Storyteller01
First Post
Suppose you created a feat, say 'Careful Aim', that was mechanically identical to Power Attack. Does anyone see a problem with this (and no, I'm not planning on making a cleave/great cleave equivalent).
A power attack feat for ranged weapons...
- Thread starter Storyteller01
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Nifft
Penguin Herder
The thing about ranged attacks is: you get a lot of them. More than a melee guy gets on average, because you don't have to move as often.
So, I'd want a "careful aim" feat to feature more damage vs. fewer attacks rather than less precision.
Maybe something like...
Careful Aim [Fighter]
You deal a lot of damage when you take the time to focus on a shot.
Prerequisites: Point-Blank Shot, BAB 6+, Wisdom 13+
Benefit: You can make a single careful shot as a full attack action. Your careful shot deals an extra +1d8 damage for every potential attack you give up. (So, if you have a BAB of 8, you would lose your second iterative attack and deal an extra +1d8 damage. If you had the Rapid Shot feat, you could elect to deal an additional +1d8 damage in exchange for taking a -2 penalty on attack. If you were hasted, you'd get yet another +1d8 damage.)
How's that look?
Cheers, -- N
So, I'd want a "careful aim" feat to feature more damage vs. fewer attacks rather than less precision.
Maybe something like...
Careful Aim [Fighter]
You deal a lot of damage when you take the time to focus on a shot.
Prerequisites: Point-Blank Shot, BAB 6+, Wisdom 13+
Benefit: You can make a single careful shot as a full attack action. Your careful shot deals an extra +1d8 damage for every potential attack you give up. (So, if you have a BAB of 8, you would lose your second iterative attack and deal an extra +1d8 damage. If you had the Rapid Shot feat, you could elect to deal an additional +1d8 damage in exchange for taking a -2 penalty on attack. If you were hasted, you'd get yet another +1d8 damage.)
How's that look?
Cheers, -- N
Crothian
First Post
There is one called Brutal throw from complete adventurer that does this for thrown weapons. So, my comments are about bows and crossbows then thrown weapons.
Ranged attacks are already really good. Powerattack needs the user to at least be in dangers way and ranged attack removes that. Also, what is considered a two handed weapon? Bows take two hands so would they get the great bonus to damage for it?
If I were to do it I would make a few limits. All damage is one for one, no two handed nonus. And the it can only work with ranged weapons that can add strength bonus to damage. and the damage is limited by that as well as BAB. So a 5th level figfhter with a composite bow +2 strength can only get an additional +2 to damage.
Ranged attacks are already really good. Powerattack needs the user to at least be in dangers way and ranged attack removes that. Also, what is considered a two handed weapon? Bows take two hands so would they get the great bonus to damage for it?
If I were to do it I would make a few limits. All damage is one for one, no two handed nonus. And the it can only work with ranged weapons that can add strength bonus to damage. and the damage is limited by that as well as BAB. So a 5th level figfhter with a composite bow +2 strength can only get an additional +2 to damage.
CRGreathouse
Community Supporter
Yes, I have major problems with it.
Ranged combat has several serious advantages over melee combat:
Melee advantages:
Balancing these two forms of combat is difficult. I wouldn't throw anything else toward ranged combat, personally, since I think it's already slightly stronger.
Ranged combat has several serious advantages over melee combat:
- It's easier to get off full attacks.
- It's easier to spread out your attacks to multiple targets
- Dex is generally a stronger stat than Str
- It's easier to get off ranged attacks than melee ones (compare the weakness of TWF with the power of Rapid Shot)
- It's easier to avoid being hit as a ranged combatant
Melee advantages:
- Melee attacks can add more damage per hit (two handed attacks, Power Attack)
- Cleave
Balancing these two forms of combat is difficult. I wouldn't throw anything else toward ranged combat, personally, since I think it's already slightly stronger.
saucercrab
Explorer
The peerless archer PrC from FR's Silver Marches book get the ability to power attack with a bow at the 3rd class level, IIRC (which would be about the 10th character level). And I think it's limited to 30'. I think.
That said, I'd be fine with making it an epic feat, but not a non-epic one, for pretty much the reasons CRGreathouse listed. (Making it a feat would also take away one of the main draws to the above PrC; like making a close-combat feat would do to the Order of the Bow initiate or soulbow PrCs).
That said, I'd be fine with making it an epic feat, but not a non-epic one, for pretty much the reasons CRGreathouse listed. (Making it a feat would also take away one of the main draws to the above PrC; like making a close-combat feat would do to the Order of the Bow initiate or soulbow PrCs).
CRGreathouse
Community Supporter
Felnar said:
Or Point Blank Shot, which is better than any comparable melee feat?
I just didn't want to go too deep. There are levels, there are counters, there's a lot of complexity in the system -- and doubly so if you use non-core sources. My list was just a quick overview. Charging doesn't generally increase range past what an archer could hit already, and 5' steps make AoO easy to avoid in general. (Conversely using PBS limits the archer, making it in several ways more like a melee fighter, and the benefit isn't that much better than comparable melee feats -- less than double, by all accounts.)
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