information about this? DMG?

And what is Black Lotus Poison? It sure sounds tasty.

[Simba]

And what is Black Lotus Poison? It sure sounds tasty.

Black Lotus Extract:
Contact poison, 3d6 Constitution damage initial, 3d6 Constitution damage secondary effect

[term1nally s1ck]

and DC 25 I think...don't quote me though.

[Simba]

and DC 25 I think...don't quote me though.

Fort DC is 20.

[ZeroNumerous]

Unfortunately, Wounding is not allowed on ranged weapons.

Intelligent items (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/magicItems/intelligentItems.htm), sometimes you have bows smarter than the user.

An arrow acts as a dagger of it's size (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/equipment/weapons.htm#arrows). So you can put wounding on an arrow by RAW.

[ericgrau]

Black lotus is too expensive. But the cheaper affordable poisons are great b/c action-wise they're practically free and even at low DC after so many attacks eventually they'll fail a save. And you're an archer. Fire poison arrows against things that can be poisoned and regular arrows vs. things that can't be poisoned or in easy fights. Don't dis something that's practically free. The main issue with poison is finding a black market vendor. That may be a reason not to bother, but you'll almost never be worse off if you do.

[Signmaker]

An arrow acts as a dagger of it's size (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/equipment/weapons.htm#arrows). So you can put wounding on an arrow by RAW.

If used as a dagger.

[Ruinix]

CORE

compo GREAT bow (1D10 for middle size)(2D6 for big size) + 5 to might (is the max) [hey u said core]

+1 [magic = +1]
+Thundering (+1D8 if memory dont fail me) [is a +1 enhance]
+ghost touch [+1]
+wounding [+2]

[Signmaker]

+ 5 to might (is the max)

Says where? :smallconfused:

[Volos]

Large Size Greatbow would have massive base die damage. A medium Greatbow has 1d10, so increase that?

Either that or a large size Great Crossbow, which does 3d8.

[drevil]

+wounding [+2]

Wounding is not available on ranged weapons.

Poison arrows is an interesting idea.

I will also try to Gate a Solar Angel, and diplomacy him in order to have him give away his +2 Vorpal Composite Longbow. :)
After all, I will use it to kill Demons, Devils and evil Dragons.