D&D 5E Rules - Wind and arrows?

[RangerWickett]

I don't know where there are rules for high winds and archery in 5e. Gale force winds would probably just make such attacks impossible, and a solid crosswind might impose disadvantage, but what about in between? Make attacks at long range impossible?

I'm planning some naval adventures, and I basically want to encourage boarding actions, rather than having an archer PC with a barrel of arrows take out the entire opposing crew.

 

[Oofta]

There are no hard and fast rules, but what you've suggested for gale force and strong winds make sense.

For in between, I'd probably just drop the range distances down by a fixed amount (probably half). Normally a longbow has range 150/600 so if you just cut it in half you would have a range of 75/300. Or simply knock it down to 75/150 and long range shots are not possible.

Whatever you do, keep it simple and easy, there's no reason to get overly complicated or "realistic" since the current ranges aren't particularly realistic to begin with.

The other thing you can do to encourage boarding action is to have enemy ships to have some sort of tower shield that gives the crew full cover (anything else will just be bypassed by archers with sharpshooter).

 

[RangerWickett]

Well, if you reduce the range, long range already imposes disadvantage, and wind imposes disadvantage. With all the ways to gain advantage, that makes wind a bit too easy to ignore. I think I'd just say that due to wind and the heaving of ships making the enemy's location unpredictable, I'd limit the range to 150 (with disadvantage from wind), and no shots possible beyond that.

Thanks for helping me think through this. Also, is your screen name at all related to the Norwegian expression "Uff da"? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uff_da

 

[The Crimson Binome]

It's a limitation of the Disadvantage mechanic that shooting an arrow at long distance is exactly as hard as firing at long distance through strong crosswinds while intoxicated. Are you really comfortable with saying that a shot is literally impossible? If not, then the only modifier that could possibly apply is Disadvantage.

 

[Oofta]

Well, if you reduce the range, long range already imposes disadvantage, and wind imposes disadvantage. With all the ways to gain advantage, that makes wind a bit too easy to ignore. I think I'd just say that due to wind and the heaving of ships making the enemy's location unpredictable, I'd limit the range to 150 (with disadvantage from wind), and no shots possible beyond that.

Thanks for helping me think through this. Also, is your screen name at all related to the Norwegian expression "Uff da"? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uff_da

No problem. Keeping it simple is key - and if you allow feats sharpshooter can cause many issues.

Yes, Oofta is one of the english spelling versions of uff da. It is of course the correct spelling.

 

[Satyrn]

Thanks for helping me think through this.

Aye. I'd say his post was spot on in my eye

 

[Cyber-Dave]

Call the wind speeds whatever you like, but in order of least influential to most influential, I would use the following effects:

Disadvantage at any range.
Disadvantage at any range and you cannot make long range shots.

I would not use anything more complicated than that. This game chassis isn't built for it.

 

[Saeviomagy]

The archer PC can't take out the opposing crew because the opposing crew are in full cover once they realize they're getting picked off. Any sensible ship of war is fully functional with the crew out of line of sight.

If you have an archer with the sharpshooter feat, you need to address things a bit more. Either ban the feat or call eye slits out as being 9/10ths cover, and thus not ignored by it.

 

[Fanaelialae]

[MENTION=63]RangerWickett[/MENTION] DMG pg 110 has rules for strong wind and heavy precipitation.

 

[painted_klown]

[MENTION=63]RangerWickett[/MENTION] DMG pg 110 has rules for strong wind and heavy precipitation.

WOW! You really know the DMG quite well IMO. Thanks for pointing out the official rules.