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I'm a new DM and it is my first time playing D&D 5th edition.

One of my player's character is an archer elf with a +4 Dexterity modifier. When she uses her longbow, she gets the +2 poficiency bonus, plus the +2 bonus given by her archer specialization. That gives us a +8 modifier on the attacks with the longbow. Is it normal ?

When we created her character we used the random rolling method : roll 4d6 and take the three best rolls. She got a 16 in Dexterity, plus the +2 augmentation given by her racial trait (elf), so she got an 18. That's a +4 Dexterity modifier. Add to that the +2 Proficiency bonus for war weapons (given by her warrior class), and the +2 bonus for ranged weapons (given by the Archery combat style she chose).

That's a total of +8 for her attack bonus when she uses her longbow.

On one hand I'm a bit surprised because it seems high, but on the other I feel it would be unfair to nerf it.

I didn't find where to look for the answer, can somebody help me ?

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    \$\begingroup\$ Welcome to RPG.SE! Take the tour and visit the help center to check the guidelines on how to write questions&answers! You have to specify in the tags which game you are playing, since there is a lot of games which use terms like Dexterity, specialization and so on. \$\endgroup\$
    – Eddymage
    May 4, 2021 at 7:13
  • \$\begingroup\$ Does my answer solve your problem well enough for a green check? \$\endgroup\$
    – Thomas Markov
    Sep 24, 2021 at 13:32

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This is strong, but it is well within the expected range when rolling for stats.

This article at anydice has some good information about 5e's "3d6 drop lowest" stat generation method. In particular, the probability of rolling at least one score of 16 or more is 56%. Nothing else here is out of the ordinary either, elves get a +2 to dexterity, and the Archery fighting style is a must-have for ranged based fighters. So for an Elf archer rolling for stats, having a +8 to hit is not only possible, it's probably expected.

To put this into perspective, user Punintended stated in a comment:

it's worth emphasizing that in selecting a fighter, the player is focusing on weapon attacks (via [fighting] style) in lieu of other class' strengths. A dexterous rogue would have a +6 modifier and +1d6 sneak attack; a bard attacks at range and inspires; etc. If a player focuses solely on ranged weapon attacks, they should be (somewhat) better at it than a less-focused or more-versatile character

It is worth noting that this would not be possible with the point-buy or standard array methods of stat generation, as the highest a score can go with those methods is 15.

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    \$\begingroup\$ +1. You alluded to this, but it's worth emphasizing that in selecting a fighter, the player is focusing on weapon attacks (via combat style) in lieu of other class' strengths. A dexterous rogue would have a +6 modifier and +1d6 sneak attack; a bard attacks at range and inspires; etc. If a player focuses solely on ranged weapon attacks, they should be (somewhat) better at it than a less-focused or more-versatile character \$\endgroup\$
    – Punintended
    May 5, 2021 at 16:28
  • \$\begingroup\$ @Punintended Do you mind if I just quote you in my answer? \$\endgroup\$
    – Thomas Markov
    May 5, 2021 at 16:33
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    \$\begingroup\$ One rule that's often overlooked is that creatures of equal size provide Half-Cover to ones behind them. This is usually off-set by the Archery Fighting Style's +2, and I would imagine is the design intent behind it. The reason this fighting style exists is to give Archers a better ability to keep up with their allies in melee while being ranged and having to fire past them at the enemies. In that context, having a +8 isn't as notable if most enemies will end up with a +2 to their AC to counter it, which melee combatants won't usually be affected by. \$\endgroup\$
    – Payden K. Pringle
    May 5, 2021 at 16:42
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    \$\begingroup\$ I think it's also worth mentioning that the "Archery" fighting style specifically buffs attack rolls but not damage rolls, compared to some other fighting styles buffing damage rolls but not attack rolls - it would be unfair to focus on only one of these while ignoring the other \$\endgroup\$
    – Peter Chaplin
    May 5, 2021 at 17:04
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    \$\begingroup\$ You could a PC can have +8 modifier at 1st level if she is a Fighter, since Fighters get their Fighting Style right from the beginning. \$\endgroup\$
    – enkryptor
    May 5, 2021 at 17:07

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