Eldritch Archer Game Mechanics

[dpbrown777]

I've played several hundred hours of this game. Most of the main casters including wizard, witch, shaman, sorcerer, cleric. I've played most of the martial types too, rogue, fighter, monk, and others too. Not barbarian though, or others that depend on rage. I've tried but, don't care for the game mechanic. I've completed most of the mythic paths including angel, demon, azata, legendary, and others. Currently on Gold Dragon.

In any case, I wanted to try Eldritch Archer (Magus). I've chosen the ranged spells to go with using a longbow.

I'm currently level 6. I have STR 10, DEX 19, CON 10, INT 16, WIS 10, and CHR 10. I'm trying to use scorching ray as my spell, in connection with the bow. I have Spell Combat and Spell Strike both active. I've tried activating the different Arcane Weapon modes too like Flaming Burst.

The problem is that this archer constantly misfires. It'll be her turn, she's in range, and neither the spell nor the bow fires. It's like she dropped her arrow or bow, or something. It seems to be at least a 25% misfire rate, give or take. She's not missing a target, she just drops here bow, or whatever.

What am I missing? Should something be on,, that's off? Or, vice versa? I usually have arcane accuracy or arcane enhancement at the start of any given round.

[Chronocide]

Originally posted by dpbrown777:

I've played several hundred hours of this game. Most of the main casters including wizard, witch, shaman, sorcerer, cleric. I've played most of the martial types too, rogue, fighter, monk, and others too. Not barbarian though, or others that depend on rage. I've tried but, don't care for the game mechanic. I've completed most of the mythic paths including angel, demon, azata, legendary, and others. Currently on Gold Dragon.

In any case, I wanted to try Eldritch Archer (Magus). I've chosen the ranged spells to go with using a longbow.

I'm currently level 6. I have STR 10, DEX 19, CON 10, INT 16, WIS 10, and CHR 10. I'm trying to use scorching ray as my spell, in connection with the bow. I have Spell Combat and Spell Strike both active. I've tried activating the different Arcane Weapon modes too like Flaming Burst.

The problem is that this archer constantly misfires. It'll be her turn, she's in range, and neither the spell nor the bow fires. It's like she dropped her arrow or bow, or something. It seems to be at least a 25% misfire rate, give or take. She's not missing a target, she just drops here bow, or whatever.

What am I missing? Should something be on,, that's off? Or, vice versa? I usually have arcane accuracy or arcane enhancement at the start of any given round.

Are you wearing armor while you cast your spells?

[dpbrown777]

Yes. It allows me to wear light armor. When I check the Spell Failure Chance, it is zero. But, I'll remove the armor and retest.
I removed all types of armor, bracers, haramaki, necklace, gloves, rings, etc. I still had the problem.

[Chronocide]

Originally posted by dpbrown777:

Yes. It allows me to wear light armor. When I check the Spell Failure Chance, it is zero. But, I'll remove the armor and retest.

I know, kinda a sarcastic sounding answer, but definitely the first thing to ask (like making sure the PC is plugged in when tech supporting the PC).

Still can't figure out why it would be called "Misfire" in game. Is that your term, or what the game is calling it? Pathfinder firearms should have misfire, but not bows.

Are you casting the spell while threatened by the enemy (or otherwise in a situation that would need a concentration check)? That might be a "miscast" but not a misfire...

Hmm...oh, maybe it calls it a misfire if the spell is cast but the bow misses the target?

Let's see, low level, you newish to the game? Any chance you are shooting at a target that is in melee range (of a friendly creature) and you didn't take the "precise shot" feat? That one is pretty mandatory at low levels. There's a -4 penalty to hit things in melee, which at low levels is pretty substantial. The feat negates the penalty.

Side note, so the ranged spell combat thing....so the advantage of ranged spell combat is being able to shoot within your regular shooting, but the downside is that the spell changes from ranged touch attack to ranged attack. Most things have lower touch AC than they have regular AC.

So at 6th level, ranged spell combat from your class might not be worth it, especially if the spell is already a ranged spell. At least I'm pretty sure that's how ranged spell combat works.

PS: I don't mean to treat you like a child, but I've never played this class and I, like you, can't figure out why it would be failing.

EDIT: Hmm...also says that ranged spell combat doesn't use the range of the bow for ranged spell combat, but the range of the spell. Are you in range for the spell?

[dpbrown777]

Originally posted by dpbrown777:

Yes. It allows me to wear light armor. When I check the Spell Failure Chance, it is zero. But, I'll remove the armor and retest.
I removed all types of armor, bracers, haramaki, necklace, gloves, rings, etc. I still had the problem.

Oh, "misfire" is my term entirely. Trademarked and everything. I can tell when a spell fails because of the sound it makes. It's also written into the log. These misfires are not ever written into the log, and there is no sound. I just got to level 7, with the magus feat Arcane Armour - Medium. Tested it again in Leper's Smile. With and without armor, with and without bracers, gloves, etc. Practically naked. No buffs either like mage armor or shield of faith. It was failing maybe 20% of the time, give or take.

Your comment about the class using the range of the spell versus the bow is interesting. Still, if you try to cast a spell and you're not close enough, you end up walking to the appropriate range and casting. I also have the Point-Blank feat, meaning she advances to within 30 feet to shoot her bow. I could try respeccing and remove that feat? Seems odd to not need that with an archer.

[canuck250]

Can you take a screen shot of your combat log? Activate turn based combat, shoot from outside of combat, then if the "misfire" happens, take a pic and post it.

Another staple "have you restarted your pc" question is: are you running any mods?

[Chronocide]

Originally posted by dpbrown777:

Your comment about the class using the range of the spell versus the bow is interesting. Still, if you try to cast a spell and you're not close enough, you end up walking to the appropriate range and casting. I also have the Point-Blank feat, meaning she advances to within 30 feet to shoot her bow. I could try respeccing and remove that feat? Seems odd to not need that with an archer.

I think if you hold shift, you don't move then cast. You just won't be able to shoot at things outside your range. Dunno, I do the game turn based.

Point blank...so point blank is a prerequisite for precise shot, so you should have that feat if only for the prerequisite, but I often turn off point blank because it causes you to have to be too close to take advantage of the longbow.

Originally posted by dpbrown777:

Oh, "misfire" is my term entirely. Trademarked and everything. I can tell when a spell fails because of the sound it makes. It's also written into the log. These misfires are not ever written into the log, and there is no sound. I just got to level 7, with the magus feat Arcane Armour - Medium. Tested it again in Leper's Smile. With and without armor, with and without bracers, gloves, etc. Practically naked. No buffs either like mage armor or shield of faith. It was failing maybe 20% of the time, give or take.

Hmm...the spell is making noise as if it fails, but not logging the action.

Does the spell get used up when it "misfires"? Or does it simply not cast?

It could be that your target isn't in line of sight or something else that makes it ineligible, and that in the turn based, it would just be a sound effect but not actually waste any actions.

Try switching to turn based mode and see if it's actually using actions/spells, or if it's just a sound effect that wastes time in non-turn based mode.

[dpbrown777]

I think I finally figured it out. The Rapid Shot feat I took has a -2 penalty to attack. So, I was missing. I turned it off, and am hitting much more often.