Asmor
First Post
The signal arrow and signal bolt are both created for use by those who stand sentry, typically used by the night watch of cities rich enough to afford the moderately expensive ammunition.
The signal arrow is made entirely out of steel, with a blunt, hollow tip. The tip is made to be filled with oil, and stopped with a piece of flint. The piece of flint, in turn, is attached to a small wire with a hoop or bar on the end. When the arrow is fired, the guard holds on to the wire, so that the flint is pulled free and provides a spark to ignire the oil which sprays out in a fine mist as the arrow travels, causing a burst of fire in the air following the missile's trajectory. In addition, the tip is engineered to emit a high-pitched screech as it flies. The signal arrow is typically shot high into the air to alert others of trouble, and the combination of auditory and visual stimuli is usually enough so that all within several hundred feet no of the disturbance. Properly preparing to fire a signal arrow requires a move action unless you possess the quick draw feat, in which case it is a swift action.
A signal bolt is essentially the same as a signal arrow, except engineered to fit in and be fired from a crossbow. In addition, the wire holding the flint stopper is always terminated by a ring, which is attached to a hook on the crossbow. Loading a signal bolt correctly requires a full-round action, or a standard action if you habe the quick draw feat. For this reason, guards using a signal bolt typically keep it loaded in the crossbow at all times, as it's extremely cumbersome to load when a situation demands.
Signal arrows and bolts are both reusable, as long as both the flint stopper and arrow/bolt are both recovered. It's a relatively simple matter to refill the head with oil, although care should be taken when inserting the stopper so as not to set it off.
Both signal arrows and bolts are exceptionally poor for actual combat, being weighted and balanced poorly. When firing either, a -4 penalty on attack rolls applies, as well as a -2 penalty on damage rolls.
A signal arrow or bolt costs 30 gold.
The signal arrow is made entirely out of steel, with a blunt, hollow tip. The tip is made to be filled with oil, and stopped with a piece of flint. The piece of flint, in turn, is attached to a small wire with a hoop or bar on the end. When the arrow is fired, the guard holds on to the wire, so that the flint is pulled free and provides a spark to ignire the oil which sprays out in a fine mist as the arrow travels, causing a burst of fire in the air following the missile's trajectory. In addition, the tip is engineered to emit a high-pitched screech as it flies. The signal arrow is typically shot high into the air to alert others of trouble, and the combination of auditory and visual stimuli is usually enough so that all within several hundred feet no of the disturbance. Properly preparing to fire a signal arrow requires a move action unless you possess the quick draw feat, in which case it is a swift action.
A signal bolt is essentially the same as a signal arrow, except engineered to fit in and be fired from a crossbow. In addition, the wire holding the flint stopper is always terminated by a ring, which is attached to a hook on the crossbow. Loading a signal bolt correctly requires a full-round action, or a standard action if you habe the quick draw feat. For this reason, guards using a signal bolt typically keep it loaded in the crossbow at all times, as it's extremely cumbersome to load when a situation demands.
Signal arrows and bolts are both reusable, as long as both the flint stopper and arrow/bolt are both recovered. It's a relatively simple matter to refill the head with oil, although care should be taken when inserting the stopper so as not to set it off.
Both signal arrows and bolts are exceptionally poor for actual combat, being weighted and balanced poorly. When firing either, a -4 penalty on attack rolls applies, as well as a -2 penalty on damage rolls.
A signal arrow or bolt costs 30 gold.
