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    Titan in the Playground
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    Aug 2007
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    Default Re: Arcane Archer build DnD 3.5 - help me please!

    AA is mostly good for people who take a 1 level wizard dip. Those who take many levels of wizard will struggle. This isn't even a misleading class in that regard, since the DMG makes this fact quite clear. Arcane archer really is for combat focused archers.

    On the matter of effectiveness, you'll do very well unless you're in a heavily powergamed group. AA gets some flak in these forums because there are theoretically better ways, but it's still fairly decent. Namely the biggest thing arcane archer gives you is an enhancement bonus to attack rolls. You can get almost as much bonus from a party member who casts greater magic weapon on your bow. But that's the catch. Do you have a party wizard or cleric who will buff you? And why greater magic weapon? Why not heroism and flame arrow? Maybe he doesn't have enough spell slots to do all 3.

    A cleric OTOH, is a trap. Giving himself full BAB consumes a round that would be better off used to attack. It's only good for bragging about stats. Without the full BAB his buffed attack bonus is still worse than an arcane archer. But better than an unbuffed fighter. Again, only good for bragging. In reality you either play a buffed fighter or if you can't do that then you play an arcane archer.

    As for the abilities arcane archers get on even levels, I don't even pay attention to those. That only tends to lead to more traps like people who make wizard heavy arcane archers. Just think of them as minor extras.

    So don't let people discourage you if you want to play an arcane archer. Or if you want to play a pure ranger archer, that works to. Everything said above applies exactly the same. And you might want to ask a party caster for greater magic weapon in the morning once he hits level 8 or 12 or so.

    EDIT: Oh yeah, low light vision. Low light vision lets you get more out of light. So if for a human a torch would provide light up to 20 feet away and provide dim light to 40 feet, you can see clearly up to 40 feet away from the torch and dimly up to 80 feet away from it. You still can't see in total darkness.
    Last edited by ericgrau; 2010-03-07 at 10:34 PM.
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