Zen Bowmaster
A popular school of monastic training allows a Monk to train in the ways of the bow.
You could use a bow in two ways: As a sniper or go on offensive attacks for crowd control and thinning mobs very quickly.
The Zen Archer is the high-defense sniper. This build, the Zen Bowmaster, is also an Elf for Dexterity-to-Damage with the bow.
The Bowmaster heavily leverages changes in the Arcane Archer tree's DCs for paralysis, smiting and other imbues by maximizing WIS to incredible levels that few, if any classes can manage. As the Zen Archery feat uses the WIS modifier as the to-hit when WIS is higher than DEX, the Zen Bowmaster has a very high attack effectiveness.
This build differs from the Zen Archer in that it requires far more AP and levels to grow, uses fewer Monk enhancements, but delivers a stronger DPS advantage.
This chapter does not describe how to build a monkcher, a highly multiclassed high-DPS archer.
For more on the "monkchers," browse this DDO forums thread.
Where the Zen Archer's powers are primarily in standing their ground and using miss-chance and innate Monk abilities to resist damage, the Zen Bowmaster can kite or set up attacking enemies to line up attacks using Improved Precise Shot.
Unlike a Ranger, the Zen Bowmaster offers better spell resistance, saves, special ki-based abilities, faster movement speed and better miss-chance abilities. Most importantly, the Bowmaster's very high DCs can reliably deliver paralysis and other effects from its arrow imbues, even in Epic and Legendary raids.
Race and Enhancement Trees
As with the Zen Archer, the Bowmaster is an Elf to improve longbow skills.
In addition, Elven racial training opens the Arcane Archer enhancement tree. Points not used in the Elf tree are used almost entirely in Arcane Archer only. This build uses a minimal number of action points in the Ninja Spy Monk enhancement tree, enough for Shadow Veil, Stealthy and Agility. Advanced Ninja Training now adds DEX-to-Damage for longbows, which saves AP in the Elf tree as Aerenal Grace is no longer necessary.
Ability Points
The Bowmaster's two crucial abilities are DEX for bow damage and WIS, which is boosted to maximum through any and all means.
The Arcane Archer's special arrow imbues use WIS modifiers as the DC for success. A Monk uses WIS not only for to-hit with Zen Archery if WIS is higher than DEX, but also gains benefits in higher ki and bonuses to AC. As a result, you can have a suitably high DEX but won't penalize yourself by maximizing WIS 10 or even 20 points higher than DEX.
Players should get at least 20 STR to avoid becoming uncentered from enemy caster, but this can be accomplished through gear. INT should be at least 11 to allow use of some runes and switches in commonly-run quests. CON is equally important to survive a hit. In fact, the Bowmaster is very likely to have serious problems if they don't have at least 500 HP by Epic levels. The Bowmaster's generation of Threat is only offset if their weapon effects slow, stop or kill enemies. If the Bowmaster's effects fail, the aggro level could be too great for the build to counter.
You should have at least 13 DEX when building to train in Ten Thousand Stars by level 6.
Weapons
As the name implies, the Bowmaster uses longbows exclusively, carrying only a pair of shortswords or kamas to break down doors. Given that the build is technically trained as a Ninja Spy, however, the WIS level is superior to the Poison Master. Thus, in a desperate situation, a Bowmaster can use their melee weapons to perform paralysis, attack muting and blindness as well or better than the Poison Master.
The various primary and secondary imbues from the Arcane Archer tree make such melee weapon use likely unnecessary.
Build Maturity
As with the Zen Archer, the first few levels require you to train using Monk attacks, unarmed or with kamas, until you meet the requirements to use a bow effectively by around level 7.
Unlike the Zen Archer, the Bowmaster does not train a Dragonmark because they cannot train Harper Agent to make the Displacement duration last for long, preferring to use other feats to improve their attack prowess.
The Bowmaster will have superior Doubleshot over the Zen Archer, especially by level 25 when it can finally complete the training in the Heroic enhancement tree (slower for Elves than for their Ranger counterparts). Because of the high DCs it can generate for paralysis and other attacks, the Bowmaster is an easy build to level if one is careful when and how it attacks. As with most non-healer builds, you are left with potions while battle-healing unless you choose to use skill points to improve non-class skills such as Use Magic Device for alternatives.
By level 30, with a Doubleshot 8% item, the AA's Shadow Arrows and use of the Scion of the Astral Plane Legendary feat, the build's standing Doubleshot should reach 75% for a first-life character. Combine this with Ten-Thousand Stars or Manyshot and you get 175% and 220% Doubleshot, respectively. Use of the Divine Crusader sixth innate ability, Zeal of the Righteous, stacks with all of this for an addition 50% Doubleshot.
There is much flexibility in where you can use skill and ability points, provided you adjust your playstyle for stealth, more damage, and more threat.
NOTE: Build information is based on pre-Update 33 information. Updated build is coming soon.
Build Information
Zen Bowmaster
Monk 20
Lawful Good Elf
Stats
32pt 34pt 36pt Tome Level Up
---- ---- ---- ---- --------
Strength 10 10 10 +2 4: WIS
Dexterity 16 17 18 +5 8: WIS
Constitution 11 11 10 12: WIS
Intelligence 11 11 12 16: WIS
Wisdom 18 18 18 +5 20: WIS
Charisma 8 8 8 24: WIS
28: WIS
Skills
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
------------------------------------------------------------
Concent 4 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 23
Spot 4 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 23
Diplo 4 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 23
Hide 4 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 23
Move Si 4 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 23
------------------------------------------------------------
20 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5
Feats
1 : Point Blank Shot
1 Monk : Deflect Arrows
2 Monk : Zen Archery
3 : Rapid Shot
3 Monk : Path of Inevitable Dominion
6 : Precise Shot
6 Monk : Ten Thousand Stars
9 : Manyshot
12 : Improved Critical: Ranged
15 : Improved Precise Shot
18 : Dodge
21 Epic : Combat Archery
24 Epic : Great Ability: Wisdom
26 Destiny: Holy Strike
27 Epic : Blinding Speed
28 Destiny: Doubleshot
29 Destiny: Harbinger of Chaos
30 Epic : Great Ability: Wisdom
30 Legend : Scion of: Astral Plane
Enhancements (80 AP)
Elf-Arcane Archer (50 AP)
• Arcane Archer, Morphic Arrows, Metalline Arrows, Aligned Arrows, Shadow Arrows, Mystical Archer
1. Conjure Arrows, True Strike III, Energy of the Wild III, Corrosive Arrows, Awareness II
2. Force Arrows III, Inferno Shot III, Flaming Arrows
3. Terror Arrows, Frost Arrows, Dexterity
4. Banishing Arrows, Paralyzing Arrows, Smiting Arrows, Shock Arrows, Dexterity
5. Arrow of Slaying, Final Strike, Improved Elemental Arrows, Runebow
Elf (18 AP)
• Elven Accuracy, Elven Dexterity, Elven Accuracy II
1. Aerenal Weapon Training
2. Aerenal Weapon Training, Arcanum III
3. Arcane Archer
Ninja Spy (12 AP)
• Basic Ninja Training, Advanced Ninja Training, Shadow Veil
1. Stealthy III, Faster Sneaking III
Destiny (24 AP)
Shiradi Champion
1. Stay Frosty II, Healing Spring III, Wisdom
2. Prism, Pin II, Wisdom
3. Rainbow, Otto's Whistler II
4. Double Rainbow
5. Nerve Venom III
6. Audience with the Queen
Twists of Fate (14 fate points)
1. Rejuvenation Cocoon (Tier 1 Primal)
2. Enlightenment (Tier 1 Flowers)
3. Acute Instincts (Tier 2 Fury)
4. Brace for Impact (Tier 1 Sentinel)
