Any way to get precision based damage > 30 feet.?

[Machiavelli]

The trouble, then, is the rogue bow-user, whose first range increment is possibly 110 feet (C. Longbow) or 165 feet (with Far Shot).

At that point, why bother with any Sneak Attack range limit at all?

 

[Sejs]

Is there any way to be able to apply precision based damage (IE Sneak attack) at greater than 30 feet away?

Sniper's Shot spell. Assassin (1), Ranger (1), Sorcerer/Wizard (1). Swift action to cast. Your next ranged attack, as long as it takes place in the same round that you cast the spell, can apply precision damage regardless of distance to the target.

 

[DarkJester]

Sniper's Shot spell. Assassin (1), Ranger (1), Sorcerer/Wizard (1). Swift action to cast. Your next ranged attack, as long as it takes place in the same round that you cast the spell, can apply precision damage regardless of distance to the target.

Thanks everyone. This looks like it will do the trick, trying to come up with a decent bow sniper.

 

[hong]

*twitch*

http://www.zipworld.com.au/~hong/dnd/shadow_sniper.htm

 

[DarkJester]

I like the look of it Hong. I might have to snatch this for said npc.

 

[hong]

If you use it, I would actually suggest cutting back the "observe target" time to 1 round, or even a move action (ie, you can observe and shoot in the same round). Spending 3 rounds doing nothing is okay for ambushing, but makes the ability useless once you're in combat.

 

[Elethiomel]

But in combat the shadow sniper would still get her ranged sneak attack without observation as long as it's within 30 feet, right? So she'd play much as a standard ranged rogue/shadowdancer once she's in close combat. I don't see a need to reduce the study time.

 

[hong]

But in combat the shadow sniper would still get her ranged sneak attack without observation as long as it's within 30 feet, right? So she'd play much as a standard ranged rogue/shadowdancer once she's in close combat. I don't see a need to reduce the study time.

Correct, but in that case you're basically just a rogue (albeit one with hide in plain sight). And if you've been sniping, you may well be more than 30' away when melee combat starts. So you're deprived of your main schtick, which makes for a boring character.

Even from a realism point of view, 3 rounds of aiming (18 secs) is a _long_ time to get a bead on someone.

 

[Elethiomel]

Correct, but in that case you're basically just a rogue (albeit one with hide in plain sight). And if you've been sniping, you may well be more than 30' away when melee combat starts. So you're deprived of your main schtick, which makes for a boring character.

Yeah, for a PC, I can see that. I'm not convinced that the "observe target" time should be reduced, though... this is a full SA class and as such its sneack attacks pack a punch. If fighting a melee combatant in open terrain, a sneak attack per round for the time required for the melee combatant to close 900 feet (for the heavy crossbow at Shadow Sniper level 10) can kill most melee characters - at least those in heavy armour. And if not, the rest of the party who've been hanging out somewhere behind the Shadow Sniper now has a much weakened opponent to fight.

This is of course an edge case, and assuming the idiot melee combatant charges ahead instead of doing something else, but I think you see my point.

Even from a realism point of view, 3 rounds of aiming (18 secs) is a _long_ time to get a bead on someone.

Yes, this is true. I was thinking about balance, though, not realism. Also the Shadow Sniper gets better with time, reducing the amount of time sniping takes from 1 range increment away, enabling the shadow sniper to stand off at range again and not enter melee combat with the plebeians. That's got to be a satisfying moment for the player of that character.

 

[hong]

Yeah, for a PC, I can see that. I'm not convinced that the "observe target" time should be reduced, though... this is a full SA class and as such its sneack attacks pack a punch.

Note that getting sneak attack at long range works only on one attack. No full attacking with +Nd6 damage per shot. And if you do get off a full attack... no observing for at least another round.