Best Archer for me?

[jaappleton]

A topic of conversation frequently, I know.

What's the 'best' Archer?

I want to be able to shoot accurately, while doing a bit of AoE. I know I won't be hucking Fireball level AoE, but the ability to do something respectable.

I'd start at lv7. All UA and books available.

Ranger seems like the obvious choice. I was hoping to be more short rest dependent, like the Fighter's Arcane Archer (I could have xInt Mod shots), but I'm not sure.

[Easy_Lee]

Definitely Arcane Archer. It gets a permanent +1 to attack and damage rolls, magical ammunition, the level 7 ability provides use of a bonus action, and it has a few AoE options you might like. Besides the fact that the arcane shot arrows can target so many saves, something a fighter can't normally do.

Honestly, this subclass is too strong. It's UA for a reason.

[Specter]

I'd go Ranger any day. Hunter, Horde Breaker, Hail of Thorns, Conjure Barrage, etc.

But since you mentioned short-rest dependency, Fighter 1/Bladelock X can't hurt. At 6th level you can use Fly twice per short rest, and at 18th level you'll be pulling Foresight 3 times per short rest, which is probably better than any other short rest ability for archers.

[Mortis_Elrod]

My favorite Archer build is Arcane Archer/Kensai Monk. Its kind of like a ranger if you took out the outdoorsy feel and replaced it with mysticism.

12/8 for max level build
6/4 for 10th level

But for 7th I'd go full Arcane Archer.


For not exactly archer, but archer-ish you can always try the good ol re-flavored warlock. Especially when you grab all the EB + X effect invocations.

[Easy_Lee]

Just for the sake of completeness, there's a warlock blade pact UA invocation, Moon Bow, that lets you make a blade pact Archer with all short rest resources.

However, you give up two invocations to make that competitive, whereas agonizing eldritch blast only costs one, is a superior damage type, and will deal more damage in the long run. Pact weapons only pull ahead in damage with opportunity attacks and bonus action attacks. Neither will happen with a conjured longbow on a warlock.

One thing this character could do well is burst damage. If you take sharpshooter and improved pact weapon along with hungering blade or whatever it is at 5 and Moon Bow (three invocations spent, ouch), you can make two attacks with sharpshooter, burn your spell slots, and deal 1D8+1+10+8D8 (radiant from spell slots, see Moon Bow) per attack. That's an average 103 damage if both attacks hit at level 7. That's pretty damn good. But you won't be doing anything else cool until you finish a short rest.

[ImproperJustice]

It may flow a little different, but I am running a level 4 Deep Stalker Ranger, who has settled in as an archer.

The Darkvision, Stealth, and Ambush abilities mean that I begin each battle seeing my opponents long before they see me, Granting me advantage on initiative, and then two shots with advantage to hit them.

We have been fighting a lot of monstrous humanoids (my chosen enemy type), who can usually only see out to 60'.
This means they don't see my position, and cannot return fire right away.
When they advance, they meet the rest of my team in formation.

It may not be the highest damage build for an archer, but it sure feels pretty Ninja.

You also get some pretty nifty tricks from the Ranger spell list as well.

[jaappleton]

It may flow a little different, but I am running a level 4 Deep Stalker Ranger, who has settled in as an archer.

The Darkvision, Stealth, and Ambush abilities mean that I begin each battle seeing my opponents long before they see me, Granting me advantage on initiative, and then two shots with advantage to hit them.

We have been fighting a lot of monstrous humanoids (my chosen enemy type), who can usually only see out to 60'.
This means they don't see my position, and cannot return fire right away.
When they advance, they meet the rest of my team in formation.

It may not be the highest damage build for an archer, but it sure feels pretty Ninja.

You also get some pretty nifty tricks from the Ranger spell list as well.

While I love the Deep Stalker, especially its first draft (Funny store on that in a minute), I do find Rangers in general to be a bit finnicky with their action economy. Many of their spells, even just AoE damaging ones, require Concentration, which interferes with Hunter's Mark, most cost Bonus Actions which interfere with Crossbow Expert... It just doesn't seem to flow as well as I'd like. And you're correct about it feeling Ninja as all heck, it has an excellent feel to it. I do like how it can grant Darkvision, so its a solid dip for Wisdom based characters who don't have Darkvision already.

Regardless, a funny story on the first draft of the original Deep Stalker from the Light, Dark, Underdark! article: It'd been out for months at this point, but I noticed something didn't jive with it. I tweeted Mearls, asking "So if you can hide as a bonus action with the Deep Stalker feature, what happens to the vanilla Vanish feature at 14?"

Mearls: "....&$%#, I hadn't noticed that! Uhh... Advantage on Stealth rolls in your favored terrain?"

And then the second draft of the Deep Stalker happened, and when I read it, I got a nice chuckle.

[TheUser]

A topic of conversation frequently, I know.

What's the 'best' Archer?

I want to be able to shoot accurately, while doing a bit of AoE. I know I won't be hucking Fireball level AoE, but the ability to do something respectable.

I'd start at lv7. All UA and books available.

Ranger seems like the obvious choice. I was hoping to be more short rest dependent, like the Fighter's Arcane Archer (I could have xInt Mod shots), but I'm not sure.

Ranger to level 5 (if it's UA revised ranger maybe to 6) then multiclass to Rogue.
You'll do more damage than you normally would and be able to hide as a bonus action.

If you pick up arcane trickster you'll keep getting stronger spell slots for some of your Ranger spells (like ensnaring strike) and get some sweet utility spells for combat later.

[Sigreid]

A little one off trick that I think gets over looked with rangers is cordon of arrows is a non concentration spell that lasts 8 hours. This means that if you can take a few minutes to prepare the ground where the fight is going to happen and burn all of your spell slots on it you can do a lot of damage without even touching your action economy. Basically setting up a trap zone that at level 20 can do something like 56d6 damage in a round before you attack. Not an every day trick and might never come up but I thought it was worth mentioning.

[jaappleton]

Ranger to level 5 (if it's UA revised ranger maybe to 6) then multiclass to Rogue.
You'll do more damage than you normally would and be able to hide as a bonus action.

If you pick up arcane trickster you'll keep getting stronger spell slots for some of your Ranger spells (like ensnaring strike) and get some sweet utility spells for combat later.

This is pretty intriguing. I hadn't thought of Ranger / Rogue, which is strange, because it was all the rage back on the official WOTC forums. It's been so long since I thought about it, and now with Revised Ranger, its even better.

[TheUser]

This is pretty intriguing. I hadn't thought of Ranger / Rogue, which is strange, because it was all the rage back on the official WOTC forums. It's been so long since I thought about it, and now with Revised Ranger, its even better.

It mostly depends on if you want +2 to hit and some ranger spells or if you want SHADOW MONK TELEPORT

Wood Elf Shadow Monk 6/Rogue is the most annoying and slippery archer ever.

Shadow Teleport grants advantage to your next attack every time and if you are smart about using Darkness to blot out light sources (for instance just casting it 60ft in the air to create a 30ft diameter circle of darkness outside) lets you stay mobile and always have advantage on your first attack on a turn.

You're mobile, slippery, super fast, and can catch arrows from opposing archers.

[nickl_2000]

I actually was pretty curious about the Arcane Archer Fighter 7, Ranger Revised 2, Rogue 11 Mastermind

You get
Archer and Close Quarter Shooter Fighting styles
4 asi/feats
2 attacks
+4 to hit, +1 to damage (all magical)
3 Arcane Shot options, 2 uses per short rest
Shadow Arrow (so they can't see you shoot them)
Bursting Arrow (You AoE)
Piercing Arrow (Shoot through walls and basically a lightning bolt AoE)
Prof in Arcana or Nature
Curving Shot
6d6 Sneak attack
Rogue Cunning Action
Expertise x2
Uncanny Dodge
Evasion
Reliable Talent
Help as a bonus action from 30 ft
Favored Enemy
2 1st level Spells


There isn't a lot of Nova damage, but you have a good chance to sneak every round. You have an amazing chance to hit each attack. You have a lot of out of combat utility through skills for a fighter.

[Vaz]

Can you refluff Warlock with Kiss of Mephistopheles? Bonus Action Fireball and the ability to Full Attack like a Fighter with your Eldritch Blast. Maybe even just take a Fighter dip? Referencing Hanks Energy Bow (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ask/20061227a).

Can also just go Bladelock to deal +6d8 without the need to go for full AoE if you summon it as a Bow.

[Rhynear]

What level are you playing till because a Revised Ranger Hunter 5/War Cleric 2 peaks at 7th so you could play that.

It has 2 attacks from extra attack, taking Horde Breaker nets you a third if there is an enemy next to your main target and War Cleric gives you Wis mod bonus action attacks per long rest. Also your Channel Divinity gives you +10 to an attack roll when you use it so you can almost guarantee that shot will hit. Pick up sharpshooter at Ranger 4 and you have as many attacks as a level 20 fighter, Wis mod times per long rest, at level 7.

I would probably take 3 levels of Battlemaster, if you want maneuvers, and then go straight Ranger, or just go straight Ranger to finish the build off.

[Iamcreative]

If you can bend the UA multiclassing rules, Im a big fan of fighter/ranger 5 / nomad mystic x (fighter is better mechanically, but ranger and nomad fluff fits really well). Extra attack plus nomadic arrow and nomadic step. Pick up precognition as well for a nice little self bless (or whatever you want! Super versitility is a plus on this).

Crazy utility as you level and really nice damage with bonus action +xd10, pick up sharpshooter and reroll some misses with your reaction, get an extra d8 per turn eventually, etc etc. (Also never have disadvantage on attack rolls)

And youre free to take some diciplines that have aoe if you want.

Edit: and while they are dependant on long rests for power points, even without any its still very effective and has a good amount of utility from nomad features and psionic focus (and telepathy!)

[Maxilian]

Can you refluff Warlock with Kiss of Mephistopheles? Bonus Action Fireball and the ability to Full Attack like a Fighter with your Eldritch Blast. Maybe even just take a Fighter dip? Referencing Hanks Energy Bow (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ask/20061227a).

Can also just go Bladelock to deal +6d8 without the need to go for full AoE if you summon it as a Bow.

I have always liked this idea, even better with Fighter EK and a couple of Warlock lvl dip (even better if you can go Hexblade to make sure you are not mad)

[jaappleton]

I'm settling on the Arcane Archer.

Some of the other builds suggested are amazing, and are pretty damn sweet with what they can pull off.

But the short rest dependency won out for me.

I'm going Eladrin.

That gives me my Arcane Shots, Action Surge, Second Wind, and Fey Step all keying off on short rests. And we have those pretty often at my table.

[nickl_2000]

I'm settling on the Arcane Archer.

Some of the other builds suggested are amazing, and are pretty damn sweet with what they can pull off.

But the short rest dependency won out for me.

I'm going Eladrin.

That gives me my Arcane Shots, Action Surge, Second Wind, and Fey Step all keying off on short rests. And we have those pretty often at my table.

Ahhh, closure :smallbiggrin:

[Spiritchaser]

Ask your DM if you can re-fluff an arcane staff as a stringless bow, and "shoot" eldritch blasts. Start sorc 1, Go Warlock 2-3, sorcerer for a bit, for quicken and one other metamagic, then do... Whatever. Start Warlock if you want res con edit: or warcaster(and if you go stone sorc, you'll totally have the ASIs.

Take kiss of mephistopolese for AOE if you want.

Patron and sorcerer type to suit.

It's very open, can be pure CHA/CON with stone if you want that.

Go celestial/favoured soul if you don't want emo-darkety dark. (life cleric 1/FS 14 celestial lock 2 would be conceptually awesome at high levels)

It's very conceptually permissive, super powerful, versatile and if you feel like it you can go fiend/stone or Hexblade/stone take crossbow expert and be a monster in melee as well.