[3.5] Optimizing a sniping mini-boss

[Tyrael]

Ahoy, folks. Just a quick question. I'm working on creating a "miniboss" in the dungeon my players are currently in. The party is currently level 7, so I don't want to throw anything greater than level 10 at them.

I want to create a hit-and-fade sniper that harasses them with occasional potshots throughout the dungeon, then disappearing. These potshots should deal a lot of damage, but not kill them. I just want to keep them on their toes. Average party HP is pretty low. There's a bard with ~27hp, a rogue/swashbuckler with ~34hp, a monk with ~25hp, a druid/tempest with ~53hp, and an intelligent NPC wolf with ~60hp.

The big caveat, though, is that the campaign is supposed to be fairly low-magic, about the level of the Lord of the Rings. At the moment, the players are in the ruined magical dungeon of a long-gone civilization, so SOME magical stuff might come in, but it's mostly from the environment, not the character. Scrolls, wands, and spellcasting classes are forbidden (I homebrewed the Bard and gave him Ranger BAB and saves in exchange for removing Bard spells).

I was thinking of throwing a level 9 ninja at them, but the supernatural abilities make me hesitate. Perhaps straight Rogue would be better? I'm looking for ways to get a hefty amount of precision damage. The only other requirement is that he be an elf, since I've previously established him as an elf.

[Emperor Tippy]

How do you feel about Factotum's? You could use one of those to make a pretty good sniper.

[BRC]

How do you feel about Factotum's? You could use one of those to make a pretty good sniper.

You can use a Factotum to make a pretty good Anything, that's the point of the class.

[Tyrael]

Sure, Factoti are fine. They're pretty mundane. What are you thinking?

[Epinephrine]

Scouts deal precision damage, get nice movement bonuses, and early access to things like Camouflage. They're also ideal for hit-and-run, since that's what they do.

By 9th level a scout would have a+3d6 damage skirmish attack, and +2 AC just for moving 10'. If he took Improved Skirmish he could get an additional +2d6 skirmish damage and +2AC when moving 20', making him pretty nifty.

He'd also get fast movement, flawless stride (allowing him to get full move across bad terrain, like rubble - good for getting away, keeping foes at a range), camouflage, evasion, uncanny dodge, and two bonus scout feats.

They have 8 skill points per level, and all the skill you'd need to harass a party (Hide, Move Silently, Craft, Spot, Listen), trapfinding, and so on.

I'd consider giving him a level of Combat Trapsmith, and he can hit and run, retreating through traps he's quickly set up (mostly just stuff to slow the enemy). A foe that can rig up annoying traps in a round, can hit and run? Nasty.

[Gaiwecoor]

Two suggestions:

First: This might not work considering low-magic and spellcasting forbidden, but since you mentioned a Druid, I thought I'd mention it. You'll probably find at least 12 people screaming "No! Don't listen to that guy," but I'd suggest a warlock. His eldritch blast will deal as much damage as a sneak attack with a ranged touch (level 9, average damage of 17.5 each). Some of the invocations also help with the hit-and-fade bit. Flee the scene and invisibility always help with this.

Second: Scout. They're great archers, and deal a decent amount of damage. An additional level or two of Ranger can help, if you take Swift Hunter (C. Scoundrel). By that level, he should be able to qualify for Greater Manyshot, allowing the arrows to do even more skirmish damage. Use the scout's swift movement and hide skills to do what needs to in fading away.

[Hallavast]

Does it have to be a "he"? Honestly, the first thing I thought when I read the thread title was "Ok, somebody wants stats for a sword & sorcery Sniper Wolf."

By dungeon I assume you mean underground or otherwise indoor areas. Also, sniping with precision damage at this level is hard without magic. Rogue sneak attack range is only within 30ft. If you're ok with that range, then I would invest heavily in the hide skill. Get max skill ranks in hide and maybe pick up a feat like stealthy or skill focus: hide. A cloak of elvenkind would also be very handy. Move silently is also important if you need to slip away without before they find you.

If your NPC wolf has scent that could be a problem. I'm sure the elves in your campaign setting have some kind of herb or oil that will mask your scent if you get creative, though.

Equipment-wise I would go with the heavy crossbow (maybe magical, definitely masterwork). With a crossbow you can shoot from prone and don't have to worry about a strength modifier. A heavy crossbow would maximize your possible range and since you only plan to shoot once per "encounter", you don't need to worry about the reload time. Throw in some light constitution poison for added effect.

[AslanCross]

There's also a Scout Alternate class feature that exchanges Skirmish for Snipe, which gives you extra damage in exchange for taking a full-round action (and not moving) to attack an enemy at 60 feet away or further.
Problem is, that's going to be a very slow fight if he can only take one shot every turn.

On the other hand, Skirmish, I'd like to point out, has a maximum range of 30 feet. If your opponents can reach you in one turn, I wouldn't consider that sniping successfully. Of course, if your boss is a Scout and is in a dense wooded area (difficult terrain), it would be excellent since he can literally run circles around the enemy while taking potshots.

Something you might want to consider: The Crossbow Sniper feat allows you to add half your Dexterity modifier to your damage, and also allows you to make Sneak Attacks and Skirmish attacks up to 60 feet away. Of course, you need to be using a crossbow and need to have Weapon Focus (crossbow type), which is rather lame.

You do need to mitigate that nasty -20 penalty on your post-shot Hide check, though. I find that an oft-forgotten penalty to Spot checks is range. If you manage to keep your distance, your Hide check will be a lot easier to make.

If you're willing to burn a feat for Exotic Weapon Proficiency, take the Great Crossbow (Races of Stone). 2d8 damage, 18-20/x2, 120 ft. range increments. Probably not optimal if you have a feat-heavy build, but I sure like the idea of having the crossbow equivalent of this.

[Emperor Tippy]

Sure, Factoti are fine. They're pretty mundane. What are you thinking?

Dark Grey Elf Factotum 10 (using LA buy off).

Spend a feat of Faerie Mysteries Initiate (Dragon #319, gives Int to HP instead of Con) and spend the rest on Font of Inspiration.

Max hide and move silently and you should have around +30 in both of them. Arcane Dilettante gets you Sniper Shot (no range limit on ranged sneak attacks) and Greater Invisibility.

Use Hide and Move Silently (and remember that the Dark template gives Hide in Plain Sight) to sneak up on the party, cast greater invisibility (1 IP), spend 1 IP to cast Sniper Shot, spend 2 of your 11 IP to get Int to Attack and Damage, and then spend 7 IP on Cunning Strike. If you get within 30 feet you might want to use Wraithstrike instead of Sniper Shot.

Assuming 20 Dex and 22 Int (18 in each from 32 PB, then the grey elf bonuses, and then both level up points in Int) then you get +18 on the attack roll against a flat footed enemy (-4 AC) and with wraithstrike it's a touch attack, if you have a Glove of the Master Strategist you can also gain +20 from True Strike. You deal 1d8+7d6+4 damage, or an average of 33 (higher with other items).

You then hide and wait to recover before repeating the experience. Depending on how many spells you want to use you could repeat as often as once every 5 miniutes.

EDIT: Assuming no spellcasting then you might want to replace Arcane Dilettante with bonus feats but it doesn't cost you that much. You take -20 to the hide check in the round you snipe but with +34 (13 ranks + 6 from Brains over Brawn + 5 from Dex + 8 from Dark template + 2 from masterwork tool) to the hide check that's still +14. If you are willing to go to level 11 then you can do a 1 level dip in Exemplar and get Skill Mastery, meaning you can take 10 on your hide and move silently checks.

Drop one of the Font of Inspiration feats and pick up Skill Focus: Hide (needed to qualify for Exemplar) and you will have +17 after Sniping.

[Epinephrine]

On the other hand, Skirmish, I'd like to point out, has a maximum range of 30 feet. If your opponents can reach you in one turn, I wouldn't consider that sniping successfully. Of course, if your boss is a Scout and is in a dense wooded area (difficult terrain), it would be excellent since he can literally run circles around the enemy while taking potshots.

THeres a feat that extends your range to 60', and Shot on the Run allows you to move, shoot, and move again, meaning that you can duck within your 30' or 60' range and back out again.

Hinder can be handy too, sacrifice 2d6 skirmish damage to drop the enemy's speed by 10'. Repeated use can really annoy a party, making them sitting ducks. Granted, even with 2 scout bonus feats, and the 1st, 3rd, 6th, and 9th level feats you might start running out.

I suggested combat trapsmith for a level or so to make certain he can get away but even just using rubble/underbrush is enough. The footspiker, entangler, equalizer and other similar traps would just be a bonus. I think a combat trapsmith would be a real pain to try to pursue when he's playing hit and run and bypassing his own traps.

[Fax Celestis]

Awakened dungeonbred dark umber hulk. Burrow through walls, blast someone with a confuse gaze, hide in plain sight, and then flee. Let the party damage themselves.

[SoD]

Awakened dungeonbred dark umber hulk. Burrow through walls, blast someone with a confuse gaze, hide in plain sight, and then flee. Let the party damage themselves.

says it all! I'm so using that! But would awakened work? I thought that an umber hulk had a decent (read: 3+) int score, about a 6 or so...

[Egiam]

Vampire. Maybe give him wizard lvls and a crossbow. But seriously, all those awesome ablities will do the trick (gaseous form).

[Vizen]

Besides the damage people are throwing out from abilities and whatnot, have you thought about having the character use, say, poisoned arrows? Poison is not necessarily magic, and does add a nice surprise to the attacks.

[Emperor Tippy]

Yeah, throw in some Drow Sleeping Poison.

[Tyrael]

There's also a Scout Alternate class feature that exchanges Skirmish for Snipe, which gives you extra damage in exchange for taking a full-round action (and not moving) to attack an enemy at 60 feet away or further.
Problem is, that's going to be a very slow fight if he can only take one shot every turn.

On the other hand, Skirmish, I'd like to point out, has a maximum range of 30 feet. If your opponents can reach you in one turn, I wouldn't consider that sniping successfully. Of course, if your boss is a Scout and is in a dense wooded area (difficult terrain), it would be excellent since he can literally run circles around the enemy while taking potshots.

Something you might want to consider: The Crossbow Sniper feat allows you to add half your Dexterity modifier to your damage, and also allows you to make Sneak Attacks and Skirmish attacks up to 60 feet away. Of course, you need to be using a crossbow and need to have Weapon Focus (crossbow type), which is rather lame.

You do need to mitigate that nasty -20 penalty on your post-shot Hide check, though. I find that an oft-forgotten penalty to Spot checks is range. If you manage to keep your distance, your Hide check will be a lot easier to make.

If you're willing to burn a feat for Exotic Weapon Proficiency, take the Great Crossbow (Races of Stone). 2d8 damage, 18-20/x2, 120 ft. range increments. Probably not optimal if you have a feat-heavy build, but I sure like the idea of having the crossbow equivalent of this.

This is the best idea so far. Where can I find that Snipe variant?

What is the Spot penalty due to range? I can't find it in the PHB anywhere.

@Epinephrine: Do you remember what that extend-Skirmish-to-60' feat yo mentioned is?

[Fax Celestis]

says it all! I'm so using that! But would awakened work? I thought that an umber hulk had a decent (read: 3+) int score, about a 6 or so...

Well, it's an aberration (IIRC) so awaken wouldn't technically work on it anyway. Maybe it's just an umber hulk that rolled pretty much average stats but decided to put an 18 in Int. Maybe you can add another template that gives it better intelligence (Guardian from Dungeonscape does that, I think--I always forget if it raises Int or Wis). Maybe it has a circlet of intellect +4 is grafted onto its head. There are ways.

[Neon Knight]

Maybe a Neogi could command it. I think there is a stealthy assassin type Neogi in Lords of Madness.

[Epinephrine]

@Epinephrine: Do you remember what that extend-Skirmish-to-60' feat yo mentioned is?

Ranged Skirmisher, from DR 346, requires Dex 13, Wis, 13, Skirmish ability, Point Blank Shot and Far Shot.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

What about Psionics? I'd make him a Psychic Warrior 4 or 5/ Ranger 4 or 5 with Greater Psionic Shot. Give him the power Chameleon (+10 Enhancement to Hide) and the spell Camouflage (+10 Circumstance to Hide). Maybe also give him the power Dissolving Weapon to use on an arrow before he takes his shot. That would be 1d8 (bow) +2 or +4 (Favored Enemy) +4d6 (Greater Psionic Weapon) +4d6 Acid (Dissolving Weapon), for an average of around 35 damage per shot, without much extra on a critical hit so he probably won't one-shot anyone. Give him Speed of Thought, Up the Walls, and Psionic Meditation and the power Hustle to make sure he can get away. I'd even consider giving him the Wild Shape variant just for the Fast Movement, since he probably won't ever use Rapid Shot. Plus it will make him even more enigmatic if they see him turn into a bird and fly away!

[Emperor Tippy]

Here's what I would use for the BBEG. If you allow arcane dilettante it would be different but assuming no spells or magic items allowed that's what I would run.

[Prometheus]

I say make it a goblin who has set up improvised traps and preloaded heavy crossbows or ballistas. He manually sets almost everything off and than runs away just as fast as he came. Because he pretty much has everything prepared, it's not hard to believe that he can hit with regularity and dish out some decent damage. However, he is limited to where the PCs progress in the dungeon so if they take too much heat, all the have to do is hold off until they can recover.

[Rei_Jin]

I get what you're saying about it being super low magic, but you ARE in a magical dungeon. Having a creature that has some level of natural magic would work nicely I think.

One of the most memorable sniping bad guys I've run was a Choker Warlock. The ability to use an Eldritch Blast, then Flee the Scene and still have a move action adds so much to the build.

Also, he doesn't do high damage, just small amounts of consistant damage, and from a decent range as well.

[jcsw]

Dip swordsage to get the child of shadow stance? This isn't exactly efficient, but it looks cool when your BBEG fades into shadow whenever he moves...

[goram.browncoat]

Something simple(books: CV, CW, HoB):
ftr5/masterThrower5 (i think ftr5 can qualify, dont remember prereqs by heart) with palm throw and weakspot throw tricks.
take the feat from heroes of battle that gives hide and ms as class skill
take brutal throw/power attack/power throw
palm throw power attacked poisoned darts against touch attack (you may have to take some distance penalties though, even with farshot its only 40ft rng increment .. then again youre trying to hit touch attack)
You could also give him the skill trick that trips people with thrown weapons, to be extra annoying.

Im not 100% sure youre allowed to use the touch attack trick with power throw as it seems weird (since it says it doesnt allow str dmg to damage) but i dont recall explcitly reading that you cant.

EDIT: What am I saying! uneven ftr levels .. my gods! Stick in a level of something else that is fullbab, maybe ftr4/warblade1/mt5 to pick up some initiator level 3 tricks.

[AslanCross]

This is the best idea so far. Where can I find that Snipe variant?

What is the Spot penalty due to range? I can't find it in the PHB anywhere.

Thanks. Please check your PM box.

The spot penalty is under the Spot skill entry in the skills chapter. -1 per 10 feet of distance.

EDIT: It seems to refer to "Spot checks to determine the distance at which the encounter begins," though I think it makes sense to apply it to most Spot checks anyway.

[Zeful]

The spot penalty is under the Spot skill entry in the skills chapter. -1 per 10 feet of distance.

EDIT: It seems to refer to "Spot checks to determine the distance at which the encounter begins," though I think it makes sense to apply it to most Spot checks anyway.

It also prevents people from shooting the maximum range with ranged weapons. A composite longbow of Distance used with the far shot feet has a maximum range of 3300 ft (110x2)x1.5). The Spot DC to even see that far is 330, assuming the target has a 0 dex mod, no ranks in hide, and is trying to be seen.

[Tyrael]

Here's what I would use for the BBEG. If you allow arcane dilettante it would be different but assuming no spells or magic items allowed that's what I would run.

Yeowch. That thing's nasty. Average of 41 damage is a biiiit too high for the party's current HP levels. Very cool anyway, though.

[Human Paragon 3]

Soublow makes a good sniper. They get free archery feats and can put cool effects on their shots. My favorite is the dispelling effect that will take down your PC's magical defenses and temporarily disable their items. They can also charge up for a psychic strike, which I think is good for a sniper type that delivers a single, powerful shot.

[Mando Knight]

Arcane Archer. Should be under-optimized enough to avoid an accidental TPK, but might be good enough to actually pose a threat.