Weapon Range Increment
Range increment is a legacy weapon rule used to measure how accuracy falls as a ranged attack travels beyond its most effective distance.
Legacy Rule
An attack made at less than one full range increment takes no range penalty. Each full increment beyond that imposes a cumulative –2 penalty on the attack roll.
| Distance | Range penalty |
|---|---|
| Within the first increment | No range penalty. |
| Second increment | –2 |
| Third increment | –4 |
| Each additional increment | Another –2 |
Maximum Range
Under the legacy rule, a thrown weapon can be used out to five range increments. A projectile weapon can be used out to ten range increments.
Edition Note
Do not apply this rule automatically to 5e/2014 or 5.5e/2024. Those editions present weapon ranges differently. This page preserves the older range-increment mechanic for Pathfinder 1e, D&D 3.5e and compatible rules.
Running Ranged Combat
Measure the distance to the target, identify which increment contains that distance, and apply the cumulative penalty before resolving the attack. Cover, concealment and other modifiers are separate unless the edition says otherwise.