Topic: Shooting at enemy standing right next to you - questions

How would You resolve a PC trying to shoot (with: bow, crossbow, pistol, arquebus) at an enemy standing right in front of him?

I was thinking:
- pistol: normal rules
- crossbow: normal rules
- bow & arquebus: some big penalty or not possible at all

What are Your thoughts on the subject?

Re: Shooting at enemy standing right next to you - questions

Personally, I wouldn't provide any penalties, as long as they had the weapon drawn and ready.

I mean, if you imagine yourself standing in front of someone aiming any of those weapons at you, it's basically all the same, right?

The challenge comes into trying to load, or prepare the next shot in the midst of melee with a large weapon.

It would be crazy to try to reload a gun while in melee combat, and a character likely wouldn't survive that. For the bow, I'd give advantage to the opponent, at the very least taking away the dex bonus from the PC trying to use the bow repeatedly in melee combat.

Re: Shooting at enemy standing right next to you - questions

Would do the same: as long as the weapon are ready no penalties.
Reloading a bow in melee will call for a free attack from the opponent IMC.

Re: Shooting at enemy standing right next to you - questions

Lars Anderson did a bit on this.  It is entirely possible to shoot a bow with the enemy inches away.