Help with 3 bow build ideas

[walfulninja]

Hello everyone! So I had an idea (well, several) that I require some assistance with. I have three bow builds that I need some feedback on:

1.The Hotshot (fire based bow build)
2.The Sharpshooter (arcane based bow build)
3.The Hailmary (divine based bow build)

So, would these consepts work as viable archer builds? What classes/races do you recomend? Possable fluff? And where the heck I can find my left shoe?:smallfurious:

[Weirdbob95]

All three are viable options for an archer.

Hotshot:
I'd recommend a Bard, using Dragonfire Inspiration to add tons of damage to your attacks. With a few feats like Rapid Shot, you can attack multiple times per round with a ton of fire damage per hit. To make it even better, it buffs your allies too!

Sharpshooter:
A Fighter / Wizard / Abjurant Champion could work, using spells like Bite of the Were-rat and True Strike to buff up your shots before you attack. You only lose a single level of Wizard casting, so you're a primary caster as well as an archer.

Hail Mary:
A cleric can do this very well. With buffs like Blessed Aim and Divine Agility, you'll have a large bonus to your hits. Alternatively, you can take Zen Archery and focus on Wisdom instead of Dexterity. A ranger could also work, with full BAB but worse spellcasting.

With all of these builds, I would recommend feats such as Knowledge Devotion, Rapid Shot, Precise Strike, and Deadly Aim. A splitting bow is powerful, especially with the Bard build.

[Rebel7284]

1. The bard idea works nicely, although anyone with a +1 Flaming bow can shoot fire arrows.

2. A 2-Level dip into Arcane Archer to shoot Antimagic Fields and other such things through your bow is probably a good idea. You can also take a look at Unseen Seer for a bunch of bonus sneak attack damage. If you want ultimate power, Incantatrix -> persist Draconic Polymorph into Arrow Demon. Shoot two bows all day. Divine Disciple for Divine Power is always nice.

3. Zen Archery on a typical Divine Metamagic cleric works well.

I have seen some fairly effective Factotum builds utilizing Manyshot with the extra Standard action.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

1. DFI Bard is obvious, bonus points if you can cast (Fell Drain/Frighten) Flame Arrow.

2. Any standard gish build, probably Human or Elf Paragon 1/ Fighter 1/ Martial Wizard 2/ Human or Elf Paragon 2/ Spellsword 1/ Abjurant Champion 5/ Eldritch Knight or Knight Phantom 8, though you could afford to lose two more BAB on something like Incantatrix or Paragnostic Aposlte or Divine Oracle 4 instead of some of the EK/KP levels. Get Ability Enhancer so any transmutation spell that enhances one of your ability scores has its bonus increased by two points, so Cat's Grace gives you +6 Dex and Bite of the Wererat gives +8 Dex. Preferably be a Snow Elf with Otherworldly for the Outsider type, get Incantatrix 4, and use Metamagic Effect to add Persistent Spell to your Draconic Polymorph: Arrow Demon, as well as Bite of the Wererat/Weretiger.

3. DMM: Persistent Cleric with the Elf domain and Zen Archery is pretty standard. You can use Greater Anyspell for Draconic Polymorph: Arrow Demon if you're an Outsider.

Edit: Obligatory Energy Bow (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ask/20061227a) link.

[TiaC]

A nice little trick for arcane-based archers is Born of the Three Thunders on Energy subbed Flame Arrow. Every attack forces saves vs. stun and prone.

[Darrin]

Three-headed insectile archer with six arms was too much to hope for, eh?

[Rebel7284]

Three-headed insectile archer with six arms was too much to hope for, eh?

I was hoping for something with three bows as well. Why three heads though?

[paperarmor]

I was hoping for something with three bows as well. Why three heads though?

No penalty on attack rolls with multi weapon Fighting. And extra bonuses on spot.

Actually, an Insectile Three Headed Elf Wablade 7 (or 5 w/o LA buyoff) Eternal Blade 10 would be a cool More Dakka build.

On topic Factotums make great archers. Here (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?284283-Piggy-Knowles-Archer-Build-Thread) is Piggy Knowles Archer build thread with a number of cool ideas.

[Red Fel]

Arcane, huh? Are you up for a bit of cheese, with highly-questionable RAW interpretation?

Warlock.

Bear with me. I'm not just talking about a once-per-round Eldritch Blast, although you could easily flavor that as shooting magical arrows from your hands. I'm talking about a hideous abuse of RAW.

We start with Dragon Magazine, the home of highly balanced, perfectly acceptable material. We take two feats: Beast Strike and Eldritch Claws.

Eldritch Claws allows you to turn your Eldritch Blast into a claw attack, which deals damage equal to your unarmed strike damage plus your Eldritch Blast damage.

Beast Strike adds your claw damage (unarmed + EB) to your unarmed strikes (total unarmed + unarmed + EB).

Next, we take a bow. Any bow will do, but let's take a Composite Longbow. We add to it the Aptitude enhancement from Tome of Battle. An Aptitude weapon can qualify for any weapon-specific feat you have, even if it applies to another weapon.

Unarmed strikes are a weapon. Beast Strike is specific to unarmed strikes. Here's the abuse of RAW (which your DM may not allow, and also may administer book-based brutality): Aptitude qualifies your Composite Longbow for Beast Strike.

If your DM allows this, I will be amazed here's what you get: Your iterative attacks add your claw damage (Longbow damage + EB) to your Longbow strikes (total Longbow + Longbow + EB). For a Warlock 9, that's 2d8+5d6 damage per hit, and your BAB gives you two shots.

This has been RAW Abuse. Good day.