Pimp My Archer - Part 3 of 5 - “The Sniper”
Continuing the 5 part series Damionte presents THE SNIPER !!
Sniper:
The sniper is the ranged assassin. Their focus is putting as much power behind a single shot as possible. Stealth is very important to the sniper as they need to get fairly close to their target in most cases in order to get in that one shot. Rogues make outstanding snipers. As do combination rogue rangers. The order of the bow prestige class from “Complete Warrior” is almost the quintessential sniper. Crossbow archers also make very good snipers. Since a sniper is normally getting just one shot the slower rate of fire of a crossbow is of no concern for them.
A secondary strength of the sniper is that unlike his brethren he is not really that feat dependant. It’s more the right mixture of class abilities that make this archetype work. The reason this is considered a strength is that you are not so strapped for feats that you really need to dip into the fighter class at all to get extra ones.
Adventuring role:
The sniper role in the party is as a primary damage dealer. Their stealth abilities make them well suited to taking out soft targets like enemy casters, and rogues early in the fight. Their heavy damage is also an outstanding tool to use against large hard to kill monsters or creatures with lots of damage reduction. No archer type is better at putting the hurt where it needs to go than the sniper.
The down side to snipers is that once they’ve fired and given away their position they are relatively easy to kill. Thus it’s important that they set them selves up in an initial position from which the rest of the party or their environment can provide cover. The alternative is for them to disengage after firing and set up for another shot. This though takes their firepower off the field every other round at most levels. Also the sniper is less than optimal at dealing with hordes of smaller easy to kill targets, as their extra damage is generally wasted on these opponents.
Because of their usually impressive stealth abilities snipers make excellent scouts. Many snipers are built around rangers giving them the ability to track down enemies. Unlike the Bowman the Sniper operates just fine alone. In fact many feel the sniper works better alone. As they have full control then over when and how to engage their targets.
Building A Sniper:
The key to building a sniper is finding a class with a type of sneak attack ability. The Rogue, Ninja, Spellthief, & Psiblade being your primary choices. Each of these classes pack the primary traits of the assassin, stealth and one shot kill capability. Rather you multi class a Sniper depends on what secondary abilities or prestige classes you’re going after. If you are going to dual class a sniper the Ranger is the class of choice. The Tracking feat is a great boon, and they offer outstanding archery based spells in their spell list giving a sniper some seriously sick abilities. Can you say sneak attack from a mile away? … … … I knew you could!
Truth be told you can mess around with many different combinations to build a sniper but there are three basic combinations that really stand out.
Rogue/Assassin
Rogue/Ranger
Rogue//Order of the Bow Initiate
Rogue/Ranger
Sneak Attack + Ranger Archery spells without having to turn to the Dark Side.
Complete adventurer added a group of Killer Archery Spells for the ranger, get your hands on that book as soon as you can. On top of their two major abilities both classes as a lot to the skills necessary to being a great sniper. Both are stealthy classes, and the rogues 8 skill points and rangers 6 skill points per level means you’ll have plenty of points to put into all of the core skills you need. The Rangers Tracking ability & free light bowman feats are no joke either.
Rogue/Assassin or Ranger/Assassin
The Assassin brings much of the same spell casting ability as the ranger. Their main abilities though that add to the snipers creed are additional sneak attack dice, and poison use. Poison use is a much overlooked ability in most campaigns. Having a quiver full of treated arrows or bolts though means you can bring the pain in all kinds of different and exotic ways. Once again Complete Adventurer & Complete Scoundrel expands on the different poisons available. Downside to the assassin is you have to be evil. If you’re not playing in a typical good guys only campaign though this shouldn’t be a problem for you.
Rogue/Order of the Bow Initiate, Or Ranger Order Of The Bow Initiate
The order of the bow initiate brings its big bow shot goodness to the table. As prestige classes go it is the stereotypical sniper. Many do not feel the OotBI isn’t worth taking but it does have one big advantage over snipers who rely on the sneak attack ability. The OotBI can pull his precise shot off without a qualifier. Meaning he doesn’t have to catch his target flat footed. His target can be completely aware of him, charging right at him and still get a face full of fletching.
Recommended Feat Choices
Penetrating Shot
“Crit” feats
Quick Reconoiter
Tracking
Recommended Equipment:
Bow Of Trueshot
Quiver of Ehlonna, to help keep track of your specialty arrows.
“Specialty” Arrows
Specialty arrows in the hands of a sniper can really be lethal. You’re not always just there to deal damage. A well placed arrow of silence, confusion, sleep or hold can also do wonders in the right situation. Exploding arrows or single shot arrows with maybe fireball enchanted on them can really spread the love. Try to skill up as an alchemist and using poisons or special delivery arrows in your repertoire to add variety to your sniper.
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