Please help my Night Stalker Kensai Archer

[Cephid Arcanis]

Summary:
Big damage (for an archer) to several targets at a time from long range in the dark.
No precision/crit immune damage.
Excellent senses:  Max spot, Perfect vision, scent. High initiative.
Maxed stealth skills.
Cool options: summon huge earth elemental, manuvers, a few cleric spells from items.

Human Lawful/Evil (=too much fun!)
1) Cleric of Baator (Exotic Weapon: Great bow) {Able Learner}
2) Fighter {Focus: Greatbow}
3) Fighter {Point Blank Shot} (Rapid Shot)
4) Fighter
5) Fighter {Specialisation: Greatbow}
6) Sword Sage (Expertise)
7) Kensai
8) Kensai
9) Kensai (Ranged Weapon Mastery)
10) Kensai
11) Kensai
12) Kensai (Precise Shot)

Abilities: Perfect Vision (see in any darkness inc. magical)
Surge (+8 str few rounds, several/day)
Withstand (Concentration check in place of Ref save.)
+4 intimidate (+8 at kensai 8th)

Maxed Skills: Spot, Hide, Move Silently, Concentration, Intimidate + some jump and tumble.

Stance: Hunters Sense (scent)
Manuver: Sudden leap, Swift invisibility, Counter Charge, Perfect mind, Shadow Jaunt, Mighty Throw.

WEAPON of SUPREME BRILLIANCEBow: +1 Exit wound, Splitting (next?)

Staff:+1 Warning (+5 initiave), acid, Huge Earth Elemental summoning, Deflecting (ignore one range attack each round). (next?)

Key Items: Quick silver boots (swift move 2/day), Belt of battle, Strong arm Braces (hold bigger weapon), Ring of Haste

TacticsMage Killer:
Arrow of binding with loose head. Silence and deeper darkness cast on arrow head. Shoot mage from distance: Anchor, darkness and silence until he physically digs out the arrow head. (no save)

Damage:
Permanent enlarge + strong arm braces = 3d8 base damage.
[+13 (str + feats + enhancement etc) + 1d6 (exit wound)] x 2 (splitting) = 60 average damage/arrow/enemy.
Assuming 4 attacks and only 2 enemies are lined up = 240 each (480 total)

So there is the build so far, now this is where you guys come in...
* Because a staff is a double weapon, could I enhance each end separately via kensai? If so, what enhancements do you suggest?
* Where to from here? What classes/feats/abilities do you suggest?
* Should I take advantage of my huge size bow and high strength from surge (Kensai 2nd) and use ranged pin(feat)? I could pin 4/round, or pin one guy and shoot him 3 times and repeat. They each have to use a standard action to free them self.
* What other enhancements should I take? (For bow and staff.)
* What other items should I take? Any good cleric spells for a wand/eternal wand?
* Any way I could take Aptitude weapon (enhancement) + Flurry/other?

[Alastar]

I think this would achieve what you,re trying to do in a better way.  Little to no precision damage, high damage output,  lots of options due to maneuvers and open feats.  And if you have a wizard or cleric in your party, simply buy a stack of 50 spell storing arrows and have fun with those, to debuff everyone you shoot at.

[Cephid Arcanis]

Yeah, spell storing arrows rock. I'll get a stack.
160gp for an extra action is just awesome. and to be able to cast spells at enemies a mile away is brilliant.

Definately doesn't replace arrows of anchoring thou. Each have their place.

What other good ideas?

[woodenbandman]

That's pretty g, yo.

Uh... Impact bow adds another 5 damage per arrow for a +1 bonus, maybe a good investment, maybe not. I know there are wounding/maiming arrows, which do, instead of a x3 crit multiplier, have a 1d6 crit multiplier. MIC i think.

[Cephid Arcanis]

I think this would achieve what you,re trying to do in a better way.  Little to no precision damage, high damage output,  lots of options due to maneuvers and open feats. 

um, what is this that you are talking about? You have no links or anything, but I'm interested.

[Cephid Arcanis]

Impact is not too bad, but it is +2. There are lots of things that 2.5 damage/+1 that is hard to resist.
e.g. 1d4 sonic, 1d4 force, Impact etc. I do like the big stacking damage, but is it big enough at high levels?

Also, are there any tricks with aptitude and a bow?

[Anklebite]

Also, are there any tricks with aptitude and a bow?

lightning mace, roundabout kick and three mountains, if you meant aptitude weapon enhancement.

[Cephid Arcanis]

lightning mace, roundabout kick and three mountains, if you meant aptitude weapon enhancement.
[/quote]

I get so few crits with a bow thou. Any way to fix that, of any better feats?

[Anklebite]

keen, improved critical, weapon master(+2 to crit range at level 8), 3.0 deepwood sniper(if allowed, it makes your bow a x5 crit multiplier with a doubling of the threat range that explicitly stacks with imp crit), hunter's mercy(next shot is an auto-threat)

[Alastar]

crap, forgot to link, will edit when less drunk

[Cephid Arcanis]

Wicked.

Get off the net then you nerd and go and have some fun! 

[woodenbandman]

Undermountain Tactics. Hit them twice, they make a balance check or fall prone, OR forgo their move action for the round. Requires you to gain the high ground bonus (which may only work for melee, so YMMV). Dungeonscape.

Since you have Enlarge on, why not Knockback? How about Power Attack? That should work. After all bows are two-handed weapons.

[Alastar]

http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=332.0

[Alastar]

Bows are not two handed weapons, they are ranged weapons, under the table entry in the SRD

http://www.d20srd.org/srd/equipment/weapons.htm#weaponDescriptions

Or else you could get 1.5 your str bonus on ranged attacks with bows, no ?

[Negative Zero]

Undermountain Tactics. Hit them twice, they make a balance check or fall prone, OR forgo their move action for the round. Requires you to gain the high ground bonus (which may only work for melee, so YMMV). Dungeonscape.

Since you have Enlarge on, why not Knockback? How about Power Attack? That should work. After all bows are two-handed weapons.

Power Attack specifies melee attack rolls and melee damage rolls. They never did update Power Shot to third edition.

[Tonymitsu]

Honestly if that's your only concern over precision damage archers then:

Sniper's Shot
Level 1 Ranger, Assassin, or Wizard spell.

Spell level 1 x Caster Level 1 x 2000 gp x 4 for continuous effect item with a spell duration based on rounds.


Now for 8000gp you can apply precision damage to your shots regardless of how far away from your target you are... all day.

Any good cleric spells for a wand/eternal wand?

Unless you can change the source of your spells, no.  Eternal Wands can only hold arcane spells, and can only be activated normally by arcane casters (barring UMD checks).

[Cephid Arcanis]

Honestly if that's your only concern over precision damage archers then:

No, I have lots of reservations about precision damage archers:
They loose almost all of their damage against nearly half of all enemies.
They USUALLY only work while close (i.e. dead). And I think making up magic items always leads to broken stuff.
They are bad against DR, like most archers.
They can be stopped with wind wall etc.

If I can get past most all of these by taking the force enhancement and not relying on prescion damage.
Also, prescion damage doesn't get multiplied by splitting and exit wound.

So, how can I add more non-prescion damage?


Thanks for the link Alastar. I had a look at your build, and at level 20 it looks mighty impressive.
I do have some issues thou:
* I think dragon magazing is rubbish. It is a shame those targeter varients aren't Wizards, but they're not.
* The ToB doesn't seem to add anything until VERY high levels. (and I like builds that work right through)
* I thought all of the devotion feats were considered silly broken. (and complete champion in general)

And how are you getting so many attacks? 4 base +2 arrow storm, +1 rappid shot +1 haste + 2 raging mongoose?

How can I get more attacks without using Dragon mag or 15 levels + of ToB?

I was thinking of playing a wood elf and taking Eternal blade 2 at higher levels so I didn't need to get the force property, but then I couldn't get able learner.

How could I max spot, concentration and the stealth skills without it able learner?

[Alastar]

ToB gives you the initiator levels to pull off time stands still, and some nice defensive and mobility abilitiees, like moment of alacrity, quicksilver motion, sudden leap, blood in the water for damage, iron heart surge, wall of blades, moment of perfect mind.  and so on.

C-Champion isn't considered broken in anyway, shape, or form.

even without dragon magasine, this build rocks. 

4 base +1 rapid shot +2 arrow storm +1 haste x2 splitting.

x5 for time stand stills 2 times in the same round, and 1 time for belt of battle.

[Cephid Arcanis]

Some of the movement from ToB is good, but a belt of battle and quicksilver boots can do that too.
The save boosters (moment of perfect mind etc) rock. That's why I have them my build. I am missing Iron Heart surge thou...

As far as damage goes, blood in the water only gives you a +1 every 10 shots. Not much.

even without dragon magasine, this build rocks. 

4 base +1 rapid shot +2 arrow storm +1 haste x2 splitting.

Awesome. So where is arrow storm from? I want it!!

[Negative Zero]

Some of the movement from ToB is good, but a belt of battle and quicksilver boots can do that too.
The save boosters (moment of perfect mind etc) rock. That's why I have them my build. I am missing Iron Heart surge thou...

As far as damage goes, blood in the water only gives you a +1 every 10 shots. Not much.

even without dragon magasine, this build rocks.  

4 base +1 rapid shot +2 arrow storm +1 haste x2 splitting.

Awesome. So where is arrow storm from? I want it!!

My sources inform me that Arrow Storm is a spell from Complete Adventurer, page 143.
Edit: But it seems that all it does is let you spend a full round action to attack every enemy within one range increment once.