Arcane Archers are a classic, and they’re certainly not slouches in combat. Bow-based combat is probably the best supported fighting style in Pathfinder, with a plethora of wonderful feats available and solid gear to supplement it. This, however, is not your traditional Arcane Archer.
Archetypes:
- Divine Hunter (Paladin)
- Draconic: Gold OR Crossblooded Draconic: Gold + Primal: Fire (Sorcerer)
Divine Hunter is essential here, as it allows you to hit your feat prerequisites for Arcane Archer and leaves you room for one extra early feat (Rapid Shot). The Crossblooded Sorcerer thing would help make the few spells you get more punchy late in the game when your caster level improves… just going with a straight up Draconic (Gold) Sorcerer is preferable if you don’t want to lose out on spells known and take a hit to your WIll save. I would generally recommend going with the standard Sorcerer.
Race:
- Human
Arcane Archers are no longer restricted to being elves and half elves, which means the oft-superior humans can now swoop in and show these elves how it’s done.
Ability Scores: (+2 Dex or +2 Cha)
Epic Fantasy:
- Str: 14 (5)
- Dex: 16 (10)
- Con: 12 (2)
- Int: 8 (-2)
- Wis: 10 (0)
- Cha: 16 -> 18 (10)
High Fantasy:
- Str: 14 (5)
- Dex: 16 (10)
- Con: 12 (2)
- Int: 8 (-2)
- Wis: 10 (0)
- Cha: 14 -> 16 (5)
Standard Fantasy:
- Str: 12 (2)
- Dex: 16 (10)
- Con: 12 (2)
- Int: 7 (-4)
- Wis: 10 (0)
- Cha: 14 -> 16 (5)
Low Fantasy:
- Str: 12 (2)
- Dex: 14 -> 16 (5)
- Con: 12 (2)
- Int: 7 (-4)
- Wis: 10 (0)
- Cha: 14 (5)
To boost the attack stat, or the casting / special ability stat… the eternal conundrum of the Paladin. I almost always like to have as high an attack stat as possible, but a multiclass Paladin / Sorcerer is kind of a special case. Nevertheless, I wouldn’t drop your Dexterity below 16, or you’ll really start to feel the hurt when it comes to landing your shots. Strength makes a big difference to your overall damage output, so a decent investment there is important. Since you won’t be on the front lines, Constitution doesn’t need too much attention, and Intelligence is your ideal dump stat. Your Will save will be decent thanks to your Sorcerer dip and your Paladin save bonuses, so Wisdom can hover around 10. This character is another that really appreciates a higher power pointbuy, since it likes so many different ability scores.
Alternate Racial Traits:
- Silver Tongued / None
I know what you’re thinking… a human that didn’t take Dual Talent?! I’m surprised too. Still, the extra feat helps you cover all of your important archery feats in short order, and it’s highly recommended that you don’t swap it out for anything else. An extra skill point per level never hurts either, but if you want to be a superb diplomat, trade it in for Silver Tongued. If you really can’t live with yourself for not taking Dual Talent, you’ll have to postpone taking Deadly Aim until level 11, as that’s probably the earliest it can be fit in.
Skills:
- DIplomacy
- Intimidate
- Stealth
- Perception
You are human, so you’ll get a couple of skills. Arcane Archer will net you more too, since they get 4 per level. Perception and Stealth are never bad choices.
Progression:
- P1: Point Blank Shot, Rapid Shot*, Precise Shot*
- S1:
- S2: Deadly Aim
- P2: +1 Dex
- P3: Weapon Focus – Longbow
- P4:
- P5: Manyshot
- AA1: +1 Dex
- AA2: Clustered Shots
- AA3:
- AA4: Improved Critical – Longbow
- AA5: +1 Dex
- AA6: Snap Shot
- AA7:
- AA8: Improved Snap Shot
- AA9: +1 Dex
- AA10: Combat Reflexes
- P6:
- P7: Improved Initiative
- P8: +1 Dex
*Bonus Feat
There are a few interesting options here that bear mentioning. For one, swapping out your last three Paladin levels for Eldritch Knight levels will further supplement your Sorcerer spellcasting without negatively impacting your attack bonus, making it an appealing option. This does cause you to lose out on an extra smite per day, better smite damage, Distant Mercy and Aura of Care though, so it is a bit of a trade-off. Taking another two levels of Sorcerer is also worth considering, as you’ll get the best possible spell progression, only lose one Base Attack Bonus, and pick up your Draconic Resistances bloodline power.
You’ll notice you actually take two levels of Sorcerer before you continue on with Paladin, despite only requiring one to meet the Arcane Archer prerequisites. This is mainly because 2nd level of Sorcerer grants you more spells per day while still providing a point of Base Attack Bonus. This also means that your Arcane Archer bonuses to your Sorcerer casting progression will be more helpful earlier on. If you aren’t concerned at all about your spellcasting, you could always take just a single level of Sorcerer and grab the 6th level of Paladin, giving you access to Distant Mercy before you start your new career as an Arcane Archer. You also get a +1 bonus to all saving throws at that level, which never hurts. Personally, I would go for the extra Sorcerer level to make the most of your spellcasting abilities.
Your last few feats could be swapped out for whatever else you like. The Snap Shot line is as good a choice as any, though it takes a while to pay off.
Traits:
- Magical Knack – Sorcerer
- Reactionary
Magical Knack is fantastic for this character. For your second trait, Reactionary is always a good choice for a character primarily focused on ranged attacks.
Favored Class Bonus:
- +1 to Energy Resistance of one kind of energy / +1 HP / +1 SP (Paladin)
All of the favored class options are pretty good, so feel free to take whatever strikes your fancy. Energy resistance to fire might be nice, since it is a common element, and you may well be throwing a fair bit around yourself, considering your Draconic bloodline.
How It Works:
Sorcerer, Paladin and Arcane Archer dovetail beautifully together thanks to the synergy between the primary casting stat of Sorcerer and the primary special ability stat of Paladins. Archer Paladins are strong already thanks to Smite Evil, which directly rewards characters who can make multiple attacks, so adding Arcane Archer on top of that just adds insult (and more injury) to injury. The Draconic Bloodline Arcana of the Sorcerer is one that isn’t negatively impacted by your low number of levels in the class, making it an ideal option for someone looking to dish out damage with the few spells they have. The other wonderful feature of this build is its daunting saving throws, which will grant the benefits of both dipping into multiple classes for quick save boosts and the Paladin’s Divine Grace. You pick up Divine Bond right before becoming an Arcane Archer too, which is another great way to temporarily supplement your damage should you choose the (recommended) weapon version. Other than that, you basically just shoot things, buff yourself or your allies, or blow up your enemies with spells.
Closing Statement:
Sure, you could play your standard elf Ranger / Wizard / Arcane Archer, but why would you do that when you can be a smiting saving throw machine with great cross-class synergy? I assure you, this build is powerful, reliable, and the bane of all evil creatures lacking energy resistance.
All aboard the pain train! Toot toot!
Uni
Renaissance Gamer 