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Should bows be Exotic Weapons?
- Thread starter Quasqueton
- Start date
Elder-Basilisk
First Post
As far as making bows goes, there's a big difference between making something that will shoot an arrow, making something that will shoot an arrow efficiently, making something that will shoot a hundred arrows efficiently, and making something that still won't break even after 200 arrows.
ivocaliban
Explorer
Archery is not as simple as it looks. It certainly has gotten easier since the middle ages, however. Many people dismissed this question right off by saying that archery is easy. Ages ago, however, archers had to be in peak physical condition to even manage to pull back a bow...and especially to do so continuously with accuracy.
Even so, I don't know that I would place them in the Exotic Weapon category. I tend to save that for items which are uncommon, race-specific, etc. While the bow was a very difficult weapon to use without the proper training, it certainly won a great many battles...and so it was quite popular. In my mind that alone disqualifies it as an Exotic Weapon.
Putting strength requirements on a bow might be more reasonable. It's highly unlikely that a person with a Strength of 6, for example, would even be able to draw a longbow, let alone fire it accurately.
Even so, I don't know that I would place them in the Exotic Weapon category. I tend to save that for items which are uncommon, race-specific, etc. While the bow was a very difficult weapon to use without the proper training, it certainly won a great many battles...and so it was quite popular. In my mind that alone disqualifies it as an Exotic Weapon.
Putting strength requirements on a bow might be more reasonable. It's highly unlikely that a person with a Strength of 6, for example, would even be able to draw a longbow, let alone fire it accurately.
Desdichado
Hero
Shooting a bow isn't that hard. Shooting well is.
Wielding a sword isn't that hard. Doing it well is.
Maintainence and use of a black powder weapon, especially of an extremely early design, on the other hand, is relatively difficult to pick up. The difference is that doing it poorly and doing it well isn't really all the different.
Wielding a sword isn't that hard. Doing it well is.
Maintainence and use of a black powder weapon, especially of an extremely early design, on the other hand, is relatively difficult to pick up. The difference is that doing it poorly and doing it well isn't really all the different.
Desdichado
Hero
Oh, and for what its worth, I havent' changed any weapons categories in my campaign with the exception of firearms; they're martial, not exotic. But's that's really a metagame consideration only.
Li Shenron
Legend
I think a weapon is Martial when it is supposed to be part of common training for martial characters (the ones who belong to armies, guard groups, paladins orders...).
Usually I imagine that a character which has proficiency in all martial weapons, has been trained in (1) the use of weapons in general and (2) the use of most weapons available to a typical army or fighting group. For instance, it's possible that one fighter might have never used a guisarme, but his training with polearms is so solid that he could use one proficiently the first time.
A weapon is exotic when it has something unusual so a general training with weapons isn't enough, and you need some extra training to get familiar with it: it could be because the weapon has a peculiar shape or way of use, like a spiked chain or a whip.
Sometimes weapons are exotic just because of their foreign origin, and they could be martial in a different setting or just for a different group of warriors (see weapon familiarity, it just means that!).
So IMO when it comes to bows, they may be more difficult to learn (in terms of time required for the basics) than a greatclub or a warhammer, but they are still part of the general training of every martial class because they are the standard ranged weapon in armies etc. You don't need to specify if the Fighter needed to spend a year to learn the bow and a month to learn the warhammer, in one way or the other he knows both after his 1st level training.
For non-martial characters there is no difference if a weapon is martial or exotic. In either case it takes a feat to learn to use it.
Usually I imagine that a character which has proficiency in all martial weapons, has been trained in (1) the use of weapons in general and (2) the use of most weapons available to a typical army or fighting group. For instance, it's possible that one fighter might have never used a guisarme, but his training with polearms is so solid that he could use one proficiently the first time.
A weapon is exotic when it has something unusual so a general training with weapons isn't enough, and you need some extra training to get familiar with it: it could be because the weapon has a peculiar shape or way of use, like a spiked chain or a whip.
Sometimes weapons are exotic just because of their foreign origin, and they could be martial in a different setting or just for a different group of warriors (see weapon familiarity, it just means that!).
So IMO when it comes to bows, they may be more difficult to learn (in terms of time required for the basics) than a greatclub or a warhammer, but they are still part of the general training of every martial class because they are the standard ranged weapon in armies etc. You don't need to specify if the Fighter needed to spend a year to learn the bow and a month to learn the warhammer, in one way or the other he knows both after his 1st level training.
For non-martial characters there is no difference if a weapon is martial or exotic. In either case it takes a feat to learn to use it.
johnsemlak
First Post
I personally think making bows, at least longbows, exotic can be based on some historically accuracy and can reflect the real difficulty in learning to fire one.
Longbows required training from a very early age to use and the training issue was a significant reason many armies preferred to use crossbows or muskets as they became common.
An interesting bit would be to give elves and perhaps one group of humans martial access to longbows.
Of course, historical accuracy isn't always necessary for D&D, and making bows harder for PCs to use may not be all that desired.
Should we apply realism and also require that bows be strung before every fight?
Longbows required training from a very early age to use and the training issue was a significant reason many armies preferred to use crossbows or muskets as they became common.
An interesting bit would be to give elves and perhaps one group of humans martial access to longbows.
Of course, historical accuracy isn't always necessary for D&D, and making bows harder for PCs to use may not be all that desired.
Should we apply realism and also require that bows be strung before every fight?
Lord Pendragon
First Post
I was going to post to this, but Li Shenron pretty much said everything I wanted to. 
Li Shenron
Legend
Lord Pendragon said:I was going to post to this, but Li Shenron pretty much said everything I wanted to.
Always at your service, my Lord...
