Monstrous Compendium Vol. 1: Spelljammer Creatures
Frozen Sick
D&D Beyond Basic Rules
Basic Rules (2014)
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Monstrous Compendium Vol. 1: Spelljammer CreaturesFrozen SickD&D Beyond Basic RulesBasic Rules (2014)Sign in to view your library & saved favorites.
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A common method to get Advantage in melee is to have an Ally "flank" the enemy or use the Help, depending on how your table plays. Sometimes, that ally is a familiar who cannot attack but can take the Help action. Officially, this requires the Help action, but some tables will run it solely on flanking positions as a holdover from prior editions.
This is the opposite situation of your original question where you get disadvantage on an attack by being next to an enemy.
It sounds like you are okay with getting advantage from positioning but not disadvantage from positioning.
If you are shooting the person next to you, being close means that any movement will make a huge difference in what your shot is pointed at and being in slapping range means that you they can freely interfere with you and your weapon. If you are shooting a different target, even if the enemy is not focused on you, their movements are likely to be a distraction at a minimum and may still physically interfere with your body or weapon. It's like throwing something while you are in a mosh pit; your aim is going to suffer.
Unless the enemy is standing in the middle of their square just staring at you, you are probably getting jostled and bumped throughout your turn. Nothing that would cause damage, but no one is standing still while it's not their turn like a game of red light green light. While that is happening, you will have difficulty gesturing, speaking phrases in precise tones with specific timings, and handling your materials without dropping them. The difficulty is not represented with any mechanics (a Concentration check).
However, just like a Ranger with a bow, if the spell requires an attack roll, you will need to aim your spell, sometimes by physically pointing. If your target is in your face flailing like a clown, every movement will require greater movement from the caster to keep the shot lined up. If your target is not the one next to you, the adjacent enemy can still be knocking into you or you could need to be dodging blows that could have come your way. The beatstick swung a greataxe at the fighter next you and you thought "Na, I don't have to move; that arc will stop before it hits my nose..." That's your realistic take on the chaos of combat? Your character does not realistically know where that axe is going to land. No one is calling out targets. All you see a giant blade swinging near you.
No, if you want to avoid disadvantage on ranged attacks from an adjacent enemy without taking a feat that gives you that training, you should ask your DM to house rule a version of Reckless Attack for you allowing you to ignore the penalty by giving everyone else advantage on melee attacks against you because you are not paying attention to your own defense.
Sometimes RAW is silly. This is absolutely not one of those cases.
How to add Tooltips.
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This is definitely one of those occasions where RAW is goofy. Think about it, if they're fighting my ally, but they've not so much as touched me, even if they're moving around like a clown, my spell will either hit them or hit the target I'm aiming at. Spellcasting, especially with pointing, is a horrible example, because you might miss your target, but you'll hit an enemy anyway, even if it's not the one you're aiming at. Concentration is a good example, but again, if you're only getting nudged and you lose concentration, taking a full-blown hit should be an instant failure no matter what, but it's not. So being nudged slightly is nothing to an experienced caster on any non-concentration spells.
Multiclassing, however, nudging would definitely interfere. Especially for a multi-class with part spellcasting, part melee, part ranger or something simply appalling to remember every niche to. The only exception should be a Wizard, Cleric multiclass, which is mostly spells. They should be treated similarly, if not identically to the normal single classes.
Again, my only reason for Ranger being different is cause if your bow gets nudged, it's not gonna go straight, but Magic isn't a tool, unless you're using a staff or gem or crystal or something, but pointing, you have immense control over your own body, so no, RAW is wrong in this case.
Might I also add really quickly, I wouldn't give disadvantage simply cause I'm unable to focus on my own defense, instead, I'd make it have advantage on anyone not attacking me, as if they get in the way of my spell, it's gonna hit them. It's like throwing a grenade. Doesn't matter if it bounces off your enemy's shoulder and hits the ground between you, it still is gonna kill someone if you both don't move. If I cast a max level fireball, the enemy better have enough common sense to move or I'm casting Misty Step and firing it point blank at the same time. Which might be my own personal workaround to Misty Step, but it says instant, so it's kinda just instantly working. If that's not how that works, oh well, cast it vertically and then Misty Step out of there, so when it does come down... Boom. There's also that one spell that prevents a select number of creatures from taking damage to your next spell, which should be able to apply to yourself.
All that just to say it's stupid to give disadvantage unless you HAVE to hit THAT specific target. Much like pointing your finger, you can change your target last moment and pointblank the guy running at you or standing beside you, cause believe it or not, Arms can be bent!
Maybe they are fighting your ally. Maybe they are fighting you. You don't know who they are fighting until they attack someone and in addition some attacks give you an attack against multiple enemies or and adjacent enemy (such as Cleave). You must pay attention to enemies adjacent to you. This replaces the mechanic where casting a spell within the reach of an enemy allowed an attack of opportunity. If you prefer 3e's free hit if you cast with range of an enemy, go ahead, but one way or another, ignoring enemies that are in your face during the chaos of combat is dangerous.
If you miss the enemy you are aiming at, you miss all the enemies.
Rangers and Spellcasting are not different. Or rather, shooting a bow, throwing a dagger, or casting a spell that requires an attack roll are not any different. You and your enemy are not actually constrained to your 5-foot squares during your turn. You will have limbs flailing into adjacent squares. You will be trying to make your precise body and hand movements when you accidentally catch an elbow in the side.
No, RAW is not silly, you have an unrealistic idea of what the chaos of melee combat would look like. You are describing a system where creatures stay in their boxes, only act on their turns, and clearly indicate who they will attack and you are calling RAW goofy. No, RAW is not wrong or goofy. The idea that every enemy is calling out their targets like some anime throwdown is goofy.
Yes. You pick a target and HAVE to hit THAT specific target. If you miss, you miss and there is not hitting the creature behind them. When you are casting a spell that needs you to gesture, any impact to your whole body is can affect those spells.
RAW can be silly, but this is not one of those times.
How to add Tooltips.
My houserulings.