Long-distance Sniper in a group campaign

[Amphetryon]

I'm looking for ideas, tips, or anecdotes on how to incorporate a character whose concept is 'long-range sniper' within a group game. I'd like to minimize the 'split the party' issue that seems like it may come up relatively often just by the nature of the archetype.

[Boci]

I'm looking for ideas, tips, or anecdotes on how to incorporate a character whose concept is 'long-range sniper' within a group game. I'd like to minimize the 'split the party' issue that seems like it may come up relatively often just by the nature of the archetype.

What type of game will you be playing? Dungeoncrawl? City scape? All across the globe?

[Jgosse]

Things for a good sniper. Deep wood sniper and there is a scot acf that grants bonus damage greater then 60 feat. See if your DM will allow you to use swift hunter with the acf.

[Haldir]

Get a magic item that lets you communicate with the party from afar, and let them act as your spotters. Invest in Kn(Geo) so you can always find the best hidey-spots. Jack up movement speed so you can position easier.

[Blackhawk748]

Depending on where you are, "Long Range" could be 300 ft. Still well within range of the group. If your in a city you could just chill on the rooftops, in a forest you can relax in the trees and use Brachiation to keep moving. Perk of this tactic is that your like 30 ft in the air on top of any actual distance you have from the target, that and leaves will probably give you at least 20% concealment.

[dascarletm]

It really depends on the setting. I successfully ran a sniper in a d20 apocalypse setting. Big open post apocalyptic towns lead to different game-play than a DnD style dungeon.

My tips from that is, also be a scout.

Scout ahead, find your enemies, tell the group. Tell them where you will set up, and also set up some communication methods (if lacking magical ways to talk over distance).

[ace rooster]

Situations where the character can support from range primarily require that range to be available. If the PCs are ambusing a caravan for example, or attacking a settlement (go team murderhobo!). As a DM you can provide a firing position that overlooks much of the planned encounters, with the understanding that the limited damage is offset by nigh invulnerablilty. Having some enemies run away and casters with fairly low concentration checks gives the ranged attacker decisions. If you give them choices of firing positions then they have to think about their priorities. Do they cover the back of the building the party is assaulting, preventing the big bad escaping, (and with a view of the secret exit that the party may or may not have found), or attempt to pin down the reinforcements trying to get in the front? Put a window on the building and suddenly they can have an impact over some of the things that happen inside.

Don't worry too much about 'splitting the party', as one member being 600ft away from the rest of the party is not really splitting it unless you are in very hostile territory or they cannot affect each other. If they have telepathic bonds then there is no chance of getting lost (Give them permenent telepathic bonds. Cast it on them while they sleep if you have to). If you are doing something like trying to hold a town then having a dedicated spotter becomes good enough even without doing any damage at all. It is hard to enjoy playing it, but some players find support roles very satisfying.

[Amphetryon]

Things for a good sniper. Deep wood sniper and there is a scot acf that grants bonus damage greater then 60 feat. See if your DM will allow you to use swift hunter with the acf.
I didn't ask how to make a competent sniper. I asked how to make a competent sniper still act as part of a group, given that the rest of the group isn't operating at sniper distance.


Depending on where you are, "Long Range" could be 300 ft. Still well within range of the group. If your in a city you could just chill on the rooftops, in a forest you can relax in the trees and use Brachiation to keep moving. Perk of this tactic is that your like 30 ft in the air on top of any actual distance you have from the target, that and leaves will probably give you at least 20% concealment.You're saying it's typical of your experience that the battle map represents an area of more than 300'? How big are the squares/hexes? How are you communicating and coordinating tactics? How are you avoiding situations where the sniper is functionally isolated?

[Magic Myrmidon]

I'd probably just put the sniper off the map, unless there are enemies attacking him/her. If they're a sniper than can see the action from far enough away, I wouldn't even worry about line of sight as long as there's something a little bit higher than the battlefield anywhere nearby.

[Blackhawk748]

You're saying it's typical of your experience that the battle map represents an area of more than 300'? How big are the squares/hexes? How are you communicating and coordinating tactics? How are you avoiding situations where the sniper is functionally isolated?

No most are 300 or less, communication wise you can get a helm or something that has a permanent sending on it. Actually permanent Message should work

[Amphetryon]

No most are 300 or less, communication wise you can get a helm or something that has a permanent sending on it. Actually permanent Message should work

Could you clarify how this will help the issue of splitting the party mentioned in the first post?

[Blackhawk748]

Could you clarify how this will help the issue of splitting the party mentioned in the first post?

Well splitting the party usually means you cant help them. As a sniper you can help them from over there as long as you know whats going on. So unless your in a dungeon (which as a sniper you really shouldnt be) you can cover them, which lessens the primary splitting issue. Now if you get caught alone i would recommend having a Panic Button. Its from Complete Scoundrel and its a short range Dimension Door. It will allow you to break LoS and hide somewhere.

[emeraldstreak]

Ive dmed some large scale (1,000s of feet, high mobility/stealth) sniper engagements on rugged terrain using maps made on Excel. Unfortunately, this wont be convinient for week by week sessions.

[Amphetryon]

Well splitting the party usually means you cant help them. As a sniper you can help them from over there as long as you know whats going on. So unless your in a dungeon (which as a sniper you really shouldnt be) you can cover them, which lessens the primary splitting issue. Now if you get caught alone i would recommend having a Panic Button. Its from Complete Scoundrel and its a short range Dimension Door. It will allow you to break LoS and hide somewhere.

It alternatively means they can't help you. Panic Button and hiding does not, by my reading, seem likely to change this, as it appears that it will still leave the sniper split from the party.

This highlights the secondary issue of 'split the party;' you're forcing the DM to deal with the sniper as if s/he were a separate group, with potentially separate encounters.

[Haldir]

An easy solution is teleportation. Get your hands on D-Door and you are only separate from the party when you want to be.

[Blackhawk748]

It alternatively means they can't help you. Panic Button and hiding does not, by my reading, seem likely to change this, as it appears that it will still leave the sniper split from the party.

This highlights the secondary issue of 'split the party;' you're forcing the DM to deal with the sniper as if s/he were a separate group, with potentially separate encounters.

Ya, being a sniper does have this problem. The Panic Button + Hide is mainly to let you live until they make it to you, which is why i mentioned the 300 ft thing. Even when i played a Sniper Assassin i wasnt more than 300 ft away, mainly because if they run they can get to you in about 2-3 rounds, so you just need to live for that long.

Generally if a sniper gets attacked alone they just bail and get to the party ASAP.

Edit: And panic button wasnt what i thought it was, my bad. I was thinking of Cape of th Montebank which is a 1/day Dimension door, which will get you to your party immediately as long as your within range.

[Astralia123]

It truly depends greatly on the type of game you are in, if only you are not yet fed up with such saying. But still I didn't see you clarifying your game type.

I assume it is an ordinary d&d adventure (in which you attend long-long journeys which usually march across all over the world, and sometimes all over the multi-universe)? In that case, you need not worry about communicating with your party. Sending means your communication is slightly lagged (you need time to cast or activate it through items), but as long as you are split hundreds of feet away, it usually take a long time for you to catch up with each other.

In such an adventure, there is always space for a long-distance sniper, unless you always keep crawling in the tunnels or completely dark dungeons. In such cases just one or two levels in dark hunter would help a lot, though.

However, in open terrains, mountains, most outer planes and even forests, you will always appreciate a convenient transportation method to help you move. For example, flying speed in most cases would give you a relatively safe transportation, as well as short-to-middle-ranged teleportation methods. If you can fly by yourself, you are still going to benefit from stealth skills. If you have a flying mount, that would actually change your normal tactics a lot, as you may not wish to keep stealth in combat.
Access to several low level spells would help you greatly, too, like levitation, jump, flying, dimension door and true strike, so even just one level in wizard or sorcerer would be an advantage.
You may need levels in some ranger-type PrCs to gain abilities that help you keep stealth and improve your capability with a bow, and competence under certain circumstances.
A mount would help you a lot, even if it is not a flying mount. In war-style games, this is almost default.



But when you do have none of these above, you have to be a scout type. Anyway, real world snipers are usually this type of warriors, and in a world where all warriors are not invisible assassins with a rifle or a submachine gun and grenades, such warriors would come even more handy.
I see in this case it would be a real problem to keep pace with your party, but you can always be a ranged supporter in most of the battles. In this case, the long distance may not be always available, so you are as well more likely to be ambushed by enemy scouts (which is a predicted tactics of the DM, and maybe you are going to face a returning villain that fights in similar ways like yourself).
Again, even one level in arcane caster would help greatly even if you are a scout-type, and you will possibly need more middle-ranged fighting skills that long-ranged to fight off enemy scouts.

In any of the cases, make sure you communicate well with your DM.

[Astralia123]

If you are ambushed at least as often as you ambush the enemies, then you may thank a high-mobility party that can help you in secs.

It would be actually exciting if the combat scenes are complicated complexes like modern wars.