Come again - you can't shoot bows in melee while in melee?

[Sithobi1]

The AoO is still provoked, since Precise Shot does nothing about that.

 

[Kormydigar]

This Buffering Supernatural Shield causes all ranged attacks, including spit, to slow to a crawl until it has exited the BS Shield which covers your entire threatened area.

BS Shield sure sounds about right.

 

[pawsplay]

Anyone who would use a bow in such a way is immediately cursed.

 

[Nail]

Joker had me up until the acronym.

 

[Milkman Dan]

Are you sure?
Wow, thanks, always thought it was possible...

http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/rg/20041102a

You can use any special attack that you can use as a melee attack as an attack of opportunity. That includes disarming, grabbing someone to grapple, sunder, or trip. In the case of a trip attack, you must make the trip attack with whatever weapon you're using to threaten the area where you're making the attack of opportunity.

According to the D&D Main FAQ, sunder is a special kind of melee attack; it can be used as an attack of opportunity for the same reason that sunder can be used as part of a full attack.

 

[ValhallaGH]

"If you have a bow, and are shooting into melee whilst in melee, you cannot use it and must drop your bow and pull out a melee weapon; if you do shoot it while in melee you take a -35 penalty to do so. His reasoning is that whoever you are shooting at will have dodged you by the time you have shot him, and also there will not be enough momentum behind your shot to do any damage to him. Also, if you do decide to shoot into melee whilst in melee, they get an AoO against you, since you do not threaten."

I called BS on him. I don't think I've ever come across such a statement in any rulebook, and he said "okay, go onto EN World and ask them - they'll tell you the same thing I just said."

The only way to prove him wrong is with empirical testing. So go buy a bow and some arrows from your local sporting goods store, stand your DM two to five feet away from you and shoot him with said bow and arrows. That should illustrate the situation adequately for everyone.


P.S. Following this advice may get you arrested. You are entirely responsible for all of your choices and actions.

 

[ValhallaGH]

Can we not have a repeat of the sunder thread?

Please?

 

[Nyaricus]

The only way to prove him wrong is with empirical testing. So go buy a bow and some arrows from your local sporting goods store, stand your DM two to five feet away from you and shoot him with said bow and arrows. That should illustrate the situation adequately for everyone.


P.S. Following this advice may get you arrested. You are entirely responsible for all of your choices and actions.

I have Boots of Escaping!!

Oh man, oh man

Okay, so I take Precise Shot and shoot into melee whilst in melee. I don't take the -4 penalty to hit, but I still draw an AoO if threatened and I shoot. Sound right?

 

[irishfast]

yes, though i'm not sure if you'll suffer a penalty for shooting at a target with soft cover (your buddies).

 

[Nyaricus]

are you sure he isn't houseruling some kind of Concentration check. maybe he is setting the DC at 35 to use a bow in melee.

still that's messed up, d00d.

Nope, no Concentration check. He says that if you use a bow in melee, it gives them +35 AC. Period.

I told him today that EN World calls it foul, but he seems resistant to accept that, even though he asked me to ask.

This really doesn't affect my character at all, but it just doesn't make sense :\