arkol
2007-09-17, 11:19 PM
I've been working on an homebrew world, trying to fix many things that I think are wrong with D&D. Some just flauvour-wise but most balance-wise.
One of those things is ranged combat, which obviously needs a boost. I've put together some rules I think give a nice boost to archers.
Note: I'm missing a new ranged weapon magical property that allows you to change the str rating of a composite within certain limits. The idea is not mine but I don't recall where I saw it (I know it was in a topic in these boards). I would like to find the person who wrote it to ask permission to use it in my world.
Note 2: I'm using the wepons group variant instead of proficiencys so bear that in mind. If you have no idea what I'm talking about check it here (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/buildingCharacters/weaponGroupFeats.htm).
I'm also missing a way to boost trown weapons, and that too might be a special magic weapon property, one better then returning....
Anyway this is what I've written in the mentioned world site.
Comment away please.
Ranged Combat:
Ranged combat is even an worse option then TWF. Even more feat intensive, even more problems with damage, feats that are takable as lower levels are made useless by higher level feats, the big advantage (the range) is ussualy lost due to the game tendencys for fights to happen at close quarters. The list goes on... There's 3 main ways to fight ranged in D&D and while they all share some of the problems each also has it's own unique problems:
Crossbows: The most problematic in terms of damage. The base damage is the highest but little ways to increase it. It's also interesting that a warrior who knows how to use crossbows and 100 other weapons cannot use the repeater versions, who share the firing mecanism and only differ on the reloading method. It's also strange that, the same warrior who can use 100 weapons needs exactly the same effort to learn how to use them as the proficient-in-half-a-dozen-weapons wizard. And to top it all, in 99% of the situations, repeaters are not even better then normal crossbows.
Bows: The best ranged weapons and still weak. You can get some bonus to damage from str but it makes the price go up rather high, which is a problem at lower levels. Also unlike a melee the bonus is set and if the warrior improves in str he doesn't get mroe damage out of it.
Trown weapons: The best ranged weapons early on, but virtually unusable at higher levels because you cannot make full use of multiple atatcks. You either get quick draw and trow multiple weapons (but can't afford to magically enchant'em all) or you make a returning one but it limits your mobility and still doesn't allow use of multiple attacks.
So most of the fixes will be trough improving feats, but some weapons will have some differences too.
Bows: All versions of composite bows cost half the usual price to upgrade the str rating. So basically each point of str rating on a composite bow costs 50gp.
Crossbows: The Weapon Group (crossbows) includes the light and heavy versions of the crossbows. If you are proficient in at least two other weapon groups (excluding basic weapons) you're also proficient with the repeater versions and with the hand crossbow.
The reloading time of all crossbows (and magazines for repeaters) is as follows:
Hand Crossbow: Free action, needs a free hand
Light Crossbow: Move action, needs a free hand
Heavy Crossbow: Standard action, needs a free hand
Repeater Light Crossbow: Free action, needs a free hand; magazine: standard action, needs free a hand
Repeater Heavy Crossbow: Free action, needs a free hand; magazine: full round action, needs free a hand
If you're not proficient with a repeater type of crossbow, but you are proficient with the normal version of it, you don't incur the usual -4 penalty to hit with it. Instead the reloading time of the magazine increases by one step. If you're not proficient with the normal version of the repeater crossbow you take both the reloading penalty and the to-hit penalty.
New (improved) Feats:
Rapid Reload
Requisite: Proficiency with the selected weapon.
Benefict: The reloading time of the weapon decreases by one category.
If the loading time already is a free action, you no longer need a free hand to do it (you use your whole body as you aim to pull the strings and levers). If you already didn't need a free hand, all attacks made at a lower BAB then the first get +1 to hit*.
If the loading time becomes a move action and you have a BAB of +1, you can combine it with a normal move action, just as drawing a sheeted weapon or readying/losing a shield. You cannot combine both a free draw and a free reload with a move action.
Special: In case of repeater crossbows the realoding time that decreases is that of the magazine. However the other rules still apply. This means that you no longer require a free hand to reload each shot (but you still do to reload the magazine) and in the case of teh light crossbow you can combine the loading the magazine with a move action (if you have a BAB of +1).
* Exemple: a 6th level fighter with a Dex modifier of +4 using a bow would have a bonus of +10 to hit with his first attack and a +5 bonus to hit with his second attack. If he had this feat the second attack would have a bonus of +6 to hit instead.
Rapid Shot
Requisite: Dex 13, Point Blank Shot
Benefict: As normal for Rapid Shot. Additionally when you reach a BAB of +6 the Rapid Shot penalty is reduced by 1, and at a BAB of +11 you no longer have penaltys for Rapid Shot.
Special: As normal for Rapid Shot.
Sharpshooting & Precise Shot
Requisite: As normal
Benefict: As normal
Special: If you have both feats, once you reach a BAB of +11 and a Dex of 19 you gain all the beneficts of Improved Precise Shot.
If you're an 11th level Ranger who selected the Archery Combat Style and you aquired the Sharpshooting feat by normal means, you can replace Sharpshooting with another ranged combat related feat.
Far Shot:
Requisite: As normal
Benefict: As normal. Additionally the range for bonus granted by other ranged combat feats (ex: Point Blank Shot) or special abilities which only function with ranged attacks up to a certain range (ex: sneak attack, skirmish) also increases by 1,5.
Manyshot
Requisite: As normal
Benefict: As normal. However once you can fire more then 2 arrows you can instead choose to fire less arrows at a lesser penalty as follows:
At BAB +6: Two arrows at -4.
At BAB +11: Three arrows at -6 OR two arrows at -2.
AT BAB + 16: Four arrows at -8 OR three arrows at -4 OR two arrows at no penalty
Special: As normal
One of those things is ranged combat, which obviously needs a boost. I've put together some rules I think give a nice boost to archers.
Note: I'm missing a new ranged weapon magical property that allows you to change the str rating of a composite within certain limits. The idea is not mine but I don't recall where I saw it (I know it was in a topic in these boards). I would like to find the person who wrote it to ask permission to use it in my world.
Note 2: I'm using the wepons group variant instead of proficiencys so bear that in mind. If you have no idea what I'm talking about check it here (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/buildingCharacters/weaponGroupFeats.htm).
I'm also missing a way to boost trown weapons, and that too might be a special magic weapon property, one better then returning....
Anyway this is what I've written in the mentioned world site.
Comment away please.
Ranged Combat:
Ranged combat is even an worse option then TWF. Even more feat intensive, even more problems with damage, feats that are takable as lower levels are made useless by higher level feats, the big advantage (the range) is ussualy lost due to the game tendencys for fights to happen at close quarters. The list goes on... There's 3 main ways to fight ranged in D&D and while they all share some of the problems each also has it's own unique problems:
Crossbows: The most problematic in terms of damage. The base damage is the highest but little ways to increase it. It's also interesting that a warrior who knows how to use crossbows and 100 other weapons cannot use the repeater versions, who share the firing mecanism and only differ on the reloading method. It's also strange that, the same warrior who can use 100 weapons needs exactly the same effort to learn how to use them as the proficient-in-half-a-dozen-weapons wizard. And to top it all, in 99% of the situations, repeaters are not even better then normal crossbows.
Bows: The best ranged weapons and still weak. You can get some bonus to damage from str but it makes the price go up rather high, which is a problem at lower levels. Also unlike a melee the bonus is set and if the warrior improves in str he doesn't get mroe damage out of it.
Trown weapons: The best ranged weapons early on, but virtually unusable at higher levels because you cannot make full use of multiple atatcks. You either get quick draw and trow multiple weapons (but can't afford to magically enchant'em all) or you make a returning one but it limits your mobility and still doesn't allow use of multiple attacks.
So most of the fixes will be trough improving feats, but some weapons will have some differences too.
Bows: All versions of composite bows cost half the usual price to upgrade the str rating. So basically each point of str rating on a composite bow costs 50gp.
Crossbows: The Weapon Group (crossbows) includes the light and heavy versions of the crossbows. If you are proficient in at least two other weapon groups (excluding basic weapons) you're also proficient with the repeater versions and with the hand crossbow.
The reloading time of all crossbows (and magazines for repeaters) is as follows:
Hand Crossbow: Free action, needs a free hand
Light Crossbow: Move action, needs a free hand
Heavy Crossbow: Standard action, needs a free hand
Repeater Light Crossbow: Free action, needs a free hand; magazine: standard action, needs free a hand
Repeater Heavy Crossbow: Free action, needs a free hand; magazine: full round action, needs free a hand
If you're not proficient with a repeater type of crossbow, but you are proficient with the normal version of it, you don't incur the usual -4 penalty to hit with it. Instead the reloading time of the magazine increases by one step. If you're not proficient with the normal version of the repeater crossbow you take both the reloading penalty and the to-hit penalty.
New (improved) Feats:
Rapid Reload
Requisite: Proficiency with the selected weapon.
Benefict: The reloading time of the weapon decreases by one category.
If the loading time already is a free action, you no longer need a free hand to do it (you use your whole body as you aim to pull the strings and levers). If you already didn't need a free hand, all attacks made at a lower BAB then the first get +1 to hit*.
If the loading time becomes a move action and you have a BAB of +1, you can combine it with a normal move action, just as drawing a sheeted weapon or readying/losing a shield. You cannot combine both a free draw and a free reload with a move action.
Special: In case of repeater crossbows the realoding time that decreases is that of the magazine. However the other rules still apply. This means that you no longer require a free hand to reload each shot (but you still do to reload the magazine) and in the case of teh light crossbow you can combine the loading the magazine with a move action (if you have a BAB of +1).
* Exemple: a 6th level fighter with a Dex modifier of +4 using a bow would have a bonus of +10 to hit with his first attack and a +5 bonus to hit with his second attack. If he had this feat the second attack would have a bonus of +6 to hit instead.
Rapid Shot
Requisite: Dex 13, Point Blank Shot
Benefict: As normal for Rapid Shot. Additionally when you reach a BAB of +6 the Rapid Shot penalty is reduced by 1, and at a BAB of +11 you no longer have penaltys for Rapid Shot.
Special: As normal for Rapid Shot.
Sharpshooting & Precise Shot
Requisite: As normal
Benefict: As normal
Special: If you have both feats, once you reach a BAB of +11 and a Dex of 19 you gain all the beneficts of Improved Precise Shot.
If you're an 11th level Ranger who selected the Archery Combat Style and you aquired the Sharpshooting feat by normal means, you can replace Sharpshooting with another ranged combat related feat.
Far Shot:
Requisite: As normal
Benefict: As normal. Additionally the range for bonus granted by other ranged combat feats (ex: Point Blank Shot) or special abilities which only function with ranged attacks up to a certain range (ex: sneak attack, skirmish) also increases by 1,5.
Manyshot
Requisite: As normal
Benefict: As normal. However once you can fire more then 2 arrows you can instead choose to fire less arrows at a lesser penalty as follows:
At BAB +6: Two arrows at -4.
At BAB +11: Three arrows at -6 OR two arrows at -2.
AT BAB + 16: Four arrows at -8 OR three arrows at -4 OR two arrows at no penalty
Special: As normal