Great Bow Craft DC ?

[questing gm]

One of my players is going to be a Goliath ranger and is making the most out of his powerful build racial trait. Since we start at level 2, they have only 900 gp (as according to the PHB II) but he wants to get himself a HUGE composite (+2) Greatbow and if possible even masterworked.

Due to the size factor, the price doubles well beyond his budget (almost swallowing up 800 gp just to get a HUGE composite (+2) greatbow itself.) So this only best way me and the other players suggested to him is to craft it by himself.

But looking through the SRD, they only have the Craft DC for composite short/long bows. I'm having probelms in adjucating a Craft DC for a greatbow as it is, much less one that is HUGE...

I could gather that adding composite to a bow would have add a rating x2 to the DC but i need help figuring out the base DC, and should size be taken into consideration. Help me please !

 

[Tetsubo]

Well a composite bow is a DC 15 item. A complex or superior item (lock) is a DC 20 item... So, I think the Great Bow should be a base DC of 20 plus 2 x the ST bonus. How does that sound? It is an Exotic weapon after all...

The bow would be Large by the way, not Huge. Powerful Build grants the ability to weild weapons that are one size category higher. A Goliath is a Medium race. So that means they can use Large weapons.

The cost of a larger item should be higher. It uses more materials to produce. But I see no reason that it should be any more complex to make. A composite bow is a composite bow whether it is a shortbow, longbow or greatbow...

 

[frankthedm]

He is medium, he can only use a Large greatbow. Most other ways to wield larger weapons do not stack with powerful build.

Unless he has +9 to his craft check he can forget about it. DC 19 is the normal +2 composite DC..

I'd Say DC 22 for the bow and the normal DC20 for the masterwork. Being larger sized just doubles or quads the cost.

Composite longbow or composite shortbow with high strength rating Bowmaking 15 + (2 × rating)
Exotic melee or thrown weapon Weaponsmithing 18

Creating Masterwork Items: You can make a masterwork item—a weapon, suit of armor, shield, or tool that conveys a bonus on its use through its exceptional craftsmanship, not through being magical. To create a masterwork item, you create the masterwork component as if it were a separate item in addition to the standard item. The masterwork component has its own price (300 gp for a weapon or 150 gp for a suit of armor or a shield) and a Craft DC of 20. Once both the standard component and the masterwork component are completed, the masterwork item is finished. Note: The cost you pay for the masterwork component is one-third of the given amount, just as it is for the cost in raw materials.

 

[ElectricDragon]

Maybe I'm wrong, but I thought that two-handed weapons made for a creature one size larger than the intended user were unusable by that user.

Huge Weapon Categories:
Light = One-Handed for Large [-2] (or Medium with powerful build [-2])
One-Handed = Two-Handed for Large [-2] (or Medium with powerful build [-2])
Two-Handed = Unusable for Large (or Medium with powerful build)

Goliaths can still use all Large weapons without penalties.

Ciao
Dave

 

[frankthedm]

Each point of Strength bonus granted by the bow adds 200 gp to the cost.

600 GP x 2 for large = 1200 GP
400 gp in raw material for crafting
200 gp lost each week the craft check is failed by 5 or more.
Double these again for huge.

Making the bow costs 400 GP in raw materials and takes

34 weeks if the DC is 19 and the taking 10 results is a 19
32 weeks if the DC is 19 and the taking 10 results is a 20
25 weeks if the DC is 22 and the taking 10 results is a 22

If he can make a DC 20 craft check by taking 10, he can spend the 100 GP and it will wind up masterwork in..

8 more weeks if the taking 10 results is a 20
7 more weeks if the taking 10 results is a 22

 

[javcs]

He could, technically, get an even higher craft bonus through friends/family using aid another.

 

[Kerrick]

Or you could just use my crafting system. A masterwork item has a Craft DC of 5 points more than the base item and costs 4 times normal (I ditched the MW components thing), so the MW composite longbow would be DC 24, cost 2400 gp*, and take 72 days to make, but he'd have to have 7 ranks in Craft (bowyer) to make it. I'd go with a normal bow - it's only DC 19, costs 300 gp, and takes 48 days to make, and you don't have the rank requirement - if you take 10 and have a helper, you only have to roll 7 on the checks.

*300 for a +2 composite longbow, x2 for being Large, and x4 for MW.

I'm not exactly sure what a greatbow is in D&D terms (isn't that just a composite bow with Strength bonus?)

 

[frankthedm]

I'm not exactly sure what a greatbow is in D&D terms (isn't that just a composite bow with Strength bonus?)

It is like a bastard sword version of the longbow. Think the Biggest of english longbows.

Exotic, 1d10 damage at medium size, x3 crit

 

[Kerrick]

It is like a bastard sword version of the longbow. Think the Biggest of english longbows.

Exotic, 1d10 damage at medium size, x3 crit

Hmm. Okay. Since it's exotic, that makes it a Large, Difficult item (two-handed weapons for a Medium wielder are considered Large). I'm not sure what the base price is, so we'll say 100 gp, and give it a Craft DC of 18, same as other exotic weapons.

So, if you want a MW composite (+2) greatbow (something like what Odysseus had), it would be: 100 gp +300 gp x4 (MW) x4 (Large Difficult item), or 6400 gp. It would have a Craft DC of 22 (18 + double the Str rating) and a crafting time of 48 days. This is less than previous because the bow is sized for the wielder, not one size larger like before.

 

[Rhun]

Hell, just allow him to purchase the bow, with the amount over and above what he has being on credit. He'll owe the bowmaker however many gold the next time he returns to the city, and if he reneges on the deal, then he becomes a criminal and has to deal with the watch and bounty hunters.

Gets the character what he needs, and gives you (the DM) additional roleplaying opportunities.