Archer Build

[Criz Reborn]

Looking for help with this Build. Build is based on the Swift Hunter feat from Complete Scoundrel. Basically move 10ft(or 20 once you get improved skirmish) and use Greater Manyshot. Greater Manyshot allows you to shoot your arrows at different targets and apply precision based damage (Skirmish) and critical damage to each arrow.

1:Scout1
Feat: Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot(Human Bonus)
Skirmish (1d6)
Trapfinding

2:Scout2
Battle Fortitude
+1 uncanny dodge

3:Scout3
Feat: Dead Eye
Skirmish (1d6 +1AC)
Fast Movement+10(or climb speed 15)
Trackless Step

4:Ranger1
Track
Wild Empathy
Favored Enemy: (Arcanists)

5:Scout 4
Bonus Feat: (Swift Hunter)
Skirmish (2d6 +1AC)
2nd Favored Enemy: (Undead)

6:Ranger2
Feat: (Improved Skirmish)
Combat Style: (Rapid Shot)

7:Ranger3
10ft Skirmish (2d6 +2AC) 20ft Skirmish (4d6 +4AC)
Endurance

8:Ranger4
Distracting Attack

9t:Ranger5
Feat: (Far Shot)
10ft Skirmish (3d6 +2AC) 20ft Skirmish (5d6 +4AC)

10:Ranger6
Improved Combat Style: (Manyshot)
3rd Favored Enemy: (Constructs)

11:Ranger7
10ft Skirmish (4d6 +3AC) 20ft Skirmish (6d6 +5AC)
Woodland Stride

12:Ranger8
Feat: (Greater Manyshot)
Swift Tracker

13:Ranger9
10ft Skirmish (4d6 +3AC) 20ft Skirmish (6d6 +5AC)
Evasion

14:Ranger10

15:Ranger11
Feat: (Ranged Skirmisher)
10ft Skirmish (4d6 +4AC) 20ft Skirmish (6d6 +6AC)
4th Favored Enemy: (Oozes)
Combat Style Mastery: (Improved Precise Shot)

16:Ranger12

17Ranger13
10ft Skirmish (5d6 +4AC) 20ft Skirmish (7d6 +6AC)
Camoflage

18:Ranger14
Feat: (Penetrating shot)

19:Ranger15
10ft Skirmish (5d6 +5AC) 20ft Skirmish (7d6 +7AC)

20:Ranger16
5th Favored Enemy: (Elementals)
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FEATS BY LEVEL
1(Human): Precise Shot
1: Point Blank Shot(phb)
3: Dead Eye (Dragon 304)
5(Bonus): Swift Hunter (Complete Scoundrel)
6: Improved Skirmish(Complete Scoundrel)
9: Far Shot (phb)
12: Greater Manyshot(XPHB)
15: Ranged Skirmisher(dragon 346)
18: Penetrating shot (phb2)
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CONFIMED VARIANTS
Distracting Attack (phb2)
Lose: Animal Companion
Gain: all enemies you hit count as flanked for rest of round.

Arcane Hunter (Comp.Mage)
Lose: 1st Favored Enemy
Gain: Favored Enemy (Arcanists


POSSIBLE VARIANT
Dungeon Specialist (phb2)
Lose: Fast movement, evasion
Gain: at level 3, gain climb speed & climb bonuses.
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Get a Splitting Bow (+3 from Champions of Ruin) so each arrow fired from Greater Manyshot is magically split into 2 arrows with seperate attack rolls for each arrow. Fire 4 arrows at a time, each of which can attack different targets and apply skirmish damage thanks to greater manyshot. Those 4 arrows split into 8.
(Assuming Splitting Composite Longbow)
8 arrows: Each deals 1d8+7d6 (after level 17)
Total: 8d8+56d6+8*DEX(from dead eye)+8*STR(from composite longbow bonus)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Looking for a way to get Greater Manyshot before Level 12 and all other help/opinions are appreciated.

[Eldariel]

I'd drop one Ranger-level for Cloistered Cleric trading Knowledge Domain for Knowledge Devotion and Travel Domain for Travel Devotion burning Undeath-domain's Turn Undead-uses on extra uses of Travel Devotion. This allows you to full attack (with Rapid Shot) while Skirmishing.

As for the present build, I'd just take Greater Manyshot in the slot of Farshot. Although I'd want to cram the Farshot-chain even earlier, but those Dragon-feats are too strong to skip. Being a Human is a good idea - the extra feat certainly would be useful. Also, consider Darkstalker pretty early (allows you to Hide from all senses).

[Criz Reborn]

Bump because I fixed the problem I found with my build. Still looking for critiques, help.

[Sstoopidtallkid]

Really, you have to bump up your AB. To-Hit is important, especially with the massive penalties from Greater Manyshot. Though Swift Hunter builds are always awesome, IMHO. I may steal bits and pieces of this for myself.

[Eldariel]

All of what I said still stands. Definitely switch Far Shot and Greater Manyshot if you go that way. Consider Cloistered Cleric (Undeath, Travel Devotion, Knowledge Devotion) 1-dip. Human or Strongheart Halfling seem like the best choices as far as races go - you really want the feats.

Darkstalker would be an awesome feat - I'd make room, even at the expense of Penetrating Shot. I'd even take it before Ranged Skirmisher - gives you a crapton of utility out of combat and generally just makes your primary offensive pattern effective against non-visual opponents. Being able to not be seen is always awesome. Also, I prefer Scout 5/Ranger 15 to Scout 4/Ranger 16 (what comes to level 20 anyways) - getting Spell Reflection is worth more than the last point of BAB and such.

And yea, you need to focus on To Hit - Greater Magic Weapon is swell, but it probably will take more than that.

[Criz Reborn]

All of what I said still stands. Definitely switch Far Shot and Greater Manyshot if you go that way. Consider Cloistered Cleric (Undeath, Travel Devotion, Knowledge Devotion) 1-dip. Human or Strongheart Halfling seem like the best choices as far as races go - you really want the feats.

Darkstalker would be an awesome feat - I'd make room, even at the expense of Penetrating Shot. I'd even take it before Ranged Skirmisher - gives you a crapton of utility out of combat and generally just makes your primary offensive pattern effective against non-visual opponents. Being able to not be seen is always awesome. Also, I prefer Scout 5/Ranger 15 to Scout 4/Ranger 16 (what comes to level 20 anyways) - getting Spell Reflection is worth more than the last point of BAB and such.

And yea, you need to focus on To Hit - Greater Magic Weapon is swell, but it probably will take more than that.

Well I cant swich Greater Manyshot and Far shot. Mostly because You cant take Greater Manyshot before regular Manyshot. Far shot is only in there as a pre-req for ranged skirmisher anyways.

What book is Darkstalker? Ive never heard of that feat but would defenetly look into it. I guess your right about Spell reflection, I was just thinking about getting to Ranger spells and Hide in Plain Sight faster (at 21st level with this build)

[Eldariel]

Darkstalker is in Lords of Madness. And my bad regarding Manyshot - those feats always fall dumb... Then again, it isn't all that bad as you wouldn't really be manyshotting that much before level 9 or so anyways.

[Person_Man]

FEATS BY LEVEL
1(Human): Precise Shot
1: Point Blank Shot(phb)
3: Dead Eye (Dragon 304)
5(Bonus): Swift Hunter (Complete Scoundrel)
6: Improved Skirmish(Complete Scoundrel)
9: Far Shot (phb)
12: Greater Manyshot(XPHB)
15: Ranged Skirmisher(dragon 346)
18: Penetrating shot (phb2)

Dead Eye requires Weapon Focus. It's also not that great of a feat, unless your Dex is sky high. Because of the useless pre-req, I'd drop it.

IMO, you can also drop Far Shot and Ranged Skirmisher (allows Skirmish to go out to 60 feet). While its nice, its not really necessary. On most battle maps, there's really no difference between 10 ft and 60 ft. Both are outside of an enemy's 5 ft step, but within Charge distance and caster range for virtually everyone. So functionally there's no difference.

Penetrating Shot is a really bad idea. Bonus damage (including Skirmish) is only applied to the first creature hit. So you're better off shooting enemies separately.

For replacement feats, consider the already cited Darkstalker, plus Ancestral Weapon, Mage Slayer -> Pierce Magical Concealment, Nemesis, and/or Sand Dancer (buy the magic bottle from Sandstorm that makes an endless supply of Sand).

I prefer to be heavy on the Scout side rather then the Ranger side for Swift Hunter builds (Scout 6/Ranger 2/Scout 7-18). By taking levels of Scout, you screw your Ranger casting progression and animal companion (which is weak at high levels anyway). And Scouts get better Skills and special abilities. You also pick up an extra bonus feat. You might lose a few points of BAB, but with Splitting arrows (I'm surprised your DM lets you use them) that won't be much of a problem.

[Eldariel]

Just pointing out, Pierce Magical Concealment requires Blind-Fight, so I'd steer clear as it's two wasted feats to get one good one.

[Person_Man]

Just pointing out, Pierce Magical Concealment requires Blind-Fight, so I'd steer clear as it's two wasted feats to get one good one.

Whoops, you're correct. I've just found that PMC is ridiculously important for high level non-casters. By ECL 15ish everything my DMs throw at me tend to have a miss chance from something.

[Eldariel]

Generally, there should be a more elegant solution (such as a means to gain Blindsight or True Seeing - we're talking about a Ranger so there's at least Listening Lorecall if nothing else).

[harvard]

I realise that I'm a month late on this one, but in case you have the choice here's my build:

Scout 3 / Ranger 17. This gives HiPS at Lvl 20. It also allows me to have Greater Manyshot earlier.

I'm currently Lvl 12 and trying to pick my next feat. For your build I'd recommend Woodland Archer which allows you to ignore miss chance the next round if you hit through it.

I'm considering that feat myself, it's either that or Improved Skirmish.

The downside with taking more scout levels is less BAB. At level 12 I now have +11/6/1. I wouldn't be close to that with more Scout levels (although I'd have had evasion sooner...)

[IM@work]

Horizon Goggles (Far Shot), Face, 8,000gp. CM, p. 133
No need to get far shot when you can buy it for 8000. Also a 9000 item that does the same.
Yay thread necromancy!