An Archer

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Melee damage is higher, but ranged damage is useful for hard to reach enemies and for finishing off smaller easier enemies without running up to each of them.

Problem with archers is that many enemies are immune to normal missiles, so you need to equip at least arrows +1 (or better) all the time, which just gets irritating.

 

Yes but there are plenty of magical arrows in BG2 so you should be fine with that.

At higher levels I don't think that the Archer can measure to melee characters in terms of damage but then again he's not supposed to; he's more of a support character than an actual sweeper. He's is handy for any party though and even though the damage is not that great it is still delivered and from a safe distance.

 

No, five is the highest you can get without being Improved Hasted (which Whirlwind and Greater Whirlwind do). Also, you no doubt had some item equipped that boosted your ApR, as without effects in play, you can only get to 4.5 ApR (2 bow + 1 thirteenth level + 1.5 GM). Gauntlets of Extraordinary Specialization would do it, as would the Boots of Speed unless you get the fix.

 

Yes it's true. But the bonus to damage from STR that gets the Archer from those arrows is what makes them so effective.
An improved hasted Archer with Tuigan bow and high STR can kill a Dragon from a safe distance in just 1 round

And a high level Archer with the bonus to damage from his kit and the higher number of Attacks/Round (Tuigan) can be even more effective than most of the melee classes, since he also attacks from distance and rarely misses (excellent THACO).

You can get that bonus to damage with every sling if you use magical bullets.The STR bonus applies to all of them.

 

Grand Mastery Fix changes the 1.5 ApR given in the core game to the book listed 2 full ApR If the cap in the game is indeed 5. That would mean an Archer is actually losing a full attack around with Tuigan if it doesn't just set your ApR to a flat 3.

2 bow +1 thirteenth level + 2GM Fix = 5

going bythese numbers if Tuigan would be

3 bow +1 thirteenth level +2GM Fix = 6 with a cap of 5 Tuigan would actually be a waste to use because you'd actually be losing an Attack even without the fixpack

3 bow +1 thirteenth level +1.5 GM = 5.5 ApR

on the other hand if it sets your attacks to a flat 3 then it would seem rather than losing out on attacks because it actually gives to many it would hold you back because you can actually do more attacks with other weapons.


I was a bit of a math wiz in another life so I can usally at least tell if numbers make sense.


by the way. Monks can achieve 5 ApR at high level with probably the highest maximum damage per hit when unarmed since ammount of damage was brought up a little (by me I think) with a base of:

1-20 + 12(24str) = 13-32dmg no equipment

They will as often as not get at least one hit first. The drawback is that they have the largest range of damage as well. 19 points.

I actually bring this up because while the damage is smaller. Part of the advantage of ranged weapons is actually consistancy of damage. They have a much smaller range than the big hitters that the melee people tend to rely on (many of which tend to be d10 or even a few d12 weapons).

This can be important at times because It can give you that confidence of just how well you will fair against an enemy because you have a better idea of what it will take you.

 

Nope. In the original game you get +0.5 ApR only from Specialization. Grandmastery doesn't grant any ApR.

With the fix instead Grandmastery grants an additional 1 ApR.

So Tuigan with the fix should give 5,5 ApR.But since they are capped you get only 5.

Still +0,5 ApR more than the other bows.

 

Without grand mastery Fix I was playing around just to check damage a bit with an Archer Kitted Ranger of level 16 just made in the start of ToB

The Ripper which is a long bow had 4 ApR. I was getting no extra attack from having GM in long bows. My Max damage was like 18 with the bonus from the bow and the kit and the arrow bonuses.

If that bow is giving me 4 without the GM fix that would mean that Tuigan.

I explain this because this is what I used to check my math but with a flaw.

I keep forgetting that boots of speed grants +0.5 attack.

So you are indeed right and that's why my math was off by the 0.5