Archer build - Thoughts/Improvements.

[Kiran]

Hi Guys,

Had a friend of mine make this build for me

http://nwn2db.com/build/?236805

Still need to work on the skills, but overall what are your thoughts for a sneak archer? (Being a noob I am sure there is a name for it... but I do not know it)

Trying to get my friends over to the server and one wants to be a sneaky/archer type, perhaps use more skills o nsetting traps etc for rp as he is a sort of bounty hunter/woodsman type, your typical ranger if a bit more sour around the edges, do anything for coin essentially, thus the evil approach (Probably become lawful evil, who knows)

Love to hear opinions and if any improvements can be done, or if its viable

[YourMoveHolyMan]

My first thought is, if you have 5 SD and 3 assassin, why not turn it into 8 assassin? If for the defensive roll I could see that, or dropping assassin altogether and picking up three more rogue levels maybe?

[b0ttles]

The 5 SD is for defensive roll (epic dodge). If you drop assassin you don't have arcane spells to qualify for Arcane Archer I believe.

If you wanted to trade the 5 SD for 5 assassin to get HiPS that way, you could - you'd pick up two sneak die which is good for sure (at assassin 5 and assassin 7). You would also get two feats back you used to qualify for SD. But - if you still want epic dodge you would have to drop levels out of Arcane Archer (losing +5 and +4 arrows) and put them into rogue.

Your build would look something like:

16 Rogue, 8 assassin, 6 AA. At that point you might as well drop another out of AA to keep arrows+3, and put it in assassin for another sneak die making you 16 rogue 9 assassin 5 AA.

End build might look something like this:
http://nwn2db.com/build/?236818

However the first build gives you HiPS at 8 instead of 14, crippling strike at 11 instead of 22, epic dodge at 25 instead of 29 and so on making it probably easier for leveling. And the +5 arrows in stead of +3, and the misc SD abilities which can be OK.

[b0ttles]

Worth mentioning though you get extra assassin spells, higher death attack DC - also you get HiPS at 13 not 14 wups. Still probably better though IMO now that I'm weighing them.

[Kiran]

Hi guys.

From what I can see the 2nd build does look better too. (Though I am not a expert at all on this)

[Tsidkenu]

I'm having heaps of fun atm with a halfling sniper build.

Essentially Rogue/Shadow Dancer/Order of the Bow Initiate. Gets all the epic rogue & ranged goodies (Two attacks from level 1, HIPS at level 8, Ranged Precision 5d8 + Sneak Attack 9d6, Epic Precision, Epic Dodge, One Shot). I love the ranged precision ability because it lets me land superbly long range sneak attacks and by the time the enemy closes in you can HIPS, pick pocket them for gp and then move position and repeat. Love it! I'm level 15 and never died a single time!

Note that if you change the race, you must omit one important feat (either improved rapid shot or improved critical: [Insert Bow Type Here]), and you must be a +2 dex race (Halfling, elf, tiefling, air genasai, etc) to qualify for both One Shot AND Epic Dodge.

You are also free to dump Pick Pocket and put ranks into Set Trap instead.

[sir_blacksoutalot]

For sneak damage to apply to ranged attacks, I think you have to be within 30 feet (one tile) of your target, or so says NWN2wiki. I've never played a Bow Initiate before, but isn't that class based on long range attacks? Are you having success getting your sneak attacks to go off? I'm no build expert, but seems like something worth testing.

[Tsidkenu]

I'm playing the toon right now, so yeah, 100% works. Sneak attack damage is added to your Ranged Precision Shot (which is one bonus, ranged touch attack made after clicking the feat in the pop up GUI. This increases to a full round of shots at level 10 OOBI) assuming all other qualifications are met (from stealth, flatfooted or flanking) at a range of PC sight distance (to the edge of the fog of war, as it were, which is FURTHER than a regular ranged attack distance).

All your regular attacks that round may then still be out of range for sneak attack (30ft) but I've found it doesn't matter in the slightest. I loose a Ranged Precision for 40-70 damage (depending on if it crits or not), multishot the rest of my attacks that round and then HIPS as the mob closes in. Usually by then they're at less than 25% health and have now run within 30ft, so the 2nd round of attacks is Ranged Precision and a whole bunch of sneaks. Rarely had a mob survive more than that (unless I roll like 3-4 1's in a row).

Ask some of the folks that have been in a party with my little Minx. They all start calling her a sniper IC when they see what she does!

[Deathgrowl]

Very low AB here. Not likely to be very satisfying, I'm afraid.

[Grimdark Hitman]

http://nwn2db.com/builder.php?id=236865

[Thorsson]

I'm having heaps of fun atm with a halfling sniper build.

Essentially Rogue/Shadow Dancer/Order of the Bow Initiate. Gets all the epic rogue & ranged goodies (Two attacks from level 1, HIPS at level 8, Ranged Precision 5d8 + Sneak Attack 9d6, Epic Precision, Epic Dodge, One Shot). I love the ranged precision ability because it lets me land superbly long range sneak attacks and by the time the enemy closes in you can HIPS, pick pocket them for gp and then move position and repeat. Love it! I'm level 15 and never died a single time!

I should point out that Sneak Attack doesn't Manyshot (although Death Attack does, presumably a bug). Not that the AB is up to manyshotting anyway. In addition, if played as suggested, then Epic Dodge seems unnecessary. Well I suppose unless you get spotted, but then ED won't save you.

[thids]

oobi does grant greater weapon focus (not shown in the builder) for free which opens up epic weapon focus and on top of that OOBI in it's current state doesn't really manyshot anyway but uses one of its own abilities instead as far as I'm aware. So that should bump the AB to a decent level.

[mrm3ntalist]

Very low AB here. Not likely to be very satisfying, I'm afraid.

Its a sneak attack archer. A 38AB sneak attack archer, is the same with a 30AB PTWF sneak. The AB is good for BG standards.

What your build needs to consider is the damage. There are no 3 attacks on the first flurry (unless hasted) so you need tp squize as much damage as possible in those 2 attacks. Assassin helps a lot with that ( double the damage with manyshot), so it comes to whether you believe epic dodge is more important than more damage.

[Thorsson]

Very low AB here. Not likely to be very satisfying, I'm afraid.

Its a sneak attack archer. A 38AB sneak attack archer, is the same with a 30AB PTWF sneak. The AB is good for BG standards.

As built it doesn't have 38AB, but 37AB (assuming GWF Shortbow from OOBI), because it is counting WF Shortbow AND GWF Longbow.

29 sneak AB is enough to hit a lot of things, but you will miss more often than a higher AB. And you certainly won't hit anything with Uncanny Dodge.

[mrm3ntalist]

Thorsson, do you know the AC mobs on BG have?