Expert Bowman Feat

[scruffygrognard]

For your Legolas or Robin Hood types...

EXPERT BOWMAN

Thanks to extensive practice with longbows and shortbows, you gain the following benefits:

• Increase your Dexterity score by 1, to a maximum of 20.

• Being within 5 feet of a hostile creature doesn’t impose disadvantage on your ranged attack rolls when using a longbow or shortbow.

• When you make a ranged attack with a longbow or shortbow that you are proficient with the normal range for that weapon is doubled (to 300’ for a longbow or 160’ for a shortbow). The maximum range is not affected.

• When you roll a 1 on a damage die for an attack you make with a longbow or shortbow, you can reroll the weapon’s damage die and must use the new roll. On a critical hit you may reroll both damage dice rolled for the bow attack’s damage.

 

[Paraxis]

Why would I want to add my strength modifier instead of my dexterity modifier, if my build is a ranged attacker? The more important component is "to hit" so my dexterity will be higher than my strength.

Why is this it's own thread when you brought it up in another archery thread?

Every rogue in the world would take it, rerolling 1's and 2's on sneak attack dice is just so nice, not to mention every ranger for hunter's mark and colossus slayer, paladin for smite and so on. Cheesing out great weapon fighting style reroll's is already a thing why make it more common?

Isn't there already a good number of archery feats, why do we need more support for the best fighting option in the game? Between sharpshooter and crossbow expert things are pretty well covered.

 

[scruffygrognard]

Why are you seemingly offended that I'm posting a new, homebrew feat in the homebrew section of EN World? Rather than have it hiding within another post where people may not see it I've posted a revised version in the section that is appropriate for its posting.

As for your questions:
1] Why would I want to add my strength modifier instead of my dexterity modifier, if my build is a ranged attacker?
Because not everyone plays optimized characters. You could be playing a fighter who wants to diversify their strengths and likes the idea of having a heavy-pull bow that allows them to punch through armor with their bow attacks. You could be playing a character with a decent DEX but better STR who wants a little extra "Oomph" on their attacks.

Every rogue in the world would take it, rerolling 1's and 2's on sneak attack dice is just so nice, not to mention every ranger for hunter's mark and colossus slayer, paladin for smite and so on. Cheesing out great weapon fighting style reroll's is already a thing why make it more common?
That's why it's a feat. Feats are about making hard choices to improve your character. Re-rolling a 1 or 2 is great but so is raising an ability score by 2. I don't think this outshines any other feat... as feats are beefier in 5th edition. BTW I think the intent of Great Weapon Fighting is to allow re-rolls for the weapon's damage dice. It's ambiguous... so I've made my feat less ambiguous.

Isn't there already a good number of archery feats, why do we need more support for the best fighting option in the game?
Is another option bad. One of the feats you mention is only for Crossbows. The other is for all ranged weapons. Why not offer an option for bowmen.

 

[ceiling90]

It's a question of "does it add anything meaningful"?

Which is arguably a very individualistic set of values on each home brew. I don't really see the point of changing the damage to Str, it's not covering any extra bases, since you will miss more than a Dex Based character with bow. It's really stepping on the sniper and Crossbow Expert feat, which arguably works for all ranged attacks. On top of that, you're adding great weapon feat on top of other already good bonuses.

I feel that it doesn't bring anything more meaningful to the game, and does not have context and story (I.e. compelling world reason) to functionally not be any different than a Fighter using a longbow, other than nostalgia over MAD based ideas on archery and real world simulation in game that barely simulates real world situations. It's a small wonder that they finally allowed Dex mod to affect ranged weapons finally (though it was in 4e, and many here have a distinct weariness of it).

Personally, the body stat system is both too granular and overbroad. Lacking Strength but having high Dexterity doesn't mean you aren't physically strong, and lacking Dexterity but having high Strength doesn't mean you're clumsy or oafish either.

A feat is also a rather large investment, this whole idea of a strength based bow is essentially better as an item - a longbow with finesse is easier and quicker. It's a simple one-off for folks who want a ranged combatant that is str based (though really, all the finessed throwable melee weapons fulfill this so much better, since you can add any effect that deals with a melee weapon).

but whatever floats your boat.

 

[scruffygrognard]

Thanks for your feedback. I've altered the feat to get rid of the M.A.D. aspects.

 

[TheLe]

For your Legolas or Robin Hood types...

EXPERT BOWMAN

Thanks to extensive practice with longbows and shortbows, you gain the following benefits:
• When you make a ranged attack with a longbow or shortbow that you are proficient with the range increases to 200’/800’ for longbows and 100’/400’ for shortbows.

I would drop this piece altogether and replace it with something else. That's a pretty huge range and probably won't be very applicable in the majority of combat encounters. Maybe you can replace it with something else like "you gain a +2 to your attack roll when using a short or long bow, but only if you don't move before or after the attack".