Strength Bows Rule or House Rule?

wally · Sep 25, 2006

If someone picks up a strength bow of +2 or +4, and they don't have any strength bonus, does it state somewhere in the rules that they can't use it, or that they just don't get the +2 or +4 bonus to damage?

-wally

Caliban · Sep 25, 2006

wally said:
If someone picks up a strength bow of +2 or +4, and they don't have any strength bonus, does it state somewhere in the rules that they can't use it, or that they just don't get the +2 or +4 bonus to damage?

-wally

They don't get the extra damage, and they get a -2 on attack rolls.

XCorvis · Sep 25, 2006

Here's the SRD link:
http://www.d20srd.org/srd/equipment/weapons.htm#longbow
It doesn't really say it explicitly, but the line about being able to "add your strength bonus to damage" strongly implies that if you don't have the bonus, you would not apply it. Common sense also says that if you can't pull the bow back all the way, your arrows won't hit as hard.

glass · Sep 25, 2006

Caliban said:
They don't get the extra damage, and they get a -2 on attack rolls.

Is it just a flat -2? I thought it was -2 per point of Str bonus they are light, but I can't remember where I got that form now.

glass.

MarkB · Sep 25, 2006

SRD said:
Longbow, Composite
You need at least two hands to use a bow, regardless of its size. You can use a composite longbow while mounted. All composite bows are made with a particular strength rating (that is, each requires a minimum Strength modifier to use with proficiency). If your Strength bonus is less than the strength rating of the composite bow, you can’t effectively use it, so you take a -2 penalty on attacks with it. The default composite longbow requires a Strength modifier of +0 or higher to use with proficiency. A composite longbow can be made with a high strength rating to take advantage of an above-average Strength score; this feature allows you to add your Strength bonus to damage, up to the maximum bonus indicated for the bow. Each point of Strength bonus granted by the bow adds 100 gp to its cost.

If your Strength is lower than the bow's strength rating, you take a -2 penalty to attack rolls.

If your Strength is above +0 but below the bow's strength rating, you still get to add your strength bonus to damage. For instance, a character with a Strength of 12, firing a composite longbow with a strength rating of +3, will take -2 to attacks and deal 1d8+1 damage.

Infiniti2000 · Sep 25, 2006

glass said:
Is it just a flat -2? I thought it was -2 per point of Str bonus they are light, but I can't remember where I got that form now.

That's just a very common houserule.

pawsplay · Sep 25, 2006

Str is greater than or equal to rating: bonus to damage equal to rating
Str is greater than 0 but less than rating: -2 to hit, bonus to damage equal to Str bonus
Str sucks: -2 to hit, Str penalty to damage

MarkB · Sep 25, 2006

pawsplay said:
Str sucks: -2 to hit, Str penalty to damage

Oddly enough, while that explicitly applies to longbows and shortbows, it's not specified in the description of composite bows. Since the descriptions are otherwise self-contained, that would seem to indicate that composite bows don't suffer this penalty.

pawsplay · Sep 25, 2006

MarkB said:
Oddly enough, while that explicitly applies to longbows and shortbows, it's not specified in the description of composite bows. Since the descriptions are otherwise self-contained, that would seem to indicate that composite bows don't suffer this penalty.

Interesting.

Infiniti2000 · Sep 25, 2006

MarkB said:
Oddly enough, while that explicitly applies to longbows and shortbows, it's not specified in the description of composite bows. Since the descriptions are otherwise self-contained, that would seem to indicate that composite bows don't suffer this penalty.

Actually, they do thanks to the section on Projectile Weapons.

"If the character has a penalty for low Strength, apply it to damage rolls when he or she uses a bow or a sling."

It just says 'bow', which I think you'd agree includes composite long- and shortbows.