How many arrows can one man carry?

[kreynolds]

Wow, that would be great. Just keep all of your weapons inside a chest stuffed inside a haversack and BAM, free quickdraw for everyone! Not bad for only 2000gp (plus that weight reduction, built in potion belt effect. etc. etc.).

The bottom line is that the chest is closed, and I don't see the HHH being able to retrieve an item from inside another closed item. So, I agree, in a fashion.

The limitation on pointy objects helps to balance out the item. If you make it trivial to circumvent, then you should consider increasing the price of the Haversack to compensate.

Pointy objects don't really have anything to do with it. If the quiver is open on the top (which should be fine, since you only need to protect the bag from the heads), I don't have a problem at all with the HHH retrieving an arrow from the quiver. A quiver really isn't anything more than a sword hilt, and it's not even as restrictive as one.

 

[Uller]

We need a majic item that allows arrows to be carried like paintball. Some paintball players walk onto the field with as much as 1400 paintballs! Sorry...getting out to sling some paint this weekend for the first time in _months_ so that's what's on my brain...

I would say that a character could comfortably wear one or two quivers. Anything more should add a -1 to his armor penalty check and reduce his max dex bonus by 1 for each quiver.

 

[0-hr]

Pointy objects don't really have anything to do with it. If the quiver is open on the top (which should be fine, since you only need to protect the bag from the heads), I don't have a problem at all with the HHH retrieving an arrow from the quiver. A quiver really isn't anything more than a sword hilt, and it's not even as restrictive as one.

Well, I would discuss the various logic and balace issues but I know the sort of pedantic post-disection and last-wordsmanship that would result. So let's just leave it at "yer welcome to do whatever you want in your campaign".

 

[Thanee]

About broken arrows (not the lost nuclear missiles, but real broken arrows)... there's a nifty spell called mending in the 0th level list for sorcerer/wizard, which can take care of those!

Bye
Thanee

 

[kreynolds]

Well, I would discuss the various logic and balace issues but I know the sort of pedantic post-disection and last-wordsmanship that would result. So let's just leave it at "yer welcome to do whatever you want in your campaign".

Then why don't you just say, "You're right. I have no counter-argument at all."?

 

[hong]

If you have arrows in a haversack or bag of holding, then you are not going to be able to draw them as free actions. That could cut your rate of fire way down, which is certainly not trivial. You can, however, carry 40 or so externally (innormal quivers) and then refill from the bag between battles. That would get around some the problem most of the time.

Well, the HHH thing is really for storage, so you don't run out of arrows completely. You would still have a couple of regular quivers, or a quiver of Ehlonna, for immediate use. After each fight, just top them up from the HHH if necessary.

edit: it appears that the thread has gone on without me. Oh well, that's what happens when you don't post for a day.

 

[Pax]

How much would I allow?

Two or three quivers on the back (only one if they also carry a backpack of any real size), plus one more on the draw-side hip if no weapon is hung there (should be no more cumbersome than a longsword would be). Same for bolt cases.

How big are these quivers? 20 arrows on the back. 10 arrows on the hip. 10 arrows apiece on the back, if more than one is worn, or if a backpack is worn with it. So at most, readily available and on their person, fourty arrows (thirty on the back, ten on the hip), barring the use of magic.

However, I've done the drawing work on the concept of a backpack, which can hold another 80 arrows, and still have about 3/4 the volume capacity of a normal backpack; the concept is, you take it OFF, and put it on the ground, during battle. There are four quivers built into it -- two on each side, and two along the part that's against your back when you wear it. The bottom is weighted, and set up so it'll stand up.

As an aside, my presumption has ALWAYS been, even sword-fighters drop their backpacks ... adventurers tend to pick packs and other gear that can be shed quickly in an emergency. Refusal or failure to do so, well, I'd assess a -1 circumstance penalty on attacks, AC, reflex saves, and most other things an armor-check penalty would adversely affect, during a combat situation. The light weight of an all-quiver affair on an archer's back, I don't penalise for ... nor a truly EMPTY backpack (i.e. the most it has is a dry change of clothes or two, not even a half-full waterskin).

I decided on all this from personal experience trying to run, or otherwise move quickly, with a full combat pack (etc) in the army. It's possible to fight in that much gear, but it's neither easy, nor fun. Slight, broadly-applied penalties seemed in order.

 

[Pax]

A quiver really isn't anything more than a sword hilt, and it's not even as restrictive as one.

Just a small quibble on nomenclature; the hilt of a sword is where you hold it by (among other parts); a quiver is more analogous to the scabbard of a sword.

From HistoricalWeapons.com :

Hilt - The lower portion of a sword consisting of the cross-guard, handle/grip, and pommel (most Medieval swords have a straight cross or cruciform-hilt).

I strongly recommend that any roleplayer do a tiny bit of basic background reading on the various parts of the weapons they use/encounter often. It truly does improve one's roleplaying in general, if one knows which part of which weapon is named what -- and even better, if they know the general purpose for it.

Some polearms (anything with "-guisarme" in the name, i.e. a Voulge-guisarme) have little hooks or the like on the business end. Know what they're for?

Hauling high-and-mighty mounted knights off their steeds and into the mud with the REST of the army. Ergo, anyone using one, proficiently, should get the right to make a "trip" attack on amounted rider ... to haul them off the mount and onto the ground ...

And any player of mine who knew that beforehand, would likely receive a (token) XP bonus for the night on which it came into play -- probably to the tune of 5% of the night's earned per-PC XP.

 

[Xarlen]

I'll point out that the HHH calls whatever item up to the surface as a free action. TAKING IT OUT of the HHH is a Move Equiv action, unless you have Quick Draw. And then you're making two free actions a turn, which your DM may not agree on.

 

[kreynolds]

I'll point out that the HHH calls whatever item up to the surface as a free action. TAKING IT OUT of the HHH is a Move Equiv action

No. See the DMG errata.

p. 219, Heward’s Handy Haversack: Retrieving any specific item from a haversack is a “move-equivalent
action.”
CHANGE quoted text to: a free action.

unless you have Quick Draw.

Just to clarify, Quick Draw only applies to weapons. Mind you, however, that in the case of Heward's Handy Haversack, Quick Draw is irrelevant.

And then you're making two free actions a turn, which your DM may not agree on.

No. See first answer.