Penetrating Strike and Greater Penetrating Strike and ranged attacks

[John Lynch 106]

Do these two feats work with Ranged attacks? The text of the feats are:

Prerequisites: Weapon Focus, base attack bonus +1, 12th-level fighter, proficiency with weapon.

Benefit: Your attacks with weapons selected with Weapon Focus ignore up to 5 points of damage reduction. This feat does not apply to damage reduction without a type (such as DR 10/—).

That says to me if I take Weapon Focus (longbow) then I get to benefit from the feat. That seems counter to name of the feats which are "Penetrating Strike". Are these simply badly named feats? Or do they only work on melee attacks?

[Ckorik]

This is a melee feat - although it will work on ranged weapons there is a ranged version that doesn't require levels of fighter, or weapon focus, and comes online as early as level 6. This one is called "Clustered Shots". Clustered Shots doesn't work with melee weapons though.

[Alderic]

Yes, but as Ckorik says, you might be better served by clustered shots (which you should already have as a 12th level fighter focused on ranged combat)

[Jeraa]

John Lynch 106 wrote:

That says to me if I take Weapon Focus (longbow) then I get to benefit from the feat. That seems counter to name of the feats which are "Penetrating Strike". Are these simply badly named feats? Or do they only work on melee attacks?

Are lightning strikes melee attacks? No. Striking something just means hitting something. An arrow strikes its target. Nothing about the feat indicates it is a melee-only feat.

Clustered Shots requires to to make a full attack (as a full round action) against a single creature. Penetrating Strike works on any number of attacks spread across any number of targets. Both have their benefits.

Clustered Shots can help trigger death form massive damage (if that optional rule is used). However, any creature that could take the minimum required 50 points of damage and still survive could probably easily make the DC 15 fortitude save.

If you switch between a melee weapon and ranged weapon, Penetrating Strike is better. It works with any weapon you have Weapon Focus with. Clustered Shots only works with ranged weapons.

[Rub-Eta]

The name of the feat has nothing to do with the effect of the feat. It does not mention anything about being melee exclusive or to exclude ranged attacks.

[Ckorik]

Sorry - I didn't mean it was a melee only feat - only that for ranged clustered shots comes online sooner and provides most of the benefit - as ranged characters are much more likely to have a full attack action than a melee character. Penetrating strike does in fact work on all weapons.

[John Lynch 106]

Thanks for the info. Still think it's a misleading name, especially for newer players. As for Clustered Shot, this assumes the GM is allowing Ultimate combat.

[KainPen]

Yes this feat works with bow. Strike is no way misleading. No where is strike defined as melee attack. here are both definition of the word strike, as a verb

1.
hit forcibly and deliberately with one's hand or a weapon or other implement.
"he raised his hand, as if to strike me"
synonyms: bang, beat, hit; More
2.
(of a disaster, disease, or other unwelcome phenomenon) occur suddenly and have harmful or damaging effects on.
"an earthquake struck the island"
synonyms: affect, afflict, attack, hit
"the disease is striking 3,000 people a year"

does this meet definition 1 yes it does the bow is firing an arrow to strike the person. Because Arrow is most certainly an other implement

does it meet the 2nd definition, yes it does, A arrow to the chest is most certainly and unwelcome phenomenon, that occurs suddenly and has a harmful or damaging effect.