Second best archer?
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Member Posts: 10
So the best archer is an Archer. But I want to make a neutral CHARNAME and Rangers must be good. So what is the second best ranged weapon user? A vanilla fighter with GM in longbow? A barbarian with throwing axes? Would multi- or dual-classing help anything? I don't see how, since archers need lots of attacks per round and lots of bonuses to those attacks.
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I should probably clarify this, as this is only able to be done due to a bug from dual classing into a Fighter (GM by lvl 3).
I think that's the second best archer possible while also being able to deal with thief duty when the dual-classing ends.
2 levels of Assassin gives you +1 thac0 +1 damage, poison once per day, x2 backstab and 55 points of thief skills.
2 levels of Swashbuckler gives you +1 AC and 65 points of thief skills.
In either case, you can have grand master of bows at level 3.
Note that BGEE assassins can be any alignment apart form LG.
But yeah, Poisoned arrows get nasty.
-lol-
Especially when you Crit on your first hit!
However, why would anyone walk away from an added +1 T/+2 D with your choosen melee weapon, not to mention, taking SWS for a +2 A/C (on top of the +2 AC for Swash at 5th) by the time you hit 8th L. Fighter?
You could very easily get the Swash specialization + the 2HWS point and even put a second point in 2HWS at Fighter 6th.
Anyway you look at it, Swash is better in that aspect.
Assassin's only advantage in this is the Poison weapon skill.
The OP wants to be an archer, they don't want to play a gimped thief till level 5 for an extra pip of AC. Archers don't usually sit of the front line anyway, so why would they want more AC instead of more damage?! No, in order to get those benefits, you need to dual class at level 5 or later. Which means you can't get grand mastery until level 5/3 and have to sit though half of BG1 playing a class you didn't want. Dual classing asap (level 2) gives you grand mastery at 2/3, and at that level Assassin >> Swashbuckler.
The whole point of dual classing kits is to get as much benefit out of them you can.
Which means dualing at an appropiate level to gain as much benefits as possible.
With a 5/8 Swash/Fighter you could wind up with this.
Long Sword **
Long Bow *****
Single Weapon Style **
+2 AC
+1 T/D
By that argument, the only option is to play a level 10 Swashbuckler/Fighter, since then you get +3 AC and +2 T/D. Sure, you would have to wait until BG2, but by your argument, that is irrelevant, only final power matters.
The OP want's to play BALDUR'S GATE as an Archer, not just the last chapter.
With a 2/8 Assassin/Fighter you could wind up with this:
Long Sword **
Long Bow *****
Single Weapon Style **
+1 T/D
Poison Weapon
x2 Backstab
And still be an archer FOR MOST OF THE GAME.
The only thing you miss out on is AC, and that is irrelvent for an archer.
There is ABSOLUTELY NO way you'd get that with a 2/8 Ass/Fgtr!
At best, you'd get this.
Long Sword *
Long Bow *****
Single Weapon Style **
or this.
Long Sword **
Long Bow *****
Single Weapon Style *
As you'd only have the first 2 starting pips to play with as an Assassin and you can only be proficient in any one weapon/style.
And you'd only get 6 pips with your Fighter.
How long do you think it takes to get 10k XP?
Not long at all, even with a full party.
The AC is just a bonus, but a human with an 18 DEX + Ankheg Plate + the Ring of Protection +2 will hit a -9 AC in melee combat & -7 with a bow.
And what is the point of -9 AC when you are on the back row and no one is going to attack you anyway?!
I know people get defensive when someone points out why thier favorate build isn't all powerful. Swashbuckler/Fighter is fine if you actually want to use some thief skills and fight in melee (although dualing at 5 rather than 10 makes no sense at all if you intend to follow on to BG2). But if all you want to do is shoot arrows at people, then Assassin 2 is a much better option.
It's a bug.
http://forum.baldursgate.com/discussion/10508/dual-classing-to-a-fighter-lets-you-put-4-stars-in-the-same-weapon-at-level-1#latest
Did the bug exist in BG? BG2? Or is it new to BG:EE?
All it does is make a rather dull plink plink class a little more interesting at low level.