Defeat The Vile 5' Step

[youspoonybard]

Tower shields are a boon for anyone having trouble with archers at low level.

Use them to approach, drop them when you engage.

 

[Primitive Screwhead]

Did I read that right?

especially when they have insane AC and 5' step away shoot you 3 times as a standard action and bound away 40'.

Do you mean that, in one round, they 5' Step.. Full Attack.. and then Move? If that is what is happening in your game, than I fully understand your frustration.

You only get a free 5' Step when you do not move any other way in the round.
You only get the Full Attack when you do not move in teh round, other than the free 5' Step.

So, if the Archer 5' Steps back and attacks, they are stuck there.
If they move back thier ful movement and attack, they only get 1 attack.

 

[Hosweay]

Focallength - You can't take a 5' step, a standard action, and a move action in the same round. If you make a move action, you can't also take a 5' step.

 

[werk]

I know people keep mentioning it, but readying an attack to disrupt spell casting is almost never a good idea. Far better to just pound on the mage with a full attack.

How so? Do you include all damage taken in the round in the concentration DC? The reason you ready is so you can do damage during 'the action'.

I know you know that, just trying to understand the reasoning behind your quoted statement.

 

[ThirdWizard]

And the only way to get multiple attacks in a round with a bow as a standard action that I'm aware of is the Manyshot feat, which is pretty weak, especially when you first get it.

 

[ThirdWizard]

How so? Do you include all damage taken in the round in the concentration DC? The reason you ready is so you can do damage during 'the action'.

I know you know that, just trying to understand the reasoning behind your quoted statement.

Because you can often kill the wizard in a round.

 

[blargney the second]

I know people keep mentioning it, but readying an attack to disrupt spell casting is almost never a good idea. Far better to just pound on the mage with a full attack.

I think you're right. In certain circumstances readying to disrupt is equivalent to sundering a fighter's weapon. You give up some potential damage in exchange for removing their primary offensive capability. Sometimes it works better than others - particularly if the caster hasn't yet unloaded their big attack spells or if the fighter is heavily specialized with a specific weapon.

It's not an "all the time" tactic, but sometimes it's appropriate.
-blarg

 

[focallength]

I don't think anyone mentioned it, but the loss for me would be, hmm, not threatening an area. This is a significant tactical sacrifice!

-S

If you wanted to get really cheesy you build an archer with TWF and take the elven bow so when some one comes into your square you still threaten and you can attack like your armed with a Quarterstaff

 

[focallength]

And the only way to get multiple attacks in a round with a bow as a standard action that I'm aware of is the Manyshot feat, which is pretty weak, especially when you first get it.

unless your an 8th level archer going after a 3rd level paladin/ 1st fighter with a +13 to hit and human bane arrows and most likely hasted or some other feats I dont know about so you can move 5' shoot 3 times for about an average of 25 points of damage which clobbers you because its more than half you hitpoints, so you can only take a single action which is to hunt cover because the elf moved more than 40' away so you cant charge him. then next round he moves around you to ignore your cover 3 more arrows and your at -13 TADA! wasnt that fun? mean while everyone else ran off and left the paladin to bury and pray for the foes he killed so he gets ambushed by said elf who is now pissed that you turned he lover mage elf into a half elf because he wouldnt stop hitting you with spells, and when you gave him all the chances he deserved to surrender you cleaved him in two, but at the last second he cries out "I surrender!" but your already pissed and in full swing, so now the Dm is joking (or not) that you killed a opponent who tried to surrender (of course he only tried after failing to kill you and saw his own death, not to mention hes CE)and you may lose you paladinhood, because we all know that a paladin cant kill a CE genocide causing elf after he blasts you for more than half you hitpoints,save him from a horible death by burning alive to take him alive but when he blasts you again and you go for the kill he can just surrender and your not allowed to kill him. NOOOOO....a paladin must always except surrender so he can have a whole gaggle of bad guys strung up behind him, to take them to the local authorities, but of course they will just escape and kill you in your sleep or god knows whatthen your responsible for letting num,erous CE muderers loose into the world...anyway now Im getting off subject.

Which brings up another question why do so many DMS try to make the players life a living hell if he plays a paladin? never fails no matter what group Im with the Dm tries to make the paladin Lawful Stupid and totally takes what the paladin is supposed to be waaaay out of proportion. So far this DM hasnt given me grief, but well see he already said he hates paladins so it isnt looking good from the start.

 

[ThirdWizard]

O.O Okay... sentences are your friend, but I'll try to understand this.

unless your an 8th level archer going after a 3rd level paladin/ 1st fighter

And an 8th level character should decimate a 4th. A melee character will kill that 4th level character in one round probably!

with a +13 to hit and human bane arrows and most likely hasted or some other feats I dont know about so you can move 5' shoot 3 times for about an average of 25 points of damage which clobbers you because its more than half you hitpoints,

Is that a variant rule? I'm not up on those very well.

so you can only take a single action which is to hunt cover because the elf moved more than 40' away so you cant charge him.

Bzzzt! Wrong! If the archer takes a full round action to attack, then he is at most 5' away from you. Take a 5' step and full attack him right back. Sure, you can't charge, but taking cover? No no, you step up and whollop him.

then next round he moves around you to ignore your cover 3 more arrows and your at -13 TADA! wasnt that fun?

The next round he takes another 5' step back and attacks again. Making him 5' away from you again.


EDIT:

Okay to clarify!
You cannot move and take a 5' step in the same round. If you move, you will provoke an AoO.
You cannot full attack and move in the same round. If you use iterative attacks or rapid shot, then you cannot take a move action. You can only 5' step at the most. A full attack is a full round action. The only way to get more than one attack per round as a standard action with a bow is manyshot, that is why the feat exists.