Archer assistance

[Belbarrus]

For many years, I have loved the idea of an Archer character. The class always appealed to me. In earlier version of AD&D, however, playing an archer character didnt really have much "Oomf!". In 3.0/3.5 however, with cool feats and magic items, Archers can be really cool to play, so I created one in a recent high-level game (Githyanki Archer-Ranger).

However, the one drawback is the limited ammunition. While a melee fighter may swing their weapon an unlimited amount of times, ranged attackers have limited shots. One of the things that I did was use a Hewards Handy Haversack and store 100's of extra arrows.

What I am looking for is a source of arrows. Consider, for example, the adventure takes place in a series of caverns deep underground and you never encounter a town or city for 4 character levels. How would you replenish your arrows?

B

 

[iwatt]

Get the cleric to use mending

 

[hong]

Minor creation, major creation and fabricate should also work. Or get a portable hole, which should allow you to get your ammo supply into the thousands.

 

[Numion]

When PCs started to buy arrows in the several hundreds we just decided to forget the whole ammo tracking. A few hundred gps will get you a lifetime of arrows.

If your group insists on you buying arrows, ask them where the melee fighters find time and a forge to fix their weapons and armors

 

[Keith]

I also really like archer characters. I suggest putting some skill points into craft-bowmaker and also weaponsmith if necessary. Craft is a class skill for the Ranger.

DM approach would determine what skills you needed, and how useful they would be. Personally, I think someone who has bowmaking and a supply of applicable wood should be able to produce working arrows from ones broken in combat. Fixing broken ones without using new wood should be harder, and should produce arrows that are not fully functional.

Lacking any metal, I could see, again, the craft skill being used to knap arrowheads out of stone. Still a need for wood, then.

Have your archer carry a sack of fletching material with them; can’t be very heavy, and it would save trying to figure out how to find that material. Could forage for feathers, I suppose.

Basically, underground for so long does suggest that without magic, you will run out of arrows. But then, what are you eating, too? If you are going up 4 levels- how are you doing it? Are there any creatures carrying bows? Or living in wooden dwellings that might yield materials? Have loot somewhere?

No? Well, that does leave the magic suggestions, I think.

Cheers

 

[Zad]

A question I just had to answer myself recently. My thoughts:

1. Ammunition, especially the regular arrows are cheap and plentiful. For us, it became a "torch lighting issue" - a phrase coined by Wulf Ratbane for minor details in a game that are not worth worrying about. Sure, when you're first level you track it, but as you rise in levels, it's not any fun to obsess about these kinds of things and it's easier to just ignore it.

Of course this doesn't quite apply now that you're dealing with cold iron, silver, etc arrows.

2. Bags of holding are cheap. Do you have any idea how many arrows you could stuff into a bag of holding? Now if you look at things like a Quiver of Ehlonna or HHH, then you have the quesiton of "Can they be made bigger on the inside, like a bag of holding?" By paying some extra you can probably just do this, and have a container so big it can in effect hold an infinite supply of arrows.

3. You could use a magic item to create arrows on the fly. Unfortunately an item of this type is impossible to price out in the current rules - I know, I tried. When I say "impossible" I mean that the worked out price was far far in excess of the actual utility of the item. However you can work out with your DM the price for an item that could create non-magical arrows on the fly.

In the end, there are lots of fairly low cost ways to fix the problem, and it's generally easier just to ignore some of the details for the sake of better game play.

 

[Benben]

3. You could use a magic item to create arrows on the fly. Unfortunately an item of this type is impossible to price out in the current rules - I know, I tried. When I say "impossible" I mean that the worked out price was far far in excess of the actual utility of the item. However you can work out with your DM the price for an item that could create non-magical arrows on the fly.

Really?

How about a ring that creates an arrow every time a bow string is pulled back.

Use-activated or continuous:
Spell level x caster level x 2,000 gp

The psionic power Bolt is 0 level. This talent creats an arrow, bolt or sling stone that lasts 2 rounds and disappears in ectoplasmic motes after the duration expires.

0.5 x 1 x 2,000gp=1,000gp for the item cost.

Now this item will never be compatible with the feat Many Shot, since the ring can only make 1 arrow at a time.

As a DM I would boost the caster level up to 10 to allow multiple arrows to be created (Max 4), this would boost the cost of the item to 10,000.

 

[bensei]

In 3.5 (not sure about 3.0) there is the wond. item Efficient Quiver. Thought for masters of the ranged attack who wish to carry around just everything they could need. (Sounds like I was selling those, doesn't it.)

 

[dagger]

This really starts to become an issue in a low magic game when you hit 6th level and start shooting 3 arrows a round (well assuming you are a fighter type with rapid shot). Also the fact you need to provide yourself with silver and cold iron arrows as well.

I have had other party memebers in the past carry an extra quiver or two. The party also usualy has a couple of pack mules and that helps, but for long term underground gigs it could become an issue I guess.

 

[dagger]

Yea this is the 3.5 version of the 3.0 Quiver of Ehlonna I believe.

In 3.5 (not sure about 3.0) there is the wond. item Efficient Quiver. Thought for masters of the ranged attack who wish to carry around just everything they could need. (Sounds like I was selling those, doesn't it.)