D&D 5E "Why don't you just shoot it?"

[FormerlyHemlock]

In the groups I've played in, it is extremely rare for spellcasters not to pack some kind of melee weapon, and to seek magical versions thereof as the campaign progresses. Because experience has shown us that- at some point- spells won't work.

ObNiven:

Hap took another step, and another. His hand was beginning to hurt, and the pain gave him strength. "Old man," he said thickly. "Two hundred years old. I can break your neck with the hand you left me. And I will."
The Warlock raised the inscribed knife.
"That won't work. No more magic." Hap slapped the Warlock's hand away and took the Warlock by his bony throat.
The Warlock's hand brushed easily aside, and came back, and up. Hap wrapped his arms around his belly and backed away with his eyes and mouth wide open. He sat down hard.
"A knife always works," said the Warlock.
"Oh," said Hap.
"I worked the metal myself, with ordinary blacksmith's tools, so the knife wouldn't crumble when the magic was gone. The runes aren't magic.
They only say-"
"Oh," said Hap. "Oh." He toppled sideways.
The Warlock lowered himself onto his back. He held the knife up and read the markings, in a language only the Brotherhood remembered.
AND THIS, TOO, SHALL PASS AWAY. It was a very old platitude, even then.

 

[FormerlyHemlock]

It just feels like whenever the topic of characters not being able to attack in melee comes up, the instant response of "well use a bow lol" makes my eye twitch. Now fortunately 5e is much more forgiving of this tactic than other editions have been, where you needed a lot more than proficiency to be able to effectively deal damage with the bow, but it still bothers me. I'm not saying NOT to have a ranged option, but I think that the topic deserves more examination.

Like, when a player says "I spent a whole combat frightened and unable to engage in melee", rather than responses like "what idiot doesn't carry a longbow", why aren't more people willing to accept that while it is A solution, it's not a great one?

It doesn't help that you seem to have misunderstood what that argument about being frightened was about. No one said being frightened doesn't reduce your mechanical effectiveness; it was a roleplaying argument over whether the Frightened condition does or does not constitute being overcome/unmanned by your fears, or if being overcome by fear is something which is left up to the player's decisions/roleplaying. "Courage is not the absence of fear, it is acting despite your fears." Nowhere in that aphorism does it say "courage is suffering no physiological or mechanical disadvantages from your fears."

 

[Shadowdweller00]

"No mommy, I don't need tactics! I have a sword!"

Tactics 101 - Part 1, Subsection 1, Page 1: ALWAYS carry a ranged weapon.

Oh the unspeakable horror, characters specialized at melee might be...LESS EFFECTIVE... at range.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

ObNiven:

OTOH, let me tell you the story of:

The Battle of the Brutal Slaughter of the Harpies

We were attacked by Harpies, and the quick-thinking Druid hit them with an Entangle as they did a strafing run through some foliage- snagged them all!

That was when the dice went sour.

We only had a few PCs with ranged weaponry- a guy with a bow, a guy with a throwing hammer, one with a sling, and the Wiz had a dagger.

The guy with the Hammer is venturing into the area of the Entangle to retrieve his hammer and the Wiz' dagger.

Most of the to-hit rolls were low. When we did hit, no attack did more than 3HP damage. We finish off the first Harpy just as the Entangle is starting to expire...

So the Druid does Entangle #2...and our futility continues. The dice continue to stay as low as a soldier under fire.

The guy with the Hammer is, by now, having to venture into the area of the Entangle to retrieve arrows that have missed. The PC with the sling is now using rocks.

Harpy #2 is near death but still fighting and Harpy #3 is untouched when Entangle #2 is expiring, so the Druid pops Entangle #3.

My PC and the hammer-thrower are apologizing to the Harpies- in character- for the cruel deaths that we are inflicting upon them...especially after the hammer-thrower retrieved the Wizard's dagger out of the still-living Harpy#2 so the Wizard could throw it again. But he doesn't leave the Entangle area until after he stabs the dying Harpy with that dagger to finish it off.

By now, all of the arrows have been used, either striking the Harpies or being broken downrange. EVERYONE ELSE IS THROWING ROCKS.

The last Harpy dies just before Entangle #3 does.

All of this time, our DM has been flabbergasted- absolutely red faced and flustered- at the action. "F$%^&ing Entangle! That spell is broken!" *rant*rant*rant*

To which the Druid's player huffily responded "Well, it was either that or Create Food & Water! The Harpies could have had a meal and a bath!"

LOLs abounded.

 

[James Gasik]

Lol, ok, ok, either I'm not explaining why it bugs me very well, or I'm the only one who feels that way. I can accept that either (or both) are true.

 

[Ancalagon]

Your major options are:

1) do nothing
2) use ranged weapons
3) use ranged magic

What the heck else do you want?

4)Magical teleportation/very fast movement so that the need for ranged attack is negated
5)No ranged fights ever please.

OTOH, let me tell you the story of:

EVERYONE ELSE IS THROWING ROCKS.

LOL

https://youtu.be/qg5g0bvxyes?t=71 (forward to 1:10 if it doesn't work)

 

[ArchfiendBobbie]

You want to melee something like a dragon? Fine. Play a dwarf, halfling, or gnome. Make certain one party member is a half-orc or similar strong race. And then, whenever it comes time to dragon fight, have them throw you at the dragon.

Sure, falling damage will probably kill you when they inevitably miss once, but it's still an option. And you might still die if you successfully kill the dragon.

On the other hand, just imagine the awesomeness of it. Dwarf tossing for the greater good!

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

You want to melee something like a dragon? Fine. Play a dwarf, halfling, or gnome. Make certain one party member is a half-orc or similar strong race. And then, whenever it comes time to dragon fight, have them throw you at the dragon.

Sure, falling damage will probably kill you when they inevitably miss once, but it's still an option. And you might still die if you successfully kill the dragon.

On the other hand, just imagine the awesomeness of it. Dwarf tossing for the greater good!

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

5)No ranged fights ever please.

Ohhhh, that request has been denied.

 

[Ancalagon]

You want to melee something like a dragon? Fine. Play a dwarf, halfling, or gnome. Make certain one party member is a half-orc or similar strong race. And then, whenever it comes time to dragon fight, have them throw you at the dragon.

Sure, falling damage will probably kill you when they inevitably miss once, but it's still an option. And you might still die if you successfully kill the dragon.

On the other hand, just imagine the awesomeness of it. Dwarf tossing for the greater good!

My first ever magic the gathering deck was based on that! It was a red/green deck. I had giants (?) that could toss creatures (gain flying, then died). I had a bunch of green and red small regenerators that I kept bombarding my foes with

http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=228 and http://static.starcitygames.com/sales/cardscans/MTG/4ED/en/nonfoil/StoneGiant.jpg

It wasn't a good deck, but I still remember it fondly