Upgrade your account to a Community Supporter account and remove most of the site ads.

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Ilbranteloth" data-source="post: 7227936" data-attributes="member: 6778044">No, I definitely don't think Sage Advice/Errata shifted what was possible. Scenario 1 is what the original rules allowed, and what Sage Advice clarified. You have to have a hand free to load ammunition.Part of the problem in my opinion was to use the term "loading." What they were really trying to say is that a crossbow requires preparation that takes a lot longer than say, a bow. Consider the two weapons.To shoot a bow you must draw an arrow (ammunition property), draw the bow, and release.To shoot a crossbow you must draw the crossbow, draw a bolt, and release.The steps are the same, just in a different order. But the crossbow takes longer to draw because of the way it functions. It's just slower to use. Using a crossbow other than a hand crossbow is also a two-handed weapon. If you have a hand crossbow and it's already drawn and loaded you don't need a hand free. The reality is, the crossbow should take at least an Action to load, and really it should be a full-round thing. You can't load most crossbows in 6 seconds, and certainly not of the type that was available in the medieval era.I know people complain about the sheathing and drawing swords as "nonsense" but the reality is, the whole fabricated scenario is nonsense. In real battles with real weapons of these types, once you closed for melee, then you just drop the crossbow, draw your sword and fight. Hopefully before your opponent is within reach to use their melee weapon. If you're in melee and decided to try to put your sword back in your sheath, you'd simply be killed. No matter how much you practiced it. Even trying to draw a sword when somebody is within reach with theirs drawn would get you killed. That's why disarming somebody is so effective - it's much faster to stab them or swing at them than it is for them to draw another weapon. So you try to dodge and knock away their weapon with your (hopefully armored) arm, so you can get to your weapon. That, to me, sounds like the Dodge action while you draw a weapon.In any event, it's obvious that I disagree with this addition: "you can use a bonus action to attack with a hand crossbow you are holding and you can supply ammunition for that attack even when your other hand isn't free."Maximum cheese and absurdity.--As for the thread itself, I completely disagree with combat being the "central pillar" of D&D, although I totally understand that a lot of people play it that way. Having said that, by designing the strength of feats around that concept helps balance them in a way that the optimization/combat-focused crowd will be happy too!I would also make a note that the Taxed Feats could also be Half-ASI feats for folks not concerned about "protecting core-class benefits." Alert: I don't care for abilities that guarantee success. I would prefer advantage on Initiative and Surprise checks, or allowing a Perception check, possibly with advantage, when surprise is a possibility, etc.Great Weapon Shooter I thought one of the main complaints was the -5/+10 is overpowered.Sharpshooter In addition to questioning the -5/+10, I would remove the "eliminates disadvantage for long range" part. Shooting an arrow at long range is vastly different from a rifle with a sight which is what the "sharpshooter" name makes me think of. Personally, I think reducing the value of cover, combined with a greater critical threshold (18 or 19) would be on target for how archery really works. That is, you have better aim, so you are better at hitting something behind cover, or making a deadlier shot.Armorer Seems like it should be a full ASI. You're gaining a tool proficiency and improving your AC or gaining resistance. Note that I think it should be a full ASI without the tool proficiency too. Actually, I don't see why everybody who is trained in getting the most out of their armor would also be good at making/repairing it. But I certainly don't think they should increase a +1 to an ability either, so if I had to choose one it would be the tool.Actually, a lot of the half-ASI ones feel that way for me. Perhaps I need to understand your math a bit better, though. I'll keep looking through them to see how they compare, though. Very interesting thread.</blockquote>

Verification