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Zeiss
2008-01-05, 04:22 PM
Taking Zen Archery as a cleric, other than building feats like a bow fighter/ranger, is there anything in particular i should watch for/pick up?

Also, is there any PrC I should be building myself towards?

Also, is there a deity that has the War Domain that will get me Comp Longbow Proffeciency?

Gardakan
2008-01-05, 04:29 PM
Taking Zen Archery as a cleric, other than building feats like a bow fighter/ranger, is there anything in particular i should watch for/pick up?

Also, is there any PrC I should be building myself towards?

Also, is there a deity that has the War Domain that will get me Comp Longbow Proffeciency?



Don't take a deity but take the deity as yourself...(read the Player's Handbook for more details...)

So you can choose two domains that you want... The domain of War and Elven. The first give you the profiniency with bow and the Weapon Focus feat. The second give you the feat Point Blank Shot(so you can take Rapid Shot, Precise Shot, Far Shot, Zen Archery....).

Buy a bow of masterwork... maximize your Wisdom... and your on...

Rachel Lorelei
2008-01-05, 04:35 PM
Well, I was just building one of these for a game, so here goes!

Clerics don't get a lot of feats; that means you want to save on them. The typical way of doing this is taking the Elf domain (as an elf, since it's heard to justify otherwise--unless you want to play the fantasy equivalent of a fanboy who obsesses over everything Japanese), which gives Point Blank Shot, or the War domain for a deity who has the longbow as a favored weapon (as a human). The War domain option is superior, since it grants Weapon Focus and access to the Holy Warrior feat.

You then pick up Point Blank and Precise Shot (if you have the War domain) or just Precise Shot (if you're an Elf with the Elf domain).

At level 3, you've got a choice between Zen Archery and Rapid Shot. If your WIS bonus is only 1 more than your DEX bonus, you can probably hold off on Zen Archery until level 6. If your WIS is a lot higher than your Dex, take Zen Archery at 3 and Rapid Shot at 6.

At level 9, you qualify for the Holy Warrior reserve feat from the Complete Champion if you took the War domain. This gives you +damage equal to your highest level uncast War domain spell, or +5 at this point.

At 12th, take Quicken Spell. You'd like it at 9th, but Holy Warrior is just too good. After this, you can take whatever you like.

If you can take Flaws, pick up one to get all your feats a step earlier, and pick up Quicken at 6th--you'll be using it at ninth to quicken Divine Favor (+3 AB/damage).


For items, the Gauntlets of War in the Complete Champion add +3 to your damage (as long as you follow a god/cause of war) for a mere 4,000 gp. Between those, Holy Warrior, an enhancement bonus, STR, the STR boost from Divine Power, and the AB/damage boost from Divine Favor, you should be Rapid Shotting for something like +20/+20/+15, for 1d8+16 a shot or so, at level 9. And you have spellcasting.

For your second domain, Travel's a good choice, as well as anything else that has a good list of spells you don't normally get, plus the usual contenders (Time, Spell, Pride, etc).

Prestige-class-wise, if you can ditch the awfully specific fluff, you can go for the first 4 levels of Seeker of the Misty Isle in the Complete Divine. Cross-class Survival until you qualify (or find a way to get it as a class skill *without* taking the Travel domain, since that's a waste); it'll give you 6+INT SP/level and the Travel domain for free.

Since you'll be using Divine Power anyway, you can afford to lose some BAB; this makes a few levels of Contemplative appealing.

Iku Rex
2008-01-05, 05:02 PM
For items, the Gauntlets of War in the Complete Champion add +3 to your damage (as long as you follow a god/cause of war) for a mere 4,000 gp. Sadly the gauntlets only work for melee attacks.

The Bow of the Wintermoon (MIC, 3400, adjusts to your Str) and the Goggles of Foefinding (MIC, 2500, ignore cover) are good buys. A cleric archer should also consider the precise weapon ability (MIC, +1) to save a feat.

On higher levels you want the force (MIC, +2, ignore DR) and the splitting (Champions of Ruin, +3, double your arrows) abilities on your weapon.

Rachel Lorelei
2008-01-05, 05:19 PM
Sadly the gauntlets only work for melee attacks.

The Bow of the Wintermoon (MIC, 3400, adjusts to your Str) and the Goggles of Foefinding (MIC, 2500, ignore cover) are good buys. A cleric archer should also consider the precise weapon ability (MIC, +1) to save a feat.
They do? *looks it up* Well, damn, they do.

Those are good buys, but I don't know about Precise. That makes your weapon progressively more expensive (+1 more at any given step).


On higher levels you want the force (MIC, +2, ignore DR) and the splitting (Champions of Ruin, +3, double your arrows) abilities on your weapon.
Force is good. Splitting is... well, it's too good. Cheesy, one might say. Don't go there.

Jack_Simth
2008-01-05, 05:53 PM
They do? *looks it up* Well, damn, they do.

Those are good buys, but I don't know about Precise. That makes your weapon progressively more expensive (+1 more at any given step).

Clerics don't get +X bows. Clerics get +1 Flaming/Froozling/(un)holy/wazzamit bows and use Greater Magic Weapon to get the +X.

Rachel Lorelei
2008-01-05, 06:04 PM
Clerics don't get +X bows. Clerics get +1 Flaming/Froozling/(un)holy/wazzamit bows and use Greater Magic Weapon to get the +X.

Well, yes. But adding Precise makes the other properties proportionately more expensive (you're paying 18k for a Precise Flaming instead of 8k for a Flaming, etc).

Jack_Simth
2008-01-05, 06:49 PM
Well, yes. But adding Precise makes the other properties proportionately more expensive (you're paying 18k for a Precise Flaming instead of 8k for a Flaming, etc).
Well, yes, but you're spending a less limited resource (cash) to limit your spending on a very hard limited resource (feats). Every +X equivalent enhancement you'd want on your bow does exactly the same thing.

AlterForm
2008-01-05, 06:58 PM
I like the Collision special property (SRD or XPH). +2 cost, +5 damager per attack.

AlterForm
2008-01-05, 07:00 PM
I like the Collision special property (SRD or XPH). +2 cost, +5 damager per attack.

The_Shaman
2008-01-05, 07:01 PM
The time domain can be even better than the war one imo. Improved initiative always helps, and the spells are quite decent.

AlterForm
2008-01-05, 07:40 PM
[EDIT]: Failed my...um..."don't fail at posting" check. :smallfrown:

icthius
2008-01-05, 07:58 PM
Well, yes. But adding Precise makes the other properties proportionately more expensive (you're paying 18k for a Precise Flaming instead of 8k for a Flaming, etc).

That's the beauty of ranged weapons; he doesn't need a flaming precise bow, he needs a precise bow and flaming arrows.

Rachel Lorelei
2008-01-05, 09:04 PM
That's the beauty of ranged weapons; he doesn't need a flaming precise bow, he needs a precise bow and flaming arrows.

No, see, that way he runs out of +1 Flaming arrows (8000 gp for 50) and has to buy more; it winds up being more expensive. You can start carrying around +1 [X]bane arrows at high levels, but trying to have a +1 Precise Bow and +1 Flaming arrows is like kicking yourself in the groin.

As for the Time domain, you need the War domain for proficiency (as a human) and for access to the Holy Warrior reserve feat.

Sornjss Lichdom
2008-01-05, 09:33 PM
Explosive bow!!

There are two elven gods in FR campaign, one a hunting god with both war and elven. the other is the god of Drow Hatered, fun for RP, with the war and elven domain.