Quote Originally Posted by RedMop View Post
Q197a: Really? Deadly Shot with Vital Strike already isn't competitive with regular archery or Barrage (until very high ACs but not 20s to hit). I thought the "Special Attack Action" was still an Attack Action, and thus, would trigger Vital Strike. Losing Vital Strike damage really hurts the snipers. Spending a Standard Action with a Hornbow to do 2d6+6d10+17. 57 Damage at level 20 isn't scary, especially when Barrage is putting up 5 2d6+17 arrows (120 dmg). Vital Strike takes the Deadly Shot up to 78. It's something at least. And all of this is with the Hornbow. The disparity grows with smaller weapons.
As far as I understand it (and this is what stack probably intended to convey), you can use vital strike and deadly shot together, but vital strike does not increase the bonus damage from deadly shot (just as it wouldn't increase the damage from, say, the flaming property). So, with the shortbow example, you would do 2d6+2d10.