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View Full Version : 3.5 Houserule - Ranged DEX to damage



Tinydwarfman
2010-03-21, 11:12 PM
Would you consider giving Dex to damage on bows and other ranged weapons too powerful? Any other things to worry about?

Krazddndfreek
2010-03-21, 11:15 PM
I don't think it would be hugely unbalancing, unless your players actually use their range to their advantage (i.e. taking high ground, etc.). Only thing else I can think of his getting rid of Crossbow Sniper feat.

Geiger Counter
2010-03-21, 11:15 PM
put a prereq of BAB +3 and it should be fine.

Tinydwarfman
2010-03-21, 11:17 PM
put a prereq of BAB +3 and it should be fine.

Why BAB +3? Also, this is not a feat, it is a base mechanics change.

Gametime
2010-03-21, 11:18 PM
It's almost certainly not too powerful, although depending on the power level of your group it may cause archers to handily outshine melee fighters. Even if that's the case, limiting it to some distance between 30 and 60 yards should prevent archers from being too tough to reach.

sambo.
2010-03-21, 11:18 PM
archers get royally screwed over in 3.5 imho.

adding a Dex to Damage feat and a Power Shot (same as power attack, but for bows) feat would even things up a bit.

DragoonWraith
2010-03-21, 11:18 PM
It's a good change. There's a feat that'll do it, but honestly it should not be nearly so difficult as it is normally to do.

The only question then is whether or not you keep Composite Bows and the ability to add Str to damage, too. Adding both is pretty strong... but then the support for bows in the books is really bad.

sambo.
2010-03-21, 11:23 PM
The only question then is whether or not you keep Composite Bows and the ability to add Str to damage, too. Adding both is pretty strong... but then the support for bows in the books is really bad.

the Str to damage makes sense as it's the draw weight of the bow. keeping both just adds some MAD into an archer.

but yuh, under RAW, getting dex to damage is painful.

GOGO SLEEPYJUS!!

absolmorph
2010-03-21, 11:37 PM
I'm using this, actually. So far, it hasn't been a problem.
Well, not on my side, at least. The goblins I threw at my players in the first session (second encounter) gave 'em a beating 'cause of it.
Although, really, that was just one player who got rather unlucky. Seriously, he charged out into a clearing while the other 3 characters sat in the bushes. With 5 goblins hangin' around. With javelins and slings. As you can probably guess, he got hit hard. And nearly got taken down.
Things have improved for him, thankfully.

Tinydwarfman
2010-03-21, 11:37 PM
We are using a lot a pathfinder rules, where there already is a power shot type feat (deadly aim I believe), and I probably would let composite bows in as well, as my group optimizes fairly well (but not so much that they would find a way to exploit this).

Now, should DEX to damage apply on all ranged attacks? Like throwing and rays?

sambo.
2010-03-21, 11:40 PM
Now, should DEX to damage apply on all ranged attacks? Like throwing and rays?

i'd say: Throwing Weapons: YES, Ray Spells: NO!

Tinydwarfman
2010-03-21, 11:43 PM
This does get a bit trickier with bloodstorm blade though. DEX to damage while throwing great axes really goes against the precision based flavor. :smallbiggrin:

Gametime
2010-03-21, 11:45 PM
I'd take a cue from 4th Edition and make some throwing weapons based on Dexterity, some on Strength. Light weapons should probably be dexterity (for both attacks and damage), while one-handed and two-handed throwing weapons should be strength (again, for both attacks and damage).

Gan The Grey
2010-03-22, 12:16 AM
In an E6 game, the rules for ranged fighting are fairly well balanced, IMHO. You are trading out more damage for damage over a distance. That and the assumption that the majority of the world's NPC are no higher than 2nd or 3rd level. It isn't hard to drop a low level character from a distance with one or two successful ranged attacks from an ranged optimized character. If you were to add in Dex to damage in an E6 game, I'd say that ranged weapons would readily outshine melee.

That being said, ranged power drops off fairly quickly after level 6. Maybe you should make the mechanics function only for ranged characters that reach 6th level, or +6 bab, or something.

Sinfire Titan
2010-03-22, 12:49 AM
This can get out of hand. Not that I think it's a problem, I'm just letting you know that Ranged combatants can make more attacks/round than the average character can (Rapid Shot, Splitting Bow enhancement, Speed enhancement, etc).

Tinydwarfman
2010-03-22, 12:58 AM
This can get out of hand. Not that I think it's a problem, I'm just letting you know that Ranged combatants can make more attacks/round than the average character can (Rapid Shot, Splitting Bow enhancement, Speed enhancement, etc).

I know, and with composite bows it may be too much now that I think about it. Or maybe Half Dex normally with a feat for full?

Also, who would ever put speed on their bow?

Godskook
2010-03-22, 01:08 AM
This does get a bit trickier with bloodstorm blade though. DEX to damage while throwing great axes really goes against the precision based flavor. :smallbiggrin:

1.A Bloodstorm Blade can already get DEX to damage with thrown weapons, thanks to Shadow Blade.

2.RAW, even if you did this houserule, a Bloodstorm Blade wouldn't add DEX to damage on his throws from the rule, since they're made "As melee attacks", which don't typically add DEX to damage.

NEO|Phyte
2010-03-22, 01:11 AM
2.RAW, even if you did this houserule, a Bloodstorm Blade wouldn't add DEX to damage on his throws from the rule, since they're made "As melee attacks", which don't typically add DEX to damage.

They only treat it as a melee attack if they use a swift action to activate Thunderous Throw.

gorfnab
2010-03-22, 01:57 AM
There is the Targetteer Fighter variant from Dragon Magazine #310 (or here (http://www.crystalkeep.com/d20/rules/DnD3.5Index-Classes-Base.pdf) on page 52) that can get an ability called Vital Aim which adds Dex mod to damage on ranged attacks.

Tinydwarfman
2010-03-22, 06:08 AM
1.A Bloodstorm Blade can already get DEX to damage with thrown weapons, thanks to Shadow Blade.


That's fine, I'm pretty sure the shadowhand weapons don't include a greataxe. :smalltongue:

Eldariel
2010-03-22, 06:15 AM
Remove Composite Bows. Alternatively, allow either Str or Dex for Composite Bows. Also, you could allow Str or Dex for thrown weapons, or put Dex on Light Thrown Weapons and Str on the rest. Thanks to Brutal Throw, throwing can be Str SAD anyways.

Generally though, 2 stats to damage by default is bothersome so avoid that. But just Dex to damage? No problem, really, though you'll have to make sure S&B and TWF don't get the shaft too bad; if archery becomes "like TWF, except 100% less sucky", that's bad :smalltongue: In other words, I'd add some buffs to both while at it, though I guess ToB does quite a bit already.