A poor Dwarven ranger, with lots of daggers (VoP build)

[Soranar]

Always wanted to try a ranged Vow of Poverty build. The AC is actually decent and so is the damage. Sword of arcane order with mystic ranger is pretty good as it covers most things you can't do via magic items.

You can simply melee if you run out of daggers (since most of your feats work for both styles) , any dagger you yield becomes magical anyway and push comes to shove you always have your fists.


Race: Earth Dwarf
alignment: Lawful Good

Ranger 12, Fighter 4, Deepwarden 2, Monk 1, Fist of the forest 1

STATS (32 pts buy)

STR 16
DEX 4
CON 18
INT 15 (for spells)
WIS 15 (for spells)
CHA 8

Flaw: Feeble
Ranger Combat Style: Two-Weapon Fighting
Mystic Ranger Variant

1 Ranger Sacred Vow, Vow of Poverty
2 Ranger
3 Monk Brutal ThrowPower Attack
4 Ranger TWF
5 Ranger Endurance
6 Ranger Point blank shot
7 Deepwarden
8 Deepwarden Con replace Dex for AC
9 Ranger Great Fortitude
10 Ranger Improved TWF
11 Fist of the Forest
12 Fighter Quick Draw,Precise Shot
13 Fighter Weapon Focus: Dagger
14 Fighter
15 Fighter Weapon Specialization: Dagger,Sword of the Arcane Order
16 Ranger
17 Ranger
18 Ranger Ranged Weapon Mastery: piercing
19 Ranger
20 Ranger Greater TWF

[Pharaoh's Fist]

What's the dawizard?

[Dimers]

Unless VoP has been errata'd somewhere, you can only have one weapon, not "lots of" ... Which is not to say I'd reject the idea if I were your DM.

[Optimystik]

Unless VoP has been errata'd somewhere, you can only have one weapon, not "lots of" ... Which is not to say I'd reject the idea if I were your DM.

Actually, there's nothing wrong with this. The Vow states that "you may carry and use ordinary simple weapons." (Plural)

[tyckspoon]

Unless VoP has been errata'd somewhere, you can only have one weapon, not "lots of" ... Which is not to say I'd reject the idea if I were your DM.

One of the things people usually overlook when working with the Vow, yes. It doesn't allow any simple weapons or items worth less than a certain boundary value; it allows one simple weapon.

It'd work with rocks, tho. Just switch the weapon specialties appropriately.. and find a feat somewhere to remove the improvised weapon penalty if you can get one spare.

Edit: murr.. it has been a very long time since I had a hard-copy of Exalted Deeds to reference, but I would have sworn the single-weapon restriction existed. I still like the idea of doing it with random rocks you pick up off the ground better; seems to match the idea of a Poverty build more accurately.

[faceroll]

Don't you need a spellbook to use Sword of the Arcane Order?

[SurlySeraph]

Don't you need a spellbook to use Sword of the Arcane Order?

If another character in the party has a spellbook, you can use it if you can decipher the script and make the Spellcraft checks. I wouldn't recommend it, as that requires a pretty big investment in a cross-class skill for you.

You'll want to have Quick Draw as soon as you get iterative attacks, so take it at 6th level.
I'm not sure going for Weapon Mastery is worth it here; I'd skip the Fighter levels and take more Ranger so you can use your spells to boost your damage.
If you're going to take Sword of the Arcane Order, take it earlier. I'd take it at 6th.

[Pharaoh's Fist]

If another character in the party has a spellbook, you can use it if you can decipher the script and make the Spellcraft checks. I wouldn't recommend it, as that requires a pretty big investment in a cross-class skill for you.

Prep Read Magic?

[faceroll]

Prep Read Magic?

That only helps you in deciphering what's written, unfortunately. You still have to make a DC 15+spell level spellcraft check to prepare the spell.

[Pharaoh's Fist]

That only helps you in deciphering what's written, unfortunately. You still have to make a DC 15+spell level spellcraft check to prepare the spell.

Isn't there something in the PHB about how the wizard who owns the book can assist you in this endeavor?

[Optimystik]

Edit: murr.. it has been a very long time since I had a hard-copy of Exalted Deeds to reference, but I would have sworn the single-weapon restriction existed. I still like the idea of doing it with random rocks you pick up off the ground better; seems to match the idea of a Poverty build more accurately.

I'm not saying I'd allow an ascetic to carry a sackful of weapons and still get the benefits of the Vow... but RAW, he may do so.

If it bothers you, let them be stone daggers that he sculpts or something.

[faceroll]

Isn't there something in the PHB about how the wizard who owns the book can assist you in this endeavor?

Yeah; you get a +2 circumstance bonus from Aid Another. I suppose with enough helps and buffs, you could make the check with minimal investment in spellcraft.

[Sinfire Titan]

Isn't there something in the PHB about how the wizard who owns the book can assist you in this endeavor?

CArc is the book you need to auto-pass the checks. It let's you master the spellbook, which in turn removes the Spellcraft check.

[faceroll]

CArc is the book you need to auto-pass the checks. It let's you master the spellbook, which in turn removes the Spellcraft check.

The more you know....

[Soranar]

I don't have access to my ressources right now but I remember this much.

First multiple simple weapons is RAW, it suggests using only one (a walking stick/quarterstaff) but clearly states that you can use as many as you want.

I know you're allowed a pouch of components to cast spells, despite the vow, but I'm not sure if a wizard's spellbook is. Is it considered a magic item? Anyway the feat claims that you can just borrow a book to study the spells.

And if carrying multiples is illegal then it would be impossible to make any ranged build, which is kind of boring. Even rocks aren't always readily available and I wanted the option to melee just in case.

Mystic Ranger gets spellcraft as a class skill so it's not a cross class and you have plenty of skillpoints with ranger (x6), int 15 and nymph's kiss.

Sword of the Arcane order lets you use ranger spellslots as wizard/sorcerer spells, in this case you can cast up to level 5. Also works for Paladin but a Mystic Ranger is just much better as it gets level 5 spells and spellcraft.

I can see why the fighter levels seem suboptimal. They were leftovers from a similar build using a crossbow instead and I just forgot to change them. The feats still give +3 to hit and +4 to damage and 20 more range (which is a lot for a throwing build) so I'm debating whether or not to use them. I could just change them for 3 levels of Paladin and take Serenity for better saves I guess.

I also just realized that I could be a dragonborn of bahamut for Con +2, Dex -2 and get flight. Which would be a great boon (freeing up a 3rd level spell).

[Dimers]

*looks in book exhaustively*

Glad to be told otherwise; the ability to use multiple simple weapons increases the playability of a VoP character by a few percent. I'm still emotionally convinced that I saw somewhere that only one weapon is allowed, but darned if I can find where.

Someone is wrong on the internet (http://xkcd.com/386/), and today it's ME! :smallredface: