Magic ranged weapons, Kind of a poorly worded section of the DMG

[heirodule]

While its a controversial claim because its annoying, by a strict reading of the rules, since the arrow is only magic for purposes of DR, it is not magic for purposes of being able to hit incorporeal targets.

I think this rule has been disputed into the ground in the LG game though, and by common consent it was determined it was 'more fun' to let it affect incorporeal targets

 

[Nail]

As Sidekick said, somethings cannot be done with a bow alone. IIRC Devils and Demons have an alignment AND metal type DR, and a bow does not confer it's make up to the arrows (otherwise all arrows would be wood and bolts both wood and metal).

The better option is to make your bow +1 Holy. It's useful against scads of critters. Then carry around an Efficient Quiver with 20+ arrows of each material (silver, cold iron, adamantine) - non-magical, of course. (My Clr did this since level 7.)

Far cheaper/more effective. Who needs (effective) +3 arrows?

The best bow to have for the largest number of core 3.5e foes is a +1 Holy Evil Outsider Bane. Then have the cleric cast Greater Magic Weapon.

Done.

 

[tomBitonti]

Stacking enchantments

...

Secondly, a common tactic is to make a +5 bow (50,000gp) with +1
flaming arrows (8,000gp)... where a +5 flaming bow would cost
72,000gp.

...

-Hyp.

Per the SRD, text, does that work? The text says enchancement
bonus, not enhancement:

...

The enhancement bonus from a ranged weapon does not stack with the
enhancement bonus from ammunition. Only the higher of the two
enhancement bonuses applies.

...

I suppose that, in the absence of text stating otherwise, the normal
application of missile weapon bonuses to the missile applies, even if the
missile has its own echantment. However, this is somewhat contradicted
by the text that follows in the SRD:

Similarly, ammunition fired from a projectile weapon with an alignment
gains the alignment of that projectile weapon (in addition to any
alignment it may already have).

The presence of that text is either a redundant reminder, or is
predicated on echantments not stacking from both a missile weapon and a missile.

Curiously, this second section of SRD text implies that holy arrows shot from an
unholy bow are both holy and unholy at the same time.

 

[Nail]

Holy "makes the weapon good-aligned" and it "deals an extra 2d6 points of damage against all of evil alignment".

Unholy "makes the weapon evil-aligned" and it "deals an extra 2d6 points of damage against all of good alignment."

That implies a Holy weapon would damage itself if it were also Unholy, and vis versa, ad infinitum.

...so long as touch attacks are allowed to cause magical damage from weapon enhancements. Heh, heh.

 

[Hypersmurf]

Per the SRD, text, does that work? The text says enchancement
bonus, not enhancement:

... what?

I have no idea what an enchancement bonus is.

A weapon has an enhancement bonus, and it has magic weapon special abilities.

Many of the qualities of magic weapon special abilities are bestowed on arrows by a bow, or the arrow can posses those magic weapon special abilities itself. An enhancement bonus to attack and damage possessed by a bow will be bestowed on the arrow, but it will not stack with any enhancement bonus possessed by the arrow; only the best applies.

So a +3 Flaming Bow firing +2 Shock Arrows will result in a +3 enhancement bonus; the arrow has the Shock ability; and the bow bestows the quality of the Flaming ability upon the arrows it fires. End result? Effectively, a +3, Flaming, Shocking arrow.

-Hyp.

 

[tomBitonti]

Typo

... what?

I have no idea what an enchancement bonus is.

A weapon has an enhancement bonus, and it has magic weapon special abilities.

Many of the qualities of magic weapon special abilities are bestowed on arrows by a bow, or the arrow can posses those magic weapon special abilities itself. An enhancement bonus to attack and damage possessed by a bow will be bestowed on the arrow, but it will not stack with any enhancement bonus possessed by the arrow; only the best applies.

So a +3 Flaming Bow firing +2 Shock Arrows will result in a +3 enhancement bonus; the arrow has the Shock ability; and the bow bestows the quality of the Flaming ability upon the arrows it fires. End result? Effectively, a +3, Flaming, Shocking arrow.

-Hyp.

Ok, that's a typo. I meant to write "enhancement bonus". My point was that the quoted
SRD text applies to the enhancement *bonus*. What happens to abilities such as Shock, is
not addressed by the first paragraph, and is left in a confused state by the second.

Thx!

 

[Hypersmurf]

Ok, that's a typo. I meant to write "enhancement bonus". My point was that the quoted
SRD text applies to the enhancement *bonus*. What happens to abilities such as Shock, is
not addressed by the first paragraph, and is left in a confused state by the second.

No confusion. The second paragraph is talking about Damage Reduction, and is noting that a magic bow can beat DR X/Magic, and a Holy bow can bear DR X/Good, even though it's the arrow that strikes the target.

Shock is not addressed by either paragraph; rather, it's addressed by the Shock text:
Bows, crossbows, and slings so crafted bestow the electricity energy upon their ammunition.

So, a Flaming arrow "deals an extra 1d6 points of fire damage on a successful hit".

A Shock bow "bestows the electricity energy upon its ammunition", and that ammunition "deals an extra 1d6 points of electricity damage on a successful hit".

So, a Flaming arrow shot from a Shock bow "deals an extra 1d6 points of fire damage on a successful hit" and also "deals an extra 1d6 points of electricity damage on a successful hit".

-Hyp.

 

[moritheil]

Ah, the good old holy unholy weapon debate.

Nail, I have to disagree with your bow design - a +1 holy unholy magebane bow would be far more useful than a +1 holy/unholy outsider bane bow Then again, I suppose you mean one must stick to core enhancements as well as core enemies.