Ignoring total cover

[Dr.Manhattan]

I'm making a super archer in a high power game, I want a way to ignore total cover for ranged, is that possible?
Double wealth per level, ECL 12, no templates, no monster races. All books but psionics allowed. No homebrew, Dragong magazine if GM looks at it first.

[TheCorsairMalac]

It's only once per day, but Arcane Archers get an ability called Seeker Arrow. It ignores any amount of cover or concealment. This is the only non-homebrew method I can think of.

Perhaps blindsight shenanigans? A lot of thrown weapons work just fine being tossed over walls. If you can 'see' your target over the obstacle with blindsight, then alchemist's fire, the orc shotput, etc. would probably still deal damage.

While they're not technically ranged attacks, any sort of burst spell could be used to work around cover.

[KillianHawkeye]

Perhaps blindsight shenanigans? A lot of thrown weapons work just fine being tossed over walls. If you can 'see' your target over the obstacle with blindsight, then alchemist's fire, the orc shotput, etc. would probably still deal damage.

This doesn't work. Blindsight requires line of effect.



To answer to original question, if you want to use a bow against an enemy with total cover, then you either need to shoot through the cover or you need arrows that go around the cover. Unfortunately, I'm not really an expert on ways to make that happen.

[sleepyphoenixx]

Mindsight and Brilliant Energy arrows should work. Mindsight doesn't need LoE and BE arrows go right through non-living matter.
There's also the Brilliant Energy Arrow spell (CoR) for the same effect and Woodwisp Arrow to shoot through wood from the same book.

[MisterKaws]

Blood Seeker enhancement, CWar. You'll need something to ignore concealment too, but that's easier to get.

[barakaka]

2nd level vestige Malphas gives you Bird's Eye Viewing which pretty easily lets you see around their cover. Not sure how it works with spells that enhance your vision.

Bend Perspective is a 1st level mystery for the Shadowcaster. Creating scrolls and wands is supposed to work the same way as regular ones, but may be harder to get a hold of.

[Dr.Manhattan]

2nd level vestige Malphas gives you Bird's Eye Viewing which pretty easily lets you see around their cover. Not sure how it works with spells that enhance your vision.

Bend Perspective is a 1st level mystery for the Shadowcaster. Creating scrolls and wands is supposed to work the same way as regular ones, but may be harder to get a hold of.

This dosen't give line of effect though, only line of sight so it wouldn't work

[Inevitability]

Nine levels in Ballisteer (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/psm/20030426b) get you Phase Shot, which makes your amminution move through the astral plane at the cost of 3 PP a shot. This means, amongst other things, that non-astral cover no longer matters.

[Dr.Manhattan]

Nine levels in Ballisteer (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/psm/20030426b) get you Phase Shot, which makes your amminution move through the astral plane at the cost of 3 PP a shot. This means, amongst other things, that non-astral cover no longer matters.
Sadly no psionics

[ExLibrisMortis]

Playing a sharn will work. Sharn can conjure three 'hex portals'. They're basically mobile ring gates (20' speed, 100' range), and sharn can attack through them, with spells, melee attacks, ranged attacks, you name it. Move the portal around the cover, and the problem's gone.

Sharn also have nine hands, so you can get a lot of bonus damage on a special eight-handed sword, and still carry a shield (multi-handed weapons only go up to eight-handed).


Edit: I just saw 'no monstrous races'. Well, try keeping one as a mount/cohort/familiar?

[gooddragon1]

I'm making a super archer in a high power game, I want a way to ignore total cover for ranged, is that possible?
Double wealth per level, ECL 12, no templates, no monster races. All books but psionics allowed. No homebrew, Dragong magazine if GM looks at it first.

No Homebrew? Maybe a transdimensional spell while being on the ethereal plane?

Homebrew (I know, I know, I just can't help myself): Jade Archer (https://dnd-wiki.org/wiki/Jade_Archer,_Revised_for_Ayron_%283.5e_Class%29).

[Eldariel]

Most of the good stuff is already said: Mindsight and Brilliant Energy get the job done admirably. Simple Arcane Sight can get you a decent way to locate most things of relevance (as most relevant things usually have either magic items or active spells on their person). Mindsight is better, particularly if it's high-powered. You can use Polymorph into a form with 50mile mindsight, locate everything - or better yet, give your Familiar Mindsight through Psychic Reformation; Pseudodragon is an Improved Familiar that qualifies for instance - then you can Polymorph into an Arrow Demon or another useful combat form while your familiar is your targeting computer Thoon Elder Brain or something feeding target data to you.

Other than that, Brilliant Arrows (the spell) are the best way to hit targets in total cover. For enemies they don't work on, you'll need to use other stuff; Phasing Arrows [DR330] penetrate 5' of obstacles so that does something. Just get a Seeking (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/magicItems/magicWeapons.htm#seeking) bow to handle miss chances. Blood Seeking sadly doesn't work against much the same enemies you couldn't hit with Brilliant Energy weapons, so it's pretty useless. Note, you absolutely want to be a caster capable of casting Brilliant Blade (6th level spell) or similar since it's a huge waste to buy such as consumables. Thus, I suggest a Wizard-based Gish capable of persisting spells losing at most 1 caster level (probably just a standard Wizard/Incantatrix persisting Divine Power for BAB).

[Max Caysey]

Seeking and Blood Seeking enchantments solves your problem. You might want to get a Long Range, Precise, Seeking, Distance, Blood Seeking Composite Longbow of Collision. Put as much might on it as you can, possibly even getting efficient pull feat to boot.