Keen bows

[Norfleet]

I figured a bow was only a piercing weapon when used to fire arrows. When a bow is used without arrows, it's a bludgeoning weapon. Therefore, keen would not really be an applicable property for a bow unless it bestowed the effect on the arrows. Supposedly, however, there's a counterpart for keen that applies to blunt weapons, which could help the bow....if you were beating somebody with it.

 

[Trine]

As someone already pointed out, the keen property received errata to allow it to apply to slashing or piercing weapons. The chart was written when the keen property erroneously only affected slashing weapons.

I really wouldn't be surprised if Wizards didn't errata the chart for simplicity sake... or they just forgot.

 

[Caredoc]

Just a quick note about bows firing slingstones: the "pellet bow" actually did historically exist, and there were official 2nd ed. rules for it, though I don't remember in which book.

 

[Dimwhit]

Arrows: An arrow used as a melee weapon is Tiny and deals 1d4 points of piercing damage (x2 crit). Since it is not designed for this use, all characters are treated as not proficient with it and thus suffer a –4 penalty on their attack rolls.

So can all the Legolas wannabees out there take a Weapon Proficiency feat for Melee Arrows so they can more effectively poke the BBEG in the eye before firing the arrow at someone else?