"Friendly" fire and ranged attacked

Post/Author/DateTimePost
#1

KaliRA73

Apr 26, 2015 12:31:09

I have two situations in mind but basically how do you determine if a ranged attack hits a friendly by accident?

 

First situation: Player A is in melee with the bad guy. Player B decides to help out by firing his long bow at the bad guy. Would he be at disadvantage? At what roll you would say it hit Player A?

 

 

 

 

Second situation is the hostage situation. The bad guy has taken a poor peasant girl as a hostage and using her as a human shield. The hero decides to take out the bad guy with his long bow. Same questions, as a DM how would you handle that? I feel like the bad guy would have three quarters cover, but on what roll does the arrow hit the hostage?

 

#2

mellored

Apr 26, 2015 12:39:19

you cannot accidently hit anyone.
any creature in the way gives cover, which is +2 AC.
though i probably would allow 3/4 for a hostage, and allow the villian to use his reaction to push the hostage in the way. but that's a house rule ability.

#3

CraggleRock

Apr 26, 2015 14:22:04

Basic rules have nothing to say about hitting cover, but there is a variant rule in the DMG about hitting cover that a GM may decide to use: basically, would it have hit without the cover?  Yes = it hits the cover instead.

#4

Illithidbix

Apr 26, 2015 16:22:50

In the DMG varient rule you need to roll high enough to have hit the target without cover. You also have to beat the AC of the creature in the way of the shot.


Page 272 of the Dungeon Masters Guide wrote:
#5

BRJN

Apr 26, 2015 18:10:32

KaliRA73 wrote:
#6

Rya.Reisender

Apr 27, 2015 0:05:14

I haven't even applied cover rules so far in that situation, as I always assume the character could just move slightly sidewards, attack and move back to avoid cover rules anyway. And to avoid having each player to spell it out on every single attack, I just consider it automatically.

 

I usually avoid friendly fire. Don't want the group the fight over something like that. Though on a critical miss the arrow's shaft might hit an ally (not dealing any damage).