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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Elwolf" data-source="post: 546542" data-attributes="member: 4756">Okay, you’re still comparing it to the second of the two I posted, which as I said in my previous post, you’re right, it is screwed up somewhat, so reposting the first one (cleaned up, as I missed scopes taking an action to use)…One Shot, One KillPrerequisites: Wisdom 13, Far Shot, Dead Aim, Point Blank Shot, Precise ShotBenefit: As a full round action, using this feat, the character may carefully line up a single shot, taking –2 to hit, but gaining +1 die of damage on a successful hit. This feat has no effect on creatures immune to criticals.Special: The use of a scope (if fitted) is subsumed into the full round action (normally it requires an attack action to use a scope).The surprise round is a mess.  No full round actions, and if you don’t bend the rules to allow such actions outside of the combat, you get a situation where a sniper may sit observing a target, lining him up carefully, gauging the wind, etc (ie using Dead Aim prior to taking a shot), but because full round actions aren’t allowable in the surprise round, he can’t take that particularly carefully lined up shot.  As it is, I’d use that first shot as the trigger of the surprise round, allowing the sniper the +2 for Dead Aim as he’d had plenty of prior to pulling the trigger to use the feat, outside of combat or not.As for giving away one’s position it is quite possible to stay hidden while firing – say while using the PSG1 with Far Shot and Scope (range increment 180 ft, I’m dammed if I can find anything stating whether multipliers are treated the same way as 3e or just multiplied together, so using the conservative figure), shooting at a target 350 ft away, wearing a ghillie suit has an effective hide bonus of +25 vs the target’s spot checks (+35 for 350 ft apart, +10 for ghillie, -20 for attacking while hiding), +30 during combat (additional –5 to spot for being in combat situation).  On top of that anyone dedicating themselves to being a sniper is more than likely to have a decent hide skill as well.Finally, there is an option as a move action, to start/finish full round action, so during that surprise round the character could start lining up that shot, and on his next round action he could take the shot.  Sure, if the target gets beats the sniper on the initiative, he’s no longer shooting at a flat-footed target, but then, if you take the first shot to be the trigger of the surprise round, he’s already had his first, free (as such) shot.As an example of what I see it working like, take this situation – John Doe (our sniper) and his crazy team mates, whom to a man think that any firefight over 50 ft in range is for cowards, want to take out a band of thugs guarding a crossroads with a Jeep mounted .50 cal.  JD takes a position on a nearby hill while his team mates sneak carefully up to their jump off point.  Having arranged that the attack will start with JD dropping the thug on the .50 cal, communication between JD and his team mates is maintained by tactical radio.  Calmly gauging the wind and carefully sighting in on the .50 cal thug, JD whispers into his throat mike, “Standby”, warning his team mates the shot is about to be taken.  Deliberately controlling his breathing, JD gently squeezes the trigger.  Before the bark of the PSG1 even reaches the thugs, the one manning the .50 cal slumps.  (Surprise round begins, Team mates have highest initiative, JD lower, no thugs manage to react).  Two of JD’s team mates open up with autofire at the thugs, spraying the area in front of the Jeep, and pegging one, while the other team mates run, trying to get into a flanking position to deny the thugs the benefits of cover behind the Jeep.  JD calmly begins to take aim at one of the thugs behind the Jeep (move action to begin full round action).  (1st round begins, thugs have higher initiative than any in team)  The thugs start diving for cover and open fire on the team mates in close (in a firefight with threats in close, none of the thugs make the spot check necessary to discern JD’s position), and manage to get a couple of solid hits on one of them.  The supporting team mates continue to fire on the thugs, managing to get another, while the flanking team mates continue to run for their flanking position.  JD fires (finishing the full round action), but misses as the thug dives behind the Jeep.  Uttering a curse under his breath, he starts lining the thug up once more (starts another full round action).  (2nd round) The thugs, realising the threat that the two flankers present to them, switch their fire to the new threat, and one of the flankers goes down as several bullets strike home.  The two supporting team mates, seeing the thugs turn their attention towards the flankers, switch from autofire to bursts, and manage to get another thug.  The surviving flanker drops and rolls, turning his MP5 towards the exposed thugs, and lets loose a burst that claims another.  JD fires once more, and this time the thug’s luck deserts him, as the round smacks home, dropping him.  He then switches targets and starts lining up the only surviving thug.  (3rd round) The surviving thug, seeing he has no chance at all, drops his weapon, and raises his hands in surrender.  The team mates start to move in, readying actions to shoot the thug if he as much as removes his hands from his head.  JD eases his finger from the trigger slightly, aborting his shot, but readies an action as well to fire if the thug tries anything.</blockquote>

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