How do you handle huge height advantages?

[Avianmosquito]

The SRD only lists a +1 for a height advantage, attacker only, and only for melee. This is pretty stupid. You all know full well somebody shooting down has an easier time than somebody shooting up, especially over distances of hundreds of feet. I've taken to treating distance up as double for range increment and down as half, IE a bow takes a -2 shooting 30ft laterally, 15ft up or 60ft down, but I'm curious how you all handle it.

[Crake]

The SRD only lists a +1 for a height advantage, attacker only, and only for melee. This is pretty stupid. You all know full well somebody shooting down has an easier time than somebody shooting up, especially over distances of hundreds of feet. I've taken to treating distance up as double for range increment and down as half, IE a bow takes a -2 shooting 30ft laterally, 15ft up or 60ft down, but I'm curious how you all handle it.

That's a fairly reasonable houserule, one I might use in the future. I would probably also inverse the prone AC bonus for ranged attackers shooting directly down at an opponent. Laying down provides a much larger profile against people directly above you, while standing straight minimizes your profile, making you harder to hit

[Altair_the_Vexed]

The SRD only lists a +1 for a height advantage, attacker only, and only for melee. This is pretty stupid.

No! Bad Avianmosquito! Obey the SRD! +1 only for melee attackers.

:smallwink:

Honestly, I eyeball almost all bonuses and penalties. It massively speeds up game play if we're not always looing up what gets us a +1 or a -1 and what type of bonus they are and all that. I even blogged about it. (http://running-the-game.blogspot.co.uk/2016/01/keeping-it-simple-bonuses-and-penalties.html)

[Bohandas]

I don't know about offensive advantages, but for defensive advantages I recommend reversing the size adjustment to AC during critical hit confirmation rolls. That is to say, on rolls to confirm a critical threat against it the creature would have a bonus rather than a penalty to AC. A very big creatire may be easier to hit overall but you're unlikely to land a solid blow on it's head or chest (at least not without a reach weapon). (and conversely very little creatures should have a penalty to ac vs. crit confirmation. My sword is almost as wide as that cat's body, if anything it's going to be hard to stab it and not hit the heart, liver, or brain)

[ExLibrisMortis]

The SRD only lists a +1 for a height advantage, attacker only, and only for melee. This is pretty stupid. You all know full well somebody shooting down has an easier time than somebody shooting up, especially over distances of hundreds of feet. I've taken to treating distance up as double for range increment and down as half, IE a bow takes a -2 shooting 30ft laterally, 15ft up or 60ft down, but I'm curious how you all handle it.
That patterns with the flying rules, which suggests similar ballistics for arrows and flying things. How radical! (I have no problems with this houserule, but do note that it makes it harder to defend against flying foes)

[Avianmosquito]

That patterns with the flying rules, which suggests similar ballistics for arrows and flying things. How radical! (I have no problems with this houserule, but do note that it makes it harder to defend against flying foes)

Yeah, though my setting's abundance of firearms likely cancels that out. Or not, since a heavy crossbow technically has longer range... Or maybe the crew-served weapons... But then a cannon has a hard time firing up, and you'd need a cannister shot... But perhaps Jimmy Crankslots and his gatling gun... Yeah, I don't know where the early industrial setting evens out on that one. Nevermind.

[martixy]

Logically, this makes perfect sense.

Gameplay-wise... I'd rather it be like this: https://www.schlockmercenary.com/2011-05-28

[Hackulator]

The SRD only lists a +1 for a height advantage, attacker only, and only for melee. This is pretty stupid. You all know full well somebody shooting down has an easier time than somebody shooting up, especially over distances of hundreds of feet. I've taken to treating distance up as double for range increment and down as half, IE a bow takes a -2 shooting 30ft laterally, 15ft up or 60ft down, but I'm curious how you all handle it.

Honestly, shooting down is only easier if you have a lot of experience doing so. For most people, the easier thing is what they have the most practice doing, ie, shooting horizontally.