Archer of Artifice (3.5e Prestige Class)
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Archer of Artifice
The Last War was fought both with strength of arms, and strength of magic. Warforged marched into battle with Cannith forged steel blades, while the spellcasters lingered in the back ranks showering the field with fire and lightning as if the heavens themselves had gone mad with rage.
In the midst of such chaos, it came as no surprise when the unspoken agreement to not attack support units was broken. If it was accidental or intentional is unimportant, the healers, magewrights, and artificers that keep any khovairian army in fighting shape became targets. What was a surprise is the ferocity with which many of these men and women fought back with.
One such group of artificers dropped their tools and picked up the bows of their fallen comrads and infused devistating magics into the arrows they fired into the enemy ranks. Although the nationality of the original group have been lost (many claim they were from Cyre, although Aundaire, Breland, and even Karnnath claim to have at least had members in the group), the power and versatility of artificers with bows meant the tactic spread quickly in the latter days of the War. As such, an Archer of Artifice could stem from any background or nationality.
Today, these archers are still feared in combat due not only to their abilities to infuse magical spells directly into their arrows, but also due to the superiority of their equipment in all reguards. Few opponents are as well equipped as those who serve with artificers, and none are better equipped than the warrior artificers themselves.
To become an Archer of Artifice, a character must fulfill all the following criteria.
- Base Attack Bonus: +3
- Feats: Scribe Scroll, Craft Wondrous Item, Craft Magic Arms and Armor, Weapon Focus (any bow or crossbow)
- Special: Ability to use second level infusions and your character must have crafted their own magical bow or crossbow of at least a +1 bonus.
|Special||Infusions per Day/Infusions Known|
|1||+1||+0||+2||+0||Augment arrows +1, artificer's quiver||+1 infuser level|
|2||+2||+0||+3||+0||Augment arrows +2||+1 infuser level|
|3||+3||+1||+3||+1||Augment arrows +3, fast infusion (bow)||+1 infuser level|
|4||+4||+1||+4||+1||Augment arrows +4||+1 infuser level|
|5||+5||+1||+4||+1||Augment arrows +5, craft infusion arrows|
All of the following are class features of the Archer of Artifice.
Infusions per Day/Infusions Known: When a new level of Archer of Artifice is gained (except for the fifth level), the character gains new infusions per day (and infusions known, if applicable) as if he had also gained a level in Artificer. He does not, however, gain any other benefit an Artificer would have gained (such as craft reserve).
Augment Arrows: As a free action, an Archer of Artifice can use one of their infusions to empower a single arrow with magical energy. The amount of energy infused is equal to the level of the infusion slot used minus 1. So at first level, they may sacrifice a second level infusion slot in order to gain a +1 bonus to hit and damage with their arrows. At second level, they gain the ability to sacrifice a third level infusion to gain a +2 bonus, up to fifth level where they gain the ability to sacrifice a sixth level infusion to gain a +5 bonus. These bonuses stack with any existing magical bonus granted by the arrow being fired. This ability does not grant the ability to use infusions of higher levels than they are normally capable of.
Artificer's Quiver: At first level, the Archer of Artifice crafts a specialized version of the Quiver of Ehlonna that holds only bows and arrows, but not javelins, spears, or other weapons. This quiver is otherwise identical to the Quiver of Ehlonna found in the Dungeon Master's Guide.
Fast Infusion (Bow): At third level, the Archer of Artifice gains the ability to use infusion on their bow or crossbow as a standard action, as if he had spent an action point.
Craft Infusion Arrows: At fifth level, the Archer of Artifice gains the ability to craft special arrows that act as a medium for storing spells that can, after creation, be used by anyone. Infusion Arrows can hold any spell or infusion that has a target other than personal or touch. The target and range of the spell change to "Special", and are now tied to the arrow storing them. The target becomes whatever is struck by the arrow, while the range becomes the same as the range of the bow firing the arrow. The arrow itself is consumed during firing by the release of the spell energy, and does no damage (although if it stored an attack spell, the spell still does damage normally). Crafting an Infusion Arrow of a given spell follows the same rules as crafting a scroll of the same spell. Once crafted, the arrow may be used by anyone firing it.