Does a 1200-foot EB seem broken? Sure, even just the 600-foot EB is a bit crazy. But, you are expending a lot to get a huge bump to range: in total an Eldritch Invocation, a Metamagic (and Sorcery Point per use!), and a Feat. IMO it is overkill for most encounters and the use of the Distant Spell would just be an "as-needed boost" to an already huge range (matching a longbow, but with no disadvantage for long range).
Yeah even for flyers this just isn't a big deal, and costs a lot to set up. You can see something the size of a person that is several hundred yards in the air from a really long ways away, and I have falconers and archers in most enemy groups whether I have flying PCs or not.
What a human looks like 1000 feet from the viewer.
View attachment 127028
Well, no. That's what a human looks like to someone with bad eyesight at a thousand feet away.
Nice, what were you shooting and where? It's hard to find a 400 yard+ range these days, so I assume you were out in the country? I've never shot 400 yards, but I have shot 300, but never with iron sights. That's tough, given the challenge of 300 yards (I have access to a club with a 300 yard bay, the longest in the area) with a good scope. And, I am an expert marksman -- got the ribbon to prove it. I'd say if you can hit, even 50/50, at 400 yards with iron sights, that's expert enough -- you'd have sailed through the military quals.
That's fair. I wish I'd seen this when this thread wasn't a zombie thread!
A friend has a spot in the foothills where they set up some...requisitioned traffic signs on their property. You can see the color of the signs, but you're aiming at a dot you can hide with the tip of your pinkie finger.
I'm a good shot, when I'm in the groove and using a firearm I'm comfortable with. In this case, it was a Saiga hunting rifle, and due to whatever the hell is off about my eyes and how they focus, I can only shoot well with both open. I also am much worse than 50/50 on the first shot, and then noticeably better after the first shot, for what it's worth. I'm even better with a nicely weighted and ergonomic pistol at optimal or just past optimal range, usually able to outshoot even much more experienced/practiced shooters in my family, but I've had opportunity to practice at those ranges a lot more than way out on my buddy's land.
I am not a gun guy, though, so don't expect me to know much more about it.
D&D is not a simulation of reality, but you do need to keep some resemblance of reality.
Find yourself a nice long straight street somewhere in your neighborhood. Ask a friend to help you out. Walk away from each other along that street until you can no longer see each other. Note where each of you were, and then use Google Maps to figure out how far apart you were. You can do the same thing with seeing a parked car if there are no obstructions. You can do the same with a house.
For those that do not want to repeat this exercise, think of it this way: If you have someone stand about 50 feet away from you and you hold you hand up sideways with your arm fully extended, you will likely be able to just block them from your view with your sideways hand (again, at full arm length extension). At 100 feet, they'll seemingly be about 2 to 3 sideways fingers tall. At 400 feet, they'll appear to be around 1 sideways finger tall. At 800 feet they'll look to be a half of fingers width tall roughly - and remember, this is looking at your hand when your arm is fully outstretched.
This is what you're aiming at with your spell. How 'realistic' you think it is for you to target something at these ranges, even with the benefits of magic, feats, etc.. is up to the DM.
In my game, if a player invests that heavily in the feats, metamagic, etc... I will give them a path to do what they want. They think it is fun, so I'll give them the ability to do the unique fun thing they want to do. However, in a case like this, that path will likely involve additional magics to allow them to see their targets at that distance.
On a clear day, with no obstructions, seeing a stop sign at that far away isn't a challenge to someone with good eyesight. (Admittedly, I have 20/25 vision) Seeing a person ain't a challenge. Aiming well enough to hit them might be, but presumably part of the story of these mechanical options is that you are good enough at aiming at extreme distance that you suffer no penalties when hitting objects that are tiny in your vision.
Just like if you take Sharpshooter, you're telling the game mechanics that your character is an expert marksman. If you take Spell Sniper, you're telling the game that your character is an expert magical marksman.
