D&D 5E Cleaving Through Creatures using Range Attacks - Legolas

[Athinar]

Well, truth be told... the odds of a party of PCs ever fighting an enemy so much higher level than them that the enemy could do enough damage with a ranged attack to send a single character from Full HP to 0 HP in a single blow... is going to be rare enough that you'll probably never need to pay attention about the rule from the opposite side. It's probably only going come close to occurring when the PCs are at 1st or 2nd level with so little hit points that a one-shot was possible... and at that point do you as the DM need to drop two PCs with a single shot?

They could do it with a Cannon, Sharpshooter, Very Evil Halfling of 18th level Assassin, 1st fighter Archery

 

[Unwise]

The point at which I would consider using such a rule, is also the point at which I would just switch to use the beta mass combat rules, that already allow for such feats of awesomeness.

As is, my players are far more scared of a kobold horde than the dragon they serve. Bounded accuracy, hordes, traps and slings have ruined their plans on a few occasions.

<edit> On second thoughts, even if I were to use the cleave rule, I don't think I would let it apply to normal ranged weapons. I think melee need their time in the sun, it can be their role to cull the horde while the guys that get free targeting take out the more important targets.

 

[Athinar]

So here is a question with Cleave thru using a Vorpal Weapon? Natural 20, how much damage? and how many creatures will fall?

 

[Blackwarder]

The point at which I would consider using such a rule, is also the point at which I would just switch to use the beta mass combat rules, that already allow for such feats of awesomeness.

As is, my players are far more scared of a kobold horde than the dragon they serve. Bounded accuracy, hordes, traps and slings have ruined their plans on a few occasions.

<edit> On second thoughts, even if I were to use the cleave rule, I don't think I would let it apply to normal ranged weapons. I think melee need their time in the sun, it can be their role to cull the horde while the guys that get free targeting take out the more important targets.

What beta mass combat rules?

Warder

 

[Warmaster Horus]

Not in my game. The amount of lost energy an arrow suffers passing completely through a living target would leave practically nothing left to penetrate a successive (probably armored) subject. But if you want to play all wuxia-like, go for it!

 

[Athinar]

So an Arrow shot from a Assassin with surprise hits the neck of a goblin/kobold can not hit another creature that is behind it, I guess you need to look up the power of long bows and crossbows and other Ranged Weapons

So maybe the arrow would take out the first creature it hit and then do some damage to the next if the creatures were in light armor or Hide

if the creature had heavy armor like Plate mail then no Cleave even with the assassin doing enough to one shot the creature

Gerald of Wales commented on the power of the Welsh longbow in the 12th century:

... n the war against the Welsh, one of the men of arms was struck by an arrow shot at him by a Welshman. It went right through his thigh, high up, where it was protected inside and outside the leg by his iron cuirasses, and then through the skirt of his leather tunic; next it penetrated that part of the saddle which is called the alva or seat; and finally it lodged in his horse, driving so deep that it killed the animal.^[33]

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but did the Knight survive the shot or did it hit a artery and he bleed to death (zero hit Points)

and we are not talking about cleaving thru Giants or Dragons but thru Goblins, Orcs, Halflings and maybe Humans, Elves and things like that.

5.0 is heavy into the Hit Points so we are not talking about cleaving every shot

unless we are attacking with the cannon, Surprised, Death Strike, Sneak Attack, with Sharpshooter and Bracers of Archery

in the Civil War the Cannon ball did allot of damage just by bouncing thru the troops

The Cannon and Ballista is the closest weapons we have to the Sniper Rifle

 

[Athinar]

PC = Creatures, keep the equation equal, Keep Cleave via Sword or Bow on both sides of the equation, and a Horde of Goblins using a hidden Ballista with one 3rd Level Assassin Goblin aiming it with critical, well the bolt will go thru many bodies before it stops. But Remember that one rule for Cleave, you can not cleave thru if the creature has one point of damage

 

[Pickles JG]

All those creatures are dead to fireball anyway so it will not have much impact really.

I'm going to use inspiration to alow for thiskind of stunt. I keep buffimg it but so far (level 5) noone has used it yet. Its now awarded by players and a re reoll not advantage....

 

[Athinar]

In my group, the only Wizard is 1st level with 1 level of Fighter and 3 levels of Rogue, Had a Fireball Scroll once, blow the required roll, not all groups have the Fireball