Arcane Archers
Posted: Sun Mar 03, 2013 7:20 pm
Arcane Archer
Whereas the Weapon master seeks perfection with a melee weapon, Arcane Archers seek perfection with the Bows or Crossbows. The path toward being an arcane archer is only open to Drow and Elves and halfbreeds of both races. It is readily apparent outside of Elven societies that the Arcane Archers infuse intense lessons in magic with their archery but precious little of their training and methods is known. The magic focuses the archer and imbues them with raw power.
It is unclear in the history whether the Drow and the Elves share a common ancestor and split after coming through the rift or if they entered the rift and began their own societies separately. Regardless of how the societies split, their ability with the bow are exactly identical. The selection, career path, and training are likely vastly different the end result is the same: a Thaumaturge's with great ability to empower their arrows beyond the ability of any normal being.
The Great Drow Academy refers to its graduates as the "Olath Uuuniloh D'aron" which roughly translates as "Dark Archer Knight." They are the feared distance killers of the underdark. Most of Drow society exists on stealth and remaining hidden. It is said, the Olath Uuniloh D'aron" don't bother hiding as they can kill from such immense distances their prey don't have the ability to see them. Drow society grooms their candidates almost from birth. Any Drow toddler that shows any natural talent for archery and magic is pulled away from his parents for immediate institutional training. Being chosen for training is considered one of the highest honors in Drow society. There are no known cases of an Olath Uuniloh D'aron being trained anywhere outside of the academy. It should be noted, half-breed Drow are never selected for training regardless of their talent or ability.
The Elves of Darkwoods established their own academy centuries ago and named it Tyymeana or "Hearts Purity.". It is centered on the largest tree in Darkwoods and spreads through the canopy of the surrounding trees. The academy will take petitions from any Elves and Half-Elves, but only those of verifiable pure heart and mind are chosen from the applicant pool. The school refers to its graduates as the "Protectors of the Wood." The title is steeped in tradition and does not reflect the purview of the graduates today. The initial classes were limited to only those elves that guarded the woods from threats. As the reputation of the Protectors grew so did the applicant pool. The demand for training eventually became so high, a second archery academy was founded in the city of Eldalonde named Amercce Amil or "Willows Way." Ammerce Amil provides instruction in all aspects of archery including meditative or "zen" marksmanship, and conventional archery. Despite being only a few hundred years newer than Tyymeana, it is seen as an "upstart" academy by the instructors and students of Tyymeana. The acceptance criteria for Tyymeana is also much more stringent in Tyymeana, and they very rarely admit any Halfelves.
Their do exist those heavily trained Arcane Archers that will take on protoges for whatever reason, but it is extremely rare.
The Elves of Darkwood hold an archery contest every decade. It is open to all archers regardless of Kingdom affiliation or race, but it is always won by an Arcane Archer trained in one of the two academies. The two schools keep very careful track of who from which school won the event and it is a source of great pride that graduates of Amercce Amil have begun to approach a 50/50 split with their rival for victories.
Stats
Hit Die: d8
Skill Points at Each Level: 4 + Int modifier.
Proficiencies: All simple and martial weapons, light and medium armor, and shields.
Base Attack Bonus: Full
Primary Saves: Fortitude, Reflex
Requirements
Race: Elf of half-elf.
Base Attack Bonus: +6
Feats: Weapons Focus Longbow or Weapon Focus Shortbow, Point Blank Shot.
Spell Casting: Able to cast 1st-level arcane spells.
Whereas the Weapon master seeks perfection with a melee weapon, Arcane Archers seek perfection with the Bows or Crossbows. The path toward being an arcane archer is only open to Drow and Elves and halfbreeds of both races. It is readily apparent outside of Elven societies that the Arcane Archers infuse intense lessons in magic with their archery but precious little of their training and methods is known. The magic focuses the archer and imbues them with raw power.
It is unclear in the history whether the Drow and the Elves share a common ancestor and split after coming through the rift or if they entered the rift and began their own societies separately. Regardless of how the societies split, their ability with the bow are exactly identical. The selection, career path, and training are likely vastly different the end result is the same: a Thaumaturge's with great ability to empower their arrows beyond the ability of any normal being.
The Great Drow Academy refers to its graduates as the "Olath Uuuniloh D'aron" which roughly translates as "Dark Archer Knight." They are the feared distance killers of the underdark. Most of Drow society exists on stealth and remaining hidden. It is said, the Olath Uuniloh D'aron" don't bother hiding as they can kill from such immense distances their prey don't have the ability to see them. Drow society grooms their candidates almost from birth. Any Drow toddler that shows any natural talent for archery and magic is pulled away from his parents for immediate institutional training. Being chosen for training is considered one of the highest honors in Drow society. There are no known cases of an Olath Uuniloh D'aron being trained anywhere outside of the academy. It should be noted, half-breed Drow are never selected for training regardless of their talent or ability.
The Elves of Darkwoods established their own academy centuries ago and named it Tyymeana or "Hearts Purity.". It is centered on the largest tree in Darkwoods and spreads through the canopy of the surrounding trees. The academy will take petitions from any Elves and Half-Elves, but only those of verifiable pure heart and mind are chosen from the applicant pool. The school refers to its graduates as the "Protectors of the Wood." The title is steeped in tradition and does not reflect the purview of the graduates today. The initial classes were limited to only those elves that guarded the woods from threats. As the reputation of the Protectors grew so did the applicant pool. The demand for training eventually became so high, a second archery academy was founded in the city of Eldalonde named Amercce Amil or "Willows Way." Ammerce Amil provides instruction in all aspects of archery including meditative or "zen" marksmanship, and conventional archery. Despite being only a few hundred years newer than Tyymeana, it is seen as an "upstart" academy by the instructors and students of Tyymeana. The acceptance criteria for Tyymeana is also much more stringent in Tyymeana, and they very rarely admit any Halfelves.
Their do exist those heavily trained Arcane Archers that will take on protoges for whatever reason, but it is extremely rare.
The Elves of Darkwood hold an archery contest every decade. It is open to all archers regardless of Kingdom affiliation or race, but it is always won by an Arcane Archer trained in one of the two academies. The two schools keep very careful track of who from which school won the event and it is a source of great pride that graduates of Amercce Amil have begun to approach a 50/50 split with their rival for victories.
Stats
Hit Die: d8
Skill Points at Each Level: 4 + Int modifier.
Proficiencies: All simple and martial weapons, light and medium armor, and shields.
Base Attack Bonus: Full
Primary Saves: Fortitude, Reflex
Requirements
Race: Elf of half-elf.
Base Attack Bonus: +6
Feats: Weapons Focus Longbow or Weapon Focus Shortbow, Point Blank Shot.
Spell Casting: Able to cast 1st-level arcane spells.