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I was wondering if Deflect Arrows could be removed from animals within the game? Animals with the deflect arrows skill seems unrealistic to me?

"A black-furred dire wolf deflects your ranged attack!"

I can understand things like dragons or wyverns, even other magical creatures, though I have seen an obscene amount of the above from 95% of the mobs within the game. Most of them, in my opinion, should not have the ability to do so. Or perhaps the feat could be tweaked in some way?

I understand that I am playing a character outside the norm, for a ranger, though it is much more difficult for my character to do any real damage within a party, while focusing on roleplay.

I'm not trying to gripe but, melee weapons seem to have a substantial over balance in comparison with ranged weapons.

I think it should stay. I now live in a big hunting area. Hunting is not my thing personally, but my boyfriend is a bow hunter and I've gone with him to watch (I don't get to go anymore, because apparently it really annoys the hunter for another person to wave hands and such to make the furry critters run away). I've seen a deer literally duck under an arrow that it saw coming. Or animals turning to the side so it will miss them..And that is with today's technology on the bows, them doing everything they can to make it so that the arrows are quiet when they are going through the air, and the bow makes very little noise. And I've seen video from his friends where other animals do the exact same thing plenty of times. It is very likely that the wild animals would have the ability to turn to the side, or down and avoid something coming at them. I realize that them deflecting things can get frustrating...but this does happen in real life.

I have to disagree. No regular animal should 'deflect' an arrow.

Even the old arrows flew fast enough that a normal beast attempting to deflect them would find themselves skewered.

I haven't responded to this thread because I was curious what others would think, but thus far it's been quiet.

That is not to say I don't think _other_ mobs should be able to deflect, parry, dodge, shield block, etc.

But for even a fast critter like a deer, you don't see them flipping their horns at the arrow and making the arrow deflect harmlessly away.

Take deflect out and bump dodge a bit to balance it out. Think folks are just getting hung up on the word "deflect" here.

Yeah, I was thinking the same thing. Deflect means to strike, but harmlessly, and glance off in another direction. Maybe an iron golem, or a skeleton could have that happen, but not a deer. A deer or rabbit could believably dodge though, but only the rabbit from Monthy Python even has a hope of deflecting the arrow.

I dunno, I guess I'm just of the mind that not every mobile in the game should take a lot of effort to kill?

I'm fairly certain deer are already able to dodge. Deer already have AC.

Deflect Arrow is a feat. For those of you who don't ever play table top, I will outline it:

Deflect Arrows wrote:Prerequisites

Dex 13, Improved Unarmed Strike.
Benefit

You must have at least one hand free (holding nothing) to use this feat. Once per round when you would normally be hit with a ranged weapon, you may deflect it so that you take no damage from it. You must be aware of the attack and not flat-footed.

Attempting to deflect a ranged weapon doesn’t count as an action. Unusually massive ranged weapons and ranged attacks generated by spell effects can’t be deflected.

Special

A monk may select Deflect Arrows as a bonus feat at 2nd level, even if she does not meet the prerequisites.

A fighter may select Deflect Arrows as one of his fighter bonus feats.

Deer do not have hands.. they have all feet. Therefore, even if they had the feat they couldn't use it.

I thank you for the responses to my post.

I disagree with what Aveline has said about the animals. It is true animals may be hard to hit, though they do not ever deflect arrows, exceptions to this case is as I stated earlier. If said animals were difficult to shoot, with a ranged weapon, their dexterity modifier and AC bonuses should apply, not the deflection of arrows.

I would also like to point out, that characters with the D&D setting are "above the norm". For example, an IQ of 12, is rated at 120, so you can see how an IQ of 20 is a 200. In the PnP version the skill balance, allows people to stand upon water, even clouds. I have thought of ALL PC characters in the mud in this same regard, above and beyond the normal person.

As for the [Feat] Deflect Arrows, it seems to me that ALL mobs within the game have the feats, improved unarmed strike and deflect arrows. Certain mobs, which I believe, should not have the deflect arrows feat do have them. Perhaps this is suppose to be a balance to ranged weapons, though in my opinion it only restricts the roleplay and causes no individuality among the characters within the game.

I challenge anyone to watch Feraael fight with a bow, or a sword; not dual wieldeding, in melee combat. Because the difference is quite noticeable.