If I fire an arrow from a short bow, which has a range of 80/320, and apply the Seeking Arrow Arcane Shot option from the Arcane Archer, which of these ranges is the 'maximum distance'?
This matters as the arrow disappears if it runs out of 'range':
If the target is within the weapon’s range and there is a path large enough for the arrow to travel to the target, the target must make a Dexterity saving throw. Otherwise, the arrow disappears after traveling as far as it can.
Intuitively, it feels like the maximum range of the Arcane Shot should be the second number, the 'long range', however that would require making an attack roll with disadvantage, despite not making an attack roll, which is not possible.
The Range weapon property reads:
Range. […] When attacking a target beyond normal range, you have disadvantage on the attack roll. You can't attack a target beyond the weapon's long range.
Which number do I use? And if only the normal range is permitted, and I wish to target a creature outside of that range am I not allowed to apply this arcane shot when firing my arrow, or does the arrow still try its best despite being doomed to fail?
Best Answer
"Range" is never defined without the qualifiers "normal" and "long".
You have quoted the definition of the Range property:
This includes the qualifiers "normal" and "long", and from what I can tell, every other rule and feature is consistent about using these qualifiers to identify which range is being referred to. The lack of either qualifier in the description of Seeking Arrow tells me it is using the word in the usual English sense, rather than specifically referencing one of the two game terms "normal range" and "long range".
If this is the case, then we must ask the question, "In the usual English sense, what is a weapon's range?" Would we say a weapon's range is only 80 feet when it can reach 320 feet? Probably not. It seems more consistent with typical use of the word "range" without qualifier to refer to its maximum range. This is based on my experience using firearms for long range target shooting and hunting. If you were to ask me "what's the range on your hunting rifle" I probably wouldn't respond with a single number, but would instead give you two numbers, similar to how the rules here define normal and long rage: I can hit a moose at 800 yards, but I can hit a dime at 200 yards. If I had to respond with a single number, I would go with 800, because 800 yards is within the weapon's capability.
So to succinctly give a ruling on the definition of "range" in the Seeking Arrow description, I would say:
which in this case, is the range that the rules refer to as the weapon's "long range". This is consistent with the portion of the feature description that says:
That said, I've done enough hedging here to merit a final note: "but it's up to the DM."