D&D 5E Feelings on Ranged Damage

[Whithers]

I guess the question is, given that you seem fine with it taking five sword hits to drop a knight and not-so-fine with it taking five arrow hits to drop a knight, what's the difference to you? Is it just that it's easier to abstract those sword hits into actually being near misses and partial parries, where it's harder for you to imagine an arrow hit being anything other than just that?

It is the story dynamic. It eliminates the one hit one kill possibility, a dynamic that both in fiction and when I trained as a soldier I find/found appealing. (Which was a little easier for me since I was issued a grenade launcher.) In story terms it is easier to justify the slit throat of a sleeping victim or unperceptive guard as the quick kill. Melee is easier to fudge that way, but may be undesirable. When you are round after round sticking a watchman with a half-dozen arrows it is really difficult to take him out before he sounds the alarm.

 

[The Crimson Binome]

It is the story dynamic. It eliminates the one hit one kill possibility, a dynamic that both in fiction and when I trained as a soldier I find appealing. In story terms it is easier to justify the slit throat of a sleeping victim or unperceptive guard as the quick kill. Melee is easier to fudge that way, but may be undesirable. When you are round after round sticking a watchman with a half-dozen arrows it is really difficult to take him out before he sounds the alarm.

That's why the guard is just a guard, with 11hp, who can be killed in a single shot from a sneaking rogue or hunting ranger. Save the level 8 knight for someone who is truly fantastic.

Most people are chumps, especially compared to the PCs. Not every enemy should be a challenge.

 

[ScaleyBob]

D&D has never been a One Shot/One Kill type of game. Cool as the idea of a Sniper taking out someone from a mile away with carefully placed shot is, it isn't something that D&D does well.

My current group has both a Revised Ranger and a Rogue, and now they've hit 7th level, I've noticed a distinct increase in the Rangers damage over the Rogues. Both tend to use ranged attacks over Melee, and the Rangers Multi-Attack (with bonus attack from Crossbow Expert, and Hunter's Mark) has started to outpace Sneak Attack quite noticeably. The Ranger has just Multiclassed into Rogue, but all that seems to have done has lowered his capabilities.

 

[Ratskinner]

Thanks.

This is really the issue here.

But you can't implement instakills from arrows and not from swords, or you won't have any swordsmen left.

Don't disagree at all.

Sent from my LG-TP450 using EN World mobile app

 

[Henry]

This thread is making me want to try an idea of mine if my Moon Druid dies - to recreate my old Pathfinder Elven Zen Archer, using an Elf Battlemaster with the Sharpshooter and Crossbow Expert feats (to simulate his ability to use a bow with deadly accuracy in pretty much every situation).

 

[Greenstone.Walker]

D&D has never been a One Shot/One Kill type of game. Cool as the idea of a Sniper taking out someone from a mile away with carefully placed shot is, it isn't something that D&D does well.

It is a cool idea, right up to the point where the monsters do it to the PCs.

GM: Your character is dead. Roll a new one.
Player: What? Don't I get a saving throw or a chance to dodge?
GM: No, just dead. A sniper killed her from 200 yards away.
Player: That's not fair!!!!11!!!

 

[Vaesil]

The group I game with is using a home rule that if you are within 1/2 of the ranged weapons short range the damage die is open ended. Also there are class features and spells that enhance ranged damage. I don't see anything wrong with ranged damage.

 

[Harzel]

The group I game with is using a home rule that if you are within 1/2 of the ranged weapons short range the damage die is open ended.

Do you do anything similar for melee? Just curious.

 

[Whithers]

It is a cool idea, right up to the point where the monsters do it to the PCs.

That is what saving throws after one becomes unconscious answer. But yes, it weights the play.

 

[CapnZapp]

It is a cool idea, right up to the point where the monsters do it to the PCs.

GM: Your character is dead. Roll a new one.
Player: What? Don't I get a saving throw or a chance to dodge?
GM: No, just dead. A sniper killed her from 200 yards away.
Player: That's not fair!!!!11!!!

To be fair, didn't Tyranny of Dragons or some early module have this...?

They pitched the low-level adventurers against some Assassins, which, as I'm sure you all know, are not exactly in the same league as Thugs or Bandits

While I'm sure they were more comparable when the author wrote them in, I'm sure they can pull off exactly the stunt described above as long as the heroes are low-leveled enough