Arcane Archer with Self Heal, Firewall, and Solid Rogue Skills

[Impaqt]

Inspired by the other Arcane archer posted today, I'm sure something like this has been posted before but felt updating to current feats and enhancements was warranted.

THis build can achieve a 39 UMD without Epic items or Titan Gloves, lets face it, its a lot easier for most folks to make a second Tier 3 shroud item than it is to grind the titan and epic items.

Build provides reasonable trap skills for most quests, self buffing, and a good firewall to use in between manyshots.

Level 20 True Neutral Elf Male
(2 Rogue / 6 Ranger / 12 Wizard)

Hit Points: 400+ Potential

20 Heroic Durability
10 Draconic Vitality
48 12 Wizard
48 Ranger 6
12 Rogue 2
100 CON
22 TOughness
20 TOughness Enh
30 GFL
20 Minos
---
330
20 Rage Spell
40 Yugo Pot
---
390 Hit Points

+ Shroud Items, Exceptional CON, Better tomes, Litany, etc etc etc


Spell Points: ~1100

BAB: 13/13/18/23
13 BAB
15 Dex Mod
1 Weapon Focus
2 Elf Enh
5 Imbued Arrows
---
+36 First arrow
+4 GH
+1 Haste
----
+41
+7 Divine Power CLicky
---
+48 First Arrow Self Buffed


Saving Throws:
4/4/8 12 Wizard
5/5/2 6 Ranger
0/3/0 2 Rogue
5/15/3 Attributes
5/5/5 Resist
1/1/1 Resist Ritual
-----
20/33/19
4/4/4 GH
2/2/2 Luck
------
26/39/25


Abilities
(34 Point)
{22}Strength 14 +2 Tome +6 Item
{40}Dexterity 20 +5 Levels +2 Tome +2 Elf +2 Ranger +6 Item +3 Exceptional
{20}Constitution 12 +2 Tome +6 Item
{22}Intelligence 14 +2 Tome +6 item
{16}Wisdom 8 +2 Tome +6 Item
{16}Charisma 8 +2 Tome +6 Item

Tomes Used
+2 Tome of Strength used at level 7
+2 Tome of Dexterity used at level 7
+2 Tome of Constitution used at level 7
+2 Tome of Intelligence used at level 7
+2 Tome of Wisdom used at level 7
+2 Tome of Charisma used at level 7

Starting Feat/Enhancement
Base Skills Modified Skills
Skills (Level 1) (Level 20)
Concentration 21 Ranks

{59}Disable Device 23 Ranks +6 INT +15 Item +6 Shroud Item +4 GH +2 Luck +3 Reaver Bracers

{45}Open Lock 9 Ranks +15 Dex + 15 Item +4 GH +2 Luck +d20

{56}Search 23 Ranks +6 INT +15 Item +6 Shroud Item +4 GH +2 Luck

{39}Use Magic Device 23 Ranks +3 Item +3 CHR +4 GH +6 Shroud Item

Level 1 (Rogue)
Feat: (Past Life) Past Life: Ranger
Feat: (Selected) Toughness

Level 2 (Wizard)
Feat: (Wizard Bonus) Extend Spell

Level 3 (Wizard)
Feat: (Selected) Weapon Finesse (Swap to Empower SPell late)

Level 4 (Wizard)

Level 5 (Wizard)

Level 6 (Wizard)
Feat: (Wizard Bonus) Maximize Spell
Feat: (Selected) Point Blank Shot

Level 7 (Wizard)

Level 8 (Wizard)

Level 9 (Ranger)
Feat: (Favored Enemy) Favored Enemy: Undead
Feat: (Selected) Precise Shot

Level 10 (Ranger)

Level 11 (Ranger)

Level 12 (Ranger)
Feat: (Selected) Weapon Focus: Ranged Weapons

Level 13 (Ranger)
Feat: (Favored Enemy) Favored Enemy: Evil Outsider

Level 14 (Ranger)

Level 15 (Wizard)
Feat: (Selected) Improved Critical: Ranged Weapons

Level 16 (Wizard)

Level 17 (Wizard)
Feat: (Wizard Bonus) Quicken Spell

Level 18 (Wizard)
Feat: (Selected) Improved Precise Shot

Level 19 (Wizard)

Level 20 (Rogue)
Enhancement: Rogue Haste Boost I
Enhancement: Ranger Sprint Boost I
Enhancement: Elven Arcane Archer: Imbue Acid Arrows
Enhancement: Elven Arcaane Archer: Imbue Explosive Arrows
Enhancement: Elven Arcane Archer: Imbue Force Arrows
Enhancement: Elven Arcane Archer: Imbue Force Burst Arrows
Enhancement: Elven Arcane Archer: Imbue Slaying Arrows
Enhancement: Elven Arcane Archer: Imbue Terror Arrows
Enhancement: Elven Dexterity I
Enhancement: Elven Dexterity II
Enhancement: Elven Ranged Attack I
Enhancement: Elven Ranged Attack II
Enhancement: Elven Ranged Damage I
Enhancement: Elven Ranged Damage II
Enhancement: Racial Toughness I
Enhancement: Racial Toughness II
Enhancement: Ranger Favored Damage I
Enhancement: Ranger Favored Damage II
Enhancement: Elven Arcane Archer: Conjure +2 Arrows
Enhancement: Elven Arcane Archer: Conjure +3 Arrows
Enhancement: Elven Arcane Archer: Conjure +4 Arrows
Enhancement: Elven Arcane Archer: Conjure +5 Arrows
Enhancement: Elven Arcane Archer I
Enhancement: Rogue Sneak Attack Accuracy I
Enhancement: Rogue Sneak Attack Training I
Enhancement: Wizard Lineage of Elements I
Enhancement: Wizard Lineage of Elements II
Enhancement: Wizard Lineage of Elements III
Enhancement: Wizard Lineage of Deadly Elements I
Enhancement: Wizard Lineage of Deadly Elements II
Enhancement: Wizard Elemental Manipulation I
Enhancement: Wizard Elemental Manipulation II
Enhancement: Wizard Elemental Manipulation III
Enhancement: Wizard Elemental Manipulation IV
Enhancement: Wizard Energy of the Scholar I
Enhancement: Wizard Energy of the Scholar II
Enhancement: Wizard Energy of the Scholar III
Enhancement: Ranger Dexterity I
Enhancement: Ranger Dexterity II
Enhancement: Rogue Improved Trap Sense I
Enhancement: Wizard Wand Mastery I
Enhancement: Wizard Wand Mastery II
Enhancement: Wizard Wand Mastery III

[Trillea]

I like the build, but my question is this - why 12 wizard instead of 7 ranger? 12 wiz doesn't get another level of spells for wizard but I believe that 7 ranger gets you better ranger spells, not to mention more HP.

[Impaqt]

I like the build, but my question is this - why 12 wizard instead of 7 ranger? 12 wiz doesn't get another level of spells for wizard but I believe that 7 ranger gets you better ranger spells, not to mention more HP.

7 ranger gets no additional spells over a 6 ranger.

The difference in Hit points is 4

12 Wizard does open up the possibility of tier 2 PrE's(Tier 3 Archmage)

12 Wizard gets you and extra 5ths and 6th level spell to carry over L11

l11-12 Wizard +1 Fort and Reflex Save l6-7 Ranger = no increase insaves.

l11>12 wizard - + 60ish spell points No Increase for Ranger

[Trillea]

7 ranger gets no additional spells over a 6 ranger.

The difference in Hit points is 4

12 Wizard does open up the possibility of tier 2 PrE's(Tier 3 Archmage)

12 Wizard gets you and extra 5ths and 6th level spell to carry over L11

l11-12 Wizard +1 Fort and Reflex Save l6-7 Ranger = no increase insaves.

l11>12 wizard - + 60ish spell points No Increase for Ranger

Thanks, I thought 7 ranger gave level 2 ranger spells. I am a barkskin addict. The other fact that I was thinking of - 7 ranger gives 20 pt resists - is moot as you get 30 with wiz anyway.

[Jakarr]

Thanks for another solid build Impaqt I was looking to make a non-pure AA Ranger and this is it. If only we know if Half-Elf could be AA...

[Impaqt]

Thanks for another solid build Impaqt I was looking to make a non-pure AA Ranger and this is it. If only we know if Half-Elf could be AA...

yeah, this could be pretty cool as a Half-Elf as well if AA is available.. not sure what Dillatante feat I would choose.............. with full UMD, and ranger levels, none of the Feats look like the would be a significant adavantage.

if I ever get around to capping my my current AA, I might move to this.

[grodon9999]

This looks great, I'll steal this if I ever get the urge to go completionist on my elf.

I'd do level-ups in STR though. My current AA has 34 DEX and once she's buffed she barely misses anything even in epics.

Don't forget with 6 Ranger levels you can include Ram's Might as a perpetual buff.

[Phidius]

I presume the self-healing comes from wands (low level) and scrolls (high level)?

What about 12 Ranger/7 Wizard/1 Rogue? More raw skill points, option to heal with spell points, extra feats from the free Precise/Imp Precise, extra Favored Enemy and enhancements... the list goes on

I never got my Halfling 12 Ranger/7 Wizard/1 Monk past level 17, though. He was pretty fun when the cap was 16, so I may awaken the sleeping midget some day. Doubtful, but it may happen.

The power of the 12 Arcane really goes well with the Warforged race, but I'm not so sure about the fleshies.

[Sani_Medicor]

Cool...I tried to make an elf wizard that used bows when the game first came out. I might have to give it another shot at some point.

[96th_Malice]

Very cool for sure !!

[Impaqt]

I presume the self-healing comes from wands (low level) and scrolls (high level)?

What about 12 Ranger/7 Wizard/1 Rogue? More raw skill points, option to heal with spell points, extra feats from the free Precise/Imp Precise, extra Favored Enemy and enhancements... the list goes on

I never got my Halfling 12 Ranger/7 Wizard/1 Monk past level 17, though. He was pretty fun when the cap was 16, so I may awaken the sleeping midget some day. Doubtful, but it may happen.

The power of the 12 Arcane really goes well with the Warforged race, but I'm not so sure about the fleshies.

I've tried to go short on wizard levels on builds like this and was always dissapointed in the effectiveness of my Firewalls. I find the 40% increase in damage Plus 9% Cit + .50 Multiplier really helps. not to mention the other buffs you can pick up including Mass Protect, and GH. the extra L4 slots help too.

[grodon9999]

Silly question, would you intend on using this toon in hardcore high-level stuff like epics or just having fun in standard content?

[Impaqt]

Silly question, would you intend on using this toon in hardcore high-level stuff like epics or just having fun in standard content?

I think he could be effective in Epics, but I generally favor my Favored Souls in Epics. THis guy would most likely be low on the list of characters to grab if my healers were on timer for something. Primarily due to the lowish Hit points.

[JeffreyGator]

I suspect you'd have quite a lot of fun with this build. I think it would play very much like my current main.

15 wiz/2rgr/2rog (planning 16 as a wiz again probably)

with 34 pts I had 16/16/12/16/8/8 (I think your option requires 36 points) and have put level ups into int

I'm pretty split between the melee, the bow and hot magical death.

I miss out on not casting ram's might, but do get to cast mass protect, mass teleport, FoD, and polar ray instead.

NOt getting the level 6 ranger feats for free I missed out on the precise and improved precise.

I would definitely miss evasion though especially with the 40 dex that you've built-in.

I leveled a bunch with a guildy on his 13 rgr / 7 wiz. The irony of the ranger casting firewall while the wizard was shooting people is amusing.

[grodon9999]

I think he could be effective in Epics, but I generally favor my Favored Souls in Epics. THis guy would most likely be low on the list of characters to grab if my healers were on timer for something. Primarily due to the lowish Hit points.

That's why I'm asking because if you went monk instead of Rogue you could fit in pretty decent trash-AC. You'd lose self-healing except for pots and wands though.

[Talon_Moonshadow]

[unbongwah]

If only we know if Half-Elf could be AA...

I haven't tested to be sure, but it looked to me like HEs on Lamannia could take the AA racial enhs. EDIT: they don't get elven racial weapon enhs, though.

[tjaysteno]

Interesting build. Two quick things though. First is mandatory (though counter-intuitive) for any ranger; level-ups go into strength. I'm running a level 16 arcane archer through gianthold right now that can hit triple digit damage (before adding in energy damage from imbue, arrows, or my bow) when the conditions are right (crits on favored enemies ). He's got roughly 30 str and 30 dex with far from optimal equipment and usually hits on 2s. Add to that multishot and improved precise shot and my ranger usually competes with fighters and barbarians for top kills in quests. Granted with only 6 levels of ranger, you won't be quite as adept with a bow, but I cannot stress enough how important strength is to an archer with the bow strength feat. If you don't believe me, build 2 trial archers before you TR one with your stats listed here and one with equal str and dex. Run waterworks and some other low-level quests and see which one suits you better.

The other thing I would strongly consider if you're serious about ranged damage is switching the build to wiz 10/rang 9/rogue 1. You get 2 things at that level that make it worth while: acid arrow and evasion. While not clear from the DDO description, Imbue acid is essentially a combination of an acid weapon and Melf's Acid Arrow. It does 1d6+2d4 acid damage on impact plus continuing 2d4 over time versus the measly 1d6 force damage you get at level 6. Imbue acid does the best damage of any AA abilities with the lone exception of Slaying Arrows and is a must for high level AAs. As mentioned, you also get evasion for this level which makes the second rogue level redundant so the biggest trade off is a level of wizard spells, SP, and the second wizard PrE. So the question you have to answer is are you going to be focusing on ranged combat or spell-casting? If the former, then imbue acid is a must.

[Impaqt]

Interesting build. Two quick things though. First is mandatory (though counter-intuitive) for any ranger; level-ups go into strength. I'm running a level 16 arcane archer through gianthold right now that can hit triple digit damage (before adding in energy damage from imbue, arrows, or my bow) when the conditions are right (crits on favored enemies ). He's got roughly 30 str and 30 dex with far from optimal equipment and usually hits on 2s. Add to that multishot and improved precise shot and my ranger usually competes with fighters and barbarians for top kills in quests. Granted with only 6 levels of ranger, you won't be quite as adept with a bow, but I cannot stress enough how important strength is to an archer with the bow strength feat. If you don't believe me, build 2 trial archers before you TR one with your stats listed here and one with equal str and dex. Run waterworks and some other low-level quests and see which one suits you better.

I've been playing this game for 4 + years. I assure you I understand the differences between STR and DEX for a Ranger. For a Pure ranger, I agree that a focus on STR is the way to go. Maybe even Mostly pure build. Due to the deep multiclassing of this build, Dex is a better focus due to the reduced BAB.

Basing a build on how it performs in Waterworks is probably the worst advice I've ever read. Waterworks, even on elite, is hardly a test. at low levels, the difference in damage output from a STR vs Dex ranger is going to be 2 or 3 points. Hardly noticeable.

The other thing I would strongly consider if you're serious about ranged damage is switching the build to wiz 10/rang 9/rogue 1. You get 2 things at that level that make it worth while: acid arrow and evasion. While not clear from the DDO description, Imbue acid is essentially a combination of an acid weapon and Melf's Acid Arrow. It does 1d6+2d4 acid damage on impact plus continuing 2d4 over time versus the measly 1d6 force damage you get at level 6. Imbue acid does the best damage of any AA abilities with the lone exception of Slaying Arrows and is a must for high level AAs. As mentioned, you also get evasion for this level which makes the second rogue level redundant so the biggest trade off is a level of wizard spells, SP, and the second wizard PrE. So the question you have to answer is are you going to be focusing on ranged combat or spell-casting? If the former, then imbue acid is a must.

I can only assume at this point that you dont understand that Elves get the entire Arcane archer line open to them.
I technically dont need any Ranger levels at all to take any and ALL of the Arcane Archer enhancement.

not only do I have imbue Acid arrow, I have Slayers as well. Please review "Arcane Archer(Elf)
http://compendium.ddo.com/wiki/Categ...f_Enhancements

[tjaysteno]

Basing a build on how it performs in Waterworks is probably the worst advice I've ever read. Waterworks, even on elite, is hardly a test. at low levels, the difference in damage output from a STR vs Dex ranger is going to be 2 or 3 points. Hardly noticeable.

Someone's grumpy today. Anyway, every point helps. WW is exactly the place I chose to reroll and go Str-based (while fighting Furor, if you're interested ). Even if it's not especially challenging, there are plenty of mobs and bosses that'll make it painfully clear how awful a Dex-ranger can be to play.

I can only assume at this point that you dont understand that Elves get the entire Arcane archer line open to them.
I technically dont need any Ranger levels at all to take any and ALL of the Arcane Archer enhancement.

not only do I have imbue Acid arrow, I have Slayers as well. Please review "Arcane Archer(Elf)
http://compendium.ddo.com/wiki/Categ...f_Enhancements

Ha, yeah just remembered that but you caught my mistake before I did. But why take 6 ranger then if you can take the elven enhancements anyway? Nice feats I guess, but you could get those with 2 or 4 levels in fighter.

EDIT: Favored enemy, got it. Still not a build I would use personally, but I can see you've got your ducks in a row.