Need help with a high-damage-output, assassin ranger build.

[Allitra]

Intro: The campaign I'm in is starting at level 1, and I'm trying to build a Archer/Assassin-type character. I'd like to be able to put out a decent amount of damage and still be useful in later levels of the campaign. While also acting as the party scout.
Character Idea: Adept in archery even at a young age, she enlisted into the kingdom's military and became a specialist/royal archer. After the kingdom was sieged and taken over. She escaped and made herself into a mercenary/wandering guardian. Unseen but present.
Play style Idea: Specializing in high-damage bow attacks from cover and at a distance. Guerrilla Warfare-esque, attacking without being seen, and then relocating to repeat.
Races: Whisper Gnome, Elf, Human, or Raptoran.
Templates: Dark Creature. LA buy-off allowed,
Classes: Ranger 4/Order of the bow 6/Scout 5. (unsure of any other classes that would help with damage, or the proper amount of levels to take in them)
Feats: Looking at: Darkstalker, Point Blank Shot, Rapid Shot, Manyshot, Precise Shot, Weapon Focus (composite bow), and Dead Eye.

[Gruftzwerg]

Does it needs to be a bow build? In the last time I got addicted to Barb 1(ACF Pounce)/Bloodstorm Blade dips (2 or 4 lvl) to combine ranged throwing attacks with melee dmg bonuses (e.g. Pounce, Power Attack, Charge multiplier, Whirlwind...). It's an uncommon but fun route for ranged builds, so I would suggest to have a look at least.

To give a base example how it could work, have a look at my ShurikenNado (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?526875-ShurikeNado-a-shuriken-master-build)build to get inspired and see the mechanics applied.

If you want to get additional mobility for your pounce, take also the Drunken Master 2 dip for Stagger. Now you can run around and freely position to find the best spot to charge/pounce at your enemies.

If you add a way to fly, your piercing & slashing weapons get a dmg multiplier for dive attacks (charge).
Combine with Stagger to make a looping every turn to get your charge/pounce multipliers.

Whirlwind is the ultimate combo. Attack and target all your enemies at once (since WW only attacks those) in 50ft range.

[Goaty14]

You'd be better off using the Unearthed Arcana Wilderness Rogue variant, which moves around a couple of your skills, and adds a few of the ranger's main capstones (camoflauge, hide in plain sight) to the rogue's skill tricks, however, this only starts at level 10, so it will probably mess up with your multiclassing you want to do.

[DarkSoul]

Can you use Dragon Magazine? The Mystic Ranger in #336 in particular. What about 3.0 or setting-specific?

[Allitra]

Can you use Dragon Magazine? The Mystic Ranger in #336 in particular. What about 3.0 or setting-specific?

Dragon Magazines and Setting-specific are approved case-by-case. All books are otherwise on the table, but no 3.0.

[ExLibrisMortis]

Really sounds like you need a Swift Hunter/Greater Manyshot build. I mean, you're basically ninety percent of the way there already, you just need to drop OotBI and add more ranger.


Swift Hunter stacks your scout and ranger levels for the purpose of calculating skirmish damage and favoured enemies. It also allows you to skirmish enemies normally immune to precision damage, so make sure to pick Undead/Constructs/Oozes or whatever is appropriate for your campaign. Favoured Enemy (Arcanists) is always a good pick, too.

Greater Manyshot allows you to deal precision damage with each Manyshot arrow. No additional prerequisites, you just need Manyshot—you could have it as early as level 6, but saving it for level 9 would work as well, in a scout 3/ranger 6 build with Swift Hunter at level 6.

If you want, you can add Flyby Attack, allowing you to move before and after your Manyshot.