Grapple and Improved Precise Shot

[Aluvial]

I'm curious about how handle a ranged attack with an Improved Precise Shot against someone who is grappling.

First, how do you handle attacks against someone who is grappling. I thought that a ranged attack hits the "other" target 25% of the time, but I cannot find that rule. Then I found in the SRD that when you attack a grappling creature, you roll at random to see who you hit.

Will Improved Precise Shot ignore that potential to hit your "friend" with a ranged attack?

What if the other grappling creature is a larger size?

Aluvial

 

[Dandu]

A dragon grappling a pixie has a 50% chance of being shot by someone shooting into the melee, yes. Fortunately, IPS gets around this.

Or so I think.

 

[Aluvial]

I found a few more rules since I asked the questions. I see that the 50% came from the chart for combat modifiers...

I also see that you can target a larger creature by picking any square that the larger creature occupies, thereby ignoring cover... I would imagine that would be the case as well for grappling.

The dragon grappling a pixie should not necessarily provide the 50% chance because you can target a square that the pixie is not in. But I may be wrong here.

I would imaging that IPS would ignore the 50% chance, because it is just plain super awesome... but, then again, I don't see that rule. I've ruled that way in the past, but I thought to see if anyone could offer a different interpretation.

Aluvial

 

[Dandu]

The dragon grappling a pixie should not necessarily provide the 50% chance because you can target a square that the pixie is not in. But I may be wrong here.

Well, that assumes you're trying to hit the dragon and not the pixie.

 

[azura13000]

personally i would rule that because you have improved precise shot you negate the 50% chance however if you dont beat the creatures AC then i would make you role an attack against the creature(player?) it is grappling

this way you still gain an advantage for having the feat but if your attack fails it can still hit the creature you arent aiming at

 

[Vegepygmy]

First, how do you handle attacks against someone who is grappling. I thought that a ranged attack hits the "other" target 25% of the time, but I cannot find that rule. Then I found in the SRD that when you attack a grappling creature, you roll at random to see who you hit.

Correct. My PHB says: "Roll randomly to see which grappling combatant you strike."

Note that it doesn't say you have an equal chance to hit any combatant; a DM is well within the text of the rule to say that you have a 1% chance of hitting the pixie and a 99% chance of hitting the dragon. It's just supposed to be random.

Will Improved Precise Shot ignore that potential to hit your "friend" with a ranged attack?

Well, it says it does: "In addition, when you shoot or throw ranged weapons at a grappling opponent, you automatically strike at the opponent you have chosen."

So I'm going to say yes.

 

[Aluvial]

Ugg, thanks. This is just another in a long line of "if I only read the rules completely before I posted the quetion."

I tend to look these up, then ask the question, but I'm getting lazy lately about the rules. I think I know the answers, and then it comes up in the game (again) and I have to look it up. I'm not sure what has happened. There was a time when I could have recited all of the 1e and 2e rules to you, but the changeover to 3.0 and 3.5 (and now all of the houserules that I've added) that I think I won't see the answer in the book and then it is plainly printed in the book if only I had looked.

New Year's Resolution: Look it up.

Aluvial