D&D: Five Great Feats For Ranged Characters
Do you not want your character getting up close and personal? Magic or martial, you should consider taking these feats.
Dungeons & Dragons might feature copious amounts of swords and axes in their artwork. And you might be able to see a various tableaux of heroes engaging up close and personal with monstrous foes. But that’s how you get yourself killed.
When you’re up close, sure, you can hit them, but they can hit you right back. And while that might be appealing to some folks, for those of you who prefer to deal your damage at a distance, there are plenty of options to support that style of play. Including these five feats, which are an excellent choice for anyone hoping to fight at range.
Sharpshooter
Why not start with the most powerful ranged feat in the game. Sure, it only applies to ranged weapon attacks. But, it’s an absolute must-pick for any character who uses a bow, cross or otherwise. It allows you to deal +10 damage, for the cost of a -5 on your attack roll. But, with fighting styles like the Archery Fighting Style, you’re going to be more accurate anyway. And that’s before you give yourself advantage in the mix.
Its other benefits are pretty good too. Your ranged weapon attacks ignore all but total cover, and attacking at long range means you’ll never take disadvantage for shooting at distant targets. So far distant your DM probably hasn’t even drawn the map that far out.
Spell Sniper
image credit: Wizards of the Coast
A less powerful ranged feat, but a good one nonetheless. This is for magic users only. And specifically for those who make ranged spell attacks. For starters, you get an extra cantrip, of your choice, so long as it requires an attack roll. This is a good way for Bards or Sorcerers or even Paladins to gain access to Eldritch Blast, which can be a fantastic ranged option, even if you’re not adding your Charisma modifier to each hit.
But the your ranged spell attacks ignore half and three-quarters cover, and their range is double. And that’s not just for cantrips. But for any spell that requires you to make an attack roll. No matter its level.
Crossbow Expert
This one’s for the crossbow user crowd only. Rogues. Rangers. Anyone who benefits from being able to make a bonus action to attack with a hand crossbow. This lets you fire an extra shot, giving you more opportunities to do damage, but it also means you ignore disadvantage for an enemy being within 5 feet of you. So even if your enemies do get close, they still can’t take away your ability to shoot them right in the face.
Fey Touched
Or just take the Fey Touched feat. While it’s not strictly a feat that empowers your ranged attacks, it certainly enables them by granting you the Misty Step spell which you can cast once per day without expending a spell slot, as well as a 1st-level Divination or Enchantment spell of your choice. Make a clean getaway so you can keep shooting.
Shadow Touched
Or be the ultimate ambusher. Shadow Touched gives you access to the Invisibility spell as well as a 1st-level Necromancy or Illusion spell of your choice, meaning you can pretty much count on being able to set up an ambush when and where you need it.
What are your favorite feats to take when playing a ranged character?
