Sundering a Bow?

[Len]

And likewise do not use bows in melee... draw a proper weapon to fight or run away.

When I draw a sword and start melee-ing, I'm still holding the bow in my other hand where it can be sundered.

 

[S'mon]

It's not necessarily metagaming - in the first Conan session I ran, a PC Nomad, bow-armed, insulted ("bitch!") an NPC barbarian warrior, whose honour-code dictated that she duel him. As they were guards on the same caravan though she tried to avoid killing him. When he shot at her from 5' away, she sundered his bow. Sadly that just annoyed him more and in the end she had to gut him like a fish.
Motto: don't insult barbarians.

 

[Rhun]

BTW a bow isn't going to be an effective melee weapon. Just punch the guy.

I'm going to disagree...I have a nice hardwood bow at home, and if I hit someone with it I have a feeling it is going to do a lot more damage than my fist! Of course, it may snap in half on a solid hit, but the person I whack is going to feel it.

 

[Philip]

I am just glad nobody brought up the situation where the defending guy just carries a heavy shield in one hand, and nothing (or something that's not a weapon) in the other, and the attacking guy is trying to sunder his shield. What kind of opposed attack roll does the defending guy use then?

 

[S'mon]

Shields can be used as weapons (shield bash).

I agree a thick bow might do more damage than a fist, a longbow might even do d6 as quarterstaff. It's unwieldy (-4 to hit) and it would also likely break, though.

 

[Thanee]

When I draw a sword and start melee-ing, I'm still holding the bow in my other hand where it can be sundered.

Technically, yes, but really... if someone fights you in melee with a sword, holding a bow in the off-hand, would you actually sunder the bow then!?

Talk about a wasted action...

Bye
Thanee

 

[Mark Chance]

Just do not sunder bows... noone would do that, anyways. Sundering bows is metagaming at its finest.

And likewise do not use bows in melee... draw a proper weapon to fight or run away.

The 5-ft. step rule is a "big problem" here, since it allows effective use of a ranged weapon in a pure melee situation.

Unwritten rule: Cheese off the hulking melee monster by constantly taking 5-foot steps in order to shoot him with arrows, expect for him to take a 5-foot step forward and unload on you with a full attack that includes a sunder attack at your bow.

 

[MerakSpielman]

Just do not sunder bows... noone would do that, anyways. Sundering bows is metagaming at its finest.

When the bow is shooting flaming, electrically-crackling arrows that are killing at least one - and sometimes 2 or 3 - of your allies every single round, you start taking it seriously.

 

[Len]

Technically, yes, but really... if someone fights you in melee with a sword, holding a bow in the off-hand, would you actually sunder the bow then!?

Talk about a wasted action...

It's easier to sunder than the sword and (if the DM is a meanie) it's the weapon that I've spent a lot more money on.

 

[Thanee]

Yeah, but what does that help the opponent? It just gives him a weaker position in combat (one attack wasted).

I at least never make metagaming actions like this when DMing.

Bye
Thanee