In 5th edition combat, does a character using a ranged weapon like a bow or crossbow get to add their dexterity to their damage? Such as a rogue with a 15 Dexterity using a light crossbow, would they deal 1d8+2 damage?
DnD 5e Ranged Attacks – Is Dexterity Bonus Added to Damage Roll?
damagednd-5eranged-attack
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Best Answer
Yes, a ranged attack with a ranged weapon would include your Dex bonus to both attack and damage rolls.
The Player's Handbook mentions this twice.
First in chapter 7 ("Using Ability Scores") regarding Dexterity:
This is stated again in chapter 9 ("Combat") under the section "Making an Attack":
So yes, for a character with 15 Dexterity (i.e., +2 modifier), they would normally calculate the crossbow's damage roll as 1d8+2.
Note that this only applies to ranged weapon attacks. Ranged spell attacks usually don't use Dexterity.