Iconic Arcane Archer (playable levels 1-40, PvM)

The Concept: This is a "pure" Arcane Archer; that is, it takes 30 levels of the prestige class, and only uses one core class to qualify for them, as described in the Pure Builds thread ( Click Here ). I decided, in the spirit of iconicity (word?), to expound in this build upon something which is, to varying degrees, a strength of all AA builds: Ridiculously high AB. I think anyone will be satisfied that, whatever else may be said for the build, I have at the least achieved that.

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Race: Elf

Alignment: Any non-lawful

Starting Stats:
Str: 10
Dex: 20
Con: 10
Wis: 8
Int: 10
Cha: 14

1 - Bard 1 - Point Blank Shot
2 - Bard 2
3 - Bard 3 - Weapon Focus (longbow)
4 - Bard 4 - Dex 21
5 - Bard 5
6 - Bard 6 - Rapid Shot
7 - Bard 7
8 - Bard 8 - Dex 22
9 - AA 1 / Bard 8 - Weapon Finnesse
10 - AA 2 / Bard 8
11 - AA 3 / Bard 8
12 - Bard 9 / AA 3 - Improved Critical (longbow), Dex 23
13 - AA 4 / Bard 9
14 - AA 5 / Bard 9
15 - AA 6 / Bard 9 - Called Shot
16 - AA 7 / Bard 9 - Dex 24
17 - AA 8 / Bard 9
18 - AA 9 / Bard 9 - Toughness
19 - AA 10 / Bard 9
20 - Bard 10 / AA 10 - Dex 25

21 - AA 11 / Bard 10 - Epic Weapon Focus (longbow)
22 - AA 12 / Bard 10
23 - AA 13 / Bard 10
24 - AA 14 / Bard 10 - Great Dex 26, Great Dex 27*, Dex 28
25 - AA 15 / Bard 10
26 - AA 16 / Bard 10
27 - AA 17 / Bard 10 - Great Dex 29
28 - AA 18 / Bard 10 - Epic Prowess*, Dex 30
29 - AA 19 / Bard 10
30 - AA 20 / Bard 10 - Great Dex 31
31 - AA 21 / Bard 10
32 - AA 22 / Bard 10 - Great Dex 32*, Dex 33
33 - AA 23 / Bard 10 - Great Dex 34
34 - AA 24 / Bard 10
35 - AA 25 / Bard 10
36 - AA 26 / Bard 10 - Great Dex 35, Great Dex 36*, Dex 37
37 - AA 27 / Bard 10
38 - AA 28 / Bard 10
39 - AA 29 / Bard 10 - Great Dex 38
40 - AA 30 / Bard 10 - Great Dex 39*, Dex 40

Skills: Discipline 22(22), Listen 40(41), Perform 13(15), Spellcraft 15(15), Spot 40(41), Tumble 20(35), UMD 23(25) (all skills +1 w/ Bard Song)

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Final Stats:
Str: 10
Dex: 40
Con: 10
Wis: 8
Int: 10
Cha: 14

AB (longbow): +60/+55/+50/+45 (+58/+58/+53/+48/+43 with Rapid Shot, +1 within 15 feet, +2 w/ Bard Song)

Damage (longbow): 1d8+15 (+1 within 15 feet, +2 w/ Bard Song)

AC (robes): 29

Max HP: 340 (+8 w/ Bard Song)

Saves:
Fortitude: 20 (+1 w/ Bard Song, +3 vs. spells)
Reflex: 39 (+1 w/ Bard Song, +3 vs. spells)
Will: 19 (+1 w/ Bard Song, +3 vs. spells)

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Strengths:
-Absurdly high AB
-Good ranged damage that doesn't rely on sneak attacks, Divine Might, smite, critical hits, or any other less dependable means to be delivered
-High enough Enchant Arrow to get through all but the meanest DR (with +5 arrows, it'll even go through Epic Warding, I believe)
-Decent AC
-Very high reflex save
-Level 3 Bard spells (level 4 if you can get +4 to charisma)

Weaknesses:
-BORING!
-Low fortitude and will saves
-Mediocre HP
-No Improved Evasion to take advantage of the reflex save
-No Epic Dodge or SC (look at all that dexterity going to waste)

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Well...it is what it is. It's certainly iconic, but it's not particularly good, nor is it particularly interesting. I guess such is the price we pay for purity.
Quote: Posted 02/05/06 06:15:02 (GMT) -- Nimueh_Leafbow

-High enough Enchant Arrow to get through all but the meanest DR (with +5 arrows, it'll even go through Epic Warding, I believe)

Well, that's not true. Besides, +5 arrows have a +5 damage bonus...
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Quote: Posted 02/05/06 09:04:15 (GMT) -- FinneousPJ

Quote: Posted 02/05/06 06:15:02 (GMT) -- Nimueh_Leafbow

-High enough Enchant Arrow to get through all but the meanest DR (with +5 arrows, it'll even go through Epic Warding, I believe)

Well, that's not true. Besides, +5 arrows have a +5 damage bonus...
I didn't mean you'd do enough damage to get through. I meant that if arrow enhancement stacks with enchant arrow, they'll count as +20 weapons, and Epic Warding gives DR 50/+20, so it wouldn't work against +20 weapons. I wouldn't be surprised if I was wrong, though; I haven't tested it. That sure would have been nice, but no, enhancement bonuses do not stack. Besides, unless I'm mistaken, Enchant Arrow only works if used with non-magical arrows. So, even if the bonuses would stack, you wouldn't end up with +20 arrows. Thus Epis Warding remains unbeaten... Arr...
Quote: Posted 02/06/06 03:36:05 (GMT) -- Saosin777

That sure would have been nice, but no, enhancement bonuses do not stack. Besides, unless I'm mistaken, Enchant Arrow only works if used with non-magical arrows. So, even if the bonuses would stack, you wouldn't end up with +20 arrows. Thus Epis Warding remains unbeaten... Arr...

This is correct.
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Ariel, Ookla, RIDE! I'll take your word for it that the enhancement bonuses don't stack for purposes of bypassing DR, but I'm pretty sure I remember that the damage bonus from my enchant arrow stacked with my magical ammunition when I played an AA build through HotU. Maybe the character sheet lied, though; I probably wouldn't have noticed if it and my actual damage didn't match up. From the game manual:

"ENCHANT ARROW: The arcane archer is able to shoot arrows with increased precision and damage. This ability is automatically applied to ALL ARROWS FIRED and increases with experience."

From the Grimoire:

"With this feat, EVERY NON-MAGICAL ARROW the character nocks
and lets fly gets a +1 enchantment bonus. The bonus only works for the Arcane Archer."

Great. Now who to trust? This needs to be tested... I just whipped up a bandit mage with epic warding. Then an AA30 and shot her.

Neither the +8 Northwind nor the mundane bow with +5 arrows would bypass the DR.

Also, no way is a bard/aa "iconic". Bards can't even cast Fireball that the AA is supposedly Imbuing his arrows with.

Ranger/Wizard/Arcane Archer. Now that would be iconic.

Edited By King Ubu on 02/06/06 06:53

Quote: Posted 02/06/06 06:46:31 (GMT) -- King Ubu

Ranger/Wizard/Arcane Archer. Now that would be iconic.

Actually, the meaning of "iconic" here is to make a build with a "pure" class, IE 40 levels of a base class, or 10 levels of a base class and 30 levels of a prestige class. Of course, a ranger/wizard/arcane archer would be a lot closer to the stereotypical arcane archer, but then it wouldn't be "pure".
Quote: Posted 02/06/06 03:57:50 (GMT) -- Saosin777

From the game manual:

"ENCHANT ARROW: The arcane archer is able to shoot arrows with increased precision and damage. This ability is automatically applied to ALL ARROWS FIRED and increases with experience."

From the Grimoire:

"With this feat, EVERY NON-MAGICAL ARROW the character nocks
and lets fly gets a +1 enchantment bonus. The bonus only works for the Arcane Archer."

Great. Now who to trust? This needs to be tested...

Both the manual and the grimoire are wrong . It has been tested more than once (everyone who has played an AA at least once should know).

The damage bonus from Enchant Arrow stacks with the arrow's damage bonus. Also the AB bonus from Enchant Arrow stacks the bow's AB bonus.

However they don't stack regarding to piercing through damage reductions. So a level 7 AA using a bow+3 cannot pierce through x/+5 damage reduction.

Btw in NWN arrows cannot have an enchantment bonus. They can only have a damage bonus. So arrows+20 will never pierce through any damage reduction.
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Edited By Kamiryn on 02/06/06 09:11

Quote: 

However they don't stack regarding to piercing through damage reductions. So a level 7 AA using a bow+3 cannot pierce through x/+5 damage reduction.

Btw in NWN arrows cannot have an enchantment bonus. They can only have a damage bonus. So arrows+20 will never pierce through any damage reduction.
That's what I said...
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Fanget av begravelsen
pines vi av guds godhet
ingen flammer, intet hat
de hadde rett vi kom til Helvete...

~ Burzum - Hvis Lyset Tar Oss
Quote: Posted 02/06/06 09:46:40 (GMT) -- FinneousPJ

Quote: 

However they don't stack regarding to piercing through damage reductions. So a level 7 AA using a bow+3 cannot pierce through x/+5 damage reduction.

Btw in NWN arrows cannot have an enchantment bonus. They can only have a damage bonus. So arrows+20 will never pierce through any damage reduction.
That's what I said...
Truth can't be said too often .
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Character Build Calculator(works with Excel, Open Office) 2.83: updated to NWN 1.69. Well thanks for clearing that up for me. I was starting te get confused