The idea was to make an archer of the dwarves. Nothing less. Perhaps a little more. But otherwise just an interesting idea. Not terribly inspiring, but kinda fun to play a dwarf as an elf *hears many drunken shouts and jeers from a heavily bearded group in the corner* I know, I know, its just an idea...

Defending Archer
Dwarf
Lawful
Ranger 21, DD 18, SD 1

playable 1-40, PvM

STR 10
DEX 16 to 30
CON 16
WIS 14
INT 14
CHA 6


Skills:
Concentration 30 [33]
Craft Trap 23 [25]
Disable Trap 1(2cc) [3]
Discipline 30 [30]
Heal 4 [6]
Hide 30 [40]
Move Silently 40 [50]
Set Trap 20 [30]
Tumble 40 [50]


Spells:
1: Grease, Entangle
2: Cat's Grace, One with Land, Protec from Elem
3: Aid, Invis Purge
4: Freedom of Movement, Mass Camo


AC: 30 (min 31 with Cat's Grace) (+4 in Defensive Stance)
HP: 594 (674 in Defensive Stance) also has 12/- DR
Attack: 44/39/34/29 (min 45/40/35/30 with Cat's Grace)
Damage: 1d8 (19-20/x3) (+2 with Mighty bow and in Defensive Stance)


Saving Throws:
Fort: 27
Will: 22
Refl: 26
(+2 from Defensive Stance, +2 vs spells Dwarven Hardiness)


1 Ranger1 Point Blank Shot, FE: Undead
2 Ranger2
3 Ranger3 Dodge
4 Ranger4
5 Ranger5 FE: Dragons
6 Ranger6 Toughness
7 Ranger7
8 DD1
9 DD2 Weap Foc: Longbow
10 DD3
11 DD4
12 DD5 Impr Crit: Longbow
13 Ranger8
14 DD6
15 DD7 Rapid Shot
16 Ranger9
17 DD8
18 DD9 Mobility
19 DD10
20 Ranger10 FE: Constructs

21 DD11 Epic Weap Foc: Longbow
22 DD12
23 DD13
24 DD14 Great Dex I, Epic Prowess
25 Ranger11
26 Ranger12
27 Ranger13 Great Dex II
28 DD15
29 Ranger14
30 Ranger15 Blinding Speed, FE: Outsiders
31 Ranger16
32 DD16
33 Ranger17 Great Dex III
34 Ranger18
35 Ranger19
36 DD17 Great Dex IV
37 SD1
38 Ranger20 FE: Elementals
39 Ranger21 Bane of Enemies
40 DD18 Armor Skin


Basically this char uses the Animal Companion, traps, spells and suppressive arrow fire to help cull down the enemies before they reach the line of dwarven defenders in front. Also the use of spells and HiPS allows for evasive movement and strategic attacks. Also, Defensive Stance should work better for an archer, since you won't be moving around back and forth in melee. All in all a fairly hardy archer.

Comments, suggestions and whatever else is welcome. I was working on a story, but I am busy.

-c
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Edited By griphook on 10/30/05 17:01

Hmmm, can you activate Def Stance when equipped with missile weapon? Even if you can't, this char is still viable. Who doesn't like a Dwarven Ranger?
Get yourself Weapon finesse though. You can't trust always being able to sneak around. Especially with Shadowdancer coming so late.
With wep finesse, you become not to bad a melee presence, just a tad low damage. Except vs FE's of course.

Others will do low damage to you to, of course.
Quite a beauty here.
Considered going Ranger21/DD14/SD5? For hips earlier, since it is a stealth/range build. That will even your SD skills more throughout the build for more playability. Any possibility of squeezing in Called Shot just to slow up the rampaging hordes coming towards you. It's hard to run with an arrow through your calf.

Dwarven archers ... I tell ya ... whatever next? Half-Orc Paladins?

Edited By mphacon on 10/12/05 21:14

Quote: Posted 10/12/05 18:00:07 (GMT) -- Grimnir77

Hmmm, can you activate Def Stance when equipped with missile weapon? Even if you can't, this char is still viable. Who doesn't like a Dwarven Ranger?
Get yourself Weapon finesse though. You can't trust always being able to sneak around. Especially with Shadowdancer coming so late.
With wep finesse, you become not to bad a melee presence, just a tad low damage. Except vs FE's of course.

Others will do low damage to you to, of course.
Quite a beauty here.
Considered going Ranger21/DD14/SD5? For hips earlier, since it is a stealth/range build. That will even your SD skills more throughout the build for more playability.

i didn't even think that DefStance wouldn't work with a bow. doesn't it? i thought it did.

i was think that i need to work in weapon finesse. i hate being an archer without a melee option. what feat should i drop to achieve this? i hate to part with any of them.

i didn't consider using more SD. HiPS earlier would be very important for this char, as well as getting the occasional tumble dump along the way.

solid ideas, through and through, grimnir. thanks!

any others?

-c
_________________
"You cannot pass!"
Quote: Posted 10/12/05 21:13:10 (GMT) -- mphacon

Any possibility of squeezing in Called Shot just to slow up the rampaging hordes coming towards you. It's hard to run with an arrow through your calf.

Dwarven archers ... I tell ya ... whatever next? Half-Orc Paladins?

another point which i had considered, but couldn't fit in here. i think i am too used to playing classes with extra feats. I need them. but seriously, called shot is so nice, i wanted it. but i hope that the spells would help there a bit. there are only 4 of them though.

perhaps, give what you and grim have mentioned, i should trade pbs and rapid shot for weap fin and called shot. that should do nicely, although the ability to fire off another arrow per round is a nice part of being an archer. its that or drop blinding speed (semi useful, but i though worth the feat for someone without UMD or the spell) for called shot or weap fin.

thanks for the advice mphacon.

anyone else?

-c Blinding speed is what I would let go as you say.
This guy is tight on feats, but rapid shot is better than blinding speed. You can afford a couple potions of speed in most settings. Or perhaps perma-haste. But you are right, tight feat schedule, so one will need to choose carefully.
And even if you can't Def stance while doing bows, its still a good defensive option when forced to melee. I know it's changing the classes about, but you could use fighter instead of ranger. I realise you would have to start cross classing skills to get SD, but you take it so late anyway you would have time to CC, and you would get all those extra feats you need. Additionally, you could take more SD levels, as well as drop the WIS back down to 10, get 14 str which would give you a little more melee presence. I realise that it would change the whole concept, which you may not want. Fighter 11, DD 22, SD 7 .. something like that. DR would be 15/- for DD levels, you would gain Evasion, Uncanny Dodge (vital for a dex build), Shadow Evade/Daze, Defensive Roll & Slippery Mind; as well as 5 for fighter feats. Called Shot, Finesse, WS (Bow & Finesseable), EWS?
Quote: Posted 10/13/05 17:20:23 (GMT) -- mphacon

I know it's changing the classes about, but you could use fighter instead of ranger. I realise you would have to start cross classing skills to get SD, but you take it so late anyway you would have time to CC, and you would get all those extra feats you need. Additionally, you could take more SD levels, as well as drop the WIS back down to 10, get 14 str which would give you a little more melee presence. I realise that it would change the whole concept, which you may not want. Fighter 11, DD 22, SD 7 .. something like that. DR would be 15/- for DD levels, you would gain Evasion, Uncanny Dodge (vital for a dex build), Shadow Evade/Daze, Defensive Roll & Slippery Mind; as well as 5 for fighter feats. Called Shot, Finesse, WS (Bow & Finesseable), EWS?
just post your own build

You could pick EWF and EP on Ranger 15 and 20 over Favoured Enemies if you wanted extra feats easily (losing 2 FEs obviously).
_________________
Now is my day's work done;
I'll take good breath:
Rest, sword; thou hast thy fill of
blood and death.
Quote: Posted 10/13/05 17:23:39 (GMT) -- FinneousPJ

just post your own build

I must just do that! hijack over...
Quote: .. something like that. DR would be 15/- for DD levels, you would gain Evasion, Uncanny Dodge (vital for a dex build),

That is mostly true, but this a Dwarven Defender! He gets defensive awareness, which not only lets him keep DEX bonus, but makes him immune to sneak attacks as well.

Like stated sooo many times before, Dwarves do it best.
Quote: Posted 10/13/05 18:44:29 (GMT) -- Grimnir77

Quote: .. something like that. DR would be 15/- for DD levels, you would gain Evasion, Uncanny Dodge (vital for a dex build),

That is mostly true, but this a Dwarven Defender! He gets defensive awareness, which not only lets him keep DEX bonus, but makes him immune to sneak attacks as well.

Like stated sooo many times before, Dwarves do it best.
Oh yeah *slaps head* apologies. If you are knocked down are you still immune to sneak? Or just flanking sneak? What about invisible sneak?
Quote: Posted 10/13/05 18:44:29 (GMT) -- Grimnir77

That is mostly true, but this a Dwarven Defender! He gets defensive awareness, which not only lets him keep DEX bonus, but makes him immune to sneak attacks as well.
Actually, this isn't true. He can still suffer sneak damage.

Quote: Like stated sooo many times before, Dwarves do it best.
This is true.

Valiant effort, Christian. However, what business does a Dwarf have with a bow, other than to use it as kindling for his forge? Give this guy an axe already! My beard bristles in humiliation!

..... ..... ..... ..... ..... .....
griphook ..Fixed broken quote
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Edited By griphook on 10/13/05 23:54

thanks to all for their comments. I agree wholeheartedly with everything said thus far. As for switching to fighter, one loses a lot in terms of skills and spells altogether. Making a different buld would be best mphacon.

Grizz, what can I say. It was just a fancy. And if it makes you feel better, this char can use weapon finesse and a handaxe...

-c
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"You cannot pass!" Well, OK, not immune. While engaged in combat he is immune, even to invisible attackers, but when he just stands there he can be sneak attacked. KD'ed he can probably be sneaked to. I think that if you suspect or KNOW an invisible enemy is about, you can enter defensive stance, I think he is "engaged" in combat then.
Not sure. I usually never, post though I get alot of my ideas from these pages, though I wanted to point something out.

Defensive Stands does NOT work, with a Ranged weapon. Though, I was playing around with it and with Weapon Finesse (I dropped Binding Speed) You have only have a few less AB than with you're bow, but you flip on you're Defensive Stance adn you get Plus 4 AC, and Plus 2 to damage. So, I think it's well worth the drop, of AB.

I think, I'm going to start this build on an RP server, too slow of leveling though, might have to do it on an Action.

GREAT concept though, only we need to fit in AA somewhere, damn elves!
_________________
~Blake~
Quote: Posted 10/15/05 01:40:47 (GMT) -- Blake Whelm

...

Defensive Stands does NOT work, with a Ranged weapon. Though, I was playing around with it and with Weapon Finesse (I dropped Binding Speed) You have only have a few less AB than with you're bow, but you flip on you're Defensive Stance adn you get Plus 4 AC, and Plus 2 to damage. So, I think it's well worth the drop, of AB.

...

GREAT concept though, only we need to fit in AA somewhere, damn elves!

Darn. Oh well. The use of Defensive stance was more of a perk than a main point of this build. At least its usable when doing nothing , since in combat it tends to turn itself off more often than not.

Don't say AA too loudly, lest the dwarflord hear it...

-c *Shrugs* I still think with Multiple up close opponents you're better with it, I mean you're AB is lowered by a few, but the AC is worth it by far. I'm an AC gut though, I figure if you can turn it into a Roll of the Twenties, the other person will give up, before you do
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~Blake~