Wednesday, January 28, 2015

New Feat - Flanking Shot

While I enjoy playing and running Pathfinder, I would be lying if I said there weren't elements of the rules that I hate, especially when it comes to unnecessarily hampering a concept that should be relatively easy to pull off (*cough* Dex-Based Finesse Fighter *cough*).

A good example of this is the ranged rogue. The idea of a character surreptitiously attacking individuals with a short- or longbow is a very common trope within fantasy literature and media, however it's incredibly hard to make one that's actually effective using the current rules.

The easiest path for obtaining sneak attack damage (i.e., flanking your opponent) isn't really an option and the other option for achieving it is so incredibly bad that you will very rarely want to do it. I mean, I get receiving a penalty on a stealth check after hitting an opponent, but does that penalty have to be a -20? That just seems like overkill to me. Keeping that in mind, I thought I'd create something to help those players who would like to play a rogue who utilizes a bow as their main weapon, and what better than a new feat?

FLANKING SHOT 
You are particularly skilled at utilizing the position of your allies and opponents, allowing you to make the perfect shot.
Prerequisites: Dex 13, Point Blank Shot
Benefit: You can flank an opponent from a maximum distance of 30 ft. as long as an ally is standing on the opposite side of that specific target. However, only you gain these benefits, not your ally. 
Normal: Only creatures within melee range can receive the benefits of flanking an opponent. 
This feat opens up the easiest path for the rogue to receive their sneak attack damage, giving them a better option than the overtly nerfed sniping option. However, I felt like I had to put some limitations on the feat, otherwise it would just be too good. Requiring the character to be within 30 ft. of the target makes some thematic sense, and creates a logical prerequisite feat. Also, only granting the character with the feat the bonus allows me to keep the feat from being broken.

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