D&D 3E/3.5 3.5 Cover and Missile Questions

[KarinsDad]

1) Is firing an arrow into melee a -4 penalty to the attack, assuming no precise shot feat?

2) If your target has another character between him and you when you fire, the covering character gives the target a +4 AC soft cover bonus also (i.e. +4 AC for soft cover and -4 to hit for firing into melee), correct?

3) Is there a fire carelessly rule in 3.5 (i.e. where you can ignore the -4 penalty to hit, but some other penalty occurs such as possibly hitting another character in melee if you miss or slightly miss)?

4) What happens if you miss your target in any of these circumstances? Is there a chance to hit the soft cover character, or hit another character behind the target, or hit another character meleeing with the target? If so, what are the rules for this?

Thanks

 

[Altamont Ravenard]

1) Is firing an arrow into melee a -4 penalty to the attack, assuming no precise shot feat?

PRECISE SHOT [GENERAL]
Prerequisite: Point Blank Shot.
Benefit: You can shoot or throw ranged weapons at an opponent engaged in melee without taking the standard –4 penalty on your attack roll.
Special: A fighter may select Precise Shot as one of his fighter bonus feats.

Yes

2) If your target has another character between him and you when you fire, the covering character gives the target a +4 AC soft cover bonus also (i.e. +4 AC for soft cover and -4 to hit for firing into melee), correct?

COVER
To determine whether your target has cover from your ranged attack, choose a corner of your square. If any line from this corner to any corner of the target’s square passes through a square or border that blocks line of effect or provides cover, or through a square occupied by a creature, the target has cover (+4 to AC).

Yes again.

3) Is there a fire carelessly rule in 3.5 (i.e. where you can ignore the -4 penalty to hit, but some other penalty occurs such as possibly hitting another character in melee if you miss or slightly miss)?

I seriously doubt it.

4) What happens if you miss your target in any of these circumstances? Is there a chance to hit the soft cover character, or hit another character behind the target, or hit another character meleeing with the target? If so, what are the rules for this?

Hypersmurf said in another thread that while this rule existed in 3.0 (ie if you missed while firing into melee, you had a chance of hitting someone else), it only does in 3.5 as a variant (ie, not the official rule), so, no.

AR