Page 184 Core rule book.
Shooting or Throwing into a Melee: If you shoot or
throw a ranged weapon at a target engaged in melee with a
friendly character, you take a –4 penalty on your attack roll.
Two characters are engaged in melee if they are enemies of
each other and either threatens the other. (An unconscious
or otherwise immobilized character is not considered
engaged unless he is actually being attacked.)
If your target (or the part of your target you’re aiming at,
if it’s a big target) is at least 10 feet away from the nearest
friendly character, you can avoid the –4 penalty, even if
the creature you’re aiming at is engaged in melee with a
friendly character.
If your target is two size categories larger than the
friendly characters it is engaged with, this penalty is
reduced to –2. There is no penalty for firing at a creature
that is three size categories larger than the friendly
characters it is engaged with.
Precise Shot: If you have the Precise Shot feat, you don’t
take this penalty.
So if that is correct you dont take a -4 if they are 10 feet away and engaged in melee? Does the creature have to be larger than the PC to reduce the -4?
If the monster is huge.. you can attack the rear end of the monster while your ally attacks the front end. Also important when you are reach. A large reach, while being "in melee" puts you far enough away that others can ignore the penalty.
If the monster is large, and the player is small, then you reduce the penalty. But if the monster is large and the player is medium there isn't any difference. The monster would have to be huge before you can reduce the penalties.
At least thats what I gather.
If the monster is huge.. you can attack the rear end of the monster while your ally attacks the front end. Also important when you are reach. A large reach, while being "in melee" puts you far enough away that others can ignore the penalty.
If the monster is large, and the player is small, then you reduce the penalty. But if the monster is large and the player is medium there isn't any difference. The monster would have to be huge before you can reduce the penalties.
At least thats what I gather.
The part im really interested in is if 2 medium creatures are in melee seperated by 10 feet (assume reach weapon or something), do i still take the -4?
Regardless of their size, being 10 feet apart makes them far enough away that you do not take the penalty.
In a bit of wording-picking mood, I have to mention a curiosity that I just noticed:
Per the rules (as quoted) you do not get a penalty for shooting into a good old fisty-cuffs. If neither part have Improved Unarmed Strike, they will not be threatening eachother, and as such per these rules they are not counted as engaged in melee...
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CRB:
"Threatened Squares: You threaten all squares into which
you can make a melee attack, even when it is not your turn."
I couldn't find anything that said an unarmed attack wasn't a melee attack or that it didn't threaten. Since monks use unarmed strikes to threaten, and humanoids have unarmed strikes dealing 1d3 nonlethal (lethal if they take a penalty to hit), fisticuffs should still meet the requirements for the penalty.
"Threatened Squares
You threaten all squares into which you can make a melee attack, even when it is not your turn. Generally, that means everything in all squares adjacent to your space (including diagonally). An enemy that takes certain actions while in a threatened square provokes an attack of opportunity from you. If you're unarmed, you don't normally threaten any squares and thus can't make attacks of opportunity."
CRB:
"Threatened Squares: You threaten all squares into which
you can make a melee attack, even when it is not your turn."I couldn't find anything that said an unarmed attack wasn't a melee attack or that it didn't threaten. Since monks use unarmed strikes to threaten, and humanoids have unarmed strikes dealing 1d3 nonlethal (lethal if they take a penalty to hit), fisticuffs should still meet the requirements for the penalty.
Actually it comes just a couple of sentences below the part you quoted:
"If you're unarmed, you don't normally threaten any squares and thus can't make attacks of opportunity."
Monks and characters with IUS threatens, because they have '"Armed" Unarmed Attacks'