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Message: <blockquote data-quote="CapnZapp" data-source="post: 6863863" data-attributes="member: 12731">Ranged is inherently superior to melee for several reasons that are all obvious, I hope. Any game that calls itself fantasy must create rules that CHANGE this. Heroic Conan-style swordfighting on top of piles of Orcs doesn't come by itself. The rules must make it happen.The 5E designers has forgotten about this, I think.Having a ranged Thief skulk about in the shadows is a cool image to be sure. But it depends on the others in the party being slow plate tanks with weak ranged attacks!If it's easy to create mobile ranged characters that brings huge advantages - and I'm afraid my conclusion is that this insight somehow got lost during 5e development. Everybody just ASSUMED every party would contain a slow strength fighter, without actually making sure that really happens. This is not a single bad decision, remember! It's more like...Wouldn't it be cool if Dex characters could improve other stats than Strength? Let's drop Strength for damage!Archery style needs another boost than the melee styles, let's add accuracy.If there's a way to make melee power attacks, shouldn't there be a ranged one too? The lone archer needs some love too!While we're at it, wouldn't it be cool to allow Legolas to shoot arrows even when surrounded by Orcs?And why not let hand crossbow users spend a feat on removing restrictions; she'll be in melee often enough anyway. ......Taken individually each idea sounds reasonable. But nobody stopped to ask "but are we still handing out enough goodies to the slow strength guy?"5e is the first edition to use all these ideas. The results are devastating to the fundamental assumption of the fantasy genre.Unfortunately, there is probably no simple fix.I mean, errataing damage to always use Strength (no matter what other rules say) would probably help, but that's a bitter pill to swallow.</blockquote>

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