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Can someone who's played an Archer through to the end of ToB tell me how they handle that late in the game?

Archers ROCK in BG1 (well, all missile weapons rock in BG1), and the class seems alright in BG2, but I wonder.

It seems that their special abilities really aren't that powerful, and don't seem to improve much. The +1 to hit for every three levels is nice, but it's offset by only getting up to 2 stars in bow (cause they're rangers).

I don't know. I like the Archer concept a lot, and missile weapons are great in the early levels, but I want to know how it handles in the later levels before I commit to the weeks of gaming to get there.

Archers get 5 points in bows...

Really? Wow, that makes excellent sense!

Tell me, have you actually played an archer kit all the way through BG2? I have, and was delighted with the results. His arrows were dishing out as much damage as my melee fighters, and with his super-low ThacO he never misses (in fact, most of the damage and kills in my party is done by my archer). The Called Shot abilities don't look fancy at first try (since the effects are under the hood), but think about it: whenever you whittle down your enemies attack ability, it's like boosting your AC. Alright, they may not be the gods many hold them to be, but they are indeed fantastic.

The only thing about the called shot is that the non-damage effects you're giving them aren't noticable. The majority of enemies can take 2 maybe 3 arrows so far. Now, big things like dragons and lord monkey, have just too much thac0 and strength for you to be doing anything noticeable.


Two questions I'm asking.

1- Can someone verify that the Gesen Bow is +4 ? I always thought it's +3.

2- Will the called shots effects go through even if the damage is blocked, by say weapon immunity or stoneskin ?

Not if you use the Tuigan bow. That can do 3 shots per round, which means I can get off at least six called shots before it expires. Six point penalty to Thac0 (plus that which is lost from strength), to saving throws, etc. Really, it works. I've turned some pretty tough enemy fighters into sissies with this.

Archers do rock. Unfortunately, as far as I know, there is still no fix for their attacks per round bug that limits them to 2.5 attacks per round with any bow. That makes them pretty much useless, as most of their benefits involve the speed at which they can lower thac0 and whatever else they affect. Also, arrows do not do that much damage but if you can hit with six of them before the enemy even gets to you, then it doesn't matter.

does the spell interupt work against liches and other major nasty spell casters?

Also, what happens when you reduce enemy thalco and the enemy is a spell caster? Does it affect its aim with direct action spells?

No, spells don't use the THacO system. It's a click and hit function basically.

About fighting Dragons as an archer.
They are not that hard to kill really once you reach 3mill+ exp. in ToB. Initially Dragons 'might' be difficult to kill, but they are a pushover in ToB.(due to the availability of 4+ arrows etc.)

One major drawback about Archers. They may fire out around 4 shots before the target reaches them, and when they do, your in for a +4 bonus for your enemies to hit you, so be Proficient in something OTHER than missle weapons.

P.S. @ Transdecent Two, you might wanna edit your signature dude. Its "Feel It Icy Breath" not "Touch".

Archers do rock. Unfortunately, as far as I know, there is still no fix for their attacks per round bug that limits them to 2.5 attacks per round with any bow. That makes them pretty much useless, as most of their benefits involve the speed at which they can lower thac0 and whatever else they affect. Also, arrows do not do that much damage but if you can hit with six of them before the enemy even gets to you, then it doesn't matter.

Whirlwind works at least, and in the hands of the ultra-low Thac0 archer it makes short work of any foe. Don't forget, additionally, that archers get bonuses to damage as they advance. My 17th level archer is averaging 16-18 points of damage per hit (sometimes 21, with 40ish on critcal hits), which is just as good as any melee blow. Barring their 4-point AC penalty (in which case a front-line tank is needed), archers are the best damn combatants around. The best armors for the archer is the Shadow Dragon armor or that Grandmaster Armor that has constant Haste ability, so they can still get a decent AC.

User Unfriendly: no, the Called Shot ability is almost useless against spellcasters (except for the bonus damage at level 16). Still, if the archer can manage a fast rate of fire, he can make life impossible for an unprotected spellcaster.