Ranged Combat Thoughts
Posted: Tue Sep 14, 2021 3:11 pm
These are just some of the thoughts I've had about Ranged Combat as a whole. I think some of them may come off as unpopular, especially by folks that want to play Solo Archer Types (and especially those who want to specialize in bows, because of the general "fantasy archetype" of a ranger/ranged fighter).
Ranged combat is something that's super tricky to balance (if Staying Away And Killing Your enemy ends up being a speciality, how do you do that in a meaningful way without nullifying melee warriors?), as well as something that doesn't really make sense as a primary means of open combat given that our PCs aren't really fighting on massive battlefields, and are instead engaging with other entities at what would generally be considered "close quarters". Longbows are traditionally used for distance, and for taking down big game, and there just isn't enough reasonable distance in a given room for longbows to ever be necessary in that regard.
I'd also probably have 1 or 2 abilities per class of the Warriors guild that further enhance ranged combat for them, which is what would allow ranged specialists to shine in terms of an opening volley, or to act as an expert support attacker from behind a guard.
- Ranged Combat Shouldn't Have A Specialist Class
Ranged combat is something that's super tricky to balance (if Staying Away And Killing Your enemy ends up being a speciality, how do you do that in a meaningful way without nullifying melee warriors?), as well as something that doesn't really make sense as a primary means of open combat given that our PCs aren't really fighting on massive battlefields, and are instead engaging with other entities at what would generally be considered "close quarters". Longbows are traditionally used for distance, and for taking down big game, and there just isn't enough reasonable distance in a given room for longbows to ever be necessary in that regard.
- Ranged Damage As Openers & Support
- Ranged Combat Abilities
I'd also probably have 1 or 2 abilities per class of the Warriors guild that further enhance ranged combat for them, which is what would allow ranged specialists to shine in terms of an opening volley, or to act as an expert support attacker from behind a guard.
- Bows Vs Slings Vs Crossbows vs Firearms