Advice and suggestions on Elf Pure Ranger/AA Build

[Ayuur]

Hey everyone! So, here's the story. Now that I've earned Veteran status, I've been meaning to make a new toon. Hacking and slashing is a bit boring to me, and having already played a Sorcerer, I'd like to give ranged combat a try. I've also decided to play a non-human, just to mix things up a bit (Elves also just scream ranger to me, honestly.. and the racial enhancements for bow attack and damage are cool too).

I've already read through a number of threads on the subject of DDO archery and archers, ranging about how gimped range combat can be to how crappy a lot of ranged players are, so I'm not looking for flames or trolls.

As for the character I'm aiming for: ideally, I'd like to play an arcane archer ranger who predominantly uses arrows but can hold her own in melee combat when the need arises or when the party calls for it. I know how much flak archers catch for not knowing when to put the **** bow down, and I don't want to fall into that stereotype. I'd also like to fill a scout role for the party, aided by my move silently/spot/hide skills. I've heard that splashing a bit of rogue into a ranger build could help, but the Ranger capstone seems too good to pass up for a few extra skill points as well as the trouble of having to spread myself thinner by dumping points into INT.

I've drawn inspiration from a few builds and advice threads/guides and have come up with the following blueprint, for which feedback would be greatly appreciated. Under the blueprint are some points to consider for advice regarding enhancements/Ability Scores/skills/feats/etc, but you can feel free to pick it apart and offer your constructive criticisms.


Character Plan by DDO Character Planner Version 03.09.02
DDO Character Planner Home Page (http://www.rjcyberware.com/DDO)

Kestrel
Level 20 Chaotic Good Elf Female
(20 Ranger)
Hit Points: 242
Spell Points: 425
BAB: 20\20\25\30\30
Fortitude: 13
Reflex: 20
Will: 6

Starting Ending Feat/Enhancement
Abilities Base Stats Base Stats Modified Stats
(28 Point) (Level 1) (Level 20) (Level 20)
Strength 15 15 15
Dexterity 18 23 27
Constitution 13 13 13
Intelligence 8 8 8
Wisdom 10 10 10
Charisma 8 8 8

Starting Ending Feat/Enhancement
Base Skills Base Skills Modified Skills
Skills (Level 1) (Level 20) (Level 20)
Balance 5 19 19
Bluff -1 -1 -1
Concentration 1 5 5
Diplomacy -1 -1 -1
Disable Device n/a n/a n/a
Haggle -1 -1 -1
Heal 0 1 1
Hide 8 31 31
Intimidate -1 -1 -1
Jump 2 10 10
Listen 0 0 2
Move Silently 8 31 31
Open Lock n/a n/a n/a
Perform n/a n/a n/a
Repair -1 -1 -1
Search -1 -1 1
Spot 4 22 24
Swim 2 2 2
Tumble 5 9 9
Use Magic Device 1 4 4

Level 1 (Ranger)
Skill: Balance (+1)
Skill: Hide (+4)
Skill: Move Silently (+4)
Skill: Spot (+4)
Skill: Tumble (+1)
Skill: Use Magic Device (+2)
Feat: (Favored Enemy) Favored Enemy: Undead
Feat: (Selected) Point Blank Shot
Feat: (Automatic) Attack
Feat: (Automatic) Bow Strength
Feat: (Automatic) Defensive Fighting
Feat: (Automatic) Elven Keen Senses
Feat: (Automatic) Enchantment Save Bonus
Feat: (Automatic) Heroic Durability
Feat: (Automatic) Immunity to Sleep
Feat: (Automatic) Light Armor Proficiency
Feat: (Automatic) Martial Weapon Proficiency (ALL)
Feat: (Automatic) Shield Proficiency (General)
Feat: (Automatic) Simple Weapon Proficiency
Feat: (Automatic) Sneak
Feat: (Automatic) Sunder
Feat: (Automatic) Trip
Feat: (Automatic) Wild Empathy
Enhancement: Ranger Skill Boost I
Enhancement: Elven Ranged Damage I
Enhancement: Ranger Favored Damage I


Level 2 (Ranger)
Skill: Balance (+0.5)
Skill: Hide (+1)
Skill: Move Silently (+1)
Skill: Spot (+1)
Skill: Use Magic Device (+0.5)
Feat: (Automatic) Rapid Shot
Feat: (Automatic) Two Weapon Fighting
Enhancement: Ranger Sprint Boost I
Enhancement: Ranger Favored Defense I
Enhancement: Ranger Dexterity I


Level 3 (Ranger)
Skill: Balance (+0.5)
Skill: Hide (+1)
Skill: Move Silently (+1)
Skill: Spot (+1)
Skill: Use Magic Device (+0.5)
Feat: (Selected) Weapon Focus: Ranged Weapons
Feat: (Automatic) Diehard
Enhancement: Elven Dexterity I
Enhancement: Ranger Favored Resistance I
Enhancement: Ranger Devotion I


Level 4 (Ranger)
Ability Raise: DEX
Skill: Balance (+1)
Skill: Hide (+1)
Skill: Move Silently (+1)
Skill: Spot (+1)
Enhancement: Elven Enchantment Resistance I
Enhancement: Elven Ranged Attack I
Enhancement: Ranger Energy of the Wild I


Level 5 (Ranger)
Skill: Balance (+1)
Skill: Hide (+1)
Skill: Move Silently (+1)
Skill: Spot (+1)
Feat: (Favored Enemy) Favored Enemy: Giant
Enhancement: Valenar Elf Melee Attack I
Enhancement: Ranger Favored Damage II


Level 6 (Ranger)
Skill: Balance (+0.5)
Skill: Hide (+1)
Skill: Jump (+1)
Skill: Move Silently (+1)
Skill: Spot (+1)
Feat: (Selected) Mental Toughness
Feat: (Automatic) Improved Two Weapon Fighting
Feat: (Automatic) Manyshot
Enhancement: Ranger Arcane Archer I


Level 7 (Ranger)
Skill: Balance (+0.5)
Skill: Hide (+1)
Skill: Jump (+1)
Skill: Move Silently (+1)
Skill: Spot (+1)
Feat: (Automatic) Improved Wild Empathy
Enhancement: Ranger Arcane Archer: Imbue Force Arrows
Enhancement: Ranger Favored Attack I


Level 8 (Ranger)
Ability Raise: DEX
Skill: Balance (+0.5)
Skill: Hide (+1)
Skill: Jump (+1)
Skill: Move Silently (+1)
Skill: Spot (+1)
Enhancement: Elven Ranged Damage II


Level 9 (Ranger)
Skill: Balance (+0.5)
Skill: Heal (+1)
Skill: Hide (+1)
Skill: Jump (+1)
Skill: Move Silently (+1)
Feat: (Selected) Improved Critical: Ranged Weapons
Feat: (Automatic) Evasion
Enhancement: Valenar Elf Melee Damage I
Enhancement: Ranger Arcane Archer: Conjure +2 Arrows
Enhancement: Ranger Devotion II


Level 10 (Ranger)
Skill: Balance (+0.5)
Skill: Hide (+1)
Skill: Jump (+1)
Skill: Move Silently (+1)
Skill: Spot (+1)
Feat: (Favored Enemy) Favored Enemy: Evil Outsider
Enhancement: Ranger Arcane Archer: Imbue Acid Arrows
Enhancement: Ranger Favored Defense II


Level 11 (Ranger)
Skill: Balance (+0.5)
Skill: Hide (+1)
Skill: Move Silently (+1)
Skill: Spot (+2)
Feat: (Automatic) Greater Two Weapon Fighting
Feat: (Automatic) Improved Precise Shot
Feat: (Automatic) Precise Shot
Enhancement: Elven Ranged Attack II


Level 12 (Ranger)
Ability Raise: DEX
Skill: Balance (+0.5)
Skill: Hide (+1)
Skill: Move Silently (+1)
Skill: Spot (+1)
Skill: Use Magic Device (+0.5)
Feat: (Selected) Toughness
Enhancement: Ranger Arcane Archer: Conjure +3 Arrows
Enhancement: Ranger Dexterity II


Level 13 (Ranger)
Skill: Balance (+0.5)
Skill: Hide (+1)
Skill: Move Silently (+1)
Skill: Spot (+1)
Skill: Use Magic Device (+0.5)
Enhancement: Ranger Skill Boost II
Enhancement: Ranger Arcane Archer: Imbue Explosive Arrows
Enhancement: Racial Toughness I


Level 14 (Ranger)
Skill: Balance (+0.5)
Skill: Concentration (+1)
Skill: Hide (+1)
Skill: Move Silently (+1)
Skill: Spot (+1)
Enhancement: Racial Toughness II
Enhancement: Ranger Favored Resistance II


Level 15 (Ranger)
Skill: Balance (+0.5)
Skill: Concentration (+1)
Skill: Hide (+1)
Skill: Move Silently (+1)
Skill: Spot (+1)
Feat: (Favored Enemy) Favored Enemy: Aberration
Feat: (Selected) Improved Critical: Slashing Weapons
Enhancement: Ranger Favored Attack II


Level 16 (Ranger)
Ability Raise: DEX
Skill: Balance (+0.5)
Skill: Hide (+1)
Skill: Move Silently (+1)
Skill: Spot (+1)
Skill: Use Magic Device (+0.5)
Enhancement: Elven Dexterity II


Level 17 (Ranger)
Skill: Balance (+0.5)
Skill: Hide (+1)
Skill: Move Silently (+1)
Skill: Spot (+1)
Skill: Use Magic Device (+0.5)
Enhancement: Ranger Arcane Archer: Imbue Force Burst Arrows
Enhancement: Ranger Arcane Archer: Imbue Terror Arrows
Enhancement: Ranger Arcane Archer: Conjure +4 Arrows


Level 18 (Ranger)
Skill: Balance (+0.5)
Skill: Hide (+1)
Skill: Jump (+1)
Skill: Move Silently (+1)
Skill: Spot (+1)
Feat: (Selected) Power Attack
Enhancement: Ranger Skill Boost III
Enhancement: Ranger Arcane Archer: Imbue Slaying Arrows
Enhancement: Ranger Arcane Archer: Conjure +5 Arrows


Level 19 (Ranger)
Skill: Balance (+0.5)
Skill: Concentration (+1)
Skill: Hide (+1)
Skill: Jump (+1)
Skill: Move Silently (+1)
Enhancement: Ranger Energy of the Wild II


Level 20 (Ranger)
Ability Raise: DEX
Skill: Concentration (+1)
Skill: Hide (+1)
Skill: Jump (+1)
Skill: Move Silently (+1)
Skill: Spot (+1)
Feat: (Favored Enemy) Favored Enemy: Elemental
Enhancement: Ranger Energy Resistance Boost I
Enhancement: Ranger Master of Archery
Enhancement: Ranger Favored Damage III




Yeah, I know it's a bit rough around the edges and needs some refining.

I haven't included tome bonuses, as I'm not sure when and where to apply them. I figured some WIS bonuses would help me with casting spells and buffs, as would some extra bonuses to CON and STR. I didn't start off with the minimum WIS to cast spells (11, IIRC) because I figured that the extra point could be gained fairly easily through a tome and/or some gear.

The enhancements are a bit out of order, I feel. This is because I have a general idea of what I want as well as what was recommended in guides/other threads I've seen, but I wasn't sure when exactly to take the enhancements. If you see something you don't like, feel free to point it out or suggest when each enhancement would be useful.

At the start, I wasn't sure whether to keep both CON and STR at 14 or make CON 13 and STR 15. I had tried CON 14 before, but the HP increase seemed minimal compared to the damage increase I could get from buffing my STR up to 15 at build and then moving to a +3 STR mod by just buffing the score one more point with a tome or item.

I'm also not sure whether to take the ability point gained every 4 levels and add them to DEX or STR. I've seen a lot of posts suggesting either/or, but I added them all to DEX and bolstered that score with various DEX increasing enhancements.

I'm a bit confused as to the merit of investing points into my UMD. Some guides suggested it, others didn't. I put a few points in just to be on the safe side, but if those points would be better invested somewhere else, I'm open to suggestion. Same goes for Concentration, I'd ideally like to be able to heal myself to some extent using spells, so that's why I threw a few points in there. This is also the reason for my Devotion enhancements.

I chose the Valenar line over the Aerenal line because I thought it would give me a bit more versatility. Since rapiers are piercing damage, just like arrows, I thought being able to deal slash damage instead of just another pierce would help against enemies resistant to piercing. I'm open to switching to Aerenal though, since apparently Longswords are included in that line, too.


I'm happy to answer any other questions that may arise, and I'm really grateful for any help you guys can offer. Thank you!

[Brennie]

Having played an Elven AA, I feel like i can offer some advice :D

Your feats are spot on, though I personally have my Favored Enemies set up differently. My choices were Constructs rather Than Aberration, and in the prder of 1-Undead, 5-Giant, 10-Elemental, 15-Evil Outsider, 20-Construct. Beholders are the only worrisome Aberrations, but there are plenty of ways of dealing with them (Instakill via friendly caster, Paralyzing/Banishing/Aberration bane bow + manyshot, etc).

I personally don't feel UMD is viable on a pure AA ranger. With 8 charisma and only half ranks per level, your UMD is going to be under 20 by endgame. With a lot of gear and buffs you might be able to bump it past the 20 mark, but not by much, and not without a very large gear investment (likely including a Cha skill greensteel item, which you otehrwise wouldn't bother crafting). Other skills look good.

Your Enhancements are half-wonky. Unless you have a specific use in mind, skill boost and energy resist boost won't help you, and could free up AP for other uses. Devotion is nice, but should probably be slotted later (I personally couldn't fit in a healing spell til very late in the game, feeling Resist Energy, Rams Might etc. were more important). Favored Defense and Ranger SP should be avoided completely (Or slotted early and reset later, since they will help out in the under 10 range, but not passed level 12).

Personally i feel you should Max: FE damage (4 ranks; VERY important!), Elven Bow Damage (2 ranks), Elven Bow Attack (2 ranks), Elven rapier/scimitar damage (your choice - i like scimitar; 2 ranks), Elven Dex (3 ranks - Expensive, but you have lots of free AP as a ranger), Ranger Dex (2 ranks), Racial Toughness (2 ranks).

I feel you should put as much as you can (but not necessarily max): Elven Melee Attack (rapier/scimitar - your choice, of course), FE Attack, FE Resist (Helps out your evasion, but stops being cost effective after 1 or 2 ranks)

I feel you should put only a rank or two into: Ranger Sprint Boost (Nice to have, but unless you are swimming in extra AP, 1 rank is all you'll ever need), Devotion (Your heals frankly aren't that good, but for a cheap 1-3 AP this can be handy).

Note that as a ranger, like all weapon-based characters, gear is very important. Silver Longbow (From Church and the Cult, F2P quest and unbound item, so you can AH it) will be your most important bow from level 6 on. Bow of Sinew is pretty darn cool for your mid teens on, which drops from the Harbringer of Madness quest chain. When you start working on Greensteel, you can't go wrong with LitII BUT avoid MinII like the plague. One of the best benefits of being an Archer is that you can use "metallic" arrows (silver/cold iron/byshek/adamantine) in conjuction with your bow effects for DR breaking purposes, negating the entire usefulness of MinII. Make sure you get your House D favor up for access to metallic arrows, as well as some very large quivers!

Additionally, there are several nice AC-oriented light armors (Snakeskin vest, from Lordsmarch, or Crimson Chain from teh same) for mid levels, but I would recommend cloth from your low teens onwards. No Armor Check penalties, they swap faster, and AC stops mattering for use archery types right about then.

Lastly, check out Windhowler bracers for some nice bonus damage and to hit, as well as the Arcane Archer ToD set for stacking ranged attack speed and the Abbot quiver for bonus attack speed when unhasted (Which isn't often, so this item is skippable. however, it takes up a fairly unique equipment slot, so it never hurts). However, don't go out of your way for Black Dragonscale leather, since the alacrity bonus doesn't stack with the abbot quiver and is overriden by haste. That and the fact it takes up your body slot makes it not worthwhile in most cases.

Good luck. May the Pew Pew be with you.

[NaturalHazard]

maybe instead of taking the improved wild empathy feat you take a healing meta magic like maximize? so you can self heal off the blue bar better when you solo, and also if your in group you can heal yourself if you miss masses?

with a sup ardor pot or clickie and some enhancements you will find you can heal more than you thought you could.

bah sorry i miss read, no improved wild empathy feat.

[erice64]

It seems like you have a pretty good handle on how to build an Arcane Archer that people would want to group with. I totally agree about the Valenar Elf enhancements - being able to swing dual scimitars can add a lot of DPS while Manyshot is cooling down.

One thing about an archer: you want to make sure that Spot is maxed out at every level. You're going to be killing stuff the rest of the party can't even see - a high Spot skill will enable you to target mobs from ridiculous distances.

Unfortunately, with an Int of 8, there aren't a whole lot of skill points to go around. My personal opinion is that you're not going to be sneaking much, so Hide and Move Silently won't really benefit you as an archer. UMD will help you a lot more, whether it's wands or scrolls. It's not a class skill, so you can't get it super high, but you can increase your success rate with certain wands pretty well.

I put more points into Heal and Concentration. A higher heal skill means more HP every time you get healed, and good Concentration will help if you have to cast a CSW in the heat of battle. I tend to use more of the pre-battle buffs, like Camo and Ram's Might, but that's just my playstyle.

I also recommend putting all your level-ups into Strength; you get Bow Strength for free at first level, and higher strength means higher damage. When you reach the highest levels and you're firing multiple arrows at a time, each one is using your STR modifier to calculate damage, and that adds up fast. Besides, with both Ranger and Elven Dexterity enhancements, that stat is well taken care of.

Here's my take on a pure Ranger AA. I really tried to max the favored enemy enhancements, the ranged damage and attack enhancements, without neglecting the Valenar melee stuff. I also added in some of the Elven Keen Eyes enhancements. For minimal AP, you can get your Spot checks even higher, which is always good for an archer.

Other than those minor tweaks, it's pretty close to your first draft, I think. You've got a nice grasp of the Arcane Archer, and I think you'll have a lot of fun playing it!


Character Plan by DDO Character Planner Version 3.9.1
DDO Character Planner Home Page (http://www.rjcyberware.com/DDO)

Level 20 Lawful Good Elf Female
(20 Ranger)
Hit Points: 242
Spell Points: 425
BAB: 20\20\25\30\30
Fortitude: 13
Reflex: 18
Will: 6

Starting Feat/Enhancement
Abilities Base Stats Modified Stats
(28 Point) (Level 1) (Level 20)
Strength 15 20
Dexterity 18 22
Constitution 13 13
Intelligence 8 8
Wisdom 10 10
Charisma 8 8

Starting Ending Feat/Enhancement
Base Skills Base Skills Modified Skills
Skills (Level 1) (Level 20) (Level 20)
Balance 5 17.5 17.5
Bluff -1 -1 -1
Concentration 3 15 15
Diplomacy -1 -1 -1
Disable Device n/a n/a n/a
Haggle -1 -1 -1
Heal 2 23 23
Hide 4 6 6
Intimidate -1 -1 -1
Jump 6 12 12
Listen 0 0 2
Move Silently 4 6 6
Open Lock n/a n/a n/a
Perform n/a n/a n/a
Repair -1 -1 -1
Search -1 -1 1
Spot 4 23 28
Swim 2 5 5
Tumble 5 7 7
Use Magic Device 1 10.5 10.5

Level 1 (Ranger)
Skill: Balance (+1)
Skill: Concentration (+2)
Skill: Heal (+2)
Skill: Jump (+4)
Skill: Spot (+4)
Skill: Tumble (+1)
Skill: Use Magic Device (+2)
Feat: (Favored Enemy) Favored Enemy: Undead
Feat: (Selected) Point Blank Shot
Feat: (Automatic) Attack
Feat: (Automatic) Bow Strength
Feat: (Automatic) Defensive Fighting
Feat: (Automatic) Elven Keen Senses
Feat: (Automatic) Enchantment Save Bonus
Feat: (Automatic) Heroic Durability
Feat: (Automatic) Immunity to Sleep
Feat: (Automatic) Light Armor Proficiency
Feat: (Automatic) Martial Weapon Proficiency (ALL)
Feat: (Automatic) Shield Proficiency (General)
Feat: (Automatic) Simple Weapon Proficiency
Feat: (Automatic) Sneak
Feat: (Automatic) Sunder
Feat: (Automatic) Trip
Feat: (Automatic) Wild Empathy
Enhancement: Valenar Elf Melee Damage I
Enhancement: Ranger Favored Damage I
Enhancement: Ranger Favored Defense I


Level 2 (Ranger)
Skill: Balance (+1)
Skill: Jump (+1)
Skill: Spot (+1)
Skill: Use Magic Device (+0.5)
Feat: (Automatic) Rapid Shot
Feat: (Automatic) Two Weapon Fighting
Enhancement: Elven Ranged Damage I
Enhancement: Ranger Dexterity I


Level 3 (Ranger)
Skill: Balance (+1)
Skill: Jump (+1)
Skill: Spot (+1)
Skill: Use Magic Device (+0.5)
Feat: (Selected) Weapon Focus: Ranged Weapons
Feat: (Automatic) Diehard
Enhancement: Elven Dexterity I
Enhancement: Elven Keen Eyes I


Level 4 (Ranger)
Ability Raise: STR
Skill: Balance (+0.5)
Skill: Heal (+1)
Skill: Jump (+1)
Skill: Spot (+1)
Skill: Use Magic Device (+0.5)
Enhancement: Valenar Elf Melee Attack I
Enhancement: Elven Ranged Attack I
Enhancement: Ranger Energy of the Wild I


Level 5 (Ranger)
Skill: Balance (+0.5)
Skill: Concentration (+1)
Skill: Heal (+1)
Skill: Spot (+1)
Skill: Use Magic Device (+0.5)
Feat: (Favored Enemy) Favored Enemy: Giant
Enhancement: Ranger Favored Damage II


Level 6 (Ranger)
Skill: Balance (+0.5)
Skill: Concentration (+1)
Skill: Heal (+1)
Skill: Spot (+1)
Skill: Use Magic Device (+0.5)
Feat: (Selected) Mental Toughness
Feat: (Automatic) Improved Two Weapon Fighting
Feat: (Automatic) Manyshot
Enhancement: Ranger Arcane Archer: Imbue Force Arrows
Enhancement: Elven Keen Eyes II
Enhancement: Ranger Arcane Archer I


Level 7 (Ranger)
Skill: Balance (+0.5)
Skill: Concentration (+1)
Skill: Heal (+1)
Skill: Spot (+1)
Skill: Use Magic Device (+0.5)
Feat: (Automatic) Improved Wild Empathy
Enhancement: Ranger Dexterity II


Level 8 (Ranger)
Ability Raise: STR
Skill: Balance (+0.5)
Skill: Concentration (+1)
Skill: Heal (+1)
Skill: Spot (+1)
Skill: Use Magic Device (+0.5)
Enhancement: Ranger Favored Attack I


Level 9 (Ranger)
Skill: Balance (+0.5)
Skill: Concentration (+1)
Skill: Heal (+1)
Skill: Spot (+1)
Skill: Use Magic Device (+0.5)
Feat: (Selected) Toughness
Feat: (Automatic) Evasion
Enhancement: Ranger Arcane Archer: Imbue Acid Arrows
Enhancement: Racial Toughness I
Enhancement: Ranger Arcane Archer: Conjure +2 Arrows


Level 10 (Ranger)
Skill: Balance (+0.5)
Skill: Concentration (+1)
Skill: Heal (+1)
Skill: Spot (+1)
Skill: Use Magic Device (+0.5)
Feat: (Favored Enemy) Favored Enemy: Evil Outsider
Enhancement: Elven Ranged Damage II
Enhancement: Racial Toughness II


Level 11 (Ranger)
Skill: Balance (+0.5)
Skill: Concentration (+1)
Skill: Heal (+1)
Skill: Spot (+1)
Skill: Use Magic Device (+0.5)
Feat: (Automatic) Greater Two Weapon Fighting
Feat: (Automatic) Improved Precise Shot
Feat: (Automatic) Precise Shot
Enhancement: Elven Keen Eyes III
Enhancement: Ranger Favored Defense II
Enhancement: Ranger Energy of the Wild II


Level 12 (Ranger)
Ability Raise: STR
Skill: Balance (+0.5)
Skill: Heal (+2)
Skill: Spot (+1)
Skill: Use Magic Device (+0.5)
Feat: (Selected) Improved Critical: Ranged Weapons
Enhancement: Ranger Arcane Archer: Imbue Explosive Arrows
Enhancement: Ranger Arcane Archer: Conjure +3 Arrows


Level 13 (Ranger)
Skill: Balance (+0.5)
Skill: Heal (+2)
Skill: Spot (+1)
Skill: Use Magic Device (+0.5)
Enhancement: Elven Ranged Attack II


Level 14 (Ranger)
Skill: Balance (+0.5)
Skill: Heal (+2)
Skill: Spot (+1)
Skill: Use Magic Device (+0.5)
Enhancement: Valenar Elf Melee Damage II


Level 15 (Ranger)
Skill: Balance (+0.5)
Skill: Heal (+2)
Skill: Spot (+1)
Skill: Use Magic Device (+0.5)
Feat: (Favored Enemy) Favored Enemy: Lawful Outsider
Feat: (Selected) Oversized Two Weapon Fighting
Enhancement: Ranger Arcane Archer: Imbue Force Burst Arrows
Enhancement: Ranger Arcane Archer: Imbue Terror Arrows
Enhancement: Ranger Arcane Archer: Conjure +4 Arrows


Level 16 (Ranger)
Ability Raise: STR
Skill: Balance (+0.5)
Skill: Concentration (+1)
Skill: Heal (+1)
Skill: Spot (+1)
Skill: Use Magic Device (+0.5)
Enhancement: Elven Dexterity II
Enhancement: Ranger Favored Damage III


Level 17 (Ranger)
Skill: Balance (+0.5)
Skill: Concentration (+1)
Skill: Heal (+1)
Skill: Spot (+1)
Skill: Use Magic Device (+0.5)
Enhancement: Valenar Elf Melee Attack II


Level 18 (Ranger)
Skill: Balance (+0.5)
Skill: Concentration (+1)
Skill: Heal (+1)
Skill: Spot (+1)
Skill: Use Magic Device (+0.5)
Feat: (Selected) Power Critical
Enhancement: Ranger Arcane Archer: Imbue Slaying Arrows
Enhancement: Ranger Arcane Archer: Conjure +5 Arrows


Level 19 (Ranger)
Skill: Balance (+0.5)
Skill: Concentration (+1)
Skill: Heal (+1)
Skill: Spot (+1)
Skill: Use Magic Device (+0.5)
Enhancement: Ranger Favored Attack II


Level 20 (Ranger)
Ability Raise: STR
Skill: Balance (+0.5)
Skill: Concentration (+1)
Skill: Heal (+1)
Skill: Spot (+1)
Skill: Use Magic Device (+0.5)
Feat: (Favored Enemy) Favored Enemy: Chaotic Outsider
Enhancement: Ranger Master of Archery
Enhancement: Ranger Favored Damage IV

[blerkington]

Hi,

I think you are most of the way there to building a good AA. My advice is:

1. Consider changing your initial stat allocation to 18 STR 16 DEX 14 CON, 8 INT/WIS/CHA.

My reasons for this are you can always use more HP, you need a high STR to do the best possible damage with your bow and in melee, and all of the things which DEX feeds into will hardly be hampered with a slightly lower score, including your to-hit for ranged combat. And although it might seem a little cheesy, a WIS item will allow you to meet the ability requirements to cast your spells without spending any precious points there.

2. For the same reasons, you could consider putting your level ups into STR, or maybe STR and CON.

3. I don't think it is worth spending skill points on UMD unless you can achieve a high rank, especially for a class with its own spells and wands for self healing and your alignment choice allowing you to use PG weapons. Still, a low UMD might allow you to do a couple of other things, so if you have nowhere else you want to put them, why not there?

My leaning for your other skill points is towards stealth rather than heal (which is marginally useful at best, and easily replicated with items) and concentration (failing conc checks has only ever been a problem for me when trying to solo ADQ with my archer, usually you can just move to give yourself a chance to cast a spell unhindered). If you spend time much time soloing, good stealth skills can be very useful, and your Hide in Plain Sight feat at level 17 is wasted if you haven't developed those skills.

4. Take full advantage of the elven racial enhancements for weapons, both melee and ranged. Since you can change these, I wouldn't worry too much about making a mistake there. Just see what works best for you.

5. This last one falls a little outside what you've asked for, but there are some other builds which allow you to be considerably more effective with a bow than a pure ranger. It's a bit sad that this is the case, but it is - multiclassing with rogue, fighter or even barbarian can work very well, and bring other benefits as well.

Good luck with it.

PS: I think Brennie gives you some very good, detailed advice in the post above. Regarding your bow choices, using a Metalline of PG bow will allow you to use your arcane arrows with their bonuses and break DR on raid bosses as well.

[Ayuur]

Thanks for the advice, everybody!

I decided to experiment a little bit with all your ideas, but a huge one was switching to adding a point to STR instead of DEX every 4 levels. My idea is that my enhancements (rangers/elves get a total of six enhancements to increase their DEX, I've taken five over my character's development, exactly the amount I would've taken increasing it every four levels anyway) and the use of tomes as well as certain gear will compensate my DEX score and my to-hit with bows, while increasing STR will increase my overall damage output with both bows and my scimitars. I've taken as many enhancements as I can to increase my to-hit and damage with each weapon, just to compensate a bit.

I've also eliminated any levels in UMD, finding it a bit non-viable for this build because of the .5 increase per level, my low CHA score, and because my alignment (CG) should allow me to wield good-aligned weapons. I'm aiming to use the Silver Longbow and that lacks any race restrictions, so I should be able to get by without a UMD skill. I've scrapped Devotion in this blueprint, but I may work it into my character (even if it's only one level) if I find that I can fit a healing spell early on. My heal skill has also been scrapped, even though I'd only put one rank in it last time around anyway. I've put most of my points into Spot, Move Silently, Hide, and Balance, with a few points in my Jump and Tumble skills.

I've kept the same feats in the same order and changed the Favored Enemy order around a little bit. I'm kinda toying with the idea of switching Power Attack at level 18 for Oversized TWF, but I'm wondering if my to-hit would be high enough by then that the penalty for dual-wielding scimitars wouldn't really matter all that much.

As for enhancements, I've focused on increasing DEX early on (already having increased my DEX by +2 before level 4). In a lot of cases, I took DEX before I took Elven Ranged Weapon Attack/Favored Enemy Attack because it would increase my to-hit with bows for all enemies, not just my favored ones. Either way, I'm not too worried about my enhancements; I recognize that there's a lot of room for tweaking and playing with them because they can be reset.

Anyway, here's the revised build, let me know what you all think.


Character Plan by DDO Character Planner Version 03.09.02
DDO Character Planner Home Page (http://www.rjcyberware.com/DDO)

Kestrel
Level 20 Chaotic Good Elf Female
(20 Ranger)
Hit Points: 242
Spell Points: 425
BAB: 20\20\25\30\30
Fortitude: 13
Reflex: 18
Will: 6

Starting Ending Feat/Enhancement
Abilities Base Stats Base Stats Modified Stats
(28 Point) (Level 1) (Level 20) (Level 20)
Strength 15 20 20
Dexterity 18 18 23
Constitution 13 13 13
Intelligence 8 8 8
Wisdom 10 10 10
Charisma 8 8 8

Starting Ending Feat/Enhancement
Base Skills Base Skills Modified Skills
Skills (Level 1) (Level 20) (Level 20)
Balance 6 18 18
Bluff -1 -1 -1
Concentration 1 1 1
Diplomacy -1 -1 -1
Disable Device n/a n/a n/a
Haggle -1 -1 -1
Heal 0 0 0
Hide 8 29 29
Intimidate -1 -1 -1
Jump 4 14 14
Listen 0 0 2
Move Silently 8 29 29
Open Lock n/a n/a n/a
Perform n/a n/a n/a
Repair -1 -1 -1
Search -1 -1 1
Spot 4 23 26
Swim 2 5 5
Tumble 5 12 12
Use Magic Device n/a n/a n/a

Level 1 (Ranger)
Skill: Balance (+2)
Skill: Hide (+4)
Skill: Jump (+2)
Skill: Move Silently (+4)
Skill: Spot (+4)
Skill: Tumble (+1)
Feat: (Favored Enemy) Favored Enemy: Undead
Feat: (Selected) Point Blank Shot
Feat: (Automatic) Attack
Feat: (Automatic) Bow Strength
Feat: (Automatic) Defensive Fighting
Feat: (Automatic) Elven Keen Senses
Feat: (Automatic) Enchantment Save Bonus
Feat: (Automatic) Heroic Durability
Feat: (Automatic) Immunity to Sleep
Feat: (Automatic) Light Armor Proficiency
Feat: (Automatic) Martial Weapon Proficiency (ALL)
Feat: (Automatic) Shield Proficiency (General)
Feat: (Automatic) Simple Weapon Proficiency
Feat: (Automatic) Sneak
Feat: (Automatic) Sunder
Feat: (Automatic) Trip
Feat: (Automatic) Wild Empathy
Enhancement: Elven Ranged Damage I
Enhancement: Ranger Favored Damage I


Level 2 (Ranger)
Skill: Balance (+0.5)
Skill: Hide (+1)
Skill: Jump (+1)
Skill: Move Silently (+1)
Skill: Spot (+1)
Feat: (Automatic) Rapid Shot
Feat: (Automatic) Two Weapon Fighting
Enhancement: Valenar Elf Melee Damage I
Enhancement: Ranger Favored Resistance I
Enhancement: Ranger Dexterity I


Level 3 (Ranger)
Skill: Balance (+0.5)
Skill: Hide (+1)
Skill: Jump (+1)
Skill: Move Silently (+1)
Skill: Spot (+1)
Feat: (Selected) Weapon Focus: Ranged Weapons
Feat: (Automatic) Diehard
Enhancement: Elven Dexterity I


Level 4 (Ranger)
Ability Raise: STR
Skill: Balance (+0.5)
Skill: Hide (+1)
Skill: Jump (+1)
Skill: Move Silently (+1)
Skill: Spot (+1)
Enhancement: Valenar Elf Melee Attack I
Enhancement: Elven Ranged Attack I
Enhancement: Ranger Energy of the Wild I


Level 5 (Ranger)
Skill: Balance (+0.5)
Skill: Hide (+1)
Skill: Jump (+1)
Skill: Move Silently (+1)
Skill: Spot (+1)
Feat: (Favored Enemy) Favored Enemy: Giant
Enhancement: Ranger Favored Damage II


Level 6 (Ranger)
Skill: Balance (+0.5)
Skill: Hide (+1)
Skill: Jump (+1)
Skill: Move Silently (+1)
Skill: Spot (+1)
Feat: (Selected) Mental Toughness
Feat: (Automatic) Improved Two Weapon Fighting
Feat: (Automatic) Manyshot
Enhancement: Ranger Arcane Archer: Imbue Force Arrows
Enhancement: Ranger Favored Attack I
Enhancement: Ranger Arcane Archer I


Level 7 (Ranger)
Skill: Balance (+0.5)
Skill: Hide (+1)
Skill: Move Silently (+1)
Skill: Spot (+1)
Skill: Tumble (+0.5)
Feat: (Automatic) Improved Wild Empathy
Enhancement: Elven Ranged Damage II


Level 8 (Ranger)
Ability Raise: STR
Skill: Balance (+0.5)
Skill: Hide (+1)
Skill: Move Silently (+1)
Skill: Spot (+1)
Skill: Tumble (+0.5)
Enhancement: Ranger Dexterity II


Level 9 (Ranger)
Skill: Balance (+0.5)
Skill: Hide (+1)
Skill: Jump (+1)
Skill: Move Silently (+1)
Skill: Spot (+1)
Feat: (Selected) Improved Critical: Ranged Weapons
Feat: (Automatic) Evasion
Enhancement: Ranger Arcane Archer: Imbue Acid Arrows
Enhancement: Ranger Favored Resistance II
Enhancement: Ranger Arcane Archer: Conjure +2 Arrows


Level 10 (Ranger)
Skill: Balance (+0.5)
Skill: Hide (+1)
Skill: Move Silently (+1)
Skill: Spot (+1)
Skill: Tumble (+0.5)
Feat: (Favored Enemy) Favored Enemy: Elemental
Enhancement: Elven Dexterity II


Level 11 (Ranger)
Skill: Balance (+0.5)
Skill: Hide (+1)
Skill: Move Silently (+1)
Skill: Spot (+1)
Skill: Tumble (+0.5)
Feat: (Automatic) Greater Two Weapon Fighting
Feat: (Automatic) Improved Precise Shot
Feat: (Automatic) Precise Shot
Enhancement: Ranger Favored Damage III


Level 12 (Ranger)
Ability Raise: STR
Skill: Balance (+0.5)
Skill: Hide (+1)
Skill: Move Silently (+1)
Skill: Spot (+1)
Skill: Tumble (+0.5)
Feat: (Selected) Toughness
Enhancement: Ranger Arcane Archer: Imbue Explosive Arrows
Enhancement: Racial Toughness I
Enhancement: Racial Toughness II
Enhancement: Ranger Arcane Archer: Conjure +3 Arrows


Level 13 (Ranger)
Skill: Balance (+0.5)
Skill: Hide (+1)
Skill: Move Silently (+1)
Skill: Spot (+1)
Enhancement: Ranger Favored Damage IV


Level 14 (Ranger)
Skill: Balance (+0.5)
Skill: Hide (+1)
Skill: Move Silently (+1)
Skill: Spot (+1)
Skill: Tumble (+0.5)
Enhancement: Valenar Elf Melee Damage II


Level 15 (Ranger)
Skill: Balance (+0.5)
Skill: Hide (+1)
Skill: Move Silently (+1)
Skill: Spot (+1)
Skill: Tumble (+0.5)
Feat: (Favored Enemy) Favored Enemy: Evil Outsider
Feat: (Selected) Improved Critical: Slashing Weapons
Enhancement: Ranger Arcane Archer: Imbue Force Burst Arrows
Enhancement: Ranger Arcane Archer: Imbue Terror Arrows
Enhancement: Ranger Arcane Archer: Conjure +4 Arrows
Enhancement: Improved Spot I


Level 16 (Ranger)
Ability Raise: STR
Skill: Balance (+0.5)
Skill: Hide (+1)
Skill: Move Silently (+1)
Skill: Spot (+1)
Skill: Tumble (+0.5)
Enhancement: Elven Ranged Attack II


Level 17 (Ranger)
Skill: Balance (+0.5)
Skill: Hide (+1)
Skill: Move Silently (+1)
Skill: Spot (+1)
Skill: Tumble (+0.5)
Enhancement: Valenar Elf Melee Attack II


Level 18 (Ranger)
Skill: Balance (+1)
Skill: Hide (+1)
Skill: Move Silently (+1)
Skill: Spot (+1)
Feat: (Selected) Power Attack
Enhancement: Ranger Arcane Archer: Imbue Slaying Arrows
Enhancement: Ranger Arcane Archer: Conjure +5 Arrows


Level 19 (Ranger)
Skill: Balance (+0.5)
Skill: Hide (+1)
Skill: Move Silently (+1)
Skill: Spot (+1)
Skill: Tumble (+0.5)
Enhancement: Ranger Dexterity III


Level 20 (Ranger)
Ability Raise: STR
Skill: Balance (+0.5)
Skill: Hide (+1)
Skill: Jump (+1)
Skill: Move Silently (+1)
Skill: Spot (+1)
Feat: (Favored Enemy) Favored Enemy: Aberration
Enhancement: Ranger Master of Archery
Enhancement: Ranger Energy of the Wild II

[blerkington]

Hi again,

I think you've done a good job of building your toon and I hope you have fun playing it.

See you around.

PS: ML for Silver Longbow is 6, I think. If you don't have one already, just buy it from the AH. There are usually a few on there all the time, for 30-50k on Khyber. Better than waiting for it to drop in the quest itself, in my opinion anyway. PM me if you're short of cash and need some help getting it.

Edit: Cheaper than I remembered. Check your main toon's mail.

[jandhaer]

I personally[/B] don't feel UMD is viable on a pure AA ranger. With 8 charisma and only half ranks per level, your UMD is going to be under 20 by endgame. With a lot of gear and buffs you might be able to bump it past the 20 mark, but not by much, and not without a very large gear investment (likely including a Cha skill greensteel item, which you otehrwise wouldn't bother crafting). Other skills look good.
May the Pew Pew be with you.

Personally this is the only thing I didnt agree with I personally think that IF you can fit in umd doing so is amazing even at half ranks you can easily get an useful # by endgame if for nothing else then the amazing fire shield scroll this alone makes it worth it imo reducing the damage coming in from fire/cold by 50% can really save your butt especially on a build/class commonly associated with low HP.

[Ayuur]

Hi again,

I think you've done a good job of building your toon and I hope you have fun playing it.

See you around.

PS: ML for Silver Longbow is 6, I think. If you don't have one already, just buy it from the AH. There are usually a few on there all the time, for 30-50k on Khyber. Better than waiting for it to drop in the quest itself, in my opinion anyway. PM me if you're short of cash and need some help getting it.

Edit: Cheaper than I remembered. Check your main toon's mail.

Thanks a lot!

[blerkington]

Hi,

Glad to hear you got it, and thanks for the mail in-game.

See you around.

[Ayuur]

Just to follow up:
I went with that second build I posted, and used a few small alterations. I love it!
She's such a fun toon to play because she can do great DPS with Manyshot but can still maintain a relatively good damage output with TWF, too.
With a devotion item she can actually put out decent self-heals and heals for the squishier members of the party. If the rest of the party gets wiped, she can sneak into the mobs and grab their stones fairly easily.

However, I've been trying to find a good bow to replace my usual Silver Bow and Bow of the Elements (Air). I figured that once I got the money I'd buy a Bow of the Elements (Ice), but I'm definitely open to suggestion.

[Memnochx]

Is this a reliable solo build now? I love the idea of this but I'm a new player and don't have unlimited funds to twink him out. I have read several things saying AA is a gimp class but all that stuff is very dated. I am not going to be a high end raider or anything just want a fun class to level cap, but I mainly play by myself. I have a 6lvl monk that is fun to play but would like something diff to play. If I'm reading the posts right the idea of this build is to do as much dmg to the mob as it comes in then switch to your melee weapons and finish them off? I don't mind having a cleric hireling around as I do most of the time with my monk.

any comments are welcome :)

[blerkington]

Hi,

I think the Silver Bow is a viable choice for an archer right up until the endgame. It is close to even some of the epic bows in overall DPS.

Probably the next most useful bow now will be a low ML paralyzer. Keep an eye out for the Bow of Sinew, from the Harbinger of Madness pack, and if you have spare GS mats sitting around a Lit 2 might be a good choice too.

Other than that, special purpose bows such as smiters, disruptors, banishers, and bane bows can be useful too. As an AA you get an arrow that can hit incorporeal creatures, but I've carried a ghost touch of pure good with me since I got into trouble one time with a spectral beholder.

Anyway, I'm glad to hear it's going well for you.

[Petrovskis]

The silver bow is, in my opinion, on average the 3rd best (and possibly second depening on DR) non-epic bow in the game. The order being:

1. Lit II greensteel from shroud (crafted)
2. Unwavering Ardency (http://ddowiki.com/page/Unwavering_Ardency)
3. Silver bow

Therefore grab a silver bow and go to town.

With the changes to point blank shot its 1d10 attack dice with the AA arrows rule.

In reply to some comments above:

On my human AA, i took none of the melee feats as i'm an archer, not a melee who uses a bow on many shot (on my AA at least). Instead I took imp. mental toughness (swap out once i get a shroud sp item), empower healing (could make maximise, but my cure serious wounds do ~90-100 hp healing = plenty) and quicken. I'll have >1000 sp @L20 and can self-heal in all but the top end raids and makes soloing easy as pie. And I've never once had anyone complain at me for using my bow all the time. The kill count speaks for itself.

UMD IS worth while. My ranger reachs ~22 unboosted, which means with boosts she can raise if required (very useful).

Max concentration if you take UMD: why you ask? Scrolls require concentration checks...if you have to raise while being hit this helps a lot.

Other tips:
The abbott bow (unwavering ardency) i mentioned above is worth getting for trash mobs when people are holding/stunning them, otherwise Lit II is the best and worth the effort.

Petrov

[whitelegacy]

i think u did great but i personaly think u need to add gear into ur build setings to show others the potenal of it like a shroud hp item and other con things i know many people who would be hasitant to do the build becasue of the lack of hp i have a ranger with 600 standing hp i just think u added gear into the toon it would look better and seem better to others and it is a very good set up for 28 pt build altough i would start 16 str 16 con 14 dex and 8 wis int and cha to have the best resalt but like i said i would add the 45 hp for shroud item and 35 from greater false life and hp from a +6 con item for 60 hp at lvl 20 and umd is diffiently worth while if u have any questions just ask and ill help the best i can!

Forgotten Souls Member
Whitelegacy TR Ranger lvl 20 Hero - Faminegirl TR Fvs lvl 15 Hero - Bloodlegacy TR Wiz lvl 1 Hero - Ragelegacy lvl 5 Barb

[Savras]

While I'm not one to do the numbers, nevertheless I think its worth checking out. Would the new PBS bring the DPS for an AA with a bow within range (45 feet) up to par with an AA who switches to melee now? Considering a lit2 longbow would now be 2d10 (20/x3), plus all the ranged enhancements and feats on an AA. This also = less grinding for dual lit2 scimis...

[whitelegacy]

While I'm not one to do the numbers, nevertheless I think its worth checking out. Would the new PBS bring the DPS for an AA with a bow within range (45 feet) up to par with an AA who switches to melee now? Considering a lit2 longbow would now be 2d10 (20/x3), plus all the ranged enhancements and feats on an AA. This also = less grinding for dual lit2 scimis...

i have actully done the numbers in this instance and unless ur dps on ur bow is really high i still think other then a select few swords r much higher dps and bows have a hard time breaking boss dr anyway!

Forgotten Souls Member
Whitelegacy TR Ranger lvl 20 Hero - Faminegirl TR Fvs lvl 15 Hero - Bloodlegacy TR Wiz lvl 1 Hero - Ragelegacy lvl 5 Barb