Bow against Sword!

[LokiDR]

under 2e, there was an item called an elven bow, which you could use for just that effect. Maybe a darkwood bow would work.

As for it being easy to hit a bowstring, it is an attended object. Sure, if the bow is just sitting in the corner, it is a large taught string. Pircing or bludgening attacks probably have a lot of problems, but a sword doesn't. The problem is that when a person is using an object, you can't affect that object without an opposed roll. Even spells I cast at your equipment don't ignore your saves.

 

[Hypersmurf]

As for it being easy to hit a bowstring, it is an attended object. Sure, if the bow is just sitting in the corner, it is a large taught string. Pircing or bludgening attacks probably have a lot of problems, but a sword doesn't. The problem is that when a person is using an object, you can't affect that object without an opposed roll. Even spells I cast at your equipment don't ignore your saves.

An attended object doesn't merit an opposed roll. It has a static AC : 10 + size mod + owner's Dex mod + 5 (if it's in a hand or tentacle).

Unless it's a melee weapon or shield, which a bow isn't.

-Hyp.

 

[Fisk]

An attended object doesn't merit an opposed roll. It has a static AC : 10 + size mod + owner's Dex mod + 5 (if it's in a hand or tentacle).

Unless it's a melee weapon or shield, which a bow isn't.

-Hyp.

With all due respect your reasoning is ludicrous.

Is a unarmoured fist static? How about the rock that is in the fist? Say I want to sunder that rock. Its a range weapon.

The only way a person plays out the rules you mentioned above is that they are bitter about some past issue involving archers and now they still can't let it go.

 

[Hypersmurf]

With all due respect your reasoning is ludicrous.

With all due respect, my reasoning comes directly from the current FAQ, p33...

Also, don't forget grappling or striking the foe’s weapon.
Most spellcasters won't be holding a weapon, and foes holding
ranged weapons don't threaten you, so you don't have to worry
about triggering an attack of opportunity when using either
tactic. Foes you've grappled can't step away from you until
they escape your hold. Striking a foe's weapon is often less
troublesome, and if you break it, you won't need to worry
about ranged attacks. Normally you need to make an opposed
attack roll to strike a foe's weapon or shield, but if the item you're striking is not a melee weapon or a shield, just use the rules for striking a held, carried, or worn object (pages 135 and 136 in the Player's Handbook). Again, you'd normally trigger
an attack of opportunity for striking the foe's equipment, but a
foe armed with a ranged weapon doesn't threaten you.
This can be a very effective tactic against opponents armed
with bows. A longbow, composite longbow, or heavy crossbow
has an Armor Class of 14 (base 10, -1 for size, +5 for being a
held object) plus the wielder's Dexterity bonus and whatever deflection bonus the wielder might have, which makes it a fairly easy target. A shortbow, short composite bow, light crossbow, or repeating crossbow has an Armor Class of 15, which is same as a longbow, but they have no size adjustment because these weapons are Medium-size.

-Hyp.

 

[LokiDR]

An attended object doesn't merit an opposed roll. It has a static AC : 10 + size mod + owner's Dex mod + 5 (if it's in a hand or tentacle).

Unless it's a melee weapon or shield, which a bow isn't.

That means the bow has at least an AC of 14, (10, -1 size, +5 being in hand) and more if the archer has a decent dex, as he should. It still doesn't seem to work that a 1st level archer and 20th level archer have relatively the same chance to loose their weapon to sundering.

 

[Endur]

Re: sundering bows

I hadn't thought about this, but its a good point. Most archers will have multiple bow strings because they wear out over time and have to be replaced. It could be a natural assumption that the strings themselves will not be magical, but the rest of the bow is.

Tom

Hi all,

The way I rule sundering bows in my game is that you don't have to chop the bow into tinder to stop an archer, you just have to cut the bowstring. In game terms any attack with a slashing weapon which deals 1 point of damage does the trick. I also rule that magic bows sunder resistance only applies to the bow - not the string.

efreet.

 

[AuraSeer]

Re: Re: sundering bows

I hadn't thought about this, but its a good point. Most archers will have multiple bow strings because they wear out over time and have to be replaced. It could be a natural assumption that the strings themselves will not be magical, but the rest of the bow is.

You're assuming that the bowstrings wear out, therefore they should be nonmagical. One could just as easily say that the original bowstring is magical, and therefore it never wears out.

 

[Fisk]

Thanks for the refferance... Hypersmurf

Now for a few questions.

Under the Sundering feat it says to refer to the "Strike a weapon on page 136 PHB" Should we then conclude that range weapons do not fall under the "Sundering feat" because they are Held Objects ?

......... therefore any attack against a range weapon would provoke an Aoo regardless if they had the "Sundering" feat or not.


Also as a "Held object" would they still need a magic weapon of equal or greater stregnth to damage it?

 

[Hypersmurf]

I asked the same questions when someone pointed the FAQ answer out to me

People replied that they thought a +3 bow should still only be vulnerable to +3 or better weapons.

AoOs are, for the most part, irrelevant, since ranged weapons don't get AoOs. Under special circumstances where they do, you can probably apply special rules for Sundering.

-Hyp.

 

[Hypersmurf]

It still doesn't seem to work that a 1st level archer and 20th level archer have relatively the same chance to loose their weapon to sundering.

A 20th level archer should have learned by now to stand further away when he shoots

-Hyp.