Revision Spotlight (6/17)

[jasamcarl]

What the heck type of high-level, encounter-appropriate projectile attacker would not use a full attack? Its granular at mid to high levels. And of course certain campaigns can be heavily skewed to challenge or not challenge a given party. But look at the freakin distribution of common attacks for MM monsters and tell me that in most groups this will be an issue in many groups.

Please, explain how a definitive immunity is actually unbalanced, especially in regards to such a narrow range of attacks such as this. 'Boring' mechanic really doesn't do it. The granuarity with this feat comes in the damage avoided across a range of encounters, not in a single one. Jeez, i wish my fighter could dimension door atleast a short distance!!! There are a lot of qualitative abilities in DND, most notably certain utility spells. Just because this one is a martial ability does not make it any less valid.

 

[jeffh]

Remember how broken everyone thought monks were when 3E first came out? Notice how nobody seriously thinks that anymore? I have a feeling this is going to end up a lot like that.

 

[Steverooo]

Huh?!?

A low-prereq feat that provides automatic protection from an attack? Kinda lame and definitely unbalanced. Rule zero strikes again.

DEX 17+, Improved Unarmed Strike, Deflect Arrows, and Snatch Arrows are all required, and even then you can snatch ONE thrown or propelled "small arms" attack per round. HOW is that a "low-prerequisite feat"?

 

[Steverooo]

2e

There is no reason why you shouldn't be able to deflect an incoming arrow with a shield or a weapon. It would be just as cool and make the feat attractive to a wider variety of fighters.

2e had a Parry rule; something like: "Subtract 1/2 your level from the opponent's To-Hit roll", or somesuch...

 

[Steverooo]

Two is not One

The idea that a character can be completely immune to an enemy's attacks (even if only at low levels) for the price of one feat is absurd.

And, again, it's two Feats: Improved Unarmed Strike AND Deflect Arrows... plus there's that pesky DEX requirement...

 

[Steverooo]

First, simply raise the prereqs so it's not quite as easy to get at 1st level. Instead of Dex 13+, maybe Dex 16+ or 17+. A Dex of 13+ is a smidge above average for all people, and pretty average for adventuring types. Certainly it should be physically more difficult than, say, Dodge.

No first level characters, save Fighters, Monks, and Humans who devote ALL their Feats to it can have Deflect Arrows at level one. DEX 13+ AND Improved Unarmed Strike are both required.

A Human (with that extra Feat) could spend both and get it... IF they have the DEX. A Fighter (of any race) likewise. A Monk COULD, but since they'll get it at next level, if they choose, regardless of DEX, who would want to? (Only a very few who went the Improved Grapple route).

Still, the FEAT could be better...

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

Here's R&D's reasoning:

Archery shouldn't be more powerful than melee combat; in fact, at most levels it should probably be weaker except in ideal circumstances. The game's just more robust and entertaining at close quarters, one of the many reasons why the dungeon remains the most popular default settings.

And the archer's hardly useless against the monk, he just has to work a little harder.

* Against a hidden archer, DA is useless. An archer with a ring of invisibility (or with a buddy casting greater invisibility on him) is still pretty dangerous.

* Against an archer with surprise or initiative, DA is useless until the monk's first action. The sniper can still cut down the unwary monk.

* Against an archer with Rapid Shot, all DA does is negate the beneficial effect of the feat (the extra attack), leaving the archer with the same attacks as he'd normally get, with a -2 penalty.

* Against an archer with Manyshot, all DA does is reduce the damage by 1/3 (and really not even that much, if you have any bonuses from precision and the like).

* Against an archer with none of those advantages, the monk gets to turn one attack per round into a miss. That's it. The archer's still probably making more attacks per round against the monk than the melee guys (since the monk's moving around too much), meaning that even with DA, he probably gets more attacks per round on average than the melee types.

Andy Collins
Senior Designer
Wizards of the Coast Roleplaying R&D

Of course, we could just rename the feat to: DR -/(melee or 2 arrows).

 

[Steverooo]

 

 

[Wulf Ratbane]

What a shame ol' Smaug didn't have Deflect Arrows.

Of course, in the future, IMC, he will...


Wulf

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

What a shame ol' Smaug didn't have Deflect Arrows.

Still wouldn't have protected him from Bard's Deus Ex Machina of Death feat.