[PF] Optimization Advice - Archer Cleric

[pebcak_error]

Following up on a thread a while back http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=12953763

As stated in the previous thread, I'm pretty new to D&D stuff though I've wanted to play since my youth. I've had a character in mind for a while and now I'm trying to figure out if its possible to build it. Flavor-wise he's a freedom-fighter, gentile giant type person (and a cleric).

I've read a lot of things and tried to get advice. Now I'm trying to build it. And I need your help to make sure that it doesn't suck. I should mention that this has to be Pathfinder Society Legal

Human Cleric of Cayden Cailen
Faction: Andoran
STR: 14
DEX: 14
CON: 12
INT: 8
WIS: 16
CHA: 14

Traits:
Hunter's Eye (for free longbow proficiency)
Reactionary

Feats:
Selective Channel seems good for in-combat healing. On the other hand I can only choose not to effect 2 (CHA mod) so is it really that useful? If not I'd pass it up and take more Archery stuff that much faster. Your thoughts?
Point-Blank Shot
Precise Shot
Rapid Shot
Do you think it would be more beneficial to add extra attributes to WIS and get it up to 17 and take Manyshot or put it into WIS and be a better caster

Domains:
I can't decide between Good, Travel, and Protean (Chaos sub-domain)
Your thoughts?


So what do you think? Can you offer up some suggestions to fill in my gaps? Will this character suck and I should give up on this particular flavor?

[pebcak_error]

Buler? Buler?

Still hoping for some advice :)

[stack]

You can take channeled smite (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/feats/combat-feats/channel-smite-combat) and guided hand (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/feats/general-feats/-guided-hand) to get wisdom to hit. You would also have to change to a deity that has longbow as favored (Erastil is one).

If your DM allows, the guided property would let you be SAD for wisdom, other than the requirements for archers feats.

Selective channel can be useful, depends on the party, campaign, other feats desired, etc. If you only use channel to heal OOC, then it is obviously not required.

[pebcak_error]

I did attempt to roll a char that used Guided Hand feat. Though it seemed that while he would be a better archer, he would suck more overall. Perhaps I didn't build it right? You thoughts?

Human Cleric of Erastil (Erastil gives free long-bow proficiency)
Faction: Silver Crusade
STR: 14
DEX: 10
CON: 12
INT: 11
WIS: 16
CHA: 14

Traits:
Force for Good (Good aligned spells function at +1 CL)
Reactionary

Feats:
Channel Smite
Guided Hand (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/feats/general-feats/-guided-hand)
After this the standard archery feat tree:
Point-blank Shot
Precise Shot
It would seem that I could not get Rapid Shot because it requires DEX of 13. Guided hand only replaces DEX with WIS for attack so it wouldn't work here correct?


Domains:
Good
I've read it recommended that the Feather domain (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/core-classes/cleric/domains/paizo---domains/animal-domain/feather) is great for the flying. But with the lower DEX won't I suck at flying? Plus the lower INT make my class skills spread thin too right?
Alternatively I've looked at Growth for the free enlargement, or Animal for the the Animal Companion.
I'm curious what you think?


With the above stats and Guided hand I should be pretty good with the bow. But will I suck at everything else DEX is used plus can't even take the full archery feat progressionSo is this worth it in the long run?

[stack]

Your skill points are not going to be good regardless. Why are the stat lines different between the builds? Dropping INT from 11 to 8 would give you the 13 Dex.

An animal companion is nice, but boon companion, to get it up to your level, will eat another feat.

Ultimately, you are still a cleric, so your spells are the main events. I don't see the second build being any weaker, though I didn't look at the domains. Fly is perfectly useful; without having a great fly skill, it still gets you off the ground, around obstacles, away from flightless enemies, etc.

[RndmNumGen]

Is you're open to multiclassing, 3 levels of Zen Archer Monk will net you WIS to hit, Flurry of Bows(So you don't need Rapid Shot) and two archery-focused bonus feats. Still, 3 levels is quite an investment, so you may not want to do that.

Note that as a cleric of Cayden, you can't take the Protean subdomain(he grants access to the Azata subdomain).

Your stats are also incorrect with the cleric of Erastil. Assuming you put the +2 from being Human into WIS, you have only spent 18 of your 20 points. If you lower INT to 10, you can put 3 points into DEX, allowing you to get Rapid Shot. In addition, you can also lower CON to 10[+2 pt] and STR to 12[+3 pt], bringing WIS up to 16[-5 pt](18 after the +2 from Human), which will serve you better as a back-line fighter.

That gives the following stats:
STR: 12
DEX: 13
CON: 10
INT: 10
WIS: 18
CHA: 14

This allows you to take Rapid Shot and gives a +4 bonus to hit with Guided Hand. Your STR bonus goes down by 1, but I think the higher accuracy is worth it since it's easier to increase damage than to-hit.

[stack]

swap the CHA and STR. Extra channel DC is less useful than getting extra damage using your composite bow. Or drop CHA to 10 and put the extra in CON.

[Corlindale]

Is you're open to multiclassing, 3 levels of Zen Archer Monk will net you WIS to hit, Flurry of Bows(So you don't need Rapid Shot) and two archery-focused bonus feats. Still, 3 levels is quite an investment, so you may not want to do that.

That's also a powerful option which saves a lot of feat slots, though if you do that you are really comitting yourself to being an archer, as you are now 3 spell levels behind. You could also just take 1 level for flurry and precise shot.
However, I've heard there's some rules-clarification thing going on in PFS right now which among other things mean that Zen Archer's flurry doesn't currently work as intended. But I'm not sure about that, just something to look out for.

[stack]

Dipping works for being an archer with some buff spells. If you want to be a cleric with a bow, don't lose the caster levels.