Firing Into a Melee (Dungeon Master Guide)
Firing Into a Melee
Missile weapons are intended mainly as distance weapons. Ideally, they are
used before the opponents reach your line. However, ideal situations are all too
rare, and characters often discover that the only effective way to attack is to
shoot arrows (or whatever) at an enemy already in melee combat with their
companions. While possible, and certainly allowed, this is a risky proposition.
When missiles are fired into a melee, the DM counts the number of figures in
the immediate area of the intended target. Each medium figure counts as 1. Tiny
figures count as 1/3, Small figures as 1/2, Large as 2, Huge as 4, and
Gargantuan as 6. The total value is compared to the value of each character or creature
in the target melee. Using this ratio, the DM rolls a die to determine who (or
what) will be the target of the shot. After the DM determines who or what is
the target, a normal attack is rolled. The DM doesn’t tell the player who will
be hit if the attack succeeds.
For example, Tarus Bloodheart (man-sized, or 1 point) and Rath (also
man-sized, or 1 point) are fighting a giant (size G, 6 points) while Thule fires a long
bow at the giant. The total value of all possible targets is 8 (6 + 1 + 1).
There’s a 1-in-8 chance that Rath is the target; a 1-in-8 chance that Tarus is
hit; and a 6-in-8 chance the shot hits the giant. The DM could roll 1d8 to
determine who gets hit, or he could reduce the ratios to a percentage (75% chance the
giant is hit, etc.) and roll percentile dice.
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