Reply to thread

Message

<blockquote data-quote="GhostHawke" data-source="post: 24462" data-attributes="member: 2306">A little something on Ranged AttacksWell, where to start...&nbsp; As for the cover issue, because the Barbarian is out of the flight path of the arrows (or bolts)– he’s standing to the side – cover would not apply here.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; As for the –4 penalty for the Barbarian being engaged in melee with the monster, this would still apply.&nbsp; While the PHB says that “if you shoot or throw a ranged weapon at a target that is engaged in melee with an ally, you suffer a –4 penalty on your attack roll because you have to aim carefully to avoid hitting your ally” (pg. 124).&nbsp; The term “your ally” should be interpreted as a lucid one; a more general term “combatant” can replace it.&nbsp; Being engaged in melee is determined if one or the other combatant threatens the other (although this penalty is limited to a threatening range of 10 ft.).&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; So following through with this train of thought, if a PC were to enter into combat where two creatures were fighting, and a PC wanted to attack one of the monsters but not hit the other, then the –4 penalty would still apply here.&nbsp; This is so even though neither of the two creatures were the PC’s “ally” – the rest of the condition set above is accomplished, trying to avoid hitting the non-targeted creature.&nbsp; Now if the PC’s did not care which of the creatures were hit, I’d suggest one of two methods.&nbsp; Either use a 50% chance to attack one of the two (and scale however you wish, for multiple targets and/or creature size) or attack whichever of the two are closer to the attacker (if you choose to do the latter, follow the rules for the variant rule mentioned below.&nbsp; If they are both equally far away, roll 50-50).&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; Finally, to satisfy the curiosity of anyone wanting greater accuracy for ranged weapons, I’d suggest using the “Variant: Firing into a Crowd” that can be found on pg. 65-66 in the DMG.&nbsp; This should take care of any stray missiles and help answer other range weapon questions (This can also be used to determine where a missile goes if it misses by the -4, which would still apply even to a ranged touch attack I believe).</blockquote>

[QUOTE="GhostHawke, post: 24462, member: 2306"] [b]A little something on Ranged Attacks[/b] Well, where to start... As for the cover issue, because the Barbarian is out of the flight path of the arrows (or bolts)– he’s standing to the side – cover would not apply here. As for the –4 penalty for the Barbarian being engaged in melee with the monster, this would still apply. While the PHB says that “if you shoot or throw a ranged weapon at a target that is engaged in melee with an ally, you suffer a –4 penalty on your attack roll because you have to aim carefully to avoid hitting your ally” (pg. 124). The term “your ally” should be interpreted as a lucid one; a more general term “combatant” can replace it. Being engaged in melee is determined if one or the other combatant threatens the other (although this penalty is limited to a threatening range of 10 ft.). So following through with this train of thought, if a PC were to enter into combat where two creatures were fighting, and a PC wanted to attack one of the monsters but not hit the other, then the –4 penalty would still apply here. This is so even though neither of the two creatures were the PC’s “ally” – the rest of the condition set above is accomplished, trying to avoid hitting the non-targeted creature. Now if the PC’s did not care which of the creatures were hit, I’d suggest one of two methods. Either use a 50% chance to attack one of the two (and scale however you wish, for multiple targets and/or creature size) or attack whichever of the two are closer to the attacker (if you choose to do the latter, follow the rules for the variant rule mentioned below. If they are both equally far away, roll 50-50). Finally, to satisfy the curiosity of anyone wanting greater accuracy for ranged weapons, I’d suggest using the “Variant: Firing into a Crowd” that can be found on pg. 65-66 in the DMG. This should take care of any stray missiles and help answer other range weapon questions (This can also be used to determine where a missile goes if it misses by the -4, which would still apply even to a ranged touch attack I believe). [/QUOTE]

Verification