Apology

[Drohem]

I posted a question in Mr. Long's sub-forum about ranged attacks while engaged in melee and after I did I saw that the system showed me some related threads concerning that question. I apologize for not being more thorough in searching the threads first.

[Ternaugh]

Re: Apology

 

Ranged attacks while engaged in melee

 

Hello members! This is my first post here on this community.

 

I took a look throughout the forum, but I couldn't find anything specifically pertaining to my question. I apologize if I missed it and would appreciate it if someone could direct me to the proper thread or post.

 

I'm a player home brew game where the GM has interpreted 3.5 Dungeons & Dragons using the 5e HERO System, Revised. There is one thing about the combat that irks me. He allows ranged combatants, i.e. bowmen, to fire at us even when we've engaged them in melee. He doesn't allow opportunity attacks in his game, so these bowmen can happily and gleefully reloaded and fire in our face while we're swinging melee weapons at them from an adjacent hex.

 

I finally dug out my HERO book and looked it up for myself. I found this passage under the Fighting section and How Combat Works subsection on page 370:

 

All combat can be divided into two types: Hand-To-Hand Combat (HTH) and Ranged Combat. HTH Combat is combat between characters who are standing in the same or adjacent hexes. Usually HTH Combat involves punching or melee weapons such as swords, not attacks like guns or energy bolts that can affect targets at a distance. Ranged Combat is any combat between characters who are not in the same or adjacent hexes; it requires weapons such as guns or bows, or Ranged attacks such as Energy Blasts or RKAs. Assuming special effects, common sense, and/ or dramatic sense don’t forbid it, a character can use a Ranged attack against a character in the same hex as he, or an adjacent hex.

 

I bolded the last two lines because they seem contradictory to me. Does the regular 5e HERO System, Revised allow this? Can a ranged person fire on someone in the adjacent hex that has engaged them with a melee weapon?

 

I would sincerely appreciate any clarification on this point from the members here.

 

 

Welcome to the Hero Boards!

 

Don't worry about asking questions, we like to help here.

 

As to the original question, the short answer is that it may be possible to attack someone in the same or adjacent hex with a ranged weapon while being attacked by someone in HTH. It really depends on the circumstances, though. For example, I wouldn't let someone with a longbow shoot an arrow into someone in the same hex, but I would let someone with a gun drawn to shoot the swordsman who's attempting to fight him.

 

It all comes down to what makes logical sense.

 

JoeG

(And don't worry about not doing a complete enough search; Simon has stated that the forum needs to be re-indexed before it works properly).

[Drohem]

Re: Apology

 

Welcome to the Hero Boards!

 

Don't worry about asking questions, we like to help here.

 

As to the original question, the short answer is that it may be possible to attack someone in the same or adjacent hex with a ranged weapon while being attacked by someone in HTH. It really depends on the circumstances, though. For example, I wouldn't let someone with a longbow shoot an arrow into someone in the same hex, but I would let someone with a gun drawn to shoot the swordsman who's attempting to fight him.

 

It all comes down to what makes logical sense.

 

JoeG

(And don't worry about not doing a complete enough search; Simon has stated that the forum needs to be re-indexed before it works properly).

 

 

Thank you.

[Utech]

Re: Apology

 

I don't personally have any problem with archers unloading on hand-to-hand combatants standing right next to them. Sure, you need space to properly prepare and aim, but you also need space to attack with a two-handed sword. It strikes me as cinematic and exciting to allow an archer to duck, dodge, weave, and fire arrows at opponents whether those opponents are down the block or within spittin' distance.

[Vondy]

Re: Apology

 

For example, I wouldn't let someone with a longbow shoot an arrow into someone in the same hex, but I would let someone with a gun drawn to shoot the swordsman who's attempting to fight him.

 

 

In a grittier ("hard fantasy") game, I would allow the longbowman to fire at an opponent with a sword in the same hex, but due to the size of the weapon and the need to assume a non-mobile shooting stance I'd halve his native DCV and disallow defensive levels - thus making it a bad idea. A smaller ranged weapon, like a gun or a hand crossbow, would get a pass (no pens). In a cinematic game I'd probably let him bob and weave Legolas style (no pens).

[Hugh Neilson]

Re: Apology

 

I would allow the longbowman to fire at an opponent with a sword in the same hex' date=' but due to the size of the weapon and the need to assume a non-mobile shooting stance I'd halve his native DCV and disallow defensive levels - thus making it a bad idea. A smaller ranged weapon, like a gun or a hand crossbow, would get a pass (no pens).[/quote']

 

Don't Longbows have Concentration as a limitation?

[Vondy]

Re: Apology

 

Don't Longbows have Concentration as a limitation?

 

I confess I haven't looked at the official write-up.

 

I've never seen one written up that way.

 

But it would make sense.

[IndianaJoe3]

Re: Apology

 

Don't Longbows have Concentration as a limitation?

 

Yes, they do. Gestures might also make sense (loading and firing a bow is more involved than other ranged attacks), but the official build doesn't have it.

[Drohem]

Re: Apology

 

I went to the book (5e, Revised) and found that bows do have the notes of Concentration. As I understand it, the person firing the bow has their DCV halved throughout the loading and/or firing process. Does that mean that their DCV is only halved on the segment that they load and/or fire, or the whole turn in which they take that action?

 

It's on the weapon table on page 483.

[bigbywolfe]

Re: Apology

 

The penalty stays in place until they take another action. Either their next phase shows up and everything 'resets' or they Abort to a defensive action.

[Drohem]

Re: Apology

 

The penalty stays in place until they take another action. Either their next phase shows up and everything 'resets' or they Abort to a defensive action.

 

Thank you.

[bigbywolfe]

Re: Apology

 

Side note, the same is true of positive effects from Dodging and things like that as well.

[Steve Long]

Re: Apology

 

Nothing to apologize for. There's a lot of information in the book and floatin' around on the site, so sometimes it helps to get a pointer.