Sacred Arrow for Pathfinder RPG

by Randy
@coffeeswiller

Hello! I noticed that we were neglecting pen-and-paper roleplaying for a while, so I decided that I would share a bit of custom content I made for my favorite roleplaying game, Pathfinder. The Pathfinder Roleplaying Game is the successor to Dungeons & Dragons version 3.5. One of the very first prestige classes in D&D 3rd Edition, the Arcane Archer has stood the test of time. It's an excellent concept: an elf fighting tradition that fuses arcane magic and archery.

So what I have done is I took the Pathfinder version of the classes and modified it to combine divine magic and archery... why should the arcanists get all the love? I think that this is an overdue concept! I have reworked abilities to focus on combating enemies of the faith, including abilites primarily good against undead and outsiders. So... here it is! Enjoy!

Sacred Arrow

Elves or half-elves who seek to perfect the use of the bow in service to their deity sometimes pursue the path of the Sacred Arrow. Sacred Arrows are masters of ranged combat, as they possess the ability to strike at targets with unerring accuracy and can imbue their arrows with powerful spells. Arrows fired by Sacred Arrows smite the enemies of their faiths. At the height of their power, Sacred Arrows can also deliver the blessings of their deities via their arrows, as well.

Those who have trained as both rangers and clerics excel as Sacred Arrows, although other multiclass combinations are not unheard of. Sacred Arrows may be found wherever elves travel, but not all are allies of the elves. Many, particularly half-elven Sacred Arrows, use elven traditions solely for their own gain, or worse, against the elves whose very traditions they adhere to.

Role: Sacred Arrows deal death from afar, winnowing down opponents while their allies rush into hand-to-hand combat. With their capacity to unleash hails of arrows on the enemy, they represent the pinnacle of ranged combat.

Alignment: Sacred Arrows can be of any alignment, though as elves and half-elves tend to be free-spirited, they are rarely lawful. Similarly, it is uncommon to find evil elves and half-elves, and the path of the Sacred Arrow is therefore more often pursued by good or neutral characters.

Hit Die: d10.

Requirements

To qualify to become a Sacred Arrow, a character must fulfill all the following criteria.

Race: Elf or half-elf (Note: many think this requirement is unnecessary!)

Base Attack Bonus: +6.

Feats: Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot, Weapon Focus (longbow or shortbow).

Spells: Ability to cast 1st-level divine spells.

Class Skills

The Sacred Arrow's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Knowledge (Religion), Knowledge (The Planes), Perception (Wis), Stealth (Dex), and Survival (Wis).

Skill Ranks at Each Level: 4 + Int modifier.

Table: Sacred Arrow
Level	Base Attack Bonus	Fort Save	Ref Save	Will Save	Special	Spells per Day
1st	+1	+0	+1	+1	Enhance arrows (magic)	—
2nd	+2	+0	+1	+1	Align arrow	+1 level of existing class
3rd	+3	+1	+2	+2	Enhance arrows (righteousness and retribution)	+1 level of existing class
4th	+4	+1	+2	+2	Seeker arrow	+1 level of existing class
5th	+5	+2	+3	+3	Enhance arrows (distance)	—
6th	+6	+2	+3	+3	Disruption arrow	+1 level of existing class
7th	+7	+2	+4	+4	Enhance arrows (elemental burst)	+1 level of existing class
8th	+8	+3	+4	+4	Hail of arrows	+1 level of existing class
9th	+9	+3	+5	+5	Enhance arrows (aligned)	—
10th	+10	+3	+5	+5	Arrow of life	+1 level of existing class

Class Features

All of the following are class features of the Sacred Arrow prestige class.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A Sacred Arrow is proficient with all simple and martial weapons, light armor, medium armor, and shields.

Spells per Day: At the indicated levels, a Sacred Arrow gains new spells per day as if he had also gained a level in an divine spellcasting class he belonged to before adding the prestige class. He does not, however, gain other benefits a character of that class would have gained, except for additional spells per day, spells known (if he is a spontaneous spellcaster), and an increased effective level of spellcasting. If a character had more than one divine spellcasting class before becoming a Sacred Arrow, he must decide to which class he adds the new level for purposes of determining spells per day.

Enhance Arrows (Su): At 1st level, every nonmagical arrow a Sacred Arrow nocks and lets fly becomes magical, gaining a +1 enhancement bonus. Unlike magic weapons created by normal means, the archer need not spend gold pieces to accomplish this task. However, an archer's magic arrows only function for him.

In addition, the Sacred Arrow's arrows gain a number of additional qualities as he gains additional levels. The elemental, elemental burst, and aligned qualities can be changed once per day, when the Sacred Arrow prays for spells.

At 3rd level, every nonmagical arrow fired by a Sacred Arrow gains one of the following weapon qualities: Merciful, Ghost Touch, Undead Bane, (Aligned) Outsider Bane (chosen alignment must not be either component of patron deity’s alignment)

At 5th level, every nonmagical arrow fired by a Sacred Arrow gains the distance weapon quality.

At 7th level, every nonmagical arrow fired by a Sacred Arrow may gain one of the following elemental burst weapon qualities: flaming burst, icy burst, or shocking burst  instead of one of the qualities in the Enhance Arrows (Righteousness and Retribution).

At 9th level, every nonmagical arrow fired by a Sacred Arrow gains one of the following aligned weapon qualities: anarchic, axiomatic, holy, or unholy. The Sacred Arrow cannot choose an ability that is the opposite of his alignment, or the alignment of his patron deity (for example, a lawful good Sacred Arrow could not choose anarchic or unholy as his weapon quality).

The bonuses granted by a magic bow apply as normal to arrows that have been enhanced with this ability. Only the larger enhancement bonus applies. Duplicate abilities do not stack.

Align Arrow (Sp): Starting at 2^nd level, every nonmagical arrow fired by a Sacred Arrow is aligned, as per the spell Align Weapon. For the purpose of overcoming damage reduction, the arrow is treated as Good/Evil/Lawful/Chaotic (only one). The Sacred Arrow may not choose an alignment opposite his own, or of his patron deity. Therefore, a Lawful Neutral Sacred Arrow of a Lawful Good deity could not choose Evil, for instance.

Seeker Arrow (Sp): At 4th level, a Sacred Arrow can launch an arrow at a target known to him within range, and the arrow travels to the target, even around corners. Only an unavoidable obstacle or the limit of the arrow's range prevents the arrow's flight. This ability negates cover and concealment modifiers, but otherwise the attack is rolled normally. Using this ability is a standard action (and shooting the arrow is part of the action). A Sacred Arrow can use this ability once per day at 4th level, and one additional time per day for every two levels beyond 4th, to a maximum of four times per day at 10th level.

Disruption Arrow (Sp): At 6th level, a Sacred Arrow can launch an arrow once per day at an undead target, granting it the disruption  quality, except that the Save DC is 10 + half the Sacred Arrow’s class level + the Sacred Arrows Wisdom modifier. Using this ability is a standard action (and shooting the arrow is part of the action). A Sacred Arrow can use this ability once per day at 6th level, and one additional time per day for every two levels beyond 6th, to a maximum of three times per day at 10th level.

Hail of Arrows (Sp): In lieu of his regular attacks, once per day a Sacred Arrow of 8th level or higher can fire an arrow at each and every target within range, to a maximum of one target for every Sacred Arrow level she has earned. Each attack uses the archer's primary attack bonus, and each enemy may only be targeted by a single arrow.

Arrow of Life (Sp): At 10^th level, once per day the Sacred Arrow may fire an arrow at a target as a touch attack. If it hits, the arrow itself does no damage but instead acts as a Heal spell cast at the Sacred Arrow’s effective caster level. As with a normal Heal spell, this may be used as a Harm spell against undead.

So... I hope you liked it! This is one example of how you can tweak existing content to give you new and interesting options. This could be a great advancement option for a Cleric or Inquisitor focused on archery, or perhaps a Paladin with the new Divine Hunter archetype from Ultimate Combat. Lots of possibilities!