Does distance from enemy affect ranged attacks in any way?

Outrang

I can't seem to find an answer to this anywhere, but so far as I can remember the answer is "no." Basically, for purposes of shooting stuff with a bow does it matter if I'm standing two feet from a guy vs 20 yards from him?

ThacoBell

It doesn't affect your attacks at all, but if an enemy gets in melee range of you, and you don't have a melee weapon equipped, they are more likely to hit you. I don't recall if its coded as an attack bonus for them, or a defense penalty for you.

CamDawg

Attacking an enemy (using a ranged weapon) with a melee weapon gives you +4 to-hit and damage.

While it doesn't affect the to-hit rolls, characters with speed boosts can outrun some projectiles. The to-hit roll is performed on the attack, but the damage doesn't take effect until the projectile hits. So you can run away from slow stuff like daggers and axes to give yourself time to drink a potion or even just exit the area and avoid them outright.

Outrang

CamDawg wrote: »

Attacking an enemy (using a ranged weapon) with a melee weapon gives you +4 to-hit and damage.

While it doesn't affect the to-hit rolls, characters with speed boosts can outrun some projectiles. The to-hit roll is performed on the attack, but the damage doesn't take effect until the projectile hits. So you can run away from slow stuff like daggers and axes to give yourself time to drink a potion or even just exit the area and avoid them outright.

Okay thanks.

jmerry

There's also a -8 penalty to hit if using a ranged weapon against an enemy that's in melee range to you.

In practice, even the most dedicated archer should carry a melee weapon to switch to.

ThacoBell

jmerry wrote: »

There's also a -8 penalty to hit if using a ranged weapon against an enemy that's in melee range to you.

In practice, even the most dedicated archer should carry a melee weapon to switch to.

Really? I've never heard of this before now.

jmerry

Really. I even tested it by taking a new character with mediocre stats out to fight Carbos. The log showed -8 to my attack with a bow from point-blank.

Grond0

The penalty is correct, but if you have an archer character it may well still be advantageous to use missiles despite that penalty and the bonus to an opponent.

Chronicler

Are there any enemies that don't come equipped with a melee weapon they can switch to when you get them in close quarters?

Grond0

There are a few, yes. Shoal is an obvious example - even a familiar can make mincemeat of her as a result of the bonus to attack and damage.

Chronicler

Nereids have that kiss attack that stuns you, don't they?

Grond0

If you have a modded game, Shoal may have more abilities. However, in the basic game her kiss is a specific ability that is only used once and only on party members (not including familiars) - and her other attacks have no special abilities. Typically, she won't use her kiss at all if she's gone red circle, though I have seen the odd exception to that.