Do the enhancment bonuses from a bow and from an arrow stack?

[morbiczer]

Hi all!

I'm pretty sure that I have read several times here on the boards that in 3.5 the enhancement bonuses from a magic bow and from magic arrows no longer stack. But now that I'm trying to find the relevant rule in the PHB or the DMG I'm having no luck.

So can you confirm that there is no stacking from a bow and from ammunition, or am I just making up things again? It would be nice if you could give me a page number from the PHB or DMG, if indeed there is no stacking anymore.

 

[Shadeus]

From the SRD:

Ranged Weapons and Ammunition: The enhancement bonus from a ranged weapon does not stack with the enhancement bonus from ammunition. Only the higher of the two enhancement bonuses applies.

So this would be in the DMG under magic weapons.

 

[drunkmoogle]

No stackage, but you can have fun with a Bow +5 and arrows of [everythinginess] +1 (or vice versa) if you want. Hella expensive, but two +5 weapons are still cheaper than a +8 weapon, and only slightly more than a +7. A slight advantage over other characters using melee weapons in terms of a high-magic game, but magic arrows are gonna hit you in the pocketbook (20 +5 arrows for 50,000, and when you get 4 attacks per full attack...).

Maybe I should give Arcane Archer another look...

 

[Vraille Darkfang]

You are correct.

I didn't notice it in the DMG, but it is mentioned somewhere in a recent Dragon Magazine (a sage advice column I think).

I assume this now refers to ALL Ranged weapons and ammuntion. i.e Slings, Crossbows, catapults, etc.

This also changes how magical arrows occur in my game. Most magical arrows my party now finds occur in 1 of 2 ways.

Way 1: Massive armies preparing to find some magical foes. In this case the magical arrows were created to give a lot of archers the ability to damage an opponent (one likely with DR XX/Magic). These are usually just +1 or 2 arrows.

Way 2. Arrows created for someone with a magic bow. These are usually what is found in a monster's lair. Before the stacking rule, these were rolled on the normal DMG magic item chart. Now, I assume they are +1 arrows with some other ability (bane/flaming/frost/etc). Since enhancement bonuses don't stack now, most arrows "commissioned" for someone with a magic bow will have a low enhancement bonus, but high special properties to get the "biggest bang for the buck."

Another question! Will similar abilities stack? What happens if you fire a +1 Flaming Arrows from a +3 Flaming bow; does the 1d6 fire damage from the arrow stack with the 1d6 from the bow? Do you only do 1d6 fire damage? Do you get to roll the 1d6 fire damage twice & keep the higher number? What's the range of a +1 Bow of Distance firing +2 Arrows of Distance?

I'm kinda lost now,
Vraille Darkfang

 

[morbiczer]

Thank you. I've indeed found it under Magic Weapons in the DMG. Don't know why I missed it originaly.

Vraille Darkfang

Don't know what the rules say on this, or whether they say anything, but since enhancement bonuses don't stack I think it would only be logical, if the things you mentioned above wouldn't stack either. I would simply roll the 1d6 fire damage once.

 

[drunkmoogle]

Don't know what the rules say on this, or whether they say anything, but since enhancement bonuses don't stack I think it would only be logical, if the things you mentioned above wouldn't stack either. I would simply roll the 1d6 fire damage once.

Bows, crossbows, and slings so crafted bestow the [whatever quality] upon their ammunition.

That is the case. A +1 Holy Flaming Burst longbow fires +5 arrows as a +5 Holy Flaming Burst arrows. Since you cannot have the same quality twice on a weapon [see footnote under weapon special ability tables], you cannot have a flaming flaming weapon.

Ruleswise, I have no idea what to do with a Flaming Flaming Burst weapon. Regardless, remember that it is a standard action to activate each elemental damage ability, so it may take a while to get your +1 Longbow of Flaming Flaming Burst Shock Shocking Burst up and ready.

...That sounded like a bad sound clip from the old Batman series...

 

[pete]

Kinda killed off any usefullness that the arcane archer prestige class might have had at all (their ability to automatically enhance their own arrows)

 

[Hypersmurf]

Kinda killed off any usefullness that the arcane archer prestige class might have had at all (their ability to automatically enhance their own arrows)

Not really.

When your Bow is +1 Flaming Shocking Frost Holy, and every arrow you fire automatically receives a +4 enhancement bonus, you're only losing out on one plus.

Every arrow will hit as a +4 Flaming Shocking Frost Holy arrow...

-Hyp.

 

[DM_Matt]

I dont know why you assume that the arrows and not the bows will have the special properties. its easier to just GMW regular arrows instead of buying magical ones in order to get plusses, while having a +1 bowwith all sorts of special abilities.

 

[drunkmoogle]

Arcane archer gets slightly crazier, actually:

+1 Bow of [everythinginess]
+1 Arrows of [different, situational stuff]

leaving the enhancing to your class ability.

It's possible to get all the compatable [no flaming icy, axiomatic anarchic, etc] DMG special properties, sans Brilliant Energy, in one arrow this way, along with a +5 bonus this way.

Still don't want to touch the class, though