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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Fanaelialae" data-source="post: 6640467" data-attributes="member: 53980">That's a cool idea! I never thought to use the NWN toolset that way (not that I've played it in ages). However, it also sounds to me like the enemy was making itself a target for the ranged. You can't rack up 3:1 damage (not) shooting through total cover. As for taking less damage, that's to be expected. Using 4e terminology, ranged tend towards the Striker role whereas melee tend to be Defenders. (Admittedly, in 5e those "strikers" have a similar durability to the "defenders", and the "defenders" can hit as hard as the "strikers".) I'm referring to party role. A defender's main job is to attract attacks that might otherwise go to softer members of the party. A striker's job is to take out the often softer but deadlier enemy back line (archers, mages, etc). They're both parts of a greater whole. While you can get by without one or the other, that choice may occasionally land you in hot water when your mage is focused down by enemy attacks and Haste drops, leaving you effectively stunned.Sure, but shooting at your allies will generally be interpreted as a hostile action... <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f609.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=";)" title="Wink    ;)"  data-smilie="2"data-shortname=";)" />In seriousness though, if all enemies take full cover then there isn't anyone to shoot at. And while you can advance alongside the melee, that means you aren't readying actions to attack if they poke their heads out. 0 DPR. If you are readying, then you're moving at half the speed of the melee, meaning that it will take you longer to get to the action. And if they decide not to poke their heads out this turn? 0 DPR.If the ranged is achieving 3:1 damage with a readied action (getting only a single attack per round), then your encounter distances must be enormous. Which, as I've said before, favors ranged. I rarely start encounters at more than 100' for this reason, and as I've said I know a DM who almost never starts an encounter more than 30' for the same. Right, but I assume you'd acknowledge that a DM who does that is probably going to have less of an issue with CE/SS than a DM who doesn't. If the GWF/PM can attack an enemy on round one, he should have no difficulty keeping pace with the CE/SS. In fact, because of the difference in their damage dice, the GWF/PM should do a bit better, all other factors being equal. Especially if magic items are in the mix, because those favor melee.I don't think you're doing anything wrong by starting encounters at long range, but the bigger the encounter distance the more ranged attackers are favored. That's the reality and, in fairness, I think it's pretty realistic. Although admittedly less ideal from a gamist perspective.</blockquote>

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