How many arrows does your PC carry? And who keeps count?

[CarlZog]

As a player, I keep track of my ranger's arrows carried and expended. With masterwork arrows and special arrows I keep separate track of hits and misses and will usually try to recover the missing after the battle. (Although as I'm writing this, it occurs to me that I forgot to try to recover my missing sleep arrows after our most recent battle.)

I think keeping track of this stuff is part of the fun of the game. Knowing that ammo is limited lends additional tension and strategy to each battle. Likewise, I like the image of my half-elven ranger/rogue groveling aournd for lost arrows to use another day. It lends a grittiness to him as a character.

Carl

 

[Driddle]

I sorta like the toothpick idea. Very visual.
On the other hand, makes me wonder why not extend the same concept to other tokesn as well -- daggers, sling stones, disposable swords, hamsters ...

Have you met any gamers yet who have suggested crafting a variety of special arrowheads separate from the shafts so they can be attached as needed? (i.e. Silvered, iron, non-metal, rubber.) Would save on overall carrying capacity.

 

[JimAde]

Of course, when you're just using regular old arrows, it's hardly worth it to collect the errant ones...unless you're strapped for resupply.

And by that same logic, I don't make my players keep track of mundane arrows unless I know they will be out of supply for a while. The vast majority of their fights are in relatively civilized areas against humanoid opponents. So between looting the bodies and visiting the local fletcher I don't worry about it much.

Magic arrows are another matter, of course.

 

[Inconsequenti-AL]

For scare resource games, I might ask them to keep track of arrows... normally wouldn't bother.

In my last campaign, I gave the archer a 'quiver of plenty' stolen from baldurs gate, mostly to cut down on bookeeping... In this case an unending supply of +3 silver arrows. I kept hoping, but the sky didn't fall.

 

[Crothian]

Players usually carry 20 or 40 unless they have a magical means to carry more. THe players are expected to keep track.

 

[the Jester]

Yeah, we keep track. I think my whole group is pretty good about it.

 

[sjmiller]

I have several players in my game who use arrows, each carrying a different amount. One carries a double quiver (40), because he is primarily an archer. The others carry anywhere from 10 to 20, depending on the character's size.

Everyone keeps track of their arrows on their own. I have a rough idea how many they have, so they cannot do the endless arrow routine very easily. I also use a different recovery formula than is suggested in the book. A successful hit with an arrow, unless it is magic, should not destroy the arrow. I've got too much of a history background to believe that line of illogic. I would give you my formula, but I am at work and do not have it handy.

 

[iwatt]

Archer carries about 100 arrows: 60 in regular arrows and 40 in specialty arrows (material etcc).

I only count the specialty arrows due to the cost. All my archers take craft (bowyer/fletcher) and my DMs assume I spend down time and resting periods working on the regular arrows, which means we don't worry about regular arrow buying.

In combat, we make a fast aproximation of rate of fire x rounds fighting to determine how many arrows left (3 arrows per round, means I have about 20 rounds of combat before I run out of arrows)

 

[Wombat]

The players in my game vary a lot on their missiles. They carry anywhere from a couple (knives, throwing axes) to a dozen (most of the archers) to four score (a heavily prepared horse archer).

I let them keep track of their own ammo.

At the end of each combat we go through the Recycling Ritual for determining how many of the missiles are still functional and/or can be found. It works pretty well and everyone is happy with the results (well, maybe not happy necessarily, but everyone feels like they have gotten a fair shake).

The horse archer loses more of his arrows due to wounding someone who subsequently runs off rather than to breakage ... he's constantly buying more arrows!

 

[DragonLancer]

We tend to carry about 30 arrows/bolts each, and we keep track of how many we have fired. Doesn't matter whether its magical ammunition or not.