Blunt Arrows.

[cdbd3rd]

I see some comments from folks who apparently have never held a bow, much less actually hunted with one.

I know a lot of folks hate mixing RL with game concepts, but blunt and slashing arrows have existed for a long time.

I have hunted with blunts. They are for small game like rabbits & squirrels where the blunt trauma will do the killing, and where a pointed arrow would sail straight thru the animal and disappear beyond. (a little less range, and very minor adjustment to accuracy)

Slashing is the standard tip for hunting big game. The tip has razors arranged around the tip, designed to slice into &/or stop inside the body and get thrashed about as the target tries to escape. (no effect on range/accuracy)

Single-point tips are for target practice. Never understood why those would be the standard tip for D&D arrows, so I've always given archers optional tips for ammo ever since my 1st-ed DMing days.

...

Rock-tipped arrow... Oh, my my.

...

Blunt tips for arrows:
http://www.nockit.com/points/blunt-arrow-points

Target tips:
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/h...e/DSC_2942.jpg

Hunting tips:
http://i1131.photobucket.com/albums/...er/photo-5.jpg
(this pic is of a very old design, one I started using back in the 70s. That light line on the side of the tip is for a smaller razor (not shown) to be inserted crosswise to the main blade.)

Newer broadheads:
http://www.nockit.com/broadhead-arro...oadhead-arrows



Last edit:
Once we get real underwater combat, I'll share some intel on Bowfishing, as well.

[Elixxer]

After just running Delaras with my AA, I felt pretty useless because arrows are piercing and they do nothing against skeletons.

I would like to see blunt arrows brought into the game so that Rangers arnt left out of certain battles.

I ran it on my TR'd(past life ranger) AA from 8-11, had fun in it. Even without +2dmg have acid arrow and silver longbow, it'll hurt them, not as fast as melee but it can reach the far ones in the deleras quest chain. With improved precision shot(?) it'll hit past skelle to skelle and the 2d4(?) acid damage from acid arrow will trigger on each one you hit.

It doesn't work the best, and surely isn't as strong as melee.

I don't want blunt arrows... It just sounds cheesy and is more gear swapping .

For delera's, even if you never put the bow away, if you feel you are bad DPS for the party or yourself, just grab some PG weapons, an element on that helps even more, holy will also work. - blunt = better here.

[vcntmnd]

I see some comments from folks who apparently have never held a bow, much less actually hunted with one.

I know a lot of folks hate mixing RL with game concepts, but blunt and slashing arrows have existed for a long time.

Sounds like somebody has never held a physics textbook, much less actually read one.

I think most of us are aware that "blunt arrows" exist. As Chai said earlier they still do their damage from PSI. If you're coming at it from a realism perspective, how many of those do you think it'd take to destroy a full grown human's skeleton? On the other hand, I'm sure DDO blunt arrows would be just as effective against undead rabbits and squirrels as they are against real ones. What do you think, 1d2 damage? About as effective as normal arrows currently are on skeletons?

From a balance perspective, they are unecessary, there are plenty of magical bows and arrows that can damage skeletons, and they remove a very important aspect of the game. No, you can't just do universal damage with bows by default, there are plenty of options currently in game to kill skeletons. Even just using a bow.

As a side note, I can't speak for endgame DPS, but so far my arcane archer absolutely destroys stuff. Ranged combat does start off a little slow, but trust me, it gets better.

[cdbd3rd]

... If you're coming at it from a realism perspective, how many of those do you think it'd take to destroy a full grown human's skeleton? ...

1d6-at-a-time of them, just like any other arrow vs any other target.

Return sarcasm accepted - I am comfortable with my physics.

[somenewnoob]

If you don't go with throwing hammers, try to pick up some undead bane arrows.

[diamabel]

After just running Delaras with my AA, I felt pretty useless because arrows are piercing and they do nothing against skeletons.

I would like to see blunt arrows brought into the game so that Rangers arnt left out of certain battles.

This might be something you're looking for:
1) Hammer Arrows (1D2 +1D6 CRUSHING DAM)
2) Hammer Arrows +1 (1D2 +1D10 CRUSHING DAM)

http://www.sorcerers.net/Games/IWD/W...tems/items.php


But then again, why would you want to always resort to a bow? It's like using a screwdriver on every problem you face in life.

[Grenada]

Screwdriver? I only use duct tape.

[vVAnjilaVv]

I'm sorry this is going to sound harsh, but... somebody needs to say it. You ran a dungeon and it was hard, change the whole game? My (dex based) archer kicks the **** out of skellies, get a new bow. Rogues need blunt rapiers before rangers need blunt arrows. Blunt rapiers would be a hell of a lot more realistic, too. While we're removing all the variations that make this game interesting, can we give my fire savant an ice spell-like ability? I suck in Taming the Flames.

That is harsh and unfounded at best....it simply does not make sense that at the very least an Arcane Archer or Deepwood sniper whom are both bow using specialist would not grasp the concept of making slashing or bludgeon tipped arrows.

This is more about having things make a little more sense than inducing another easy button.

[BOgre]

Here's a thought, how about one of our min/maxers, one of our math whizzes, do a quick comparo between the bonuses a melee gets after specializing in, say slashing weapons, and the penalties he takes when using the slashers vs slash resistant dudes, AND the penalty or reduction in dps or whatever he would take if he switched to his non-specialized weapon, VS the same things for an archer having to switch to blades or hammers or whatever, and THEN come up with a fair looking enhancement that would include blunts. Or something.

[Aliss7]

Couldn't help myself from posting this here in case you missed it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DzUiVoYJQis

[wonkey]

Sounds like somebody has never held a physics textbook, much less actually read one.

I think most of us are aware that "blunt arrows" exist. As Chai said earlier they still do their damage from PSI. If you're coming at it from a realism perspective, how many of those do you think it'd take to destroy a full grown human's skeleton? On the other hand, I'm sure DDO blunt arrows would be just as effective against undead rabbits and squirrels as they are against real ones. What do you think, 1d2 damage? About as effective as normal arrows currently are on skeletons?

Actually, coming from someone who's held quite a few physics books, you're wrong. The point of a blunt arrow is specifically not to waste energy deforming the localized area through penetration. The relevant formula, which I won't bother posting, as it doesn't matter, is the one that tells you how much harder a mass hits when it is moving at speed. Yes, the pressure matters somewhat, but no more than when hitting someone with a baseball bat.
A blunt weapon, including a blunt arrow, delivers its force over a wider area in a sudden fashion, and sends shockwaves travelling at the speed of sound through the target body. These shockwaves are what do more global damage, along with the localized damage from the hit.

How many blunt arrows would it realistically take to destroy an animated skeleton in real life? I dunno. Animated skeletons don't exist in real life. But a blunt arrow shot full force from a bow would probably do at least equal damage to a hard hit with a hammer or mace. The shockwave effect wouldn't really apply as well, without organs or other fleshy parts, but it'd probably break whatever it hit.

[Ganolyn]

Rock-tipped arrow... Oh, my my.

Rock tipped arrows




Thank you for bringing up that blunt arrows were used for hunting small game (in order not to totally destroy the target, thereby ruining the meat for easy consumption). AFAIK blunts were never used in warfare.

After just running Delaras with my AA, I felt pretty useless because arrows are piercing and they do nothing against skeletons.

Nothing? My arrows do decreased damage, but they always do damage. I would suggest trying a more back loaded bow to offset the damage decrease.

I ran an AA to level 20. You receive the feat TWF for free.

I know the OP specifically stated Rangers in his post, but not all AA's are Rangers so this strategy doesn't always apply.

But as to civilizations living underground, I believe most of them have normal vision on top of infravision, so that part wouldn't be a problem.

This is what we did. They didn't see with infravision all the time. We treated it like an extra lens that could be used when they wanted to use it.

[~Quilny]

/notsigned
I find the idea of a .... im just going to stop there.

[BOgre]

epic bow of the silver flame

[Ganolyn]

epic bow of the silver flame

Nice. How does that help in Delera's again?

[Cam_Neely]

After just running Delaras with my AA, I felt pretty useless because arrows are piercing and they do nothing against skeletons.

I would like to see blunt arrows brought into the game so that Rangers arnt left out of certain battles.

We always made blunt arrows deal non lethal damage only in our PnP games. Sklleys are dead and do not take non lethal damage. So no damage. This did lead to my bow bard beating a skellys with another skellys feamer.

epic bow of the silver flame

Great suggestion, the OP can use that when he runs delearas at lv 20 for epeen or favor.

[cdbd3rd]

Couldn't help myself from posting this here in case you missed it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DzUiVoYJQis

As an avid Youtube junkie, I am truly embarrassed for having not seen that one before.

Mad props to Panda for taking so many shots for the good of the show.



edit:

Rock tipped arrows

http://i745.photobucket.com/albums/x...owheads_21.jpg

That's cheating.

[Hoglum]

Or something.

You could glue feathers to a toilet bowl plunger.

[Ganolyn]

As an avid Youtube junkie, I am truly embarrassed for having not seen that one before.

Mad props to Panda for taking so many shots for the good of the show.

He even took an arrow to the knee!

[cdbd3rd]

You could glue feathers to a toilet bowl plunger.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R113pb-_WTE