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detrevnisisiht
2008-05-09, 09:44 PM
Hello, my seemingly all knowing (and sleepless) Playgrounders. I come to you today seeking help of the scout flavor. I am starting a lvl1 and may progress for some time after that. the local of choice will be mostly urban.

I ask you for all that you can offer. Feats! Skills! Classes of the most Prestige Variety. And, with this short monologue, i step aside and let the rush of knowledge engulf yet another thread in its craving urge to prove that it dose, in fact, exist.

(Note, Hilarious British accent implied throughout)

SamTheCleric
2008-05-09, 09:45 PM
Let's start with the easy question:

What books are you allowed to use?

That being said, look into Swift Hunter from complete scoundrel... it's the bees-knees when it comes to Scout/Ranger (The best build is usually Ranger 16/Scout 4), other good feats are Travel Devotion (Complete Champion), Improved Skirmish (Complete Scoundrel), Improved Favored Enemy (Complete Warrior), Skill Focus (Basket Weaving)... :smallwink:

detrevnisisiht
2008-05-09, 09:48 PM
Player's Handbook
Player's Handbook 2
DMG
Races of Destiny, Stone, and Wild
Complete Adventurer, Arcane, Divine, Mage, Scoundrel, Warrior
Frostburn
Sandstorm
Stormwrack
Book of Exalted Deeds
Tome of Battle
Tome of Magic
Libris Mortis
Heroes of Horror
Spell Compendium
Arms And Equipment Guide


This is the set of books allowed

@SamTheCleric(who else:smallamused:) I would like to keep the build primarily scout and it is determined that the first level will be scout. so.....

SamTheCleric
2008-05-09, 09:49 PM
Do you plan on being a melee or ranged scout?

Do you have a race you'd prefer?

detrevnisisiht
2008-05-09, 09:51 PM
Ranged and Human

SamTheCleric
2008-05-09, 09:54 PM
My suggestion for Improved Skirmish still stands... and if you can take just a single level of Ranger, Swift Hunter will give you full Favored Enemy progression throughout all of your scout levels (and that ranger level stacks for skirmish damage)... it also nets you +1 BAB, +2 Fort and Ref, Track and the ability to use Cure Light Wounds wands. Just that one level... and take Swift Hunter as your 4th level Scout bonus feat.

And this may help... The Scout's Handbook (http://forums.gleemax.com/showthread.php?t=584572) from those folk over at the CharOp boards.

detrevnisisiht
2008-05-09, 10:08 PM
that sounds like a good idea, let me review that guide for a while

SadisticFishing
2008-05-09, 10:15 PM
Greater Manyshot wins the day for scouts.

Sstoopidtallkid
2008-05-09, 10:38 PM
Second Swift Hunter, and there's a Swift Hunter Handbook out there if someone will link it.

detrevnisisiht
2008-05-09, 10:50 PM
And then he said on to the masses"your stats shall be 15,10,14,15,17,and 15,Place them wisely"

And the masses did say to him....(your post goes here)


Note diplomacy is about a 3rd of this and I am designated party face(yay party face)

Sstoopidtallkid
2008-05-09, 10:59 PM
Depends on how many Ranger levels you take, but if you are ignoring spellcasting(a good idea, with as few levels as you'll have), put the 10 in Wis and the 17 in Dex.

Eldariel
2008-05-09, 11:24 PM
Be Middle-Aged, put stats thusly:
15/17/15/15/10/14 - translates into S/D/C/I/W/C 14/16/14/16/9/15.

I suggest you take two levels of Ranger; the class has the decency to bestow upon thee the ability of Rapid Shooting lest thee will spend a feat. Thy first level feats shalt be the art of Point Blank warfare, and the Precise kind. Beyond that, it's thy choice. Level 4 shall see Thee increasing thy Dexterity preparing Thee for the Manyshot skill, which thou shalt develop into Greater Manyshot (Expanded Psionics Handbook and SRD (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/psionicFeats.htm#greaterManyshot) - has nothing to do with Psionics) eventually. Such is the power of this ability that thou canst move and fire a volley of arrows all wielding separate Skirmish-damage with mere flick of a wrist.


Party face...ka? Now, this raises an issue; Scout has none of the related skills on his list, indeed having a total of 0 Charisma-based skills on his list. Natural Charisma only gets you so far, eventually you'll need choice words and negotiation skills to get by. You may want to consider Able Learner (Races of Destiny)-feat on the first level along with a dip in Cloistered Cleric (Unearthed Arcana and SRD (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/variantCharacterClasses.htm#clericVariantCloistere dCleric) - has enough skillpoints to take). Without access to Complete Champion, it won't be perfect by any stretch of imagination (you really would rather want Travel Devotion), but it is a decent class that can give you feats and grant you all the necessary social skills. Rogue is your other option, which could give you a feat as per Martial Rogue (Unearthed Arcana and SRD). Fact is though, that you need a modified skill list to be the face, and the easiest way to get that is dipping + Able Learner. You have the skillpoints, but neither Ranger nor Scout alone can handle that part.

detrevnisisiht
2008-05-09, 11:58 PM
...ka?

After ingesting a large amount of Stephen king in a short amount of time that set me way farther on edge than i want to be at 1 am

Curmudgeon
2008-05-10, 01:43 PM
The key to making a Scout work well is to solve the "full attack with skirmish" problem. You've got one possible answer in the Arms and Equipment Guide: a Sparring Dummy of the Master. This requires a Monk level, a substantial outlay of gp (half of which you can recover when you sell it back afterward), and a month of training time. After that you can opt to make a 10' adjustment in place of a 5' adjustment. By moving 10' as "not an action" you'll qualify for skirmish damage and add it to every one of your full attacks.

The conventional feat-intensive ranged approach only gives you rewards when you get up to Greater Manyshot, which requires Manyshot, Point Blank Shot, and Rapid Shot as prerequisites. At maximum you'll be making 4 attacks, at BAB-8 on all shots. You won't be able to fire extra arrows from Rapid Shot and Haste when taking a move action to qualify for skirmish.

With a 10' adjustment you've shelled out a Monk level, cash, and time -- but no feats. You'll still take Rapid Shot and its Point Blank Shot prerequisite, but you will be able to actually use both of these feats. With Haste you can take 6 shots and add skirmish damage to all of them, at BAB-1/BAB-1/BAB-1/BAB-6/BAB-11/BAB-16. So your first 4 shots with the full attack approach are all more likely to hit than with the Greater Manyshot approach, and you've still got two shots left. Plus you've got two more feats, not including the unarmed strike and 1st level Monk bonus feat.

cupkeyk
2008-05-11, 05:58 PM
I recommend Scout4/ Ranger 8/ Staker of Kharash 2/ Ranger 4.

The stalker of kharash (BoED) dip nets you favored enemy(evil) which stacks with almost all undead and some oozes, plants, constructs, elementals (at least the ones that you will want dead). Drop stat wis and go the Champion of Nature (CC)route and net more feats.

Take Improved Many Shot from XPH and the your bow MUST be a splitting bow from HoH.

Curmudgeon
2008-05-11, 07:58 PM
I think a couple of corrections are in order here.

Take Improved Many Shot from XPHImproved Manyshot (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/epic/feats.htm#improvedManyshot) is from the Epic Level Handbook. You probably intended to write Greater Manyshot (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/psionicFeats.htm#greaterManyshot), which is from the Expanded Psionics Handbook.
and the your bow MUST be a splitting bow from HoH.The splitting enhancement is in Champions of Ruin. Heroes of Horror (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ex/20051007a) doesn't introduce any new weapon enhancements.

Epinephrine
2008-05-11, 09:01 PM
While others have talked about how to get full attacks, I'll point out that you don't need to get full attacks to be a good asset, nor a scout. My scout doesn't plan to get full attacks all the time, and will in fact be using single attacks a lot. Sure, dealing piles of damage can be fun, but you can also have fun with other approaches. My scout is getting good speed bonuses (dipped for 2 levels of barbarian; 1 level gets you a speed bonus, second level nets you improved uncanny dodge, as it stacks with the scout's uncanny dodge - it's really nice if your DM throws nasty flanking rogue teams at you; debating a dip for Forest Reeve to get some more movement bonuses and to hit +16 BAB) and is using Elusive Target (DM has rules that since Expeditious Dodge can count as a dodge replacement, you can still name a target for the purposes of feats that have a "dodge" target - otherwise it doesn't serve as a very useful replacement, though I'd have taken it just for the tripping) and Spring Attack, and will pick up improved trip too. Dart between foes, getting your skirmish AC, Mobility AC bonus, and Expeditious Dodge bonus (a nice choice if you will be moving 40' or more each round), every foe that takes an AoO on you and misses you get a free trip attack against. Not only that, with Improved Trip Attack you can then launch an attack at them, reaping a skirmish bonus too. Eventually I'll pick up Bounding Assault (my DM has allowed it as a scout feat too, an extension of the Spring Attack). With Hide in Plain Sight and Camouflage you can dodge by foes, get attacks off, and melt back into the woods.

Might not have the step-and-full attack power of some builds, but it's fun to play, and on a good round you are doing a lot of damage and some valuable battlefield control (knocking foes on their butts, wasting their AoOs on a very tough-to-hit opponent).

Granted, if you want a ranged scout, you'd replace Spring Attack with Shot on the Run, and use an elvencraft bow to be able to thump foes with something. A close-range archer, unafraid to dodge through the enemy to get a good shot, sweeping them off their feet and crushing skulls on his way by with his bow.

cupkeyk
2008-05-11, 09:46 PM
I think a couple of corrections are in order here.
Improved Manyshot (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/epic/feats.htm#improvedManyshot) is from the Epic Level Handbook. You probably intended to write Greater Manyshot (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/psionicFeats.htm#greaterManyshot), which is from the Expanded Psionics Handbook.The splitting enhancement is in Champions of Ruin. Heroes of Horror (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ex/20051007a) doesn't introduce any new weapon enhancements.


LOLz. From the top of my head is usually wrong. lolz