Shouldn't switching from equipped melee to ranged weapons take an action?

[Molten Sh4dow]

I wanted to try out Eldritch Knight because it would remind me of ES4 Oblivion with how you can cast firebolt or any spell if an enemy is out of range of your melee weapon. But my Eldritch knight can just have a crossbow somehow in their hands along with their sword and shield, and just shoot them twice instead. Whats the point of Eldritch knight besides stuff like Magic Shield reaction and Mirror Image? I never see why i should use a ranged spell thats weaker than a Wizard's or Sorcerer's when i can just shoot twice.

When you think about it, putting away your sword and shield and bringing out your crossbow would take more time than hitting with your sword, but somehow hitting with your sword is an action but putting it away and taking out a crossbow isnt. To make it even worse, switching your sword for a different sword IS an action, but switching it for a bow isnt?

[Jarsonne]

You can't switch freely, you can do it once per turn as a free action, it's a non literal apply of the D&D base rule, but common to allow a weapon switching.

[harken23]

You can switch freely btw weapons you have equipped (one melee set, one ranged set), but equipping something out of your inventory or off the ground costs an action.
The thing I really hate about that is that, if you end your turn with your ranged weapon equipped, you don't get attacks of opportunity as enemies run by you. I THINK you also don't get a shield added to your AC if you have ranged equipped. Which is really dumb, since it's a free action during your turn,

[Jarsonne]

Originally posted by harken23:

You can switch freely btw weapons you have equipped

That's false, you can do, it only once per turn for free after it costs an action.

[Greenegg]

Originally posted by Jarsonne:

You can't switch freely, you can do it once per turn as a free action, it's a non literal apply of the D&D base rule, but common to allow a weapon switching.

you can switch as many times as you want.

[DDkiki]

Originally posted by harken23:

You can switch freely btw weapons you have equipped (one melee set, one ranged set), but equipping something out of your inventory or off the ground costs an action.
The thing I really hate about that is that, if you end your turn with your ranged weapon equipped, you don't get attacks of opportunity as enemies run by you. I THINK you also don't get a shield added to your AC if you have ranged equipped. Which is really dumb, since it's a free action during your turn,

Nah shield AC still works i think. Thats why there is no reason for archer characters to not use shield and some statstick in the melee "hands". Like initiative shield and club of giant strength to use Titanstring bow etc.

[Jarsonne]

Originally posted by harken23:

I THINK you also don't get a shield added to your AC if you have ranged equipped. Which is really dumb, since it's a free action during your turn,

It's not dumb because only one switch is allowed per turn, so at best you'll be able switch to shield only every two turns (in melee switch to bow can't switch back to melee free it costs an action).

So let say it's half dumb. :-)

[Jarsonne]

Originally posted by Greenegg:

Originally posted by Jarsonne:

You can't switch freely, you can do it once per turn as a free action, it's a non literal apply of the D&D base rule, but common to allow a weapon switching.

you can switch as many times as you want.

After have make an action?

I often had weapon switch disabled, what disables it?

[harken23]

You can switch back and forth btw the melee and ranged weapon sets THAT YOU HAVE EQUIPPED as many times as you want during your turn. Try it.

[AokiYakumo]

Guys, we're doing that thing of confusing Table top with BG3.

In Tabletop, it's an object interaction to draw OR stow one weapon (two with Dual WIelder). Further swaps take an action per swap.

In BG3, it takes an action to switch a currently equipped weapon with a currently unequipped weapon, but switching between melee and ranged weapons is of no consequence to the wielder other than losing melee opportunity attacks (which, if you're a ranged unit, you shouldn't be able to make opportunity attacks in the first place otherwise something done f*cked up). I.E.: Equipping/Unequipping is a whole action, but switching between equipped items is not.

[Jarsonne]

Ok I don't know why I believed multiple times not be able switch, weird, and sorry for the wrong posts.

[DDkiki]

Originally posted by AokiYakumo:

Guys, we're doing that thing of confusing Table top with BG3.

In Tabletop, it's an object interaction to draw OR stow one weapon (two with Dual WIelder). Further swaps take an action per swap.

In BG3, it takes an action to switch a currently equipped weapon with a currently unequipped weapon, but switching between melee and ranged weapons is of no consequence to the wielder other than losing melee opportunity attacks (which, if you're a ranged unit, you shouldn't be able to make opportunity attacks in the first place otherwise something done f*cked up). I.E.: Equipping/Unequipping is a whole action, but switching between equipped items is not.

I just think switching between melee and ranged should take your bonus action at least.

[Molten Sh4dow]

Yes everyone i know how it works. Its just Eldritch Knight feels so awkward to me because of this. Im saying that i think that it should take an attack, action, or bonus action, not your one "free action", to switch from your equipped melee to equipped ranged weapon. Because why should I go Eldritch Knight for a Melee/magic damage dealer when i can just use a bow twice/thrice, in the same turn that i started with a sword out.

Switching from melee to ranged should have a cost so the player is punished for not having the right of the two equipped on their turn start. Would make people make sure their melee fighters always have their melee weapon and shield out and their archers have their bow equipped, or they'd lose an action/attack to switch to the one they needed

If the game had more magic/physical weaknesses/strengths so you had to use the right weapon/spell to kill an enemy rather than just hitting things with the same swords and arrows from level 1 to 12, I'd say Eldritch knight's damage spells would be much more useful, but to me the only thing I got meaningful out of it was Magic Shield and Mirror Image, which were both useful, but my damage spells were always a worse choice than a bow for a character that could shoot it twice or three times. Also another thing that felt awkward to me is why choose Eldritch Knight when you could just have a Battle master/Champion and a Wizard and get the best of both worlds, there's 4 people in a party to easily do that with. It's almost like Eldritch Knight is made for a 1 or 2 man party in a game where that isn't the case.

[harken23]

Originally posted by Molten Sh4dow:

Yes everyone i know how it works. Its just Eldritch Knight feels so awkward to me because of this. Im saying that i think that it should take an attack, action, or bonus action, not your one "free action", to switch from your equipped melee to equipped ranged weapon. Because why should I go Eldritch Knight for a Melee/magic damage dealer when i can just use a bow twice/thrice, in the same turn that i started with a sword out.

Switching from melee to ranged should have a cost so the player is punished for not having the right of the two equipped on their turn start. Would make people make sure their melee fighters always have their melee weapon and shield out and their archers have their bow equipped, or they'd lose an action/attack to switch to the one they needed

If the game had more magic/physical weaknesses/strengths so you had to use the right weapon/spell to kill an enemy rather than just hitting things with the same swords and arrows from level 1 to 12, I'd say Eldritch knight's damage spells would be much more useful, but to me the only thing I got meaningful out of it was Magic Shield and Mirror Image, which were both useful, but my damage spells were always a worse choice than a bow for a character that could shoot it twice or three times. Also another thing that felt awkward to me is why choose Eldritch Knight when you could just have a Battle master/Champion and a Wizard and get the best of both worlds, there's 4 people in a party to easily do that with. It's almost like Eldritch Knight is made for a 1 or 2 man party in a game where that isn't the case.

The game isn't 100% about min/maxing your damage output, it's about playing the character(s) you want to play. I haven't played an Eldritch Knight, so I don't know the specifics about that, but do higher levels give you more actual spells? I don't think you're stuck with cantrips the whole game... It's also about finding party balance. You can take a Battlemaster and a Wizard if you want, but that's two of your 4 (assuming no mods) party.

Also, FWIW, in Solasta, you can change weapon sets once per turn, which seems like a good compromise. It's not that way in this game, tho I imagine there's a mod to do it now, or one on the way.

[DDkiki]

Originally posted by harken23:

Originally posted by Molten Sh4dow:

Yes everyone i know how it works. Its just Eldritch Knight feels so awkward to me because of this. Im saying that i think that it should take an attack, action, or bonus action, not your one "free action", to switch from your equipped melee to equipped ranged weapon. Because why should I go Eldritch Knight for a Melee/magic damage dealer when i can just use a bow twice/thrice, in the same turn that i started with a sword out.

Switching from melee to ranged should have a cost so the player is punished for not having the right of the two equipped on their turn start. Would make people make sure their melee fighters always have their melee weapon and shield out and their archers have their bow equipped, or they'd lose an action/attack to switch to the one they needed

If the game had more magic/physical weaknesses/strengths so you had to use the right weapon/spell to kill an enemy rather than just hitting things with the same swords and arrows from level 1 to 12, I'd say Eldritch knight's damage spells would be much more useful, but to me the only thing I got meaningful out of it was Magic Shield and Mirror Image, which were both useful, but my damage spells were always a worse choice than a bow for a character that could shoot it twice or three times. Also another thing that felt awkward to me is why choose Eldritch Knight when you could just have a Battle master/Champion and a Wizard and get the best of both worlds, there's 4 people in a party to easily do that with. It's almost like Eldritch Knight is made for a 1 or 2 man party in a game where that isn't the case.

The game isn't 100% about min/maxing your damage output, it's about playing the character(s) you want to play. I haven't played an Eldritch Knight, so I don't know the specifics about that, but do higher levels give you more actual spells? I don't think you're stuck with cantrips the whole game... It's also about finding party balance. You can take a Battlemaster and a Wizard if you want, but that's two of your 4 (assuming no mods) party.

Also, FWIW, in Solasta, you can change weapon sets once per turn, which seems like a good compromise. It's not that way in this game, tho I imagine there's a mod to do it now, or one on the way.

EK problem is that its basically stack with cantrips the whole game, its their main feature and class is just worse than other fighter archetypes, and worse than any gish multiclasses by miles.

[AokiYakumo]

Originally posted by harken23:

Originally posted by Molten Sh4dow:

Yes everyone i know how it works. Its just Eldritch Knight feels so awkward to me because of this. Im saying that i think that it should take an attack, action, or bonus action, not your one "free action", to switch from your equipped melee to equipped ranged weapon. Because why should I go Eldritch Knight for a Melee/magic damage dealer when i can just use a bow twice/thrice, in the same turn that i started with a sword out.

Switching from melee to ranged should have a cost so the player is punished for not having the right of the two equipped on their turn start. Would make people make sure their melee fighters always have their melee weapon and shield out and their archers have their bow equipped, or they'd lose an action/attack to switch to the one they needed

If the game had more magic/physical weaknesses/strengths so you had to use the right weapon/spell to kill an enemy rather than just hitting things with the same swords and arrows from level 1 to 12, I'd say Eldritch knight's damage spells would be much more useful, but to me the only thing I got meaningful out of it was Magic Shield and Mirror Image, which were both useful, but my damage spells were always a worse choice than a bow for a character that could shoot it twice or three times. Also another thing that felt awkward to me is why choose Eldritch Knight when you could just have a Battle master/Champion and a Wizard and get the best of both worlds, there's 4 people in a party to easily do that with. It's almost like Eldritch Knight is made for a 1 or 2 man party in a game where that isn't the case.

The game isn't 100% about min/maxing your damage output, it's about playing the character(s) you want to play. I haven't played an Eldritch Knight, so I don't know the specifics about that, but do higher levels give you more actual spells? I don't think you're stuck with cantrips the whole game... It's also about finding party balance. You can take a Battlemaster and a Wizard if you want, but that's two of your 4 (assuming no mods) party.

Also, FWIW, in Solasta, you can change weapon sets once per turn, which seems like a good compromise. It's not that way in this game, tho I imagine there's a mod to do it now, or one on the way.

To compound this . . . we have the following options:

1) FTR gets 4 ASIs. You can use 1 to pump INT up to 16 if you need to and that covers your spellcasting needs REALLY well, since you inflict disadvantage with your attacks at a certain point. Save DC 15 is really hard to beat if you have to roll it twice to pass.

2) The Headband of Intellect exists. Grabbing it to set your INT to 17 does the same thing as above but saves you a feat slot.

3) Alternatively, you could theoretically dump STR in favor of chugging elixirs everyday (I don't personally like that because it takes up your elixir slot which could be used for Bloodlust or Colossus, but it is an option nonetheless), then put those points into INT and max it at 20. You're basically a Gish at that point.

4) Similarly, you could go ranged EK, stick to DEX & INT, use the Hill Giant Club as a statstick to set STR to 19, and use Titanstring.

Also to point out, BG3 doesn't have those pesky somatic rules that tabletop has. It doesn't care whether you have a free hand to razzledazzle your blimblams up in the enemies' faces. You can still dash & slash before blastermastering a b*tch.