I'm actually getting a bit tired of super archers, precise shot and the entire mechanic of shooting into melee. At mid to high levels it gets way to easy. A good archer will have a very high attack bonus and usually not really care much about the dangers of shooting into a melee of friends and foes.
I have thought about three possible alternative ways of handling the situation.
1. Making it a % chance to hit each target and then let precise shot lower the chance. So if shooting at two medium creatures in melee the base chance of hitting the one you want would be 60 % as they are moving a lot while fighting. So a 40 % chance of hitting your friend. For each size the combatants are differing the chance changes by 10 %. So if firing at an ogre fighting your human friend the base chance of hitting the ogre is 70 %.
Precise shot would then halve the chance of hitting your ally. For instance in the Ogre vs. human example your would have a 85 % chance of hitting the Ogre and 15 % chance of hitting your friend.
A problem that arises here is when the melee is between several allies and foes. That makes it hard to calculate the percentages in a sensible way.
2. To use precise shot as it is but only allow it as a standard action. That would represent the care you have to take with each shot. That really hurts archers bad, but I might actually like that.
3. To have a flat out 50 % chance per shot that you can not take it, without the standard chance of hitting your ally. That would represent that there just where no clear shots when you where ready to fire. Precise shot would let your roll twice for each shot.
I have thought about three possible alternative ways of handling the situation.
1. Making it a % chance to hit each target and then let precise shot lower the chance. So if shooting at two medium creatures in melee the base chance of hitting the one you want would be 60 % as they are moving a lot while fighting. So a 40 % chance of hitting your friend. For each size the combatants are differing the chance changes by 10 %. So if firing at an ogre fighting your human friend the base chance of hitting the ogre is 70 %.
Precise shot would then halve the chance of hitting your ally. For instance in the Ogre vs. human example your would have a 85 % chance of hitting the Ogre and 15 % chance of hitting your friend.
A problem that arises here is when the melee is between several allies and foes. That makes it hard to calculate the percentages in a sensible way.
2. To use precise shot as it is but only allow it as a standard action. That would represent the care you have to take with each shot. That really hurts archers bad, but I might actually like that.
3. To have a flat out 50 % chance per shot that you can not take it, without the standard chance of hitting your ally. That would represent that there just where no clear shots when you where ready to fire. Precise shot would let your roll twice for each shot.
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