Nine-tail (to be) Archer
The kitsune race has an interesting racial feat, Magical
Tail, that adds an additional tail each time it's taken up to a total of nine tails. The hard part of getting all eight feats stacked in and the impact it has on feat economy. While they add some interesting spells to the mix, eight feats is a lot to impact some classes and their functionality.
A few months back another blog did an awesome build that I confess that I took more than a little inspiration from. The build was DEFINITELY an influence. After all I'm using the same basic idea, a bow based fighter. So it would be extremely remiss NOT to credit them. (
Know Direction) Not to mention they put out AWESOME advice and builds. Check them out. The blogs are awesome, the podcasts are informative. I look on them as a guide post on how to learn to write.
Back to the build. There are a few differences in my build and theirs. I went for pure PFS legal 9 tail, though I wish that Sniper's Lantern was legal (cause.. DAMN.. it would be PERFECT for a Kitsune archer. Hunter's Mark out of World of Warcraft)
Few notes: Like Alex Augunas' build, I went with fighter (archer) but I cut back to strictly to one class. It's hard for me to spread feats and sacrifice extra stats as well. Favored class will be alternating between hit points and skill points.
Things to get on the way. Kitsune Gems. A few of the first and second level gems, and maybe one or two of the third level gems and you got some awesome tricks going down. Disguise Self, Dancing Lights, Misdirection are all useful; Invisibility and Displacement AWESOMELY useful for an archer. Charm Person, Dominate Person and Confusion are very helpful in the right mix of PCs. A penalty to Will saves and that makes for an awesome combination but given the lack of ability boosting to DC only a weak will save or a lucky failure on the target's behalf. Armor wise a nice suit of mithril agile breastplate and buckler (for when you're not flurrying arrows at your foe); a dagger or rapier for melee (possibly with agile on it) for those moments when the bad guy gets to close.
LOTS of Arrows. LOTS of them. Keep a track of what is offered on your chronicle sheets. A few bane arrows here, a few burst damage types there, and such. Durable arrows of specific materials will help keep costs down in the long run (barring damaging critters like fire elementals) Tinkering with the skill load out to get Use Magic Devices might be useful, particularly if you get Wand key ring (ARG) for those few spells you might favor, such as Gravity Bow and Abundant Ammunition, could be useful. Given my outlook on fighters, a cloak of resistance is a must for those abyssal will saves (along with a possible wisdom/charisma headband) and some flavor of strength boosting belt is a must to hedge up damage a bit more.
Lastly, and most importantly, comes the composite longbow that is the key to the whole build. There is the hinge of it. You could go all pluses to maximize damage, add just pluses in, or you could top up on things like bane (for specific groups..human bane is a good standy) or utility like limming, distance or such. More personal choice than anything else. There is one bow of note, a +1 keen bow, in a certain
Demanding super-module; one that can be upgraded.
Build Notes: Favored Class Bonus: Built on +1 skill, then +1 HP. All the way to 15th. Options such as switching out one or two feats at the right time for other racial feats like: Fox Shape, Realistic Likeness, Swift Kitsune Shapechanger and Vulpine Pounce. Other options could be built around a kitsune who can as a swift action shapeshift. (More suitable to a rogue I'm guessing .)
1st level
Kitsune fighter 1 (Pathfinder RPG Advanced Race Guide 192)
NG Medium humanoid (kitsune, shapechanger)
Init +3; Senses low-light vision; Perception +1
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Defense
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AC 15, touch 11, flat-footed 14 (+3 armor, +1 Dex, +1 shield)
hp 12 (1d10+2)
Fort +4, Ref +3, Will +0
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Offense
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Speed 30 ft. (20 ft. in armor)
Melee shortsword +1 (1d6/19-20) or
bite -4 (1d4)
Ranged longbow +4 (1d8/×3)
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 1st; concentration +3)
3/day—dancing lights
2/day—disguise self
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Statistics
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Str 10, Dex 17, Con 14, Int 13, Wis 11, Cha 14
Base Atk +1; CMB +1; CMD 14
Feats Magical Tail[ARG], Point-blank Shot
Traits deadeye bowman, killer
Skills Acrobatics +0 (-4 to jump), Craft (bows) +5, Perception +1, Survival +4; Racial Modifiers +2 Acrobatics
Languages Common, Kelish, Sylvan
SQ change shape, kitsune magic
Other Gear studded leather, buckler, arrows (20), longbow, shortsword, backpack, bedroll, belt pouch, flint and steel, hemp rope (50 ft.), mess kit, pot, soap, torch (10), trail rations (5), waterskin, 25 gp
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Special Abilities
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Change Shape (Su) Assume a single human form.
Deadeye Bowman When using a longbow, your target is denied the soft cover AC bonus from one creature.
Killer Add weapon's critical modifier to its critical bonus damage.
Low-Light Vision See twice as far as a human in low light, distinguishing color and detail.
Point-Blank Shot +1 to attack and damage rolls with ranged weapons at up to 30 feet.
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Things to consider: Items.. simple things. Light armor (cause you're a mobile ranged fighter and a long bow can be a big part of your budget), alchemical weapons (swarms), other types of arrows (durable arrows or simply 20 blunt arrows to go with the normal arrows). Your role in combat is to hit folks, which means you need to be flexible. Given your need to buy tails, you're down one vital archer feat (Precise shot) till next level. Thanks to dead eye bowman though you get the option to shoot through one person and they don't provide your foe with cover. (Just the -4 for shooting into melee). Start saving up for a composite long bow, possibly with a +1 to damage if you shuffle your stats around. (Adaptive will be your friend in the future though)
4th level
Kitsune fighter 4 (Pathfinder RPG Advanced Race Guide 192)
NG Medium humanoid (kitsune, shapechanger)
Init +4; Senses low-light vision; Perception +3
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Defense
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AC 15, touch 11, flat-footed 14 (+3 armor, +1 Dex, +1 shield)
hp 38 (4d10+10)
Fort +6, Ref +5, Will +1 (+1 vs. fear)
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Offense
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Speed 30 ft. (20 ft. in armor)
Melee shortsword +4 (1d6/19-20) or
bite -1 (1d4)
Ranged longbow +8 (1d8/×3)
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 4th; concentration +6)
3/day—dancing lights
2/day—charm person (DC 14), disguise self
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Statistics
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Str 10, Dex 18, Con 14, Int 13, Wis 11, Cha 14
Base Atk +4; CMB +4; CMD 18
Feats Magical Tail [ARG x2], Point-blank Shot, Precise Shot, Rapid Shot
Traits deadeye bowman, killer
Skills Acrobatics +3 (-1 to jump), Craft (bows) +6, Knowledge (dungeoneering) +5, Perception +3, Survival +4, Swim -2; Racial Modifiers +2 Acrobatics
Languages Common, Kelish, Sylvan
SQ armor training 1, change shape, kitsune magic
Other Gear studded leather, buckler, arrows (20), longbow, shortsword, backpack, bedroll, belt pouch, flint and steel, hemp rope (50 ft.), mess kit, pot, soap, torch (10), trail rations (5), waterskin, 25 gp
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Special Abilities
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Change Shape (Su) Assume a single human form.
Deadeye Bowman When using a longbow, your target is denied the soft cover AC bonus from one creature.
Killer Add weapon's critical modifier to its critical bonus damage.
Low-Light Vision See twice as far as a human in low light, distinguishing color and detail.
Point-Blank Shot +1 to attack and damage rolls with ranged weapons at up to 30 feet.
Precise Shot You don't get -4 to hit when shooting or throwing into melee.
Rapid Shot You get an extra attack with ranged weapons. Each attack is at -2.
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Things to consider: Now you got a couple tails, precise shot and at the least a MW Composite Longbow (Str+0). Depending on how you select your targets, Charm Person can be very helpful. Granted your DC isn't too good but who expects a fighter type to be able to scramble someone's mind? Possibly invest in a few Kitsune Gems, essentially pearls of power for the tail's magic powers, and stock up on as many arrows as you can from chronicle sheets. After all a sleeping or two might work, a +1 shocking or whatever arrow can be helpful. Now you're able to do rapid shot (giving you two pops at -2 to BAB) and throw out two arrows a round. Make sure you stock up a few potions such as the inevitable cure potions, protection from evil and such. A few 'trick arrows' like a couple raining arrows (holy water vs undead), and such.
7th level
Kitsune fighter 7 (Pathfinder RPG Advanced Race Guide 192)
NG Medium humanoid (kitsune, shapechanger)
Init +4; Senses low-light vision; Perception +7
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Defense
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AC 15, touch 11, flat-footed 14 (+3 armor, +1 Dex, +1 shield)
hp 63 (7d10+17)
Fort +7, Ref +6, Will +2 (+2 vs. fear)
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Offense
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Speed 30 ft. (20 ft. in armor)
Melee shortsword +7/+2 (1d6/19-20) or
bite +2 (1d4)
Ranged longbow +12/+7 (1d8+1/×3)
Special Attacks weapon training (bows +1)
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 7th; concentration +9)
3/day—dancing lights
2/day—charm person (DC 14), disguise self, invisibility, misdirection
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Statistics
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Str 10, Dex 18, Con 14, Int 13, Wis 11, Cha 14
Base Atk +7; CMB +7; CMD 21
Feats Deadly Aim, Magical Tail[ARG, x4], Point-blank Shot, Precise Shot, Rapid Shot
Traits deadeye bowman, killer
Skills Acrobatics +7 (+3 to jump), Climb -2, Craft (bows) +6, Diplomacy +3, Disguise +3, Knowledge (dungeoneering) +5, Linguistics +4, Perception +7, Survival +4, Swim -2; Racial Modifiers +2 Acrobatics
Languages Common, Kelish, Sylvan
SQ armor training 2, change shape, kitsune magic
Other Gear studded leather, buckler, arrows (20), longbow, shortsword, backpack, bedroll, belt pouch, flint and steel, hemp rope (50 ft.), mess kit, pot, soap, torch (10), trail rations (5), waterskin, 25 gp
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Special Abilities
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Change Shape (Su) Assume a single human form.
Deadeye Bowman When using a longbow, your target is denied the soft cover AC bonus from one creature.
Deadly Aim -2/+4 Trade a penalty to ranged attacks for a bonus to ranged damage.
Killer Add weapon's critical modifier to its critical bonus damage.
Low-Light Vision See twice as far as a human in low light, distinguishing color and detail.
Point-Blank Shot +1 to attack and damage rolls with ranged weapons at up to 30 feet.
Precise Shot You don't get -4 to hit when shooting or throwing into melee.
Rapid Shot You get an extra attack with ranged weapons. Each attack is at -2.
Weapon Training (Bows) +1 (Ex) +1 Attack, Damage, CMB, CMD with Bows
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Things to consider: Now you FIVE spell like abilites. Some are 'meh' or simply utility such as dancing lights; others are very useful in the right situation such as misdirection, disquise self, and charm person. Then there is the BIG special one, Invisibility, that has unbelievable usefulness. Bearing in mind to remember that it's not a 'fix all' for everything. You're creeping into the level where some creatures can see invisible at well. A few more kitsune gems for the levels you think you want, some medium armor (such as Agile Breastplate) with a few bonuses and a few 'essentials' like a +1 or so bow, a cloak of resistance (particularly to cover your weak will save) and such. Odds are you're on your second quiver, even with durable/salted arrows. (And a bundle in your haversack or bag of holding). Deadly aim and rapid shot means you're now rocking out 3 shots a around as a full action. With boots of speed, haste or other 'speed spells/items you'll be hitting 4/shots (3 @ full BAB-2). Deadly Aim starts to fill out that shortfall that a 10 strength even if you don't get a way to put it up such as a belt or ioun stone.
12th level
Kitsune fighter 12 (Pathfinder RPG Advanced Race Guide 192)
NG Medium humanoid (kitsune, shapechanger)
Init +5; Senses low-light vision; Perception +12
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Defense
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AC 15, touch 11, flat-footed 14 (+3 armor, +1 Dex, +1 shield)
hp 106 (12d10+30)
Fort +10, Ref +9, Will +4 (+3 vs. fear)
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Offense
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Speed 30 ft. (20 ft. in armor)
Melee shortsword +13/+8/+3 (1d6+1/19-20) or
bite +7 (1d4)
Ranged longbow +19/+14/+9 (1d8+2/×3)
Special Attacks weapon trainings (bows +2, light blades +1)
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 12th; concentration +14)
3/day—dancing lights
2/day—charm person (DC 14), disguise self, displacement, invisibility, misdirection, suggestion (DC 16)
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Statistics
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Str 10, Dex 20, Con 14, Int 13, Wis 11, Cha 14
Base Atk +12; CMB +12; CMD 27
Feats Clustered Shots[UC], Deadly Aim, Improved Precise Shot, Magical Tail[ARGx 6], Manyshot, Point-blank Shot, Precise Shot, Rapid Shot
Traits deadeye bowman, killer
Skills Acrobatics +13 (+9 to jump), Climb -2, Craft (bows) +6, Diplomacy +3, Disguise +3, Knowledge (arcana) +2, Knowledge (dungeoneering) +5, Linguistics +10, Perception +12, Survival +4, Swim -2; Racial Modifiers +2 Acrobatics
Languages Common, Kelish, Sylvan
SQ armor training 3, change shape, kitsune magic
Other Gear studded leather, buckler, arrows (20), longbow, shortsword, backpack, bedroll, belt pouch, flint and steel, hemp rope (50 ft.), mess kit, pot, soap, torch (10), trail rations (5), waterskin, 25 gp
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Special Abilities
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Change Shape (Su) Assume a single human form.
Clustered Shots Total damage from full-round ranged attacks before applying DR
Deadeye Bowman When using a longbow, your target is denied the soft cover AC bonus from one creature.
Deadly Aim -4/+8 Trade a penalty to ranged attacks for a bonus to ranged damage.
Improved Precise Shot Ignore AC bonuses and miss chance from anything less than total cover/concealment.
Killer Add weapon's critical modifier to its critical bonus damage.
Low-Light Vision See twice as far as a human in low light, distinguishing color and detail.
Manyshot You can shoot two arrows as the first attack of a full attack action.
Point-Blank Shot +1 to attack and damage rolls with ranged weapons at up to 30 feet.
Precise Shot You don't get -4 to hit when shooting or throwing into melee.
Rapid Shot You get an extra attack with ranged weapons. Each attack is at -2.
Weapon Training (Blades, Light) +1 (Ex) +1 Attack, Damage, CMB, CMD with Light Blades
Weapon Training (Bows) +2 (Ex) +2 Attack, Damage, CMB, CMD with Bows
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Things to consider: Now you got another spell that is awesome for a ranged fighter, displacement; it's like having cover pretty much all the time. 50% cover bonus is nothing to sneeze at, even if it's just for 12 rounds/ twice a day. You cannot belive how much that can mitagate some things. Ranged touch spells don't kill if they don't hit. Your collection of magic arrows by this point should be impressive with the right chronicles, your quiver(s) will pretty much be always full. If you make friends with someone, spells like gravity bow and abundant ammunition are awesome, particularly given your (up to) six arrows a round on a normal full attack. Manyshot, rapid shot, and clustered shot makes for a nasty full round combo that means you don't have to stress the DR factor AS much as most. 40+ damage all piled in on one shot. (for considering DR anway). With Improved Precise Shot you don't have to stress anything less than full cover. Add in suggestion to your spell pool, and you can do sneaky things like convincing the weak willed NPC to help out or forget that they were asked about this or that.
15th level (9 tails)
Kitsune fighter 15 (Pathfinder RPG Advanced Race Guide 192)
NG Medium humanoid (kitsune, shapechanger)
Init +5; Senses low-light vision; Perception +13
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Defense
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AC 15, touch 11, flat-footed 14 (+3 armor, +1 Dex, +1 shield)
hp 132 (15d10+38)
Fort +11, Ref +10, Will +5 (+4 vs. fear)
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Offense
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Speed 30 ft. (20 ft. in armor)
Melee shortsword +17/+12/+7 (1d6+2/19-20) or
bite +11 (1d4+1)
Ranged longbow +19/+19/+14/+9 (1d8+12/×3)
Special Attacks weapon trainings (bows +3, light blades +2, natural +1)
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 15th; concentration +17)
3/day—dancing lights
2/day—charm person (DC 14), confusion (DC 17), disguise self, displacement, dominate person (DC 17), invisibility, misdirection, suggestion (DC 16)
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Statistics
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Str 10, Dex 20, Con 14, Int 13, Wis 11, Cha 14
Base Atk +15; CMB +15; CMD 30
Feats Clustered Shots[UC], Deadly Aim, Improved Precise Shot, Magical Tail[ARG x8], Manyshot, Point-blank Shot, Precise Shot, Rapid Shot, Weapon Focus (longbow)
Traits deadeye bowman, killer
Skills Acrobatics +14 (+10 to jump), Climb -2, Craft (bows) +8, Diplomacy +7, Disguise +3, Knowledge (arcana) +2, Knowledge (dungeoneering) +5, Linguistics +12, Perception +13, Survival +4, Swim -2; Racial Modifiers +2 Acrobatics
Languages Common, Kelish, Sylvan
SQ armor training 4, change shape, kitsune magic
Other Gear studded leather, buckler, arrows (20), longbow, shortsword, backpack, bedroll, belt pouch, flint and steel, hemp rope (50 ft.), mess kit, pot, soap, torch (10), trail rations (5), waterskin, 25 gp
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Special Abilities
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Change Shape (Su) Assume a single human form.
Clustered Shots Total damage from full-round ranged attacks before applying DR
Deadeye Bowman When using a longbow, your target is denied the soft cover AC bonus from one creature.
Deadly Aim -4/+8 Trade a penalty to ranged attacks for a bonus to ranged damage.
Improved Precise Shot Ignore AC bonuses and miss chance from anything less than total cover/concealment.
Killer Add weapon's critical modifier to its critical bonus damage.
Low-Light Vision See twice as far as a human in low light, distinguishing color and detail.
Manyshot You can shoot two arrows as the first attack of a full attack action.
Point-Blank Shot +1 to attack and damage rolls with ranged weapons at up to 30 feet.
Precise Shot You don't get -4 to hit when shooting or throwing into melee.
Rapid Shot You get an extra attack with ranged weapons. Each attack is at -2.
Weapon Training (Blades, Light) +2 (Ex) +2 Attack, Damage, CMB, CMD with Light Blades
Weapon Training (Bows) +3 (Ex) +3 Attack, Damage, CMB, CMD with Bows
Weapon Training (Natural) +1 (Ex) +1 Attack, Damage, CMB, CMD with Natural weapons
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Things to consider: You've got all 9 tails now, adding Confusion and Dominate person to your collection of spells. Granted with a high teens DC (barring buffs), you'll rely on your debuffing bard/witch/wizard/cleric ect to soften up the big guys for you. Still confusion can make a nasty encounter into a 'quit hitting yourself' fight. Which is always fun when you're not on the receiving end of it. A few more pops to your cloak of resistance, so you don't riddle your party with arrows; and a few more points to your bow (possibly adding a bane, or something utility-like such as limming) and topping off your collection of magic arrows (possibly trading folks for a custom order boon to buy small sets of a specific arrow, cause sets of 10 are way cheaper than sets of 50). Armor training means you can run your full 30 in heavy armor; so you can trade in your agile breast plate for heavy plate if you want. Something to consider if you've gone with a strength bonus of some sort (such as a belt of physical perfection +2/4 if you're willing to spend the coin). A headband of charisma +4/6 might work for you if you are getting good use out of your innate spells; though I don't think it's cost effective. Make sure your buckler has kept up with your armor, cause you're going to get attacked before you can unlimber your bow; additionally you'll want to make sure that your melee weapon has kept up as well.. cause, when you turn the other sides powerhouse into an arrow-riddled corpse, the smart ones will attack you. You're a ranged fighter, but the vital word is FIGHTER, and you can put a light weapon (possibly agile) to awesome use as a backup weapon for when the bad guys come to you. Depending on your feat spread, you can even just focus on the bow, both in and out of melee, with feats like snap shot by swapping out things like multishot, cluster shot and a few others for the snap shot chain; add in combat reflexes and the ability to do AoOs out to 15 feet from you can truly impressive. Not to mention the required weapon focus adds another plus to your to hit. Figure (conservatively) a 22 to 24 dex means you'll have MANY AoOs.
