Ranged Attacks. 3.5

[D4rkh0rus]

Other than speed enchantments (or haste) and Rapid shot, what else can be used to gain at-will extra attacks with a ranged weapon?

What are the x/day ones?

[HaikenEdge]

Other than speed enchantments (or haste) and Rapid shot, what else can be used to gain at-will extra attacks with a ranged weapon?

What are the x/day ones?

It's not completely at will, but ToB has Raging Mongoose and Dancing Mongoose, boosts which increase the number of attacks (nonspecific, so can be ranged or melee) for a round; combine with a good recovery mechanic (Crusader's, for example), and you could conceivably do it every round, so I suppose an Idiot Crusader could get two extra attacks every round with the correct maneuver selection?

[Dimers]

There's a per-day thing in Complete Psionics for xeph race. You can replace your racial speed boost with extra attacks.

[Darrin]

Barbarian with the Whirling Frenzy ACF (Unearthed Arcana).

[Kelb_Panthera]

Splitting enhancement from champions of ruin. Double your attacks for a +2 bonus. (I think. Might've been +3)

[Morcleon]

Splitting enhancement from champions of ruin. Double your attacks for a +2 bonus. (I think. Might've been +3)

It's +3, and also requires you to have the Precise Shot feat to work.

[Kelb_Panthera]

It's +3, and also requires you to have the Precise Shot feat to work.

Knew about the precise shot requirement. Kinda figured he'd have it anyway since it's prerequisite to so much else.

[Dr. Azkur]

Time Stand Still is quite cool for an archer.

[lsfreak]

Well, not specific to ranged attacks, but there's the ways of getting extra actions. Synchronicity is limited by power points (if cheese is on the table, that's not an issue), factotums are a number of times per encounter, Time Stands Still maneuver is 1/encounter but rechargeable, and the Eternal Blade capstone is 1/encounter, as a few examples. Celerity by spell slots, but there's the daze to contend with.

While you can technically use shadow pounce to trigger ranged attacks, it's almost certainly not worth the investment.

[Dr. Azkur]

As far as I'm concerned, Time Stand Still has a cooldown of one round.

[Zweisteine]

Buy and use a psychoactive skin of proteus (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/items/universalItems.htm#skinofProteus) to manifest the metamorphosis (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/powers/metamorphosis.htm) power, turning into an arrow demon (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/iw/20040815b&page=4). That lets you make two ranged attacks whenever you would normally make one (i.e. attack twice as much, because you have two bows). All of its bow-related abilities, except feats, are extraordinary special attacks, so you get them, and you probably have rapid shot anyway.

The biggest issue is the price of buying two magical bows. Also, if you want to take maximum advantage of the arrow demon's abilities, you'd need large-sized bows, which you couldn't wield in any other medium or small form (unless you rule that magic weapons size to fit the wielders).

EDIT: Paired with Warblade 17+ (or Swordsage 17+, or anything that gets you a 9th level diamond mind maneuver), this can effectively quintuple your attacks per round. Take a full attack with rapid shot to get in 10 attacks via the arrow demon's ability, and use time stands still to do it again.
Mind you, using Tome of Battle for an Archer is extremely suboptimal, as most maneuvers apply only to melee attacks.



My new favorite archer build:
Lesser Celadrin Warblade 10/Eternal Blade 10
Equipment:
Two Large +1 Diamond Mind Seeking Distance Speed Splitting Composite Greatbows (+8 Strength Bonus) (204,200 gp each)
Belt of Strength +6 (36,000 gp)
Cloves of Dexterity +6 (36,000 gp)
Psychoative Skin of Proteus (84,000 gp) (always be an Arrow Demon)
159,800 gp for other gear
Final strength 27, dexterity 25
Feats: point-blank shot, precise shot, rapid shot, exotic weapon proficiency (greatbow), weapon focus (greatbow), manyshot, improved rapid shot, sudden recovery, improved initiative (warblade bonus feat), one more warblade bonus feat, one more feats if using another flaw
Flaw: non-combatant
Maneuvers: Time Stands Still, White Raven Tactics

Attack: 2 Large +1 Diamond Mind Seeking Distance Speed Splitting Composite Greatbows (+8 Strength Bonus)
+28/+28/+28/+28 (2d8+9) (additional +2 to attack while using a diamond mind maneuver)

Full Attack: 2 Large +1 Diamond Mind Seeking Distance Speed Splitting Composite Greatbows (+8 Strength Bonus)
+28/+28/+28/+28/+28/+28/+28/+28/+28/+28/+28/+28/+23/+23/+23/+23/+18/+18/+18/+18/+13/+13/+13/+13 (2d8+9) (additional +2 to attack while using a diamond mind maneuver)

Strategy, round 1:
Make a full attack, use White Raven Tactics to move to next initiative count, end turn.
Make a full attack, using Time Stands Still, then use sudden recovery to keep the maneuver readied, end turn.
Ase an immediate action, use Island in Time to go again, make a full attack, use Time Stands Still.

Round 1 total attacks: 120

Round 2: Recover your maneuvers by doing nothing, or making a melee attack with a spare arm if in range.
Round 2 total attacks: 0

Round 3: Repeat round one, but without Island in Time or sudden recovery.
Round 3 total attacks: 72
Repeat round 2 and 3 strategy until the fight is over or you're in a bad situation.

By rules as written, you can only use Rapid Shot once per round, but I interpret that to be once per full attack.
I could have added a Belt of Battle, but it isn't repeatable, and just is something extra to take care of.