Clint_L
Legend
In my games, super long range attacks aren't much of a factor. Cover can be, though usually the ranged attacker just chooses a target that isn't in cover. So this feat really comes down to the -5/+10 option.
This is not as powerful as many people think. Let's say you would normally hit a target on an 11+, doing 8.5 damage (4.5+4), or 4.25 average damage per attack. If you opted for the extra damage from sharpshooter, you hit on a 16+, doing 18.5 (4.5+4+10) damage, or...about 4.6 damage per attack. Of course, the initial AC of the target has a huge impact on the value of the feat; basically it is much stronger against low AC targets, and much weaker against high AC ones, as you would expect. As pointed out, it also makes your damage output much less predictable.
Also, it is often taken by rogues, which makes the -5 to the attack roll even riskier since the +10 bonus has to be weighed against the risk of losing your sneak attack damage on those attacks.
Right now, choosing to use the +5/-10 option is not an automatic choice. Players forego it all the time, for good reasons. I like abilities that force players to make choices.
This is not as powerful as many people think. Let's say you would normally hit a target on an 11+, doing 8.5 damage (4.5+4), or 4.25 average damage per attack. If you opted for the extra damage from sharpshooter, you hit on a 16+, doing 18.5 (4.5+4+10) damage, or...about 4.6 damage per attack. Of course, the initial AC of the target has a huge impact on the value of the feat; basically it is much stronger against low AC targets, and much weaker against high AC ones, as you would expect. As pointed out, it also makes your damage output much less predictable.
Also, it is often taken by rogues, which makes the -5 to the attack roll even riskier since the +10 bonus has to be weighed against the risk of losing your sneak attack damage on those attacks.
Right now, choosing to use the +5/-10 option is not an automatic choice. Players forego it all the time, for good reasons. I like abilities that force players to make choices.