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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Ashkelon" data-source="post: 6985417" data-attributes="member: 6774887">In a game without feats or fighting styles, a longbow archer deals roughly 80% of the damage of a greatsword fighter. In addition to the reduced damage, the longbow archer also suffers penalties for cover, and disadvantage to attacks while within 5 feet of enemies. This is theoretically balanced due to the many benefits ranged attacks inherently possess over melee. In a game with feats and fighting styles, the ranged attackers damage increases significantly. Between crossbow expert and sharpshooter, all of the inherent penalties ranged warriors face disappear. On top of that, it provides a ranged warrior with a garuanteed means of utilizing his bonus action to attack. This means that compared to a greatsword warrior, the crossbow fighter is attacking significantly more often (a human with crossbow expert is attacking twice as often from level 1). Combine the additional attacks with the +2 accuracy bonus from the archery fighting style and the large static damage bonus from sharpshooter and you have a very potent combination.All in all, a tricked out hand crossbow archer deals about 35% more damage than a greatsword fighter from levels 6-10 and about 20% more damage than a greatsword fighter from levels 11-19. That is including the bonus action attack from great weapon fighting style.The optimized melee damage build is a polearm fighter, which closes the gap significantly, but is still behind that of the hand crossbow archer.</blockquote>

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