In 2014Dungeons & Dragons, martial characters that focused on ranged damage were among the best builds in the 5e rules. That’s sadly no longer the case with the 2024 revision, so players will need to adjust to the best remaining options. Archers and crossbow specialists were the single best argument for the validity of martial characters in the 2014 rules, and theweakening of ranged damage widens the divide between casters and martial charactersin the revised rules. While martial characters can no longer keep up with casters in the 2024 rules, archers can still try.
A lot of theranged builds that yielded excellent results in 2014 5eD&Dwill need to be unlearned.D&D’s hand crossbows and polearms excelleddue to synergy between a feat that offered a Bonus Action attack, Crossbow Expert in the case of ranged characters, and one that allowed for a “damage gamble,” Sharpshooter. Such characters could take -5 to hit in exchange for +10 added to damage. The 2024 rules have weakened both Feats, for ranged weapon users. Sharpshooter no longer increases damage, and Crossbow Expert now requires the use of two hand crossbows instead of one.
Ranged D&D Bards Are Less Valid In The 2024 Rules
Bards Can No Longer Learn The Spell Swift Quiver
Another popular route to ranged supremacy involved2014D&D’s surprisingly powerful Bard class, which has also been weakened. A 2014 Bard could learn spells from any other class with the Magical Secrets ability gained at level 10. This meant they could learn the Level 5 Ranger spell Swift Quiver at level 10, while a Ranger would have to wait until character level 17. The spell allowed for two ranged attacks as a Bonus Action, which combined well with the College of Valor Bard subclass. In 2024,Magical Secrets no longer allows a Bard to access Ranger or Paladin spells.
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Meanwhile, among the manyspells in the 2024D&D PHB, players have already discovered poorly-balanced spells that may reflect a lack of playtesting, like Conjure Minor Elementals. This pairs easily with Scorching Ray to let casters generate absurd damage numbers. A 2014 ranged martial character could stay competitive, butthe 2024 rules made a mistake in diminishing the potency of archery. A player who still wants to play an archer despite the changes that make it less appealing has fewer legitimate options open to them. While most of the same Feats and abilities still exist, they offer less than before.
The 2024D&D PHBregressed fromTasha’s Cauldron of Everythingcharacter creation, opting to link starting ability score bonuses with Backgrounds. Ranged characters will need to pick one of the Backgrounds that allows for a Dexterity increase. Fortunately, there are about nine Backgrounds that offer that statistic. Beyond that, players can only work within the meager options available in the 2024 revision for archers. Despite its lack of a “damage gamble” feature,Sharpshooter remains an important Feat choice, as it allows players to ignore cover except total cover, and it negates the Disadvantage for firing while engaged in melee.
A D&D Fighter & Rogue Multiclass Holds Up
Such Builds Are Still Weaker Than Their 2014 Counterparts
In 2014’s rules, arangedD&DFighter and Rogue multiclasswas a strong build, but it’s now the only viable build for ranged specialists. Five levels in Fighter and fifteen in Rogue offer the ideal split, and starting as Rogue is more beneficial for skills. In the prior 5e rules, a pure Fighter archer was optimal, butin the absence of a damage bonus from Sharpshooter, a Fighter and Rogue multiclass now wins out. A 20 Dexterity character with a +3 Heavy Crossbow deals about 13.5 damage per hit. Fifteen Rogue levels yield about 28 damage from Sneak Attack.
I’m Convinced The D&D 2024 Player’s Handbook Has Taken Rulings Over Rules Too Far
Ten years of questions to Sage Advice confirm that 5e Dungeons & Dragons was far too ambiguous. The 2024 Player’s Handbook has not fixed this problem.
While a +3 Longbow paired with attuned Bracers of Archery slightly outpaces this Sneak Attack damage with two shots, obtainable through higher levels in Fighter,these Extra Attacks are widely spread apart in levels. Players will get more consistent benefits from five Fighter levels, unlocking a single Extra Attack, and then steady gains from Rogue Sneak Attack dice. The 2024 revised Crossbow Expert Feat still aids damage output with its Bonus Action attack option. The strange wording of the Feat now allows for hands-free reloading, but bizarrely relies on using two separate hand crossbows instead of firing one with rapidity.
While the revised Great Weapon Master Feat in the 2024D&D Player’s Handbookdoes offer a bonus to damage, the revised Sharpshooter Feat does not. Some interpret the current Great Weapon Master as functioning with Longbows and Heavy Crossbows for its damage bonus, but this is likely to receive errata.
The2024D&D DMG’s revised encounter guidelinesmay make battles harder by raising the “encounter budget” at higher levels.An archer still marginally contributes in the 2024 rulesand will more consistently have targets for each of their shots, which may not be the case for melee characters in some battles. At high levels, a Fighter five, Rogue fifteen, with the Archery fighting style, Crossbow Expert, Sharpshooter, and a 20 Dexterity, might expect to deal about 62.5 damage. This slightly outpaces a Fighter taking five shots with a hand crossbow or a Ranger making 4 shots with a heavy crossbow.
The Best D&D Archer Is Now A Warlock
Martial Characters Suffer Due To 2024 Rule Changes In D&D
Archery still offers poor damage compared to the ranged options in the 2014D&Drules, where a pure Fighter easily dealt more than 80 damage per turn, even after factoring in the -5 penalty to hit and without using Action Surge. Spellcasting classes have lost little, and in some cases gained damage, as with the Conjure Minor Elementals spell. Players would truly be better off playing a Sorcerer, with one level in Warlock for the Eldritch Blast cantrip and the Agonizing Blast invocation, solely using Sorcery Points to cast the cantrip a second time with Quickened Spell Metamagic.
While there was a definite design flaw in 2014 5e’s handling of ranged and melee martial characters, which didn’t provide enough incentives to ever focus on melee,the 2024 imbalance is between martial characters and spellcasters. A Warlock and Sorcerer multiclass can deal about 42 damage with an Eldritch Blast, and they can fire two per turn for as long as their Sorcery Points last. If the character acquires Illusionist’s Bracers, they can do so indefinitely. In 2024Dungeons & Dragons, the best an archer can hope to be is a persistent annoyance rather than a truly meaningful contributor.
Dungeons & Dragons
TheDungeons & Dragonsfranchise is a fantasy adventure series based on the iconic tabletop role-playing game. The franchise includes both live-action and animated adaptations, with the most notable being the recent filmDungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves(2023), which brought the fantasy world of D&D to a broader audience with its blend of humor, action, and classic D&D elements. The franchise explores themes of heroism, friendship, and the unpredictable nature of adventuring in a magical world filled with dragons, wizards, and mythical creatures.
