D&D 3E/3.5 [3.5] Making a Scout a better archer?

[Squnk]

I'm currently about to start a new campaign and I really would like to play a scout but I would really like a way to beef up the archery damage and range. Skirmish is nice but it limits the range for extra damage to 30ft with a ranged weapon and scouts are also very feat starved. So I was wondering if anyone had any good suggestions on how to get more range and damage out of a scout. I am still fairly new to d&d and would prefer to stay away from homebrewed stuff. Thanks in advance.

 

[Corwin of Amber]

You could look into the Tome of Battle. I recommend trying a dip into Warblade, then going into Bloostorm Blade for 2 levels. This will allow you to treat a thrown weapon attack as a melee attack and apply strength or strength*1.5(for 2 handed) on any weapon thrown. I know that this doesn't constitute as archery, but it allows powerful ranged attacking.

I also recommend taking the Far Shot feat as this will allow you to throw a spear (you best choice for thrown weapon) yo to 40ft without penalty. Additionally, you can throw the spear 2 handed to add 1.5*Str with Bloodstorm Blade.

If you take Bloodstorm for 4 levels you can freely apply the returning feature to your weapon and make full melee attacks at a range. The more levels you take, the more damage you can do with that thrown spear/other weapon, such as ricocheting to multiple enemies before returning or a class feature that essentially gives you a ranged whirlwind attack for any number of enemies at level 10.

 

[Thanael]

Well for starters there's the Sniper Scout Variant from Dragon 346.

 

[radmod]

You should check out, if you haven't:
The Scout's Handbook

 

[pawsplay]

In my campaign, the Scout simply invested in Rapid Shot. At times, the scout would scoot and shoot, other times, would unleash a full attack of arrows, whichever seemed most effective in the situation. Shot on the Run was highly effective. At very high levels, Manyshot + Greater Manyshot was a monster.

 

[StreamOfTheSky]

Best way to make a better scout is with ranger and swift hunter multiclass feat (Complete Scoundrel), of course... In any case, CS also has an Improved Skirmish feat to deal an extra 2d6 damage if you move 20+ ft that round, so it's a book worth looking into.

 

[pawsplay]

If you take Rapid Shot, Fell shot can be a nice follow-up; skirmish damage on a crit.

 

[Jeff Wilder]

Improved Skirmish (already mentioned) and skirmisher boots (MIC, I think) are big helps in making a viable ranged scout. (IMO, Improved Skirmish is so good, its creation is basically WotC's way of saying, "Oops. Scout was too weak.")

 

[pawsplay]

In the campaign I ran from level 1 to level 20, the Scout was not weak, even after we converted to Pathfinder at level 17. Also, going back to the OP, the Scout is not "feat starved"... they get a few bonus feats, some of which apply to archery.

 

[StreamOfTheSky]

In the campaign I ran from level 1 to level 20, the Scout was not weak, even after we converted to Pathfinder at level 17. Also, going back to the OP, the Scout is not "feat starved"... they get a few bonus feats, some of which apply to archery.

The problem is, archery is very feat intensive, even with a couple bonus feats. Worse, the scout list is terrible.

Pulling from Crystalkeep because I'm too lazy to check the C.Adv book.

"Acrobatic, Acrobatic Skirmisher, Agile, Alertness, Athletic, Blind-Fight, Brachiation, Combat Expertise, Danger Dense, Dodge, Endurance, Far Shot, Great Fortitude, Hear the Unseen, Hinder(DR344 p103), Improved Acrobatic Skirmisher, Improved Initiative, Improved Swimming, Iron Will, Lightning Reflexes, Mobility, Mounted Fighting, Passive Reconnoiter, Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot, Quick Draw, Quick Reconnoiter, Ranged Skirmisher, Rapid Reload, Scout the Path, Shot on the Run, Skill Focus, Spring Attack, Track."

First off, many of those are just bad feats. Secondly, I find the following archery feats: Far Shot (worthless in general; skirmish is 30 ft range only), Point Blank Shot (you need this at 1 to do anything at all as an archer), Precise Shot (waiting till level 4+ is PAINFUL), Ranged Skirmisher (maybe?, forgot what it does), Rapid Reload (only useful to xbow users, who'd want the feat earlier so they can reload, move, and skirmish each turn), and Shot on the Run (sucks; can't even Manyshot with it).

So...three decent feats, all of which you'd want well earlier than the bonus feats come, and one of which is only useful to the rare xbow build. Not a single useful mid or high level archery feat. Now of course, having Improved Skirmish and Swift Hunter as added bonus feat options helps. But you're still basically getting nothing out of your bonus feats to help archery.

If the list had say...Manyshot, Greater Manyshot, Improved Rapid Shot, Woodland Archer, or Improved Precise Shot... a couple genuinely good mid/high level archer feats, it'd be nice. But w/o DM houserule, it does not.