Stalker0 said:Use the encounter distances given in the dmg.
For a medium density forest....the spot distance is 2d8x10 ft (avg. 90 feet) pg. 87
In an open field....6d6x40 (avg. 840 ft) pg. 92.
So theoretically the maximum starting distance for any encounter is 980 ft.
myradale said:Yeah, I'll have to GM it fairly carefully to avoid a completely unbalanced game.
What I was most interested in is if anyone knows about how far away you can see a person. And how much detail you can make out at that range.
I mean, half a kilometre is pretty far, but I'd imagine you'd still be able to make out that there WAS a person over there with a bow, but not a whole lot else.
(emphasis added)SRD said:True Strike
Divination
Level: Sor/Wiz 1 Components: V, F Casting Time: 1 standard action Range: Personal Target: You Duration: See text
You gain temporary, intuitive insight into the immediate future during your next attack. Your next single attack roll (if it is made before the end of the next round) gains a +20 insight bonus. Additionally, you are not affected by the miss chance that applies to attackers trying to strike a concealed target.
Focus: A small wooden replica of an archery target.
Yeah, the range penalties are obviously not designed to cope with that - after all it's not like composite longbows are in the same book as the rules for them...Zadam said:Actually, wouldn't the trajectory of the arrow be more like an artillary shell over such a long distance? ie you aim way up into the air above the targets head. Thats if a bow CAN even shoot that far, and I think would induce a much larger penalty to hit than the standard range increment ones... Basically the way I see it, the range penalty is because to you the target looks a lot smaller at a long range, but in the case of such a long shot, not only is the target incredibly small, you have to "guess" how far away they are and aim a certain distance above the target based on that guess. This would of course be a lot harder that just aiming at a small target.
Of course! Base attack and skill has nothing to do with it! Wis checks all round!Maybe force the shooter to make a Wisdom check (a pretty tough one) to guess the distance to the target, failure means they will miss regardless of attack roll. If they make the wis check, attack as usual. Unless of course the attacker knows the distance some other way, ie a spell, or they happen to know the distance from their location to some landmark that the targets are standing near.
Saeviomagy said:Yeah, the range penalties are obviously not designed to cope with that - after all it's not like composite longbows are in the same book as the rules for them...
Of course! Base attack and skill has nothing to do with it! Wis checks all round!
myradale said:Ok, about how far can a person see in moderate forests/plains etc?
I've got an archer/sorcerer NPC who's taken the Far Shot feat and is using a composite longbow.
He casts true strike (+20 to hit) and lets fly.
Now, the true strike counters the -20 he'd take from 10 range increments, allowing him to fire using normal bonuses at a range of 1650ft, or about half a kilometre (about 0.3 miles or 5.5 football fields)
Now, can the people he hits even SEE him at that range? Taking the normal spot rules for distance= A large object in plain sight (DC 0) -1 per 10ft of distance (-165) = not a chance anyone will see you. How would you rule this? He can hide (sniping) with a -20 to his check and still have NO chance of being detected. Even giving massive bonuses for the party knowing which direction the arrow came from, they're not going to be able to make even a DC 40 spot check.
By the RAW, if he catches them out in the open, he can just fire with impunity until he runs out of 1st level slots. Even the longest spells of the party can only reach 1000 ft (600ft +10 levels *40ft/level).
Any ideas?