Volley Shot

[RangerWickett]

What do you think?

New Feat – Volley Shot
You can turn your arrow shots into an area attack.

Prerequisite: Rapid Shot, base attack +6.

Benefit: As a full-round action you can choose a single square within range of your bow. All creatures in that square must make a Reflex save (DC 10 + your attack bonus with your bow -2 per range increment beyond the first) or take damage as if you had struck that creature with an arrow. Using this ability requires three arrows, and you cannot add precision-based bonus damage.


Intended to give mid-level mooks a chance of dealing some damage against high-level PCs.

 

[javcs]

There's an option similar to this in Heroes of Battle, however it doesn't require a feat.

I don't remember much more about it, but IIRC it also dropped strength bonuses and negated some forms of cover ... of course, for a mook horde doing this, Plunging Shot (+1d6 damage against foes >30ft/lower than you (there are different versions)) is almost a necessity.


As for the feat itself, what does it do against swarms? Follow the standard +50% damage for area effects rule?

 

[Tetsubo]

As already stated there is such a mechanic in -Heroes of Battle- that doesn't require a feat. But it does require a minimum number of archers, which makes sense. Volley shots are only really effective if they involve multiple archers. You need a LOT of arrows (or bolts) in the air to achieve "saturation". Three arrows falling into an area isn't going to achieve that...

 

[RangerWickett]

Hm. What if instead it was, "Pick a creature, make one attack against it, expending three arrows. Creature makes a Reflex save (DC = your attack roll), or else takes damage from a single hit"?

 

[Primitive Screwhead]

Mechanically that would be about the same...

I have a HR for bows that limits them to one shot and the threat range increases for each iterative that could have been taken... twisting that a bit your 'volley' could be:

Careful Shot:
Benefit: When making a full attack with a bow, you may spend a full round action and sacrifice your iterative attacks for greater accuracy. Each additional attack sacrificed adds +2 to hit.


In this fashion your Rapid Shot +6 BAB guy would have a +4 to hit with the single arrow, allowing medium level mooks to have a better chance of hitting high AC targets.

 

[ChimericDream]

Mechanically that would be about the same...

I have a HR for bows that limits them to one shot and the threat range increases for each iterative that could have been taken... twisting that a bit your 'volley' could be:

Careful Shot:
Benefit: When making a full attack with a bow, you may spend a full round action and sacrifice your iterative attacks for greater accuracy. Each additional attack sacrificed adds +2 to hit.


In this fashion your Rapid Shot +6 BAB guy would have a +4 to hit with the single arrow, allowing medium level mooks to have a better chance of hitting high AC targets.

I like it. Yoinking this.

God I love ENWorld.