Combatant Roles [Archive] - Wizards Community

Combatant Roles [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
mythandra
02-22-08, 01:13 AM I was thinking about combat roles, trying to work up a strategy for a ranged combatant versus a melee combatant at or around 20th level. Mind you, I'm not talking about characters that are so maxed out that who kills who is decided entirely by an initiative roll. I'm talking about more "average" 20th level characters that can deal large amounts of damage by virtue of accumulated wealth invested in magical weapons as well as application of feats from the more core books. I'll pause here to acknowledge that yes, much of what I'm toying with is qualitative rather than quantitative. Continuing on, it seems to me that even with strategic character building (again, we'll avoid professional grade min-maxing), the creation of a party founded on ranged combatants -- both magical and mundane -- is difficult at best.

What are your experiences with this?
bobotheguy
02-22-08, 01:34 AM In my opinion, the major factor here will be distance. The ranged character, being 20th lvl, can take the range incriment penalties and lob off quite a hefty amount of arrows before the melee character can even get close with his penalized run.

That being said, should the ranged character place himself at a height above the melee fighter, it also proves a problem (until of course the melee guy chops it down :D)

In all, with a ranged character being able to outpace the melee character, I think he would win that fight

Bobo
epifreak
02-22-08, 01:53 AM Though it need not be said, a ranged character's goal would be to avoid being reached, so some form of melee avoidance would be important. Perhaps flight (though that's not really a guaranteed thing, as the meleeist is just as likely at high levels to be flying.) Some form of reactive dimension door would be good. What's the feat chain that lets you take a 5-step instead of an AoO when someone's provoked one? Perhapse combine that with Imp. unarmed strike or spiked armor and karmic strike to make a character who ensures he only takes one hit out of a combo before somehow dimension door-ing away?

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
mythandra 02-22-08, 01:13 AM	I was thinking about combat roles, trying to work up a strategy for a ranged combatant versus a melee combatant at or around 20th level. Mind you, I'm not talking about characters that are so maxed out that who kills who is decided entirely by an initiative roll. I'm talking about more "average" 20th level characters that can deal large amounts of damage by virtue of accumulated wealth invested in magical weapons as well as application of feats from the more core books. I'll pause here to acknowledge that yes, much of what I'm toying with is qualitative rather than quantitative. Continuing on, it seems to me that even with strategic character building (again, we'll avoid professional grade min-maxing), the creation of a party founded on ranged combatants -- both magical and mundane -- is difficult at best. What are your experiences with this?
bobotheguy 02-22-08, 01:34 AM	In my opinion, the major factor here will be distance. The ranged character, being 20th lvl, can take the range incriment penalties and lob off quite a hefty amount of arrows before the melee character can even get close with his penalized run. That being said, should the ranged character place himself at a height above the melee fighter, it also proves a problem (until of course the melee guy chops it down :D) In all, with a ranged character being able to outpace the melee character, I think he would win that fight Bobo
epifreak 02-22-08, 01:53 AM	Though it need not be said, a ranged character's goal would be to avoid being reached, so some form of melee avoidance would be important. Perhaps flight (though that's not really a guaranteed thing, as the meleeist is just as likely at high levels to be flying.) Some form of reactive dimension door would be good. What's the feat chain that lets you take a 5-step instead of an AoO when someone's provoked one? Perhapse combine that with Imp. unarmed strike or spiked armor and karmic strike to make a character who ensures he only takes one hit out of a combo before somehow dimension door-ing away?