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

[Mark]

I ask players to keep track of their own expended missiles on the edge of the battlemat with a wet erase marker during combat. If they want to take the time after the battle, they can retrieve up to 50% for reuse. It's all above board and transparent and acts as a reminder for the players so they can get the most from the missiles.

 

[Grazzt]

I force my players to keep track of them. If they don't ask about retrieving arrows that didn't hit, I don't remind them.

Yeppers- same here.

 

[S'mon]

It's the kind of resource management that as GM I find boring. So maybe low-leveller track arrows, but at high level they can almost always replenish between battles so I'd only start worrying if the PC fired over 60 in a battle, & those archer PCs usually have ever-full magic quivers anyway.

 

[sfedi]

I noticed that some of you carried masterwork arrows and adamantite arrows.

Why is that?

Since you have adamantite arrows, I assume you can afford a masterwork bow, so, why would you carry masterwork arrows for a masterwork bow?
(since they don't stack, AFAIK)

 

[Sejs]

Why is that?

Since you have adamantite arrows, I assume you can afford a masterwork bow, so, why would you carry masterwork arrows for a masterwork bow?
(since they don't stack, AFAIK)

Well, like you said, the bonuses don't stack. If you lose an arrow, it's nothing major. Expected, really. If you lose the bow, however, you're out an investment.

 

[hero4hire]

when my players insist on not keeping track of things (ammo, ration, gold, etc...)

they suddenly and arbitrarily run out of said items....

 

[Sleeping Dragon]

As a player I keep track of my own ammo (bolts rather than arrows in my rogue/scout's case), have 32 at the moment as we've just got into town. Actually bought an additional 10 but they would have brought me to within two-tenths of a pound of a medium load so I handed them off to another PC that was low on ammo. I always keep track of which ones can be recovered and which ones don't, and recover them after the fighting's done.

And as a DM I make my PCs keep track of them, for the moment at least they're 1st level so keeping track of even mundane equipment is important (my rogue/scout is 3rd level, but that's a low-magic campaign so I'll be keeping track of my equipment forever.)

 

[Steverooo]

My PC carries 120, and always keeps track. He has two Quivers of Ehlonna on either side of his Heward's Handy Haversack, which also contain his old Composite Longbow from first level, a MW Composite Longbow, a MW CL +1, his MW CL +2 from third level, an empty slot for his MW Composite Longbow +3 that he acquired at fourth level (after raising STR), and a MW Quarterstaff. The other quiver holds six composite longbows obtained from some dead Gnolls. (He hasn't ever bought or acquired any Javelins, so those slots are still empty).

So far, he has never run out of arrows, but he always buys more, when he has empty slots. Man, I wish he could find some of those endless quivers! There are too many times when stopping to search for expended arrows just can't be done, due to running and fighting!

 

[Rackhir]

I know there's nothing more thrilling and exciting than mindless paperwork. Look, if you insist on tracking stuff like arrows, then any archer-PC with a brain will be hauling around huge numbers of them. Assuming availability of HHHs, QoE, portable holes, bags of holding or even just pack mules, it just means that you are adding more record keeping. Most archer-pcs in my experience also have sufficient skill to be able to craft their own arrows. Between the two, it strikes me as more a "masochisim=REAL roleplaying" sort of thing to insist on tracking of basic arrows. How many of you are equally strict with mage's material components?

If it's a situation where they are going to be cut off from any sort of resuply, then yeah. I can see insisting that the char track arrows. Tracking special arrows, fine. But generally speaking it's just insisting on pointless paperwork.

 

[was]

Players keep track of them in our campaign. I keep around 40 arrows, in two quivers. I always retrieve them, if possible, after combat. When they break, I salvage the points and make new ones. It's not a big deal.