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Message: <blockquote data-quote="CapnZapp" data-source="post: 6968416" data-attributes="member: 12731">Suddenly, I got thinking - what if I have run this wrong all this time?I've run the game allowing heroes to shoot at the Orc that's waving a pointy stick in their face, albeit at disadvantage.But let's look at what the rules actually say... could it be that all this time, you simply cannot make a ranged attack at an adjacent target?[QUOTE="PHB page 146]Every weapon is classifiedas either melee or ranged. A melee weapon is used toattack a target within 5 feet of you, whereas a rangedweapon is used to attack a target at a distance.</blockquote>This certainly doesn't argue against this.(There is no errata pertaining to page 146)Okay, so what does the Combat chapter say?[QUOTE="PHB page 195]Aiming a ranged attack is more difficult when a foeis next to you. When you make a ranged attack witha weapon, a spell, or some other means, you havedisadvantage on the attack roll if you are within 5 feeto f a hostile creature who can see you and w ho isn’tincapacitated.[/QUOTE]Note how this never specifies whether you're shooting at the adjacent foe that's bothering your shot.(There is errata for page 195, but it's about unarmed attacks)But what about Crossbow Expert - the feat (in)famous for removing the penalty for shooting in melee?Again it doesn't talk about who you're shooting at.Could it be that the rules allow for the following reading:HX______YH = Hero (player character)X and Y = MonstersThe rules clearly specify that in this situation you have disadvantage on ranged attacks, because you're within 5 feet of hostile monster X.So when you want to fire at monster Y, you have disadvantage, and that's that.But what about firing at monster X. Can you do it at all?The rules for ranged weaponry clearly state they're used to attack a target "at a distance", and a reasonable reading of page 146 is to contrast that to melee weapons "used to attack a target within 5 feet of you".Could we read that to mean you cannot attack targets within 5 feet of you using a ranged weapon?That is, you don't get disadvantage on shooting X - it's impossible. Crossbow Expert might lift the disadvantage, but it's still impossible to shoot monster X!(You can shoot monster Y, but not monster X)You could of course take a step back and shoot at X from a distance of 10 feet with no disadvantage either with or without the feat, but you would crucially have to eat an opportunity attack to do so, assuming X lacks reach. (While this is rather beside the issue, I wanted to at least mention it)What do you say?Please note I'm not trying to make you change your reading of the rules. I'm not trying to argue this is the only way to play the game. I'm not trying to make the way I have played the game into badwrongfun, and I am not trying to make you change the way you play your game.I am merely asking you if you feel this is a reasonable (alternate) reading of the rules?[/QUOTE]

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