Ranged Touch Attack

[cbaidchris]

Playing a sorcerer I plan on using ranged touch attacks frequently but I have a low BAB obviously and a low dex (12). I'm level 6. Are there any ways to boost these? I considered polymorph but not many boost your dex much

[danzibr]

Typical stat-boosting spells.

As a Sorc, that's something you sort of want to build for. Dump Dex and do stuff like Fireball, not dump Dex (not that yours is totally dumped) and do rays.

EDIT: To actually be helpful, if you can somehow get Divine Might on your spell list, you should invest in a wand of Divine Power. Makes your BAB equal to your level, nice boost. Also gives +6 to Str, which is always nice.

[Thurbane]

Point Blank Shot. Weapon Focus (ray).

Reduce person is neat for ray casters: +1 size bonus to attacks, and +2 size boost to Dex, for a net +2 to hit with ranged attacks.

[Urpriest]

What sort of resources are you willing to spend, and how much?

[TheMonocleRogue]

Point Blank Shot. Weapon Focus (ray).

Reduce person is neat for ray casters: +1 size bonus to attacks, and +2 size boost to Dex, for a net +2 to hit with ranged attacks.

This. You can invest in wands of reduce person so that you don't have to memorize the spell.

Reduce person also makes your character harder to hit since the spell gives you +1 size bonus to AC and +2 Dex which is +2 to AC. Just be wary of grapplers as you get a -4 penalty to grapple checks assuming they are medium sized creatures.

[Captnq]

You are a sorcerer... firing ranged touch attacks? Google "Sorcerer's Hand" The single most awesome weapom ever made for people who love ray attacks.

[Maginomicon]

If your STR bonus is better than your DEX bonus, use Spectral Hand before the battle. This makes all melee touch spells effectively ranged touch spells instead but uses your melee touch bonuses.

[Dell_the_Engie]

Use invisibility when you can. You'll ignore your target's Dexerity bonus to AC, and since you're also ignoring their armor and shield AC, that'll cover a lot.

EDIT: Oh, and I forgot! You get a +2 attack bonus of course! So, a little invisibility goes a long way.

[danzibr]

Without any feat investment, just looking at what's been posted, Reduce Person + Invisibility + Cat's Grace, as a medium level 6 Sorc with a base of 12 Dex, you only need to roll (for most opponents) a 2 to hit their touch AC. Nice.

[Hurnn]

well I have 2 thoughts. First with your bab and dex you still are hitting most touch attacks on a 6 it's not like that's aweful. Second you mentioned polymorph, go pixie, 18 dex small size thats + 5 to hit with ranged touch.

[Big Fau]

Statistically, the normal touch AC you'll be going up against isn't going to be very high. Very little in the Monster Manual has a Touch AC above 16, and not many of those enemies can boost it above that (the ones who can are typically other spellcasters, and thus can boost it to the point that you can't keep up).

Weapon Focus, Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot (actually a necessary feat, since you want to avoid that -4 due to your allies), Knowledge Devotion (impractical for a Sorcerer though), Shape Soulmeld: Sighting Gloves/CN Incarnate Avatar, and a couple of other feats can all bolster your Touch Attacks.

A familiar can use Aid Another on you as a Standard action, giving you a cheap +2*.

For spells, Reduce Person and Invisibility have both been mentioned. Blessed Aim (SC), Targeting Ray (PH2, can't remember if it works for you or just your allies), and Unseen Servant/Servant Horde using Aid Another actions on you*.

Debuffs also work. Grease, Glitterdust, anything that induces blindness, entangling the enemy (the Entangle spell, but not the Web spell), or grappling the enemy (Summons, Black Tentacles), and inducing fatigue/exhausted conditions are all ways to debuff the enemy's AC (a good number of those spells will just straight-up end the encounter though).

[KillianHawkeye]

A familiar can use Aid Another on you as a Standard action, giving you a cheap +2*.

It might seem cheap, but it's actually just wrong. Aiding an attack can only be done in melee range, and can only aid melee attacks.

[Big Fau]

It might seem cheap, but it's actually just wrong. Aiding an attack can only be done in melee range, and can only aid melee attacks.

Not true. Aid Another requires both you and the enemy to be within melee range, but the ally you aid can apply the bonus to any attack roll (not just melee).


If you succeed, your friend gains either a +2 bonus on his next attack roll against that opponent or a +2 bonus to AC against that opponent’s next attack (your choice), as long as that attack comes before the beginning of your next turn. Multiple characters can aid the same friend, and similar bonuses stack.

The reason I asterisked those two parts (Unseen Servant and the Familiar) is because you'd have to get close enough for your Familiar to threaten the enemy (it actually doesn't work with Unseen Servant at all, due to a line in the spell about them never being allowed to make attack rolls). For a non-Gish this is a fairly risky proposition unless you are confident in your ability to avoid AoOs, as you provoke for not only casting a spell but for trying to make a ranged touch attack in melee combat.

You can always wait for your Familiar to make the Aid Another check and move away somehow (Swift-action teleportation, 5ft step, whatever you can manage) or force the enemy to use up his AoO for the round (barring Combat Reflexes, this is a very easy thing to do).

[KillianHawkeye]

Aha, you're right. Still, if you're specializing in ray spells, having to stay in melee range of your target is probably not worth a mere +2 to hit that's not even guaranteed.

[Dalebert]

The problem with relying on buffs is each one takes a standard action to cast unless you can get around that and it's always expensive to do so. Quicken is +4 levels. Persistent is +6. I'm sure some of the Op masters here have ideas though.