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View Full Version : [3.5] Possible Sniper-esque Feats.



Sintanan
2010-01-20, 05:04 AM
"Did you hear the one about the elven marksman who robs from the rich? I hear he put an arrow in both eyes of the guard captain hunting for him. I hear they call the captain 'Blind-Eye Murry' now."


Called Shot
You are highly respected in your ability to hit your target where you say you will.
xxPrerequisites: Dexterity 13, Far Shot
xxBenefit: You may perform a called shot, which grants +10 insight bonus to your attack roll and +1d6 damage on your next ranged attack. A called shot is a full-round action preparation action that requires line of sight with your target, and provokes an attack of opportunity. Any actions between your called shot and your next attack, including 5-foot steps, cancel the bonus gained by called shot. If you are hit before your next attack, you may attempt a Concentration check (DC 5 + damage done) to continue focusing on your called shot. Damage done is cumulative with all other damage until you take your next action. For example, two attacks hit you for 3 and 5 damage respectively. You must succeed on two Concentration checks at DC 13 and 18 or lose your insight bonus.
xxYou may delay taking your next attack action as many rounds as you choose, but you must maintain a line of sight with your intended target and may not take any actions in the meantime (as detailed above).
xxThe extra damage granted by a called shot is treated as precision damage and subject to such limitations. The insight bonus is gained regardless of any precision damage immunities the target may have.

Improved Called Shot
Even Robin Hood envies you.
xxPrerequisites: Dexterity 15, Called Shot, Far Shot
xxBenefit: You may apply your insight bonus gained from Called Shot to a number of ranged attacks equal to your Dexterity modifier as long as they are part of a single action. You lose your precision damage bonus from Called Shot when using this feat.


Just for clarification, Improved Called Shot only applies to multiple shots if they come from something akin to a full-attack action or a Manyshot action or the like. Anyways, is there anything in here too over-the-top for standard D&D play? I was thinking the insight bonus might be pushing it, but I feel the preparation time and penalties to use it should balance it out fine, in theory. Thoughts?

Zom B
2010-01-20, 09:05 AM
Just some napkin math here, but I'm thinking that a, say, 11th level fighter needs, hypothetically, a 5 to hit with their first two attacks (Rapid Shot), a 10 to hit with their third, and a 15 to hit with their fourth. For the sake of simplicity, we'll say they deal a flat 10 damage with every hit (the Bow of Icantfindmydeight). In the two rounds required to use the Called Shot feat, they'll have:

Four shots at 75% chance to hit (75% x 40 = 30 damage)
Two shots at 50% chance to hit (50% x 20 = 10 damage)
Two shots at 25% chance to hit (25% x 20 = 5 damage)
Total estimated damage = 45 damage.

With the Called Shot feat:
One shot at 100% chance to hit (100% x 10 + 3 (average d6 dmg) = 13 damage)
Total estimated damage = 13 damage.

Okay, so a bare-bones fighter gets pretty screwed using this. If you include in bonus damage from things like Flaming, the bias gets even bigger towards attacking multiple times.

Improved Called Shot, that's a similar story. Let's say the same fighter above skips their first round to aim and lets loose their full attack next round, all at +10 to hit. You now have:

Two shots at 100% chance to hit (100% x 20 = 20 damage)
One shot at 100% chance to hit (100% x 10 = 10 damage)
One shot at 75% chance to hit (75% x 10 = 7.5 damage)
Total estimated damage = 37.5 damage

We're still lower than the original full-attack action in damage.

BUT. You are not intending for this to be a damage-increasing feat. You are intending this to be one where when you absolutely need that guy 500 yards that-a-way to have an arrow in his head. I just see that being such a niche need that I'm not sure of the efficiency of the feats.

Sintanan
2010-01-20, 02:20 PM
Thanks for the napkin math... was a little late on my end when I posted that to accomplish more than 1+1=4
...errr 2.

While the feat will allow the ranger to do the who "Is can hit joo from [Insert Really Big Number] feet away" he doesn't break average combat, and that was what I was overly worried about.

Again. Thanks, Zom B.