Opinions on an on-going Swift Ambusher Build

[Leathros]

So I decided I'll go Scout 3 Rogue 7. This will give me a "decent" BAB, which is +7/+2, and make me useful in both melee and ranged combat, since I get +3d6 Skirmish and +4d6 Sneak Attack.

Now, I've chosen a wide quantity of stuff to resolve, since I have to fully build this thingy for Sunday.

As for feats, I have a few that are a must, such as
True Believer: With this, I get to use Raptor Arrows, which are +1 Returning, but the nice stuff is that they become Bane, for every single target I shoot. This, combined with a Splitting bow, gives me +8d6+4 Dmg, only from firing 2 arrows, as in a standard action, with manyshot.

Now comes the tricky part. Manyshot will Destroy my BAB, so I figured +1 WFocus +1 Magical Bow +1 Arrow? +5 High Dex +1 Small (Halfling Build Maybe) +1 PBShot +3 BAB: +13/+13 to both arrows, which will become +13/+13/+13/+13 because of the Splitting property. Am I missing any way to increase my Atk Bonus a bit? It seems rather low for a lvl 10 char. Although I'll be trying to sneak attack. I'm also taking Woodland Archer Feat, which will help a bit If I miss a shot, giving a +4 on the next one. Knowledge Devotion will Help a bit, free +1/+1! And Also Ranged Weapon Mastery for a +2/+2... Doesen't look so bad now.

Now comes the other tricky part, how to sneak at range. Withouth using the Halfling Archetype that lowers down my Sneak Attack, is there any way? I also noticed the "Craven" Feat, which gives me +1DMG/LVL to any SA... I think I'm running out of feats.

Improved Skirmish is a must, also Greater Manyshot so I get to Precision attack on all of my arrows.

Also, since I'm going melee/ranged hybrid, are there any weapons that I could use without needing to drop my bow? Or in that case, any modification I can make to my bow so I can use it as a weapon? Or so I can call it back to my hand to keep shooting?

Sorry for the long post, and for my english!

If you read all this, thank you!

[Leathros]

Maybe going 5 Rogue 3 Scout 2 Fighter, to get those 2 Additional Feats I'm pretty sure I'm going to need.

[Flickerdart]

If you're Sneak Attacking for damage, check out the Greater Manyshot feat in the Expanded Psionics Handbook or the SRD (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/psionicFeats.htm#greaterManyshot). It will allow you to apply your SA and Skirmish damage more than once per turn when manyshotting.

I would also advise Scout 4 - the extra bonus feat you get can go into Improved Skirmish, for extra damage.

[Rebel7284]

Taking another level of scout also gives you a bonus feat.

edit: and you can get up to 3 feats with a cloistered cleric dip.

For example:
Domains: War, Elf, Knowledge Devotion

edit2:
Animal Devotion and Travel Devotion can also be good free feats to pick up this way.

[PaucaTerrorem]

Does +1 bow stack with +1 arrow?

[Darrin]

Now comes the tricky part. Manyshot will Destroy my BAB, so I figured +1 WFocus +1 Magical Bow +1 Arrow? +5 High Dex +1 Small (Halfling Build Maybe) +1 PBShot +3 BAB: +13/+13 to both arrows, which will become +13/+13/+13/+13 because of the Splitting property. Am I missing any way to increase my Atk Bonus a bit? It seems rather low for a lvl 10 char. Although I'll be trying to sneak attack. I'm also taking Woodland Archer Feat, which will help a bit If I miss a shot, giving a +4 on the next one. Knowledge Devotion will Help a bit, free +1/+1! And Also Ranged Weapon Mastery for a +2/+2... Doesen't look so bad now.


Woodland Archer doesn't work so well with Manyshot. All of your Manyshot arrows are fired simultaneously, so there aren't any subsequent arrows that round to benefit from the +4 bonus. Greater Manyshot doesn't help, either, as those are also fired simultaneously, even though each arrow gets its own attack roll. If you want Woodland Archer to be useful, you'll wan't to grab Improved Rapid Shot (Complete Warrior). But then you need a way to move + full attack reliably. Cloistered Cleric dip can help there, providing Travel Devotion and Knowledge Devotion.



Now comes the other tricky part, how to sneak at range. Withouth using the Halfling Archetype that lowers down my Sneak Attack, is there any way?


Ask your DM if you can use a wand of sniper's shot (Spell Compendium) to get skirmish damage at any range. The strict RAW says the spell only works with sneak attack, but you can try pointing out: why would the spell give you one type of precision damage but completely ignore any other? How much more precise does your shot have to be, if it's already getting sneak attack damage?



I also noticed the "Craven" Feat, which gives me +1DMG/LVL to any SA... I think I'm running out of feats.


If you have room for it, get it.



Also, since I'm going melee/ranged hybrid, are there any weapons that I could use without needing to drop my bow? Or in that case, any modification I can make to my bow so I can use it as a weapon?


Elvencraft longbow (+300 GP, Races of the Wild) allows you to treat your longbow as if it were a quarterstaff. This means you can switch between ranged attacks and a two-handed melee weapon without wasting actions. Add two wand chambers (100 GP, Dungeonscape) and max out your UMD. Picking up the Magic domain via the Cleric dip is also good: you can activate spell-trigger items as a Sor/Wiz 1.

[Magma Armor0]

My wife played a swift hunter build that functioned like a swift ambusher, by using the sniping rules whenever possible. Relevant feats are below.
Travel devotion (move your speed as a swift action each round for 1 min.)
Concealed Ambush (only -10 to hide after shooting)
Woodland Archer (+4 if you missed earlier, move while sniping)
Dead Eye (add DEX to damage)
Darkstalker

Item familiar, if your DM will allow it, is AMAZING. You'll get huge bonuses to hide and move silently, and the item in question (probably your bow) can get a few tricks of its own at higher levels (like being able to cast dimension door)

[Leathros]

I have to use Greater Manyshot, is the only way to get a Standard action to attack twice (which will be 4 times with Splitting ability) and apply my prec. dmg to all arrows.

In regards of cloistered cleric dip, I'd like to hear a bit more about it, for example how many lvls are recomended, since I have not read about it, and I would not like to lose more BAB than I already have since Scout and Rogue are both mid BAB progression.

In regards of the Sniping wand, I'm trying not to force my DM's hand too much, I'm already making a powerful char only by abussing skirmish with a Splitting arrow, they are more like "soft" players, and I'm always the guy that breaks the table with a char. But what I'm looking for this time is something FUN to play, not just a machine gun

[Leathros]

Starting to think I'll Go Fighter 4/Scout 3/Rogue 3, since Fighter 4 gives me 3 Feats, high bab, and the posibility to get Weapon Spec, and Ranged Weapon Mastery, solid attack and DMG on normal arrows, add that to 2d6 of Sneak Attack, and 4d6 of Skirmish, which will multiply to 16d6 on a Splitting Greater Manyshoted arrow pair, seems solid to me.

Also, the +1 from the Bow, stacks with the +1 from the Raptor Arrow? as in giving me +2/+2 ATk and DMG?

[Darrin]

I have to use Greater Manyshot, is the only way to get a Standard action to attack twice (which will be 4 times with Splitting ability) and apply my prec. dmg to all arrows.


There are other ways to move + full attack. Just be aware that Woodland Archer doesn't work well with Manyshot, Greater or otherwise. Or ask your DM to handwave it as a houserule.



In regards of cloistered cleric dip, I'd like to hear a bit more about it, for example how many lvls are recomended, since I have not read about it, and I would not like to lose more BAB than I already have since Scout and Rogue are both mid BAB progression.


There's a Dipping Cleric Handbook (http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=2773.0) on BG. All you really need is one level of Cloistered Cleric. Depending on which god you worship, this can get you the Travel Devotion, Knowledge Devotion, and one other domain/devotion. I prefer the Magic domain (so you can use spell-trigger items as a wizard), but the Animal Devotion also has some decent utility stuff.

Since the character is already in play, I'm not sure if you've already chosen a deity, but if not, there are several deities that offer Travel and Knowledge:



Bargrivyek (Living Greyhawk Deities v2.0, NE): Community, Evil, Knowledge, Protection, Travel
Celestian (Living Greyhawk Deities v2.0, NG): Destiny, Knowledge, Oracle, Protection, Travel
Grankhul (Living Greyhawk Deities v2.0, CE): Celerity, Chaos, Evil, Knowledge, Travel, Trickery
Gwaeron Windstrom (Faiths & Pantheons, NG): Animal, Good, Knowledge, Plant, Travel
Heward (Living Greyhawk Deities v2.0, NG): Good, Haversacks, Knowledge, Travel
Io (Races of the Dragon, N): Dragon, Knowledge, Magic, Strength, Travel, Wealth, Spell
Keoghtom (Living Greyhawk Deities v2.0, NG): Good, Knowledge, Ointment, Travel
Keptolo (Living Greyhawk Deities v2.0, CE): Chaos, Domination, Drow, Evil, Knowledge, Travel
Lirr (Living Greyhawk Deities v2.0, CG): Chaos, Good, Knowledge, Liberation, Magic, Rune, Travel
Lydia (Living Greyhawk Deities v2.0, NG): Good, Knowledge, Liberation, Sun, Travel
Mak Thuum Ngatha (Lords of Madness, CE): Destruction, Knowledge, Madness, Travel
Mouqol (Living Greyhawk Deities v2.0, N): Knowledge, Pact, Travel, Trickery
Odin (Deities & Demigods, NG): Air, Knowledge, Magic, Travel, Trickery, War (shortspear)
Oghma (Faiths & Pantheons, N): Charm, Knowledge, Luck, Travel, Trickery
Ptah (Deities & Demigods/Sandstorm, LN): Creation, Knowledge, Law, Travel
Rill Cleverthrush (Races of Stone, LN): Air, Gnome, Knowledge, Magic, Travel
Sehanine Moonbow (Races of the Wild/Living Greyhawk Deities v2.0, CG): Chaos, Dream, Elf, Good, Knowledge, Oracle, Repose, Travel, Trickery
Tem-Et-Nu (Sandstorm, LN): Knowledge, Magic, Nobility, Travel, War (kama)
Tiia (Deities & Demigods, Creator Aspect CG/CN/LG/LN/N/NG): Air, Chaos, Earth, Good, Healing, Knowledge, Law, Luck, Magic, Protection, Sun, Travel
Waukeen (Faiths & Pantheons, N): Knowledge, Protection, Trade, Travel
Ye'Cind (Living Greyhawk Deities v2.0, CG): Chaos, Elf, Good, Knowledge, Magic, Travel


In Deities & Demigods, there's also the option to worship an entire pantheon. This lets you select two domains from the entire pantheon, which can be Knowledge and Travel. In Eberron, the Sovereign Host offers a similar option:

Asgardian Pantheon: Odin already covers Knowledge and Travel, but you can also get Knowledge from Forseti and Frigga, and Travel from Hermod and Uller. If you also take the War domain, you can choose from the following favored weapons: composite longbow, dagger, greatclub, greatsword, longsword, quarterstaff, short sword, spear, unarmed strike, or warhammer.

Olympian Pantheon: Knowledge from Apollo or Athena, Travel from Hermes or Tyche. For favored weapons, you can choose from: dagger, greatclub, light mace, longsword, quarterstaff, short sword, spear (any kind), trident, unarmed strike, or warhammer.

Pharaonic Pantheon: Ptah kinda already covers both domains, but Imhotep also has Knowledge. If you don't like Ptah's favored weapon (mace), you can pick a different favored weapon: flail, heavy pick, khopesh, longsword, mace, quarterstaff, short sword, spear, and tiger claws.

Sovereign Host: Aureon covers Knowledge and Kol Korran covers Travel. For favored weapons, you only have one choice: longsword.




In regards of the Sniping wand, I'm trying not to force my DM's hand too much, I'm already making a powerful char only by abussing skirmish with a Splitting arrow, they are more like "soft" players, and I'm always the guy that breaks the table with a char. But what I'm looking for this time is something FUN to play, not just a machine gun

Sniper's shot is the best way to sneak attack at long range. The RAW says sneak attack only, but seeing as you have both sneak attack and skirmish and they are both precision damage... I'm not sure I can imagine the DM saying "No" to that unless you're overpowering his encounters. The only other way to increase the range for sneak attack is the Crossbow Sniper feat (PHBII), but you don't use a crossbow.

[Leathros]

Charater is on the making! Not already in play, will start on sunday.

Thing is, I wanted to get the True Believer feat, to get to use the Raptor Arrows, I have to believe in Elhonna, and I did not saw her name on your list.

Also, to make a Splitting bow, I need to make it +4, right? That's going to hurt.

[Leathros]

Decided I will not dip into Cloistered Cleric, It's a lot to read, and a lot to tweak, I'll go Fighter Scout Rogue, still on the table how many lvls of each, but 4 / 3 / 3 Seems the more proffitable.

[Karl Aegis]

What ambush feats are you getting to justify Swift Ambusher? The damage bonus seems fairly inconsequential compared to damage you could be doing with just Power Attack on a two-handed melee weapon.

[Leathros]

Kinda not looking for the big numbers, I liked the concept of the Swift Ambusher, and as I said above, I'm looking for a Hybrid build, much likely I'll notice that in combat I want to stay the hell away from my enemies tho hehe, hence why the Dead Eye Feat, and moving around and pew pewing baddies with a +4d6 from Skirmish and +10 from the feat, solely, still remains a ton of bonuses for dmg. Again, not looking to be the highest DPS on the party, looking to play something fun, but solid.

[Leathros]

So, going with StrongHeart Halfling, lots of nice bonuses, and these are the Feats I chose. Remember that I'm starting at lvl 10, so the order is not really important.

Deadeye Shot
Dead Eye
Many Shot
Greater ManyShot
Rapid Shot
Weapon Focus
Point Blank Shot
Precise Shot

Any lacks? Or Must have that I'm missing? I ditched the whole "Devotion" thingy, since It doesen't look right with the character concept.

Forgot Improved Skirmisher. Dang. AND Swift Ambusher, lol, crap.