One shot, one kill - feasible in 3.5?

[Kasz]

I'm such an idiot. The reason I listed the longshot idea was to ask a question.

Is there anything you could make an arrow out of that would get bonus damage for distance moved. I know there's no "momentum" in D&D, however I know there's Pandemonic Silver, an arrow travelling 2 miles in 6 seconds is what? 1200mph? So if it was a Pandemic Silver arrow then everyone within 30ft of the arrow takes a DC 28 will save or cowers for 1d4 rounds.

If there's something like that for damage... well I imagine it'd be super effective.

[Bard]

Iirc correctly, the Peerless Archer from silver marshes gives Power Attack to bow attacks with 3 levels, it might help

[awaken_D_M_golem]

Save-or-dies put onto Arrows or Bolts?

... an arrow travelling 2 miles in 6 seconds is what? 1200mph?

Houserule for the Chicken Infested Commoner, the chickens are Panicked by the Sonic Boom.

[Maat Mons]

You could cast greater mighty wallop (Races of the Dragon, p115) on blunt arrows (Dragon 249, p23 or Races of the Wild, p165).  That ultimately ups the damage to colossal.  With the chain spell feat (Complete Arcane, p76) or a lesser metamagic rod of chaining(Magic Item Compendium, p165), you could get a bunch per casting.  With a greatbow (Complete Warrior, p154), that takes you from 1d10 damage to 6d8 damage.  You can take a -4 penalty on the attack roll to convert the damage back to lethal. 

[SorO_Lost]

You can use a Bow as an improvised melee weapon, combine with Lightning Throw and it's treated as a melee attack allowing you to use Power Attack and the like, and it deals an extra +12d6 damage. Wait, did you want to beat the crap out of people by shooting a bow at someone or use a bow to shoot an arrow at someone? I'm kind of forgetful.

[X-Codes]

I think I've decided to rule out Manyshot, since it is technically multiple arrows. This unfortunately rules out knife to soul and lots of damage stacking. HOWEVER, the  Targeteer Sniper ability is still valid for canceling other attacks, since that is benefiting a single attack (higher crit chance).

Well, just so you know, there is definitely a one-shot-one-kill method of attacking in a Shotgun sense of the word, even if there isn't one in the Sniper Rifle sense.

[Sunspear]

I definitely see the appeal in chucking bows at people 

Is there any source stating the order of Keen vs. Sniper? I've always taken Keen to mean double threat range, but I could certainly be misinformed.

Good point on OotBI... I'll figure if I can milk some substitution damage there instead.

Energy Bow gives Power Shot, so we can take something else instead of Peerless Archer.

I like the colossal arrows idea. That's a great damage increase, and seems to very much fit the theme. And with Energy Bow's 2d6 it becomes 8d6... sizable increase, especially since it increases on crit!

[snakeman830]

Use a Raptor Arrow, worship Elhonna, and take the True Believer feat.

One feat + 6,006 gold adds +2 attack and +2d6+2 damage (the last +2 being multiplied by crits).  No other feat will net you that.

[Jackinthegreen]

Is there any source stating the order of Keen vs. Sniper? I've always taken Keen to mean double threat range, but I could certainly be misinformed.

All effects that say "double threat range" are only applied to the original threat range of the weapon itself.  It's for math and balance purposes since it would be "way too powerful" to increase crit range so much otherwise.  (The main issue at the time for crit was the Vorpal enhancement which worked on crits then instead of natural 20's.)  For example, in 3.0 it was possible to take both Improved Critical and get Keen on a weapon, but the multiplying was done via the special D&D multiplying rules were two doublings equals a tripling because each effect only considers the original.  The normally 18-20 scimitar (3 numbers) could get Keen to be 15-20 (6 numbers) and then Improved Critical to be 12-20 (9 numbers).

However, I'm not aware of an exacting, explicit rule that says simple +1 to a weapon's crit range is done after any Keen effects.  Mostly because such effects are rather rare.  Besides the targetteer fighter there's the Psychic Weapon Master PrC and a street fighter barbarian ACF that both increase a weapon's crit range by just 1, and those are the only other instances I can remember.

[X-Codes]

Yeah, because improved crit stacking was SOOOOO OHHHPEEE in 3.0... >_>

[snakeman830]

Yeah, because improved crit stacking was SOOOOO OHHHPEEE in 3.0... >_>

Only once you got to Disciple of Dispater

[kitep]

You could cast greater mighty wallop (Races of the Dragon, p115) on blunt arrows (Dragon 249, p23 or Races of the Wild, p165). 

Alas, the wallop spells apply only to melee weapons.

[Sunspear]

Arrows can technically be used as improvised melee weapons... so maybe that counts? Probably would be a conversation with your GM... which you'd probably want to have anyways based on the various shenanigans being discussed to make a one-shot sniper feasible 

[phaedrusxy]

Get a wand with the old version of Hunter's Mercy that makes your next shot automatically hit and threaten a critical. Use this on a "blessed" bow (forget the real name, auto-confirms crits against evil, it's from a paladin spell and there is a blackguard version). Use this on a Peerless Archer build who can "power attack" with a bow (or name your character Hank). Layer on as much flat damage boosts as you can (so it's multiplied on crits).