Arcane Archer?

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Do use our advice and focus more on combat helped by arcane arts. That means buffs and summons and buffs, also add a few group control spells if you're having extra. Ofensive spells are fine, but you cast one and it does some damage. Direwolves bite all the time, for good damage. Buffs make him survive more so he can dish out more damage.

I played SoU with a straight mage, and i considered her to be more like a sage, using her intelect to overcome challenges, predicting and preparing, not just charging in and flinging fireballs all around. It worked great, not to mention no reloading due to death

 

Well, I played a Wizard too, but before there was an AA PrC. Actually, the Wizard killed with arrows, not with spells. The spells were either to buff the wizard (stone skin and the like) or for crowd control (area effect spells, and usually of the disabling kind, not the damaging kind). A wizard is a tactical person, play it that way. If you want to go in heavy on the spell flinging, go with a Sorcerer. Hence, some levels in AA would have helped my Wizard alot.

 

I think you guys are right. It is much easier to play the wizard as hiding behind some powerful summons as he has loads of great buffs available (too many to apply just to himself). Especially now that I have stored Fox Cunning, Cat Grace, and Endurance into that very nifty Spellstaff, I have even more slots available for other buffs.

And even though I have Fireball, I hardly ever use it because it damages my henchmen and summons as well.

 

Cool, my character has just reached Wizard 10 / Rogue 2 which now means two attacks per round which means that those arrows don't seem to have an eternity between them.

It also means that my next level can (finally) be in Arcane Archer. Hopefully that doesn't cripple my wizarding too much, because I seem to already have most of the key buffs that are required for Xanos (and does he ever need them....) and offensive spells run out so quickly anyway.

 

My character is now Wizard 12 / Rogue 2 / Arcane Archer 4.

Arcane Archer is great. The Fireball arrow is very useful as it seems to bypass all spell resistance (maybe it is not classed as a spell) and can't be disrupted when 'cast'. The Seeker arrow is OK, but not that useful as it doesn't do much damage. Combined with Cats Grace, the Ripper bow, and Deekin's Bard song, may attack bonus is more than effective.

 

I'm playing an arcane archer, and can't see the point behind the Seeking Arrow ability. Is this meant for the offchance that i'll encounter something with an amazing AC but virtually NO hitpoints? I'm yet to encounter anything of that sort, or anything else that would justify that ability.

 

Tressym, the only point I could see for the Seeking Arrow was to try and disrupt a spellcaster, or to win some sort of Robin Hood style archery contest, but otherwise, I agree with your point.

 

I'm interested in this, if anyone tried it... I've heard Hail of Arrows hits every target in the Area! Even if you dont see them.

This seems a bit buggy to me, you could enter, shoot, rest, shoot, rest....
Then just take a looting walk and you're done.

Anyone tried it?

 

Right now I have a fighter 3, transmuter 1 that I'm planning on taking the AA route. I want 5 wizard levels for 3 second level buffs and 2 hastes. I figure F4/W5/AA X should take me pretty far.

 

It is a fair choice. You'll want another level of wizard, or fighter after you have 10 of AA. Then, in epic, take Epic weapon focus on your bow with a standard feat first and then, when you get another standard feat, take a fighter level, so you can choose Epic weapon specialisation. This way, your AA is as high as possible, with 29AA levels. You could get 30, but the Enchant Arrow level is the same - +15, with a clean +6 to damage from EWS.
If you mean to take 5 fighter levels pre-epic, you can take 6th at lvl22, because of fighter's bonus feats.

EDIT: I checked, this is how i did my dex-arcane archer. fighter5/wizard6/AA29. The more i think about it, the more i see that Bard levels would have been better.
Slightly more HP, Bard song, 1 more BAB(though an archer hardly needs it and already has 16 for 4 attacks) and a few excellent class skills, like Tumble and UMD.

The only drawback are the spells. Bard limited selection of spells does not matter, since an archer does not need diversity in his buffs. What matters are spells per day. A lvl6 wizard gives a base of 3 lvl1&2 and 2 lvl3 spells. 6th Bard only offers 3lvl1 and 2 lvl2 spells. So it might depend on where you play, rest settings. If you cant rest every 6 hours or if you dont want to, you're prolly better of with wizard. 3rd level spells mean extended Cat's Grace and Bull's strenght. Maybe even Endurance, depends on your intelligence.

All in all, a minor distinction, going either way is more a matter of preference than anything else.

[ January 31, 2006, 03:32: Message edited by: Gothmog• ]

 

@Harbourboy: If the damage is so small, chances are the spellcaster will make the Concentration roll...

 

Well, are there any robinhoodish contests in NWN?

 

OK - so Seeking Arrow is completely useless in single player campaigns and is only useful in certain highly engineered role-playing situations (like trying to hit something really difficult but important).

 

So I was wondering once I gone through 22 lvl with a F6/W5/AA11, should I go straight AA or should I split AA and Fighter levels after that

F6/W5/AA29

vs

F14/W6/AA20

I was thinking that the extra fighter feats would be useful ... what do folks think?

Not that I'm anywhere close to needing to make that decision of course

 

Well, think about it. All those bonus fighter feats sound nice. Unfortunately, only a precious few work for him, using a bow. Those are a must for an archer though. Rapid shot. Called shot. These two are for active combat feats.
Passive ones: Improved critical, Point Blank Shot, Weapon Focus, Weapon Specialization.

And that's it. Maybe someone wants to include Weapon finesse, i think it's rather reduntant. Your strenght will be similar to Mighty property of the bow, so both your attack and damage is lower with melee weapons. That's where Called Shot: Leg kicks in. It's a wonderful thing for an archer. He has AB to spare, so it's hardly any sacrifice to lose some. The 20% movement penalty is stackable, so in a round or two you transform the enemy into a shambling zombie, slugging towards you.


So... no, in no circumstances is taking further fighter levels helping an Archer.

 

Eh ... my character already has Weapon Finesse ... he gets stuck in melee combat too often for it not to be useful, at least right now.

 

Well, sure, you can put it on being more versatile. Which is true, of course. It's even useful when you're against a pierce immune/resistant, since you can finesse a light hammer or a sickle for different types of damage.

Using it constantly though, makes you wonder why you're an arcane archer
Try getting a meatshield - high AC & HP tank upfront. He'll hold of the enemies (hopefuly) while you put your sharpened wooden sticks in them. Of course, there's almost that one renegade stupido of an enemy that goes after you. Then you waste a few rounds running, or swinging at him in melee, while the others hack down your tank.
Archers seem to be best against single difficult opponents. They'll be devastated in first few rounds. I've taken my lvl40 test AA for a few duels. His damage output is around solid 30 with an awsome AB, and 6 attacks. 4 from BAB, 1 from haste and the last from Rapid shot. If he's a spellcaster, you pierce his DR and take him down while he's casting protections. If he's a meleer you spam him full of Called Shots: Leg until he just barely crawls to you. And there's that

 

Ah ... but he's not a AA yet ... that's for the future. Right now he's a high dex Fighter with 1 level of wizard. My Henchment(the dwarven chick) isn't the best meatshield, and my character doesn't do enough damage, yet, with arrows to allow everybody the opportunity to hammer away at her

 

Quick question: Does the Enchant arrow feat boost the bonus on an enchanted arrow, or does it only work on unenchanted arrows?