The Swift Hunter's Handbook

[TWF]

I have looked through the archery thread and it is a very good referrence. But my question was mainly for incorporating the abilities of the swift hunter feat with a crossbow. I have the MIC, and Quick Loading is the number one enchantment I am opting for.

I have looked at the great crossbow, though it has great potential, and found it at odds with my loosely planned character design. The repeating crossbow inspires me to think of a winchester rifle/crossbow combination. I am planning on taking levels in Dread Commando(HoB), so this will add in more damage.

I was wondering how many levels or ranger would give the most benefits, looking at the complete champ variant? Scout levels would be around 4, if more how many would be sujested? Feats are going to be set in stone mostly, being human does help a little, the key is going to be crossbow sniper. 60' ranged precision ftw.

Targetteer, will look at, is questionable on being allowed. The DM is not too favorable towards Dragon, but it could happen. All help in this will be greatly appreciated.

[Brainpiercing]

I'm going to mention a Totemist2 dip as an AWESOME way for a Swift Hunter to get many attacks in a standard action:
The Manticore Belt, which gives you one ranged attack at full BAB per point of essentia you invest in it. You need 6 essentia by level 18 to get 6 spines (wiht Expanded Soulmeld Capacity). (1 Azurin, 2 Totemist, 2 Bonus Essentia, 1 any Azure feat.) If you take three levels of Incarnate you get one more Spine, with four levels you can bind Sighting Gloves to your Hands Chakra and feed them with your leftover essentia for insight damage to ranged attacks. (I'm not sure this is worth it.)

Arguably, you can even apply Splitting to the spines via a necklace of Natural Attacks (Savage Species). That that just blows Manyshot out of the water.

Simple build suggestion:
Azurin Totemist2/Targeteer+Hit&Run (DotU) Fighter2/Scout4/Mystic Ranger12

[Ithamar]

I've recently discovered how very useful the Variant Druid can be in a Swift Hunter build.  You can end up with Druid 17 / Scout 3 so that you still get 9th level spells, 5 Favoured Enemies, plenty of Skirmish, and a few other goodies.  You lose the awesomeness of Wild Shape, but since you can still get Shapechange, who really cares?

Just thought it deserved mentioning in the handbook.  If it's already in there and I overlooked it, my apologies.

[Brainpiercing]

I've recently discovered how very useful the Variant Druid can be in a Swift Hunter build.  You can end up with Druid 17 / Scout 3 so that you still get 9th level spells, 5 Favoured Enemies, plenty of Skirmish, and a few other goodies.  You lose the awesomeness of Wild Shape, but since you can still get Shapechange, who really cares?

Just thought it deserved mentioning in the handbook.  If it's already in there and I overlooked it, my apologies.

Depends on the DM to house the Swift Hunter feat to work on that druid progression. But if he lets you get away with it, then yeah, it's really nice.

[deuxhero]

Hmm, how would mystic ranger and/or wildshape ranger work with swift hunter?

[Brainpiercing]

Hmm, how would mystic ranger and/or wildshape ranger work with swift hunter?

Wildshape ranger should be normal.

Mystic ranger uses an elongated favoured enemy progression. You need two levels of Ranger, for instance, to even take Swift Hunter.

At least that's how I see it.

[Ithamar]

Depends on the DM to house the Swift Hunter feat to work on that druid progression. But if he lets you get away with it, then yeah, it's really nice.

I suppose it might need a houserule, but if you're already using UA variants, it certainly shouldn't be that difficult to convince your DM.  Plus, the druid variant specifically states:  "Favoured Enemy (as Ranger)".  So there is no reason identical class abilities shouldn't qualify.

[Brainpiercing]

Qualifying is not the issue, you most certainly DO qualify. But you need the house-rule the levels to stack, or else the feat is rather useless. I'm not saying that a sensible DM won't do it, you just need one.

[S_Jerusalem]

I was brainstorming with a party member about backup characters for our campaign and I thought about a Swift Hunter with Monk levels. Perhaps looking something like: Sct4-5/Mnk2/CCleric1/Rngr12-13 total.

Human w/ extra favored class, so I think that what I really lose from the normal Travel Devotion build is 1BAB and a little spellcasting. But, I can imagine some serious ridiculousness with a necklace of natural attacks with throwing on it. I know there is a feat that stacks Ranger for unarmed damage, so it seems possible.

Is this viable? What do you guys think about a build like this? Has anyone tried this? Any suggestions?

Only major note about optimization is that I cannot use Realms or Ebberon stuff, so no Shooting Star or awesome Initiate polymorphing cheese. I rolled MAD stats @ 15, 15, 16, 16, 11, 13.

[Dictum Mortuum]

Depends on the DM to house the Swift Hunter feat to work on that druid progression. But if he lets you get away with it, then yeah, it's really nice.

I suppose it might need a houserule, but if you're already using UA variants, it certainly shouldn't be that difficult to convince your DM.  Plus, the druid variant specifically states:  "Favoured Enemy (as Ranger)".  So there is no reason identical class abilities shouldn't qualify.

The swift hunter feat states that it stacks your ranger and scout levels for skirmish. Not your favored enemy-granting levels.

I was brainstorming with a party member about backup characters for our campaign and I thought about a Swift Hunter with Monk levels. Perhaps looking something like: Sct4-5/Mnk2/CCleric1/Rngr12-13 total.

Human w/ extra favored class, so I think that what I really lose from the normal Travel Devotion build is 1BAB and a little spellcasting. But, I can imagine some serious ridiculousness with a necklace of natural attacks with throwing on it. I know there is a feat that stacks Ranger for unarmed damage, so it seems possible.

Is this viable? What do you guys think about a build like this? Has anyone tried this? Any suggestions?

Only major note about optimization is that I cannot use Realms or Ebberon stuff, so no Shooting Star or awesome Initiate polymorphing cheese. I rolled MAD stats @ 15, 15, 16, 16, 11, 13.

The major drawback is that you have to fight melee, with only a small boost to your damage, since you probably won't go optimizing your damage dices up, like that king of smack build.

I wouldn't do that if i were you

[KellKheraptis]

While I wouldn't recommend it, you could also pick up Swift Hunter after talking Foe Hunter as a pure scout, or as a scout who's taken another gestalting feat (if they exist...Swift Stalker to butt rogue SA and scout skirmish would be SICK) to get mostly full FE, full skirmish, and full something else.

[Brainpiercing]

I was brainstorming with a party member about backup characters for our campaign and I thought about a Swift Hunter with Monk levels. Perhaps looking something like: Sct4-5/Mnk2/CCleric1/Rngr12-13 total.

Human w/ extra favored class, so I think that what I really lose from the normal Travel Devotion build is 1BAB and a little spellcasting. But, I can imagine some serious ridiculousness with a necklace of natural attacks with throwing on it. I know there is a feat that stacks Ranger for unarmed damage, so it seems possible.

Is this viable? What do you guys think about a build like this? Has anyone tried this? Any suggestions?

Only major note about optimization is that I cannot use Realms or Ebberon stuff, so no Shooting Star or awesome Initiate polymorphing cheese. I rolled MAD stats @ 15, 15, 16, 16, 11, 13.

I think the build is viable. You can make it better by sacrificing the odd die of skirmish damage and getting more attacks:
CC1/Scout4/Monk2 (pick a variant with suitable combat feats)/Totemist2/Ranger rest. At best take Mystic Ranger with SotAO. You get to cast Hunter's eye a bit more often, can cast Gravestrike, etc. Meleeing is NOT a problem with a build like that, you just need a lot of attacks. Mostly you should manage to kill everything in one round. You get up to 6D6 of skirmish with Improved Skirmish.

Now you can make all your unarmed strikes, then four secondary claws (or three by strict raw), then maybe a bite, if you can fit in Double Chakra bind(totem). With SotAO you can eventually cast Polymorph, and make this even worse. There's a spell in LoM which could give you two more claws (Arms of Plenty, but I don't remember whether it's Sor/Wiz).

And the best thing: If you don't wish to enter melee, you get to cast Blood Wind (Sor/Wiz1, or Cleric 1, from SpC) and get to use ALL your melee attacks (natural and unarmed) at range, but using all your melee modifiers. It's actually pretty nice.

[KellKheraptis]

I got a first-hand view of how bad ass one of these is with pouncing capability this Sunday...the new player in the group wanted to play a skirmisher, so naturally the progression went from scout to swift hunter, and me and the other main optimizer decided I could build it for her, since I'd made one or two before recently.  Whisper gnome, two weapon fighting, pounce, 5/5 split with ranger...even without being able to add skirmish, she dropped two party members (miscommunication...that's what they get for leaving me out of their little "black ops" when I can read their fucking mind and already knew about it!), and almost took out the local duke (who's like level 17, and we're all level 10, 11 now after the session).  "I think I created a monster."  And we had forgotten about the concealment from Child of Shadow, so really she probably didn't take any damage this whole time either.  Gotta love Swift Hunters

[S_Jerusalem]

I hadn't considered Blood Wind... I like that.

Part of what I liked about this idea is that it could be melee or ranged. It could always Travel/flurry/skirmish with shuriken until I could afford a throwing enhanced necklace, which I could probably buy with my starting L6-7 gold allotment anyway.

I understand that it wouldn't be in the top tier of Swift Hunter builds, I was just curious if anyone else thought it might be viable.

[deuxhero]

Are Mystic and or Wildshape good ACFs for Swift Hunters?

[KellKheraptis]

Are Mystic and or Wildshape good ACFs for Swift Hunters?

Considering Wildshape makes getting pounce REALLY easy, I'd say yes.  Turn into a pouncer (Fleshraker), pounce on enemy, make all attacks as touch attacks because you're also a mystic ranger with full BAB, sorc progression for access until 10th, and have the Sor/Wiz list from Sword of the Arcane Order.  That's not counting what happens when you throw in stuff like Hunter's Eye to get sneak attack added on, or finding a way to get Venomfire on you, or using Arcane Strike.  Throw all three on and you put Skitter to shame, assuming you catch him off guard

[Brainpiercing]

Are Mystic and or Wildshape good ACFs for Swift Hunters?

Considering Wildshape makes getting pounce REALLY easy, I'd say yes.  Turn into a pouncer (Fleshraker), pounce on enemy, make all attacks as touch attacks because you're also a mystic ranger with full BAB, sorc progression for access until 10th, and have the Sor/Wiz list from Sword of the Arcane Order.  That's not counting what happens when you throw in stuff like Hunter's Eye to get sneak attack added on, or finding a way to get Venomfire on you, or using Arcane Strike.  Throw all three on and you put Skitter to shame, assuming you catch him off guard

Is it possible to get both those ACFs at the same time? Also, WS from WS-Ranger is rather limited, how do you overcome the drawbacks?

[deuxhero]

Yes, mystic is actually a bigger trade off for wildshape than archer/two weapon delays it delays wildshape uses/time by one level, while the regular two only just wait one level longer 3 times for a feat.

[Dusk Eclipse]

just Brainstorming a gestalf build

Were Dire Puma 9 (6HD +LA 3 (natural)/Black blood Hunter 3/ dervish 6// scout 5/ ranger 15.

So any athoughts on that? planning on going TWF route

[BowenSilverclaw]

just Brainstorming a gestalf build

Were Dire Puma 9 (6HD +LA 3 (natural)/Black blood Hunter 3/ dervish 6// scout 5/ ranger 15.

So any athoughts on that? planning on going TWF route

What, no Barbarian dip for Pounce?