Symbolic of his heritage, this half-elf has a foot in each world-- one in melee and one in longbow.

It might be possible that this Arcane Archer has the lowest Dex ever posted. But 25 levels of Arcane Archer does not a one-trick pony make. As is often the case, AA's with this many levels often have insane ABs that are probably much higher than necessary in most humble environments. In this build, the character is really not an archer, but rather, a warrior, and is meant to be at home in both worlds, and to deal the maximum damage in both. If you're looking for a high AB pointy-eared string-twanger, keep on searching.

While not the first of his kind, he may be the best of his kind in pure combat form. He's still a little rough around the edges, but this lad is just as comfortable swinging a warhammer as he is making a bowstring hum. He can deal heavy damage from 2 different fronts, and, when piercing damage fails, can bludgeon an opponent into submission. He can sink Rapid Fire Called Shots into opponents from afar, and then completely dismantle them in melee with the steady thumps of the trusted warhammer. As usual, UMD is there to make him even more dangerous. He avoids the flatfootedness issue by not making it an issue at all, for he focuses his body on Strength & Hammer training. While his ranged AB doesn't rival his Dex counterparts, it's still high enough to get the job done in low to mid-magic environments. Feat and attribute choices were made to provide a well-rounded balance of offensive potency while still offering balanced saves and a well-rounded skill set.



The Half-Elven Soldier of Fortune

Bard5/Fighter10/Arcane Archer25
Race: Half-Elf
Alignment: non-lawful
Playable: 1-40, PvM, Multiplayer or Solo

Attributes
Str17 (30)
Int14
Wis8
Dex13 (14)
Con14
Chr8


Level Guide
1 Fighter1, WF: Longbow, Point Blank Shot
2 Fighter2, WF: Warhammer
3 Fighter3, Str18, Rapid Shot
4 Fighter4, WS: Warhammer
5 Fighter5
6 Fighter6, WS: Longbow, Blindfighting
7 Bard1
8 AA1, Str19
9 AA2, Improved Crit: Longbow
10 AA3
11 AA4
12 Bard2, Improved Crit: Warhammer, Str20
13 AA5
14 AA6
15 AA7, Called Shot
16 AA8, Str21
17 Bard3
18 AA9, Toughness
19 AA10
20 Fighter7, Str22
21 Fighter8, EWF: Warhammer, EWS: Warhammer
22 Bard4
23 AA11
24 AA12, Epic Will, Str23
25 AA13
26 AA14, EWF: Longbow
27 Fighter9, EWS: Longbow
28 AA15, Str24
29 AA16
30 AA17, Epic Skill Focus: Listen
31 AA18, Epic Prowess
32 Fighter10, Armor Skin, Str25
33 AA19, Great Str I
34 AA20
35 AA21
36 AA22, Great Dex I, Great Str II, Str28
37 AA23
38 AA24
39 AA25, Great Str III
40 Bard5, Str30
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Combat Vitals
WarHammer AB: 43/38/33/28
Base Damage: 1-8+16(19-20/x3)
Longbow AB: 48/43/38/33
Base Damage: 1-8+19(19-20/x3)
PBS Rapid Shot: 47/42/37/32/47

Melee AC: 32 (Full Plate/Shield)
Ranged AC: 29

HP: 450
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Saves
Fort: 25 (34)
Will: 21 (32)
Reflex: 24 (33)

Skills: 228
Discipline: 42 (52)
Tumble: 40
UMD: 41 (40)
Spellcraft: 43 (45)
Perform: 10 (9)
Heal: 6(5)
Lore: 3 (5)
Listen: 53

Special Abilities
UMD: Cast all scrolls w/o failure
Called Shot Arm or Leg
Imbue Arrow: 17d6/x3 day: DC:36 (42 max)
Arrow of Death: DC 20, to hit: d20+45
Seeker Arrow: x2/day: Cannot Miss
High DR Penetration
Heavy Bludgeon or Piercing damage
Minor Bard Song x5: +1AB, +2Damage

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Notes:
A lot of room for customization, including going a Dev Crit route. If one doesn't need the Epic Saving Throw Feats or the ESF, toss them and add 2 more Great Strengths for another +1AB and damage. Also, if one can get away with only 4 Bard levels instead of 5, then you can drop it for AA26 and tack on another bonus feat (either Epic Reflexes, Great Dex or Epic Toughness). If the warhammer isn't your thing, it can be changed without affecting the integrity of the build.

Not really any builds quite as dedicated to melee and ranged as this one. On the Rogue/Dex/Finesse side there are, but as far as Strength builds go, we have The Bladed Archer and Jennalee's Singer of Blade and Bow Both are excellent examples of an archer that can melee, and do so by going Strength-based, but are also completely different builds. There are a number of Bard/RDD/AA builds, but they usually have feat issues, and consequently have lower ABs, and also invariabley pursue Dev Crit paths. With the exception of Dex builds, I believe the Soldier of Fortune has the best AB and damage going in 2 combat categories. If I'm wrong, please point me to such a build so I can link it and give credit.
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Ariel, Ookla, RIDE!

Edited By Kail Pendragon on 10/14/07 13:43

A good take on the melee/ranged in one build. Solid AB and damage from either source. A nice build Grizz, and one that really makes a 1/2 Elf look appealing (for a change).
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It's rogue, dammit, ROGUE!!! Nice build Dwarflord! Good melee presence, even better ranged proficiency this build is something I'd gladly try out. Warhammer totally rocks as the melee weapon choice. A good mighty bow is all you need. Well balanced, me likes it.


Cheers,
Kail
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Heavy metal
Or no metal at all
Whimps and posers
Leave the hall! Excellent build; it's nice to see half-elf used legitimitely in a build.

I'm slightly confused about skills...why stop Discipline one point short of maxed when you still have points to put in things like heal and lore? This is one of those that really REALLY makes you wish nwn2 wasnt comin out so soon (what's it now, 18 weeks away ) I always wondered about using AA lvls to make a meleer. I have wonderd, dwarflord has ACTED! Nicely done.

I AM in shock that you lowerd yourself to making a half elf! We may have to take a vote to revoke your dwarfLORD status.... or revolt, or what have you, if you keep this non-dwarf habit going (JK). WHat ever happened to the dwarf assasin guild? Man, ive been here WAYYYY too long.
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Quote: Posted 07/24/06 22:47:54 (GMT) -- FinneousPJ

You should listen to avado

Edited By avado on 10/06/06 02:34

A solid 1/2 archer...err...elf.

The possibility to use the AA class to improve ranged AB in a low dex build like you do here,is often neglected.

I see that you actually get +5 better ranged AB than melee AB despite almost full fighter AB progression and str 30. If you think the AB you get for the melee attacks will be sufficient, you are free to take 10 more fighter or bard lvls. Bard will give you better song and more levels where you can dump skillpoints, while fighter offers feats and hitpoints.
A lvl 15 bard song will benefit both melee and ranged fighting, while 5 more feats would help a lot towards adding Dev Crit to the build.
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The curve is more powerful than the sword
-- BG courtesan Yes this must be the kind of build the half-elf was meant for. Nice, I like it!

If someting like this is built with dualwielding daggers it would be the perfect LOTR Legolas (except the half-elf thing)