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Message: <blockquote data-quote="clearstream" data-source="post: 7235769" data-attributes="member: 71699">Okay, so design goals first. As you know my guiding principles are let them shine (limit overshadowing), broaden choice (more viable strategies), and don't warp the narrative (don't force DMs to change their world to deal with an ability). With that in mind, what have I proposed1) Let melee weapons shine in melee. The revisions do that both directly and indirectly. Directly, they retain disadvantage for ranged weapons in melee. Indirectly, they reduce the peak damage available to ranged weapons so that, if entering melee, characters would prefer to use a melee weapon. Ranged weapons continue to make sense at range, where their other advantages multiply their effective power.2) Ensure melee remains viable, compared with range and casting. Ensure that bows remain viable, compared with crossbows. Enhance the viability of single-attack classes versus extra-attack classes. The revisions do that, again through retaining disadvantage and through "once per turn" on ranged power attacks.3) Avoid "World of Pavises and Crossbows" (DMs can still create that world if they like, but most D&D adventures don't go that route, and creatures in the Monster Manual aren't designed with that kind of world in mind). The power-attack revision makes such a world substantially less likely.A fourth consideration is likelihood of success. Minor tweaks to playtested rules are more likely to be successful. There is always risk and on the whole we as individual homebrewers don't have access to the playtesting needed to ensure our tweaks are robust. Once per turn is likely to be successful, because it leaves most of the feat unchanged and for many characters it makes no difference at all. One of the wording changes to Crossbow Expert appears to me to implement the original intent (fight effectively with sword and hand crossbow). Retaining disadvantage isn't too risky because after all, it simply prevents departure from the game default.I tried not to change anything that wasn't absolutely necessary to change, to achieve the goals.</blockquote>

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