moving targets [Archive] - Wizards Community

moving targets [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Golden Zealot
05-30-06, 09:38 PM does anyone know of any house rules for hitting a moving target with a ranged attack, like if the targets last turn ended with a move action you get a -4 to attack or something similar. I realise this could make certain encounters very unbalanced, but I was wondering if there was anything like that out there. It seems like there should be some way to take moving targets into account, expecially since at the moment hitting a hippogriff flying past you is just as easy as hitting the same hippogriff when it's just standing still in front of you.
Reversefigure4
05-30-06, 11:02 PM But the target is no longer moving when you take a shot at it. Hitting it while it's moving is an Attack of Opportunity, and already amply covered by the rules.

I don't see the need for the rule, myself. Unless you want to make it so it applies to melee attacks as well - it's not as easy to hit a moving target with a sword as it is a stationery one.
TheSkinnySkeleton
05-30-06, 11:28 PM Hmmm, good point. I would say -1 for each 10 feet the target's base speed (or less, if the target hadn't used up all its squares of movement in the last turn). A normal human taking a normal move action would be -3 harder to hit (speed = 30'), a 20th level monk would be -9 harder to hit (speed = 90'), and a flying dragon would be -18 harder to hit (fly speed = 180).

I would only give this benefit if the target had moved as the second part of its action last turn. Note that this would make many monsters MUCH harder to kill. It's a cool idea, but I doubt it could work.

Maybe a way to counter this off-setting would be to allow the archer to add his intelligence modifier to his attack roll, when shooting at moving targets only. After all, as anyone who's ever been hunting before knows, shooting at a moving target is more about thought processes than simple hand-eye coordination. You have to think about lead, distance, wind, etc.... Most of which are elements that don't matter when shooting at a stationary target.
theblindman
06-01-06, 12:40 AM With the exception of incredibly speedy monsters, I'm not too inclined to dish out penalties to hit. A human moving 30 feet in 6 seconds is not going that fast really. Double-time might be a -2 penalty, and really sprinting could go up to (as low as) -4. So a Unicorn, say, would be -2 at its regular speed, which is 60 ft, equivalent to the basic human double-move. And so on.

What makes way more sense for steep penalties is moving yourself and shooting in the same turn. That stuff is hard like how fitty cent is hard.
Cheza
06-01-06, 02:45 PM Ranged attacks are as simple as they can be. You shouldn't change that.

Can you attack with a bow or sling 2 or more times within 6 sec.??
Will you instantly hit targets at 10x100ft. (max. Range of a longbow [not including far shot]), before he can move???

NOT IN THIS LIFE!!!

And you need a rule for moving targets??? :rolleyes:

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Golden Zealot 05-30-06, 09:38 PM	does anyone know of any house rules for hitting a moving target with a ranged attack, like if the targets last turn ended with a move action you get a -4 to attack or something similar. I realise this could make certain encounters very unbalanced, but I was wondering if there was anything like that out there. It seems like there should be some way to take moving targets into account, expecially since at the moment hitting a hippogriff flying past you is just as easy as hitting the same hippogriff when it's just standing still in front of you.
Reversefigure4 05-30-06, 11:02 PM	But the target is no longer moving when you take a shot at it. Hitting it while it's moving is an Attack of Opportunity, and already amply covered by the rules. I don't see the need for the rule, myself. Unless you want to make it so it applies to melee attacks as well - it's not as easy to hit a moving target with a sword as it is a stationery one.
TheSkinnySkeleton 05-30-06, 11:28 PM	Hmmm, good point. I would say -1 for each 10 feet the target's base speed (or less, if the target hadn't used up all its squares of movement in the last turn). A normal human taking a normal move action would be -3 harder to hit (speed = 30'), a 20th level monk would be -9 harder to hit (speed = 90'), and a flying dragon would be -18 harder to hit (fly speed = 180). I would only give this benefit if the target had moved as the second part of its action last turn. Note that this would make many monsters MUCH harder to kill. It's a cool idea, but I doubt it could work. Maybe a way to counter this off-setting would be to allow the archer to add his intelligence modifier to his attack roll, when shooting at moving targets only. After all, as anyone who's ever been hunting before knows, shooting at a moving target is more about thought processes than simple hand-eye coordination. You have to think about lead, distance, wind, etc.... Most of which are elements that don't matter when shooting at a stationary target.
theblindman 06-01-06, 12:40 AM	With the exception of incredibly speedy monsters, I'm not too inclined to dish out penalties to hit. A human moving 30 feet in 6 seconds is not going that fast really. Double-time might be a -2 penalty, and really sprinting could go up to (as low as) -4. So a Unicorn, say, would be -2 at its regular speed, which is 60 ft, equivalent to the basic human double-move. And so on. What makes way more sense for steep penalties is moving yourself and shooting in the same turn. That stuff is hard like how fitty cent is hard.
Cheza 06-01-06, 02:45 PM	Ranged attacks are as simple as they can be. You shouldn't change that. Can you attack with a bow or sling 2 or more times within 6 sec.?? Will you instantly hit targets at 10x100ft. (max. Range of a longbow [not including far shot]), before he can move??? NOT IN THIS LIFE!!! And you need a rule for moving targets??? :rolleyes: