A character who favors ranged attacks has many ways to master the bow, and the schools presented in this article series give you some interesting options to round out your player character. This week, we present another school of archery styles by Rich Redman. If you missed the first part, you can revisit it here.
Eagle Eye School
Over one hundred years ago, Ekorian Whiteblade was a great archer. When at last an elf defeated him, Ekorian was so impressed that he devoted his next years to studying elf archers and their skills. At last, he discovered a way to combine perception with penetration, and he established the Eagle Eye School to pass on his techniques.
Lore
You can make a Knowledge (local) check to learn about the Eagle Eye School.
DC Result
15 Followers of this school train to deal the most damage with each shot.
20 Many of the students of this school are experienced hunters and skilled trackers.
25 Humans developed this style of shooting to compete with elf archers.
Secret Techniques
| Character Level | Prerequisites | Secret Technique |
| 5 | Dex 13; Survival 5 ranks; Alertness, Deadly Aim, Point-Blank Shot, Weapon Focus (longbow or shortbow) | Increase range increment +10 ft. |
| 7 | BAB +6, Vital Strike | Falcon arrow |
| 9 | Precise Shot | Line shot 20 ft. |
| 11 | Survival 11 ranks | Increase range increment +10 ft. |
| 13 | Dex 19; BAB +11; Improved Precise Shot | Eagle arrow |
| 15 | Survival 15 ranks | Line shot 40 ft. |
| 17 | BAB +16; Pinpoint Targeting | Increase range increment +10 ft. |
| 19 | Survival 19 ranks | Improved line shot |
Eagle Arrow (Ex): Declare the use of this secret technique before making your attack roll. Make a normal ranged attack. After you roll but before your GM announces whether the attack succeeds or fails, you may reroll your attack. You must use the second result, even if it is lower. You may reduce your attack bonus to further increase the damage. For every point that you subtract from your attack bonus, you add 3 points to the damage inflicted by a successful attack. Add your Wisdom and Dexterity modifiers together. You cannot subtract a number higher than this total. The penalty (and bonus) last until the start of your next turn. You can gain the normal benefits of Improved Vital Strike with this attack.
Falcon Arrow (Ex): Declare the use of this ability before making your attack roll. Make a normal ranged attack. You may reduce your attack bonus to further increase the damage. For every point that you subtract from your attack bonus, you add 3 points to the damage inflicted by a successful attack. You cannot subtract a number higher than your Dexterity bonus. The penalty (and bonus) last until the start of your next turn. You can gain the normal benefits of Vital Strike with this attack.
Improved Line Shot (Ex): Your line shots no longer have to originate in the square adjacent to you, and they no longer affect allies (unless you want them to). All targets must be within the range of your bow.
Increase Range Increment (Ex): Each time you gain this secret technique, the range increment of any bow in your hands increases by +10 ft. These increases stack. If you learn all three secret techniques, your range increment increases by +30 feet.
Line Shot (Ex): You shoot through multiple characters. Your arrows affect all targets in a line of the indicated length (allies and enemies) when you make a ranged attack. The line must begin in a square adjacent to you. This ranged attack does not provoke attacks of opportunity.
Watch for more schools in upcoming weeks!
I’m basically in love with the idea of Archery Styles. Archery gets too little flavor love as it is, and giving archers more options is something I can definitely get behind. Furthermore, this mechanic is well designed and seems very well balanced.
I’m interested in seeing where the idea of other sorts of styles might take us as well. Casting Styles? Shield Styles? etc etc
Oooh. Shield styles is way overdue.
Yeah, shields… how many times have we seen someone coup d’gras with a kite shield’s edge?
It should happen more. Also, disarm with shields, throw shields, and maybe reflect attacks, and prevent flanking by proper use of shields. They are way more effective than the game rules credit.
I swear there is a kobold hiding in my closet, because both of theses articles have been posted with uncanny timing. The first just as I began to create a rog/ftr sniper type character, and this one the day one of my players decides to make an archer that is all about making one perfect shot. Awesome and thank you!
I’d also like to cast my vote for shields next. I’ve always wanted to make a character that dual-wields shields and specializes in shield-bash attacks.
I personally like the “destroy a shield” option I’ve read about, where you can let your shield be sundered to negate a critical or a death blow.
It needs a little tweaking to avoid someone with a haversack full of shields, but yes….right, so I should write that query, huh?
You should definitely write that query. This weekend. Before someone else beats you to it.
Shields…reminds me that I did a series of shield spells for Relics & Rituals: Excalibur. Someone who is querying a shields article might want to check to see if any of those could be repurposed for PF through the OGL.
I just stumbled onto this article, glad there was a pointer back to the first one – I love this idea, and I 9th the idea for shields too!!