Clerics and skills

[d12]

I understand being worried about running out of ammunition but remember you can replenish your supply by taking arrows of dead enemy archers. Surely your DM will have you encounter a FEW archers along the way.

Also, a quiver of Ehlonna (inexhuastable arrows) is fairly cheap I think. You should be able to comission one by the time you're mid-level.

 

[Cedric]

Quiver of Ehlonna only holds 60 arrows...unless there's been an errata (always possible).

Maybe I shouldn't be...but since this will be my first 3rd ed. Archer...I'm concerned about running out of arrows.

Cedric

 

[Trickstergod]

You could always ask your DM if you could lose a minor ability in return to have an extra skill point for the Craft skill.

For example, losing the elven proficiency with the rapier or longsword in return for an extra skill point of Craft (Bowmaking) every other level doesn't seem inappropriate. Or possibly just trade it in for a full four skill points at first. Or something similar.

 

[Zub]

I'd dump the craft skill and split between concentration and knowledge religion. Knowledge religion is a prereq for many prestige classes. If you think you are ever going to be an epic character, then build up spellcraft as well. My epic cleric is screwed because I didn't keep up with my spellcraft, and now I'll be unable to create epic spells for some time.

Zub

 

[Umbran]

I was thinking if we go on a long adventure...it would be really nice to be able to make my own arrows.
[...snip...]
Is there anywhere it says differently?

Assuming the DC for creating an arrow is 10, and assuming a 1st level character with a total skill mod of +4 in Craft (bowmaking), and assuming the character has materials on hand, doing progress by the day, you can assemble something on the order of 30 arrows a day, on average. Call it a 10-hour working day, that's about 3 arrows an hour, if that hour is uninterrupted, and you can just sit and work on that and nothing else (like sleeping, or keeping watch).

So, for each typical combat, you're probably talking one or two hours of preparation. Now, if you have to start scavanging the shafts and fletching from the wilderness, that time goes up. When you start trying to pry used arrowheads out of bodies and trees, that time goes up more.

If you're only getting into a couple of encounters every couple of days, on average, this might be workable, though you end up spending much of your time keeping stocked up. If you get into a "target rich environment", like a dungeon, you're still limited to whatever number of arrows you actually have on hand.

 

[MarauderX]

What I would do...

Just take 1 rank in each Craft: Bowmaking and Spellcraft; sink the rest into the other two skills you want to focus on.

 

[Creeping Death]

Assuming the DC for creating an arrow is 10, and assuming a 1st level character with a total skill mod of +4 in Craft (bowmaking), and assuming the character has materials on hand, doing progress by the day, you can assemble something on the order of 30 arrows a day, on average. Call it a 10-hour working day, that's about 3 arrows an hour, if that hour is uninterrupted, and you can just sit and work on that and nothing else (like sleeping, or keeping watch).

*snip*

This is just if you are interested:

I just watched Mail Call on the History channel. They had an American Indian create a single arrow by hand. It takes on average 2 hours to create a single arrow.

Find a branch, strip off the bark, get it straight.
Find the right stone (obsidian or some other volcanic rock that is tough yet will flake when hit just right), carve it to make the arrow head.
Find a bird (hawk, turkey, etc etc) kill it and pluck 3 feathers.
Use some rope like material, this guy used sinew from an elk or some other animal, tie on the feathers and tie on the arrow head.

This guy already had the material he didn't have to find anything, it still took him about 2 hours.

You would need an assembly line of people to cranck out a ton of arrows for war. A group of people just finding one type of material. A group of people that would prepare the shaft, a group that would create the arrow heads, a group that would get feathers and a group that would assemble the arrows.

Probably too much realism for most games.