Ranged Combat Thoughts

For combat stuff that doesn't fit into any of the other forums.
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Lexx416
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Ranged Combat Thoughts

Post by Lexx416 »

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 Shouldn't Have A Specialist Class
This is the suggestion/thought that I imagine will be most unpopular. People really, REALLY like to play ranged damage dealers, and I can understand why - it's cool, it's safer, and it's satisfying to walk away from a fight having dropped someone with a couple of well placed shots. However, I don't think it should be the wheelhouse or specialty of a single class. I actually think there's a case to be made (see Ranged Combat Abilities later in post) that every warrior class should have abilities that help out with ranged combat in ways that are in line with their fighting styles.

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
So, without a dedicated combat class, I believe that conceptually Ranged Combat should serve two primary purposes. That of an Opener (not unlike melee stealth) to start off combat until distance is closed, or to act as Support for group combat. The former still rewards anyone willing to invest abilities and skill points in ranged (assuring better outcomes from their opening volley(s), and the latter necessitates multiple people, pushing ranged specialists towards cooperative play in order to maintain distance while relying primarily on ranged combat.

  • Ranged Combat Abilities
As for ranged combat abilities, I believe that there should be one or two General Ranged Abilities for Warriors (and maybe Rangers, and possibly Warlocks), with further specialized abilities based off of the specific class - sort of the way Tactical Dodge works.

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
I can't really comment on Firearms specifically yet since they aren't released for PCs, but I do think that slings are a little too strong, and probably deserve something special tied in to them ala the Affinity system. I think sling damage could use a slight downgrade, but proficiency with slings specifically (through affinity, higher skill, and maybe even a combat ability or two) should be able to pack a bigger punch compared to shortbows, flatbows, and longbows. Historically, one of the only reasons slings fell out of fashion is because they require more skill to use competently, compared to a bow (and then a crossbow). But a skilled user that specializes in slings should probably be terrifying. Other than that, I think that something similar should be the case for Bows, Crossbows, and Firearms. I think Firearms should generally not have much damage change from skilled vs unskilled use, crossbows should be tweaked down a teeny bit, with a slightly higher damage cap with a skilled specialist, and all 3 bows should be a step between Crossbows and Slings in that regard as well.
"You hear the Woses, the Wild Men of the Woods... Remnants of an older time they be, living few and secretly, wild and wary as beasts."
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nobody
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Re: Ranged Combat Thoughts

Post by nobody »

Lexx416 wrote: Tue Sep 14, 2021 3:11 pm
  • Ranged Combat Shouldn't Have A Specialist Class
This is the suggestion/thought that I imagine will be most unpopular.
As someone that has been waiting to see a proper ranged class, I actually really like the arguments made in this post with regards to game design. Further, I think offering a set of ranged abilities to each warrior class (as well as maybe some general warrior abilities and non-warrior abilities) is a better use of creative effort than making abilities for a new specialist. It also sounds FUN to re-imagine what the ranged version of each warrior is AND having each warrior need to make choices about specialization vs generalization (both with skill and ability choices) fits with the already established design goals. So here's to future dreadnoughts and their pneumatic hand-cannons.
Agelity
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Re: Ranged Combat Thoughts

Post by Agelity »

I had a thought after getting hit with a few arrows, and realized that one area that ranged characters could benefit from would be the types of ammunition available to them for their respective weapon-preference, and abilities that happen to benefit those. More so than other types of ranged users, at the very least (or if they can use these things, be less effective at it).

Arrow/bolt/pellet Types (arrow/bolt):

Regular arrowhead - simple, effective, probably doesn't feel very good to be stuck with but a solid all-rounder and can be removed much more easily
Barbed arrowhead - a little less aerodynamic and might take a little extra skill to use as effectively as possible, but if it sticks has a chance of remaining stuck until removed (which can cause some extra damage and an additional 1-3s of roundtime to deal with) - also effective for those wishing to try bow-fishing (which would be neato to have as an option)
Serrated arrowhead - chance to have similar affects to the barbed arrowhead, but easier to remove - the caveat is that when removed it causes extra damage if it results in bleeding wounds
Flaming arrowhead - not very aerodynamic and may warrant higher velocity bows to use effectively, but if you light the head up beforehand you can potentially light things on fire (those with cloth armor/clothing, barricades, wooden shields, etc.), self-explanatory but who doesn't love a little extra fire in combat? Note: requires extra round time to setup/fire, expensive to make, one-time use, but I mean... it's a flaming arrow. Awesome as heck
Quivering arrowhead - a chance the arrow goes off in a direction you didn't wish, but also an increased chance of hitting -just- the right spot (perhaps causing increased armor chink chance if so)
Polished pellet - for the slingmasters out there that want just a little extra velocity and power behind those shots... a properly crafted pellet can help cut through the air a little more easily
Heavy pellet - made with extra dense material, designed with weight in mind more so than precision and deftness, intended to give even heavier armored individuals something to worry about if it connects

Other thoughts:

Perhaps a ranger/ranged warrior skill could be to allow easier use (and potentially access?) to some ammunition types not typically available to everyone else, or even suitably usable by anyone else with the potential to cause some self-inflicted injury. Something like the quivering arrowhead I was mimicking after the existing quivering bowstring, which I figure could serve as uncommon loot from lockboxes or limited items from event vendors and be used to create arrows/bolts that have a slight bonus to accuracy and/or armor chink chance, but also a chance to wind up as an errant shot that leads to a broken (and unrepairable) arrow/bolt, or just an ammo type that degrades in quality quicker than most arrows as a result of its nature, but can't be repaired due to its occultish origins so much like the bowstring is a temporary little bonus. Always the option of things like venomous coatings with neat effects, but perhaps for a day where alchemy is revisited and the rest of the combat system is fleshed out a bit more :)

I was also thinking about how different bonuses could be afforded depending on whether someone was hunting game or practicing combat on humanoids; certain arrow types may be very effective against game but less so versus humanoids (whether given some valid IC reason or just game balancing choices), or perhaps bonuses via abilities that grant effectiveness versus foes you're hunting (200 tracking & ranged or something) or if you're a ranged warrior, against certain types of foes.

Note: I haven't included shots for firearms in this list since firearms don't (yet) exist in game, but I could see different shot types being similar to pellets or stones for slings (with a few unique options in there as well, of course, due to the obvious difference in HOW they're fired)
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Taliaferro
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Re: Ranged Combat Thoughts

Post by Taliaferro »

More types of medieval arrowheads than you could possibly hope for, what they were used for; etc:

http://grexluporum.blogspot.com/2017/02 ... abase.html
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