Arcane Archer: Warlock

[Steampunkette]

Warlock Patron: Arcane Archer
This subclass ditches the storyline fluff of borrowing power and just assumes the character is an arcane archer.

Expanded Spell List
1st Ensnaring Strike, Hail of Thorns
2nd Barkskin, Cordon of Arrows
3rd Conjure Barrage, Lightning Arrow
4th Freedom of Movement, Stoneskin
5th Conjure Volley, Swiftquiver

Arcane Shot
Starting at 1st level you wield the power to imbue your arrows with magical power. Whenever you cast a Warlock spell with a range longer than Self or Touch you can instead empower your arrows with the spell. Doing so causes your Dexterity Ability Modifier to replace your Charisma Ability Modifier in all spell effects including attack roll modifiers, damage bonuses, and spell save DC. You also substitute the range of the weapon for the range of the spell, and grant advantage to your enemies on saving throws against spells fired from a bow at long range. If the spell creates multiple emanations, such as Meteor Swarm, additional arrows must be expended equal to the number of targets. If the spell requires multiple attack rolls, such as Eldritch Blast, you must make separate attack rolls as normal.

Countershot
On reaching 6th level you may expend your reaction to attempt a Countershot when targeted by a ranged attack of any kind. Make an opposed attack roll against the ranged attack targeting you. On a successful roll, you deflect the incoming attack, completely. This ability can be used once per short or long rest.

Imbue Arrows
At 10th level you gain the ability to imbue a quiver of up to 20 arrows with magical power. Each arrow becomes magical and deals an additional 1d6 piercing damage to any target struck by them. These arrows last for 8 hours and can be used by anyone. Unlike normal magical ammunition, Imbued Arrows face the normal loss/damage rate of a regular arrow and retain their enchantment until broken or the duration of the effect ends. This ability can be used once per long rest.

Arrow of Death
At 14th level you gain the ability to empower an Arrow of Death as an action once per long rest. A creature with less than 100hp struck by this arrow must succeed at a Constitution saving throw or die, immediately. On a successful saving throw, the target is subject to an automatic critical hit, as if you had rolled a natural 20 on the attack roll. The arrow lasts until it is used or until you take a long rest, and once fired loses all magical ability whether it hits or misses.

New Warlock Pact:
Pact of the Bow
(As Pact of the Blade, but creates a hand crossbow, light crossbow, heavy crossbow, shortbow, or longbow)

Seeker Arrow, Guiding Arrow, Elemental Arrow, and the like as invocations. Give them the ability to gain extra attack at 5 through invocations and the ability to expend a bonus action to make a ranged attack as a bonus action on a round where they cast a spell somewhere around level 11 instead of lifedrinker.

It probably needs a ton of cleaning up and some rewording, but what do you think?

[Flashy]

Arcane Shot
Starting at 1st level you wield the power to imbue your arrows with magical power. Whenever you cast a spell with a range longer than Self or Touch you can instead empower your arrows with the spell. Doing so causes your Dexterity Ability Modifier to replace your Charisma Ability Modifier in all spell effects including attack roll modifiers, damage bonuses, and spell save DC. You also substitute the range of the weapon for the range of the spell, and grant advantage to your enemies on saving throws against spells fired from a bow at long range. If the spell creates multiple emanations, such as Meteor Swarm, additional arrows must be expended equal to the number of targets. If the spell requires multiple attack rolls, such as Eldritch Blast, you must make separate attack rolls as normal.

I'd suggest changing the wording from "Whenever you cast a spell with a range longer than Self or Touch" to "Whenever you cast a warlock spell with a range longer than Self or Touch" in order to prevent people stacking two levels of Arcane Archer with 18 levels of Abjuration Wizard, Evoker Wizard, or something similarly powerful with dex as an offensive casting stat. You've kind of got this with the "Replace your charisma modifier" wording, but even then I think this is maybe too attractive a dip for Dragon sorcerers.

Regardless, I think this is a strong approach to the archetype which I really enjoy.

[Sicarius Victis]

Honestly, I'd just have a "Spell Archer" Pact Boon and a few Invocations for it, and have a "Generic Arcane Caster" subclass instead of a Pact for those people who want it. It allows for a bit more character flexibility.

[Steampunkette]

Probably, yeah.

I just thought the Arcane Archer concept would fit Warlocks better than Fighters or Rangers.

[khadgar567]

Probably, yeah.

I just thought the Arcane Archer concept would fit Warlocks better than Fighters or Rangers.

okay the whole demon empowered archer idea is good but i think we miss the complete obius in front of us we don have abilities that allow the whole packege to be real.

[Steampunkette]

The intent is to ditch the "Empowered by Evil" angle and have the character just be a magic user.

Hence making the Patron itself "Arcane Archer"

[Kalyth]

I built an Arcane Archer by adding the following lines to to the Eldritch Blast cantrip and using a "curved rod" as my focus.

"When you cast this spell you raide your focus as if to fire a bow from an arrow. A glow arrow of force appear and can be fired at a target within range."