Notice For Starting Arcane Archers!

[Willard]

If you are planning to be an Arcane Archer, and you are creating a new char for SoU, you should NOT be a fighter (or almost any other class) and then take a class of mage for the Arcane Archer requirement, or Vice Versa. If you do that, you will almost certainly get a XP panalty. See here:

Bad:
Fighter (4) [you need a base attack bonus of +6 to be an arcane archer]
Mage [or sorceror] (1)
Arcane Archer (10)

You'll have levels left over, and if you take them in mage [or sorceror] you won't be able to cast Arcane spells anyway because of arcane spell failure. Or, if you take levels in fighter you'll have a XP penalty.

Or, you can do it the best way possible:

Good:
Bard (10)
Arcane Archer (10)

Bards can cast arcane spells, pick pockets, have good lore skills, and pretty good fighting skills too. If you take Bard then you will not have to worry about XP penalties. Unless you become an elf.......

Elves have a favored class, wizard. That means that if they dual-class, and wizard is the highest level class they have, they will not get an XP penalty. But if they multi or dual class with other classes, they get an XP penalty! Which is bad, because you need xp to level up! You already knew that!

Half-elves, on the other hand, are very class-flexible. If you are a multiclassing half-elf, your highest class does not count for XP penalties. So let's say you are a:

Mage (7)
Arcane Archer (10)

And you are a half-elf, you won't get an XP penalty!

So follow my advice. Bard is the best starting class for Arcane Archer. And Half-Elf is one of the best multiclassing Races. In the game.

[Larry_OHF]

Thanks! I admit, I was having trouble figuring this out on my own. It's good to be an IW member.

[Micah Foehammer]

Quote from the Bioware forums:

"prestige classes are exempt from the experience penalty calculations"

What you are experiencing is due to the way that Bioware handles multi-class characters relative to experience. Check out this thread.


http://nwn.bioware.com/forums/viewto...30226&forum=69

Therefore, using Wellard FIRST example -

Start with an ELVEN fighter, level the character to level 6 (!) not 4 as it is a 6 BASE BAB that is needed.

Now take a level of Wizard - that satisfies the arcane spell requirement. PLUS since the wizard is the elven preferred class the disparity in levels is ignored.

NOW take your 10 levels of Arcane Archer!! No xp penalty as the PrC level is IGNORED. [img]smile.gif[/img]

Taking either a ranger or building a "finesse" fighter would work. The finesse fighter would have more feats, but would give up some ranger spells.

BTW, make SURE you take True Strike as a mage spell. +20 to attack rolls is REALLY tough to pass on. [img]smile.gif[/img]

Starting with a wizard and nothing else requires a 12th lvl wizard to get a base 6 BAB ... meaning you lose the last two levels of arcane archer.

[ 07-01-2003, 04:46 PM: Message edited by: Micah Foehammer ]

[Gammit]

Thanks for the info. I was gonna try this class out myself (as I'm sure everyone will).