good archer class or prc

[Suzaku]

I was wondering what's a good archer class or prc to pick up if you want to be a good archer or tracker.

[PlatinumJester]

Order of the bow initiate is good but you need BAB +5, Bowmaking craft 5 ranks, knowledge religion 2 ranks, point blank shot, precise shot, weopon focus with any either a shortbow, longbow or greatbow or the compsite versions. For more check out the complete warrior guide.

[Amiria]

There are no good archer prcs for D&D 3.5.

Deepwood Sniper (MotW) and Peerless Archer (FR Silver Marches) are both good archer prcs, but 3.0.

Imo, a good archer build is Scout3 / Ranger17 - if you use the Swift Hunter feat (Complete Scoundrel), good ranger spells (i.e. Spell Compendium and FR Champions of Ruin) and the Greater Manyshot feat (XPH).

Scout/Ranger is pretty much the archer/tracker incarnate.

[Jack Mann]

Cleric with the elf and travel domains. Pick up track and you're good to go.

[Bears With Lasers]

Yep, cleric. Elf and War or (if you don't care about weapon focus, which you probably shouldn't) Elf and Travel. Travel gets you Survival as a skill, so you can even pick up the Track feat if you really want it.

Cleric 1: Point Blank Shot (Elf domain), Precise Shot
Cleric 3: Rapid Shot or Zen Archery
Cleric 6: Zen Archery or Rapid Shot (or Track, if you don't want Zen Archery)
Cleric 9: Quicken Spell.
Then, whatever you like.

You'll shoot as well as anyone, and be useful in lots of other ways as well.

[Suzaku]

Yep, cleric. Elf and War or (if you don't care about weapon focus, which you probably shouldn't) Elf and Travel. Travel gets you Survival as a skill, so you can even pick up the Track feat if you really want it.

Cleric 1: Point Blank Shot (Elf domain), Precise Shot
Cleric 3: Rapid Shot or Zen Archery
Cleric 6: Zen Archery or Rapid Shot (or Track, if you don't want Zen Archery)
Cleric 9: Quicken Spell.
Then, whatever you like.

You'll shoot as well as anyone, and be useful in lots of other ways as well.

Clerics is there anything they can't do? oO

[Kel_Arath]

arcane archer in the hisouse!

[Bears With Lasers]

arcane archer in the hisouse!

No, no, the OP wants a good archer class or PrC.

[Jerthanis]

If you're going to use Scout, or Scout/Ranger, a good feat to pick up later on is Improved Manyshot, out of the Expanded Psionic Handbook, (it's a general feat, so anyone can take it), which allows each arrow to score individual precision damage, and thus allow skirmish to dish out much better damage just as consistently.

If you go with the Cleric, particularly with Zen Archery remember that while archers stylistically use light armor, there's no penalty to using heavy armor instead. In fact, since archers don't have to move to close to melee, they're less penalized by the movement restriction (unless they need to retreat.)

[Draz74]

If you're going to use Scout, or Scout/Ranger, a good feat to pick up later on is Improved Manyshot, out of the Expanded Psionic Handbook, (it's a general feat, so anyone can take it), which allows each arrow to score individual precision damage, and thus allow skirmish to dish out much better damage just as consistently.

If you go with the Cleric, particularly with Zen Archery remember that while archers stylistically use light armor, there's no penalty to using heavy armor instead. In fact, since archers don't have to move to close to melee, they're less penalized by the movement restriction (unless they need to retreat.)

With Zen Archery, yes, that's a very good point. However, I think it's way more stylish to be a high-Dex Cleric Archer and take another feat instead of Zen Archery. Yeah, it gives you a bit of MAD, but it also gives you good Reflex saves, good Dex-based skills (even untrained), good initiative, good melee potential if you can afford a feat for Weapon Finesse ...

And if you get your Dex high enough (oh, btw, don't forget you get a racial bonus!), you can skip armor completely and buy a Monk's Belt. Then cast Magic Vestment on your nice light tunic and still get a +5 armor bonus for free.

[Jack Mann]

Eh, I dunno. Zen Archery's pretty stylish too. You're letting your inner feelings your shot, or your faith in your god. Seems to fit a cleric archer pretty well.

[argentsaber]

i vote for zen archery AND a monk's belt. and that insightful strike feat from boed if allowed (wis to hit in melee too). as a cleric you WANT wisdom!

[Tor the Fallen]

You lose the classic stealth abilities of the wilderness archer if you go cleric.

[Draz74]

Until you cast Invisibility and Silence.

OK, so Invisibility isn't a Cleric spell. So maybe you'll have to get a high dex, Ring of Chameleon Power and some cross-class ranks.

[AmoDman]

Start with a Soulknife (http://www.systemreferencedocuments.org/35/sovelior_sage/psionicSoulknife.html), get to at least level 2, multi-class as you see fit (personally I like at least the level 4 abilities to add as much enhancement bonus as possible). You can go all the way to level 5 if you really want your melee mind blade to be as effective as possible, but eh. By level 5, make sure you qualify for and at 6 go into Soulbow (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ex/20060403a&page=2). Key feats besides the obvious archery enhancement feats are Psionic Shot (http://www.systemreferencedocuments.org/35/sovelior_sage/psionicFeats.html#psionic-shot), Greater Psionic Shot (http://www.systemreferencedocuments.org/35/sovelior_sage/psionicFeats.html#greater-psionic-shot), Psionic Meditation (http://www.systemreferencedocuments.org/35/sovelior_sage/psionicFeats.html#psionic-meditation), and has been cited in this thread, Zen Archery (which as a soulbow will allocate both your damage and attack bonus to WIS). Congratulations, you've just built a pretty cool and decent archer.

[Bears With Lasers]

Take a level of Soulknife, add Psychic Warrior, go into Atavist.

When you've got Atavist 10, you can fire off three to five Manyshots a round.

[Suzaku]

Until you cast Invisibility and Silence.

OK, so Invisibility isn't a Cleric spell. So maybe you'll have to get a high dex, Ring of Chameleon Power and some cross-class ranks.
Or ring of invisibility...

[Bears With Lasers]

Or just figure that Hide/Move Silently are far more than outweighed by full cleric spellcasting and the things it lets you do. It's a more-than-reasonable trade.

[cupkeyk]

waste a feat with a great bow and dabble in one level of exotic weapon master to get no aoo's when firing in melee.

[Suzaku]

Yea but stealthy and silent thing who attacks from range was my thing ^^'

[The_Snark]

Or pick the Trickery domain, which gives you invisibility as a spell... not to mention Hide as a class skill.

Me, I prefer scouts, particularly with Greater Manyshot; if that's not available, I actually like using a crossbow and the Crossbow Sniper feat from PHBII.

[AmoDman]

Take a level of Soulknife, add Psychic Warrior, go into Atavist.

When you've got Atavist 10, you can fire off three to five Manyshots a round.

Excuse my french, but what the hell is an Atavist? If it's in CP, I only looked "have" the excerpt...

edit: Trickery domain and SILENCE! On yourself ;).

[Bears With Lasers]

Atavist is a Kalashtar prestige class from Races of Eberron.

[AmoDman]

Atavist is a Kalashtar prestige class from Races of Eberron.

The only thing I got out of that was Races of Eberron. Okay, got it...I've never touched the damn thing or any of it's supplements, just Wizards general stuff and a little bit of third party.

It's like me saying, oh that's Siliconatarsuris a shug'blargiville specialty of the blimpis category in Races of **** I Just Made Up.

[Ramza00]

The 3.0 order of the bow innate is also great. DON't use the 3.5 one.

[Accolon]

I made up an Archer PrC if anyone is interested. I based it on the Pistoleer from Ravenloft 3.0, (awesome setting) and the PrC was tested in game. Anyone who knows anything about Ravenloft will tell you that it is not a power gaming setting. Not to pat myself on the back, but I thought the PrC was a good one. The players agreed, (our group, counting me is 6) I'd be happy to post it, (I'd have to find it, but that's not a prob.)

[Jack Mann]

The only thing I got out of that was Races of Eberron. Okay, got it...I've never touched the damn thing or any of it's supplements, just Wizards general stuff and a little bit of third party.

It's like me saying, oh that's Siliconatarsuris a shug'blargiville specialty of the blimpis category in Races of **** I Just Made Up.

Uh... no? While you may or may not personally own any setting-specific books, they're official D&D products, supported by Wizards. It's no different, really, from bringing out a prestige class from Complete Warrior or a feat from the Player's Handbook II. Just because you don't own the book doesn't mean it isn't a valid resource here. If it had been a third-party book, I could understand, but this is an official supplement.

And frankly, Races of Eberron is about the most generic setting splat I know of. It was designed to be usable in any game, even if you don't have any other Eberron material.

[Bears With Lasers]

The only thing I got out of that was Races of Eberron. Okay, got it...I've never touched the damn thing or any of it's supplements, just Wizards general stuff and a little bit of third party.

It's like me saying, oh that's Siliconatarsuris a shug'blargiville specialty of the blimpis category in Races of **** I Just Made Up.

Aha. My mistake for referencing a product you don't use in a general discussion. I'll try to avoid making that mistake in the future.

OH WAIT NO

[AmoDman]

Aha. My mistake for referencing a product you don't use in a general discussion. I'll try to avoid making that mistake in the future.

OH WAIT NO

It was a joke, funny, ha ha. Sheesh, you guys take stuff so hardcore sometimes...

*The first two sentences were my response (Races of Eberron, got it). The rest was a humorous speculation on how the rest of that sentence just sounded like gibberish to me with prestige class mixed in there since I've never even touched the book, unlike most books' catch-all names like Scout...Warlock...Beguiler...Warblade...The explanation is almost longer than the actual joke, that is what is sad.