157: Arrow Hunter

“A Magic Archer should learn how to infuse magic into attacks and generate unique elven arrow techniques that produce magical effects.

Magic Archers are the most elite warriors among elves.

They guard the borders of elven lands, dedicated to observing invaders and defeating those monsters and invaders with enchanted arrows before they reach elven settlements.

Centuries ago, this elven arrow technique was learned by other races who could find a balance between magic and archery.”

After Randall handed the archery manual to Ryan, the young man began to study how to combine magic and archery.

After slaying Edmund Kleiss, Ryan obtained another archery manual, and compared to the previous one, he discovered that the bandit leader's book contained much additional content.

The passage above is precisely the opening text recorded in this latter manual.

Further confirmation from Sphere Professor revealed that many centuries ago, humans learned magic from elves, and at that time, magic and martial arts did not seem to be separate for elves.

Many of their warriors were also mages, and many mages were also highly skilled in martial arts.

What caused modern humans and elves to diversify into so many specializations, making the boundary between warriors and mages as distinct as a chasm?

Ryan had no way of knowing, but he vaguely felt that his own abilities, between magic and martial arts, seemed to have a talent for fusion.

For example, he successfully attempted to integrate zero-level cantrips into archery.

His daily studies now, besides language and magic research, involve honing his martial arts, especially practicing archery and refining magic arrows.

Over the past month, the system has recognized the young man's achievements in archery and elven arrow techniques—

Combat Style: Archery

When making attack rolls with ranged weapons, you have a +2 bonus.

Magic Arrow Lore:

The host has become familiar with the secrets of nature—knowledge typically reserved for students of elven military traditions.

The host gains proficiency in the Nature skill and learns the zero-level cantrip “Nature Magic Tricks.”

Nature Magic Tricks

Spell Level: Zero-level Cantrip

Spell School: Transmutation

Casting Time: 1 action

Casting Range: 30 feet

Spell Components: Verbal, Somatic

Duration: Instantaneous

The host whispers to the spirit of nature and creates one of the following effects:

You create a tiny, harmless sensory effect that predicts the weather conditions for the next 24 hours at your location. This effect can manifest as a golden sphere representing clear skies, a cloud representing rain, snowflakes representing a snowy day, and so on. This effect lasts for 1 round.

You can instantly make a flower bloom, a seed sprout, or a leaf bud unfurl.

You create a tiny, harmless, instantaneous sensory effect, such as falling leaves, a gentle breeze, the rustling of small animals, or a faint skunk odor. This effect only works within a 5-foot cube.

You can instantly light or extinguish a candle, a torch, or a small campfire.

Arcane Shot

The host has learned to imbue arrows with special magical effects when shooting.

Once per turn, when the host makes an attack action to shoot an arrow with a shortbow or longbow, you can choose and apply one of your known Arcane Shot options to your arrow.

Unless an option states that it does not require an attack roll, you can decide whether to use the option after the arrow hits a creature.

The host has two uses of this ability, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a short or long rest.

Arcane Shot Options

If an option requires a creature to make a saving throw, the host's Arcane Shot save DC is equal to 8 + the host's proficiency bonus + the host's Intelligence modifier (19-10 = 9, divided by 2, rounded down to 4. Currently, the host's Arcane Shot save DC is 8+4 (+2) + 4 = 16, meaning that the target's Dexterity must be 16 or higher to potentially avoid the host's Arcane Shot).

Explosive Arrow:

The host infuses the arrow with powerful force magic energy from the Evocation school, and this energy explodes after the host's attack.

Immediately after this arrow hits a creature, the target and all creatures within 10 feet of it take 2d6 force damage each.

Shuttling Arrow:

The host uses transmutation magic to imbue their arrow with ethereal energy.

When the host uses this option, this attack does not make an attack roll; instead, this arrow releases a 1-foot wide, 30-foot long line forward.

This arrow harmlessly passes through objects and ignores cover.

Every creature in this line must make a Dexterity saving throw.

On a failed save, the creature takes the damage from the arrow attack, plus 1d6 additional piercing damage.

On a successful save, they take half damage.

Flame Arrow (Self-Created Magic Arrow):

The host infuses the arrow with fire magic energy from the Evocation school, and this energy instantly adds 1d8 fire damage, plus 1d6 additional piercing damage, to the target hit by the host's attack.

Unworn or uncarried flammable objects hit by this magic arrow are ignited.

Freezing Arrow (Self-Created Magic Arrow):

The host infuses the arrow with ice magic energy from the Evocation school, and this energy instantly adds 1d8 cold damage, plus 1d6 additional piercing damage, to the target hit by the host's attack.

Additionally, the target's speed is reduced by 10 feet for 6 seconds.

Thundering Arrow (Self-Created Magic Arrow):

The host infuses the arrow with lightning magic energy from the Evocation school, and this energy creates a thunderous roar after the host's attack, which can be heard within 100 feet of the hit target.

Immediately after this arrow hits a creature, all creatures within 5 feet of it, other than the host, must make a Constitution saving throw.

On a failed save, the creature takes 1d6 thunder damage.

The hit creature takes 1d6 piercing damage.

Booming Arrow (Self-Created Magic Arrow):

The host infuses the arrow with lightning magic energy from the Evocation school. The arrow, as a spell component, hits the target, and the target takes the normal effects of this attack and is enveloped in explosive energy for 6 seconds.

If the target voluntarily moves 5 feet or more before then, it immediately takes 1d8 thunder damage, and the spell then ends.

The hit creature takes 1d6 piercing damage.

...

And on Ryan's personal attribute panel within the system, the Hunter class transformed into a new class the young man had never seen in any book: Magic Arrow Hunter.

It was as if Ryan's Hunter class and the Magic Archer class from Edmund Kleiss's manual had been merged.