Revision as of 19:26, 6 April 2015

Archer

Silaqui, iconic archer

"Quieter than a gun, better range than a sword."

The archer excels in combat at a distance, using skill, speed, and accuracy to deadly effect. While other combatants traditionally focus on melee weapons, the archer is an expert in bows, slings, and crossbows. Due to their focus on agility and need to maintain distance, archers have little use for the typical trappings of warriors, often wearing light - if any - armor, and few carry no more than a dagger for personal defense when the chips are down.

Archers in Trinity have a somewhat unusual pedigree. While guns and other more powerful ranged weaponry exist, almost all of them eventually fall under the purview of a Force, making their reliability against all foes somewhat suspect. Bows, meanwhile, are sufficiently simple for the world to not consider them part of the Force of Technology, meaning that bows can be used in all situations against all creatures. That they are quieter and significantly easier to maintain is simply an added bonus.

The archer's primary focus in combat is on range, and on maintaining it. Given sufficient distance, she can - eventually - fell any creature. However, should she become engaged in melee combat, she is at a distinct disadvantage, and will most likely fall. As such, archers prefer to attack from the rear, and while some charge in head-first alongside more melee-oriented combatants, most prefer someone screen for them against their assailants.

Game Rule Information

Archers have the following game statistics.

Force Alignment: None.

Force Resistances: None.

Abilities: Dexterity is absolutely vital to the archer, as her prowess with the bow and ability to dodge blows depend upon it. Wisdom and Strength also benefit many class skills, with Strength allowing her to wield mighty bows. Lightly armored, the archer benefits greatly from a high Constitution score to survive attacks.

Hit Die: d8.

Class Skills: The archer’s class skills are Agility (Dex), Balance (Dex), Climb (Str), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Hide (Dex), Move Silently (Dex), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Spot (Per), Survival (Wis), and Tumble (Dex).

Skill Points at Each Level: 4 + Int modifier.

Ethos: Any.

Starting Age: Simple.

Starting Gold: 6d4 x 10gp.

Favored By: Selkies.

Class Features

All of the following are class features of the archer.

Weapons and Armor Proficiency: Archers are proficient with all simple weapons and all martial ranged weapons. They are proficient with light armor but not with shields.

At each even level, the archer gains proficiency with an additional ranged weapon of her choice, as though she gained the Exotic Weapon Proficiency feat.

Archery Attack Bonus: Unlike most other classes, archers are specialized in one class of weapons, specifically ranged weapons. Due to this, archers use a different attack bonus when using ranged weapons.

For all purposes other than making melee attacks, treat the archer's archery attack bonus as her BAB (for purposes of meeting prerequisites and for effects that key off of BAB).

Aim Pool: You gain access to a pool of aim tokens. You must designate a target for your pool; the target of your aim pool is your quarry. If at any time you lose sight of your quarry, you lose all of your accumulated aim tokens. In general, you gain aim tokens by spending actions on your turn, though some archer abilities allow you to gain tokens by taking other actions; in addition, if your quarry does not move on their turn, you gain additional aim tokens.

Making a new target your quarry is a free action, but you lose all your accumulated aim tokens.

The maximum number of aim tokens an archer have is listed on the class table, above. Archers gain a bonus to this amount equal to their Dexterity modifier.

Maneuvers (Ex): An archer learns a variety of tricks with ranged weapons, and typically bows in particular. While almost anyone can pick up a bow and use it reasonably proficiently, archers are masters of the craft, and can perform feats of archery that are beyond most others, even other martial individuals.

Maneuvers cost an amount of aim tokens equal to their maneuver level to use. If you are using a Counter or Strike maneuver, you must include your quarry among its targets or within the maneuver's area; if you do not, the maneuver costs double the normal amount of aim tokens.

At fourth level, and every four levels after, you can trade out one archer maneuver you know for any other, of any level you can access.

Toxophilite: At each even level from 2nd to 9th, the archer gains an ability that represents her dedication to the cause of archery. Choose one of the following abilities; unless otherwise noted, each ability can only be taken once.

• Agile Shots (Ex): You gain your Dexterity bonus to damage on ranged attacks.
• Close-Quarters Archery (Ex): You no longer provoke attacks of opportunity when using a ranged weapon within a threatened square. At the beginning of your turn, if your quarry is within 30 feet of you, you gain one aim token.
• Evasion (Ex): You gain evasion.
• Extended Range (Ex): When you use a ranged weapon, its range increment is increased by half; when you use a thrown weapon, its range increment is doubled.
• Far Shot (Ex): You gain the Far Shot feat. When you spend a move action aiming, you gain one additional aim token; if you spend at least a standard action aiming, you instead gain two additional aim tokens.
• Nimble Archery (Ex): You gain a +10 dodge bonus to AC against attacks of opportunity due to moving into or out of a threatened area, if you have a ranged weapon in hand. You gain one aim token at the end of your turn if you made an attack against your quarry while moving.
• Precise Shot (Ex): You gain the Precise Shot feat. At the beginning of your turn, if you can see your quarry, you gain one aim token.
• Point Blank Shot (Ex): You gain the Point Blank Shot feat. The attack and damage bonuses provided by this feat are considered precision-based. At the beginning of your turn, if your quarry is within 30 feet of you, you gain one aim token.
• Shot on the Run (Ex): You gain the Shot on the Run feat. You gain one aim token at the end of your turn if you made an attack against your quarry while moving.
• Sniping (Ex): When sniping, you suffer only a -10 penalty on Hide checks to conceal yourself, rather than a -20.

Archer Talent: At 10th level, every two levels thereafter, the archer's skills improves even more. Choose one of the abilities below. Unless otherwise stated, each ability can only be taken once.

• Aim Focus: Increase the max number of aim tokens you can have by 2. You can take this talent multiple times; its effect stacks.
• Aim with my Mind (Ex): If you do not have sight of your quarry at the beginning of your turn, you lose half your aim tokens, rounded down, instead of losing all of your aim tokens.
• Double Trouble (Ex): You can have two quarries at the same time. When you target a second creature, you halve the maximum number of aim tokens you can have until you have one or fewer quarries. Abilities that key off of your quarry can be used in regards to either creature. If you have two quarries and use a free action to designate a new quarry, you lose only half your aim tokens, rather than all of them.
• Expert Archer: You gain a +2 insight bonus on attack and damage rolls with all ranged weapons. You can take this talent multiple times; its effect stacks, and each time you do, increase your total bonus by the number of times you have previously taken this talent.

• Hawkeye (Ex): You gain a +2 insight bonus on all Perception-based checks, and treat the base range increment of all ranged weapons as 10 feet larger. You can take this talent multiple times; its effect stacks.
• Improved Aim Pool: The rate at which you accrue aim tokens improves.
  • Supreme Aim Pool: The rate at which you accrue aim tokens improves. (Prerequisite: Improved Aim Pool)
• Improved Evasion (Ex): You gain improved evasion. (Prerequisite: Evasion)
• Ranged Defense (Ex): You gain DR 5/- against ranged, but not firearm, attacks. In addition, as an immediate action, you can catch an arrow fired at you and shoot it any target you choose, as if you had the Snatch Arrows feat.
• Sniper (Ex): You gain +1d6 sneak attack, usable only with ranged weapons. You can take this talent multiple times; its effect stacks.
• Toxophilite Mastery: You gain one additional abilities from the Toxophilite list of your choice. You can take this talent multiple times.
• Uncanny Dodge (Ex): You gain uncanny dodge. Levels in classes that grant uncanny dodge stack for purposes of determining the level required to overcome your improved uncanny dodge, if you have that ability.
  • Improved Uncanny Dodge (Ex): You gain improved uncanny dodge. Levels in classes that grant uncanny dodge stack for purposes of determining the level required to overcome your improved uncanny dodge. (Prerequisite: Uncanny Dodge)
• Feat: The archer may select a bonus feat in place of a talent.

Maneuver List

The following is the archer maneuver list.

Feats

The following are a selection of feats that are relevant to archers.

Design Notes

Despite being a ranged class - which would typically necessitate that they do less damage - the fact that archers have to spend time aiming means that they can't bring all their abilities to the fore all the time. As such archer maneuver damage output is comparable to that of an einhander; the result is that the archer will match the einhander in either (1) super-ideal conditions, and (2) every couple rounds.