Segev
2021-02-25, 06:15 PM
I've never been thrilled with the Fighter Subclass in 5e. It feels not particularly arcane, and generally lackluster even as a fighter subclass to boot. Too few uses of its special abilities, and too few accessable. To me, an "arcane archer" should be using his bow as a medium for doing unique things with spells. And what better class to master doing unique things with spells than the Sorcerer?
If you want to use this and the Fighter Subclass in the same game, you can give this a different name.
This may be overtuned; I request help checking me on it. Especially for risk of dipping for the first level feature.
Sorcerer Subclass: Arcane Archer
Alternate title: Blood of Corellon
Raised to the Bow
You gain proficiency in short bows and long bows.
Arcane Ammunition
When you make a ranged weapon attack that uses ammunition, also cast a spell of a level no greater than your level in this class with a casting time no longer than one action that either targets a single creature, or creates an area of effect. If you do, your weapon becomes an arcane focus and does not interfere with somatic components, and the ammunition channels the spell, replacing the normal range with that of the ranged weapon. You use Charisma instead of Dexterity for all purposes in the ranged weapon attack. If the spell requires an attack roll, it uses the ranged weapon attack roll, hitting or missing along with the ammunition. If the spell targets a creature, the creature hit is the target (and the spell does nothing if the attack misses, even if it normally doesn't require an attack roll).
Area of effect spells have their point of origin from the ammunition, which you may activate anywhere along its path (so you can fire at a general location within range of the weapon; the DM may call for an attack roll if he deems the shot difficult, assigning an AC to place it where you want, and determining himself where the spell goes off if you miss). If you hit a creature with ammunition imbued with an area of effect spell, you may place the origin of the area of effect anywhere on the creature's body.
Spells which enable multiple attacks (such as magic missile or scorching ray) may be cast in this fashion, but consume a separate piece of ammunition each.
Ammunition used with this feature is destroyed (unless it cannot be, such as an Unbreakable Arrow).
Note: Because the spell does nothing if it misses, this means magic missile loses its auto-hit trait if used with this feature.
Trick Shots
Starting at sixth level, when making ranged weapon attacks that use ammunition, you can imbue them with your sorcerous power to enable impossible shots. Choose two of the following effects to learn. These can be treated as metamagic for anything that lets you learn, trade, or replace metamagics. You may apply only one to any given attack, unless it says otherwise, though you can apply a trick shot to an attack and a metamagic to a spell imbued on that attack via Arcane Ammunition.
You also can treat metamagic that manipulates the range, targeting, or damage of a spell as a trick shot that alters a ranged weapon attack that uses ammunition in the same fashion (for example, a Distant Trick Shot would double the range of the ranged weapon used). Any effect which increases targets (such as Twin Spell) consumes additional ammunition: 1 per target.
Enchanted Shot (1+ SP): You may choose to use this trick shot after seeing the result of your roll, and may use it in conjunction with other trick shots. For each Sorcery Point you spend, the attack and damage roll gains +1. You may not spend more Sorcery Points than the highest level spell slot you have available.
Seeking Shot (1 or 2 SP): Choose a creature you have perceived within the last minute and spend 1 SP. You gain a preternatural sense of the direction to that creature, and the attack you make with this shot cannot suffer Disadvantage and ignores any cover other than full cover. If you spend 2 SP, the ammunition becomes incorporeal until just before it strikes, ignoring even full cover unless that full cover is provided entirely by force effects.
Spell Trap (1 SP): Spend 1 SP as you use Arcane Ammunition. Instead of releasing its spell upon its target, the ammunition does only its normal damage or only rests where it falls. Once during the next minute, as a reaction, you may release the spell imbued into the ammunition. Instead of the ammunition serving as the point of origin or affecting whatever it's embedded in, the spell is cast as if by you, standing at the ammunition's location, allowing you to choose targeting and range appropriately. Until you cast the spell from the ammunition in this fashion or the ammunition is destroyed, you can perceive obvious things from its position as if using your own senses; you automatically fail any Wisdom(Perception) or Intelligence(Investigation) rolls made from this perspective that have a DC greater than 10. The ammunition disintegrates when the spell is cast or after one minute, whichever comes first.
Subtle Hit (1 or 2 SP): Spend 1 SP as you make the attack roll. If the ammunition hits a creature, the attack deals no damage as the ammunition sinks harmlessly into the creature's body and vanishes. The creature is still affected by any spell imbued via Arcane Ammunition, but unless the spell does damage, no damage is dealt to the creature. Unless the creature succeeds on a Wisdom(Perception) check against your spell DC, it doesn't even notice being hit (though, again, it may notice the effects of any spell imbued into the ammunition). If you spend 2 SP instead of 1 on this trick shot, the attack does deal damage, but its type is converted to psychic. If you do so and the creature fails the Wisdom(Perception) check to notice the attack, its thoughts are clouded by the psychic impact and it doesn't realize you even fired a shot, even if it watched you do so. Nor does it realize it has been injured. If it is reduced to 0 hp by this psychic damage, it automatically stabilizes.
Waypoint Marker (3 SP): This unusual trick shot doesn't do anything special when you fire it. Spend 3 SP when firing the ammunition. Once during the next minute, you can use a bonus action to teleport with everything you are carrying to the ammunition's location, as long as it wasn't destroyed (such as if you shot a metal sling bullet that a rust monster ate). Until you do, you have a sense of the distance and direction to it. This trick shot is generally incompatible with Arcane Ammunition, as that feature destroys the ammunition when the spell effect occurs.
Extra Attack
At fourteenth level, you attack twice instead of once when you take the attack action on your turn.
Greater Arcane Ammunition
At eighteenth level, you can cast a spell and, instead of having it take effect immediately, store it in a piece of ammunition. When anybody fires the ammunition from an appropriate weapon, the spell will take effect as appropriate where the ammunition hits or lands. It follows the normal rules for Arcane Ammunition, unless it couldn't normally be used with that feature based on its targeting requirements. If it grants the caster an ability, it instead grants the ability to the target. If it creates an effect such as a teleportation circle or an arcane gate, the effect occurs in the space where the ammunition hits or lands. If additional targeting or positioning details are needed, the one firing the ammunition makes those decisions. The spell otherwise acts as if cast by you.
The ammunition remains imbued with the spell until it is used or 24 hours have passed. You can expend a spell slot of the appropriate level (or higher) from any distance to maintain the imbuement for another 24 hours. You know when the ammunition has been fired and its spell activated, though you do not gain any additional information about the circumstances in which that happened from this feature.
If you want to use this and the Fighter Subclass in the same game, you can give this a different name.
This may be overtuned; I request help checking me on it. Especially for risk of dipping for the first level feature.
Sorcerer Subclass: Arcane Archer
Alternate title: Blood of Corellon
Raised to the Bow
You gain proficiency in short bows and long bows.
Arcane Ammunition
When you make a ranged weapon attack that uses ammunition, also cast a spell of a level no greater than your level in this class with a casting time no longer than one action that either targets a single creature, or creates an area of effect. If you do, your weapon becomes an arcane focus and does not interfere with somatic components, and the ammunition channels the spell, replacing the normal range with that of the ranged weapon. You use Charisma instead of Dexterity for all purposes in the ranged weapon attack. If the spell requires an attack roll, it uses the ranged weapon attack roll, hitting or missing along with the ammunition. If the spell targets a creature, the creature hit is the target (and the spell does nothing if the attack misses, even if it normally doesn't require an attack roll).
Area of effect spells have their point of origin from the ammunition, which you may activate anywhere along its path (so you can fire at a general location within range of the weapon; the DM may call for an attack roll if he deems the shot difficult, assigning an AC to place it where you want, and determining himself where the spell goes off if you miss). If you hit a creature with ammunition imbued with an area of effect spell, you may place the origin of the area of effect anywhere on the creature's body.
Spells which enable multiple attacks (such as magic missile or scorching ray) may be cast in this fashion, but consume a separate piece of ammunition each.
Ammunition used with this feature is destroyed (unless it cannot be, such as an Unbreakable Arrow).
Note: Because the spell does nothing if it misses, this means magic missile loses its auto-hit trait if used with this feature.
Trick Shots
Starting at sixth level, when making ranged weapon attacks that use ammunition, you can imbue them with your sorcerous power to enable impossible shots. Choose two of the following effects to learn. These can be treated as metamagic for anything that lets you learn, trade, or replace metamagics. You may apply only one to any given attack, unless it says otherwise, though you can apply a trick shot to an attack and a metamagic to a spell imbued on that attack via Arcane Ammunition.
You also can treat metamagic that manipulates the range, targeting, or damage of a spell as a trick shot that alters a ranged weapon attack that uses ammunition in the same fashion (for example, a Distant Trick Shot would double the range of the ranged weapon used). Any effect which increases targets (such as Twin Spell) consumes additional ammunition: 1 per target.
Enchanted Shot (1+ SP): You may choose to use this trick shot after seeing the result of your roll, and may use it in conjunction with other trick shots. For each Sorcery Point you spend, the attack and damage roll gains +1. You may not spend more Sorcery Points than the highest level spell slot you have available.
Seeking Shot (1 or 2 SP): Choose a creature you have perceived within the last minute and spend 1 SP. You gain a preternatural sense of the direction to that creature, and the attack you make with this shot cannot suffer Disadvantage and ignores any cover other than full cover. If you spend 2 SP, the ammunition becomes incorporeal until just before it strikes, ignoring even full cover unless that full cover is provided entirely by force effects.
Spell Trap (1 SP): Spend 1 SP as you use Arcane Ammunition. Instead of releasing its spell upon its target, the ammunition does only its normal damage or only rests where it falls. Once during the next minute, as a reaction, you may release the spell imbued into the ammunition. Instead of the ammunition serving as the point of origin or affecting whatever it's embedded in, the spell is cast as if by you, standing at the ammunition's location, allowing you to choose targeting and range appropriately. Until you cast the spell from the ammunition in this fashion or the ammunition is destroyed, you can perceive obvious things from its position as if using your own senses; you automatically fail any Wisdom(Perception) or Intelligence(Investigation) rolls made from this perspective that have a DC greater than 10. The ammunition disintegrates when the spell is cast or after one minute, whichever comes first.
Subtle Hit (1 or 2 SP): Spend 1 SP as you make the attack roll. If the ammunition hits a creature, the attack deals no damage as the ammunition sinks harmlessly into the creature's body and vanishes. The creature is still affected by any spell imbued via Arcane Ammunition, but unless the spell does damage, no damage is dealt to the creature. Unless the creature succeeds on a Wisdom(Perception) check against your spell DC, it doesn't even notice being hit (though, again, it may notice the effects of any spell imbued into the ammunition). If you spend 2 SP instead of 1 on this trick shot, the attack does deal damage, but its type is converted to psychic. If you do so and the creature fails the Wisdom(Perception) check to notice the attack, its thoughts are clouded by the psychic impact and it doesn't realize you even fired a shot, even if it watched you do so. Nor does it realize it has been injured. If it is reduced to 0 hp by this psychic damage, it automatically stabilizes.
Waypoint Marker (3 SP): This unusual trick shot doesn't do anything special when you fire it. Spend 3 SP when firing the ammunition. Once during the next minute, you can use a bonus action to teleport with everything you are carrying to the ammunition's location, as long as it wasn't destroyed (such as if you shot a metal sling bullet that a rust monster ate). Until you do, you have a sense of the distance and direction to it. This trick shot is generally incompatible with Arcane Ammunition, as that feature destroys the ammunition when the spell effect occurs.
Extra Attack
At fourteenth level, you attack twice instead of once when you take the attack action on your turn.
Greater Arcane Ammunition
At eighteenth level, you can cast a spell and, instead of having it take effect immediately, store it in a piece of ammunition. When anybody fires the ammunition from an appropriate weapon, the spell will take effect as appropriate where the ammunition hits or lands. It follows the normal rules for Arcane Ammunition, unless it couldn't normally be used with that feature based on its targeting requirements. If it grants the caster an ability, it instead grants the ability to the target. If it creates an effect such as a teleportation circle or an arcane gate, the effect occurs in the space where the ammunition hits or lands. If additional targeting or positioning details are needed, the one firing the ammunition makes those decisions. The spell otherwise acts as if cast by you.
The ammunition remains imbued with the spell until it is used or 24 hours have passed. You can expend a spell slot of the appropriate level (or higher) from any distance to maintain the imbuement for another 24 hours. You know when the ammunition has been fired and its spell activated, though you do not gain any additional information about the circumstances in which that happened from this feature.