Quote Originally Posted by Zuras View Post
Fulfilling the fantasy requires that the abilities feel effective relative to the rest of the party. If you are in a 3 PC group with a Champion Fighter and a Life Cleric, you’ll feel fine.

If the party Wizard casts Dragon’s Breath on their familiar and it proceeds to do the same 3d6 fire damage three times over the next three rounds, you may feel a little underpowered. If the two of you wanted to work together, the Wizard could even Dragonbreath you while you use your Ki on patient Defense and close with the orcs to maximize the number caught in the damage cone.

Being a decent monk who can periodically act like a bad wizard when desired doesn’t match my fantasy of being an element-bender.
Pretty much this.

Simply having a long range attack isn't sufficient on its own to nail the fantasy of being a sniper, in the game design sense. It's more complicated than just that.