Tiny character with bow, how to handle it

[Eleclipse]

So, one of my player want to do a tiny character, a sort of fairy, with a bow.

My question is, such a small bow have a minor range than the standard? Is the range of the usual acher abilities (9m) reduced as well?

Are there some specific rules on this kind of thing?

Thanks in advice for any help.

 

[Squire James]

The rules tend to break down a little when player characters get smaller than Small or bigger than Large for more than a few minutes per day. There are rules you can follow, though.

For some odd reason, size does not affect weapon ranges. All the archery stuff still works. Just because Tiny Boy is only doing 1d4 or so with his arrows (maybe 1d6 with a "tiny greatbow") doesn't mean he's not an archer!

For the love of God, limit any flight ability the tiny fairy has to low altitudes! Making him invincible to melee attacks by non-flyers all the time is a BAAAD idea! If the campaign is high enough level that many characters can fly anyway, this is not so big a deal.

 

[joah_from_Alberta]

You have no reply so I'll try to help. We had an assassin that was reduced to a diminutive size. I thought his movement range would also be decreased, y'know physical proportions and all, but nope. We couldn't find it anywhere in the core (RAW) that the movement changes. So I had a look at the bestiary and found a bunch of diminutive creatures that still move at 30 feet so I let it go. (But let me tell you that I was some upset when in he snuck up my giants back with a +38 stealth and pricked his ear to death.)

So yeah, i wouldn't place any negative modifiers to your playa, I'd just say that the arrows have less air resistance and act like deadly splinters.

Cheers,

(Hey not fair I had to get my daughter some fruit for her tv show.)

 

[Satin Knights]

I suggest you dissuade the person from trying a tiny creature. As a melee character, he will be useless. As a caster, he is going to get a ton of benefits, and annoy the GM.

Bestiary Table 3-1, p292 sets the base stats before the character does his point buy as STR 2, DEX 14, CON 8, while the mental stats at 10 base each. So, a tiny bow would be a d4 base damage, but with raising strength to a STR of 5, you are still looking at d4-3. In other words, he would be doing 1 non-lethal damage more than half the time.

Now, if you allow him to be a caster, starting with a 14 dex before the point buy, and +8 stealth modifier due to size, the sprite sized caster is going to be over optimized and unmanageable. A first level sprite sized Shadow Sorcerer starts at +14 stealth if they don't raise their DEX past the starting base. Yeah, you want to avoid this. Just say no.

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For Joah: Bestiary also on page 292. "Most Medium creatures have a
base speed of 30 feet. Quadrupeds and Large creatures increase this by 10 feet each. Smaller creatures decrease this base speed by 10 feet. If a creature is particularly fast or slow, modify the base speed by 10 feet."

So, Small or smaller bipeds move 20. Small or smaller quadrupeds move 30. The biped vs quadruped might have tripped you up in giving your assassin speed he shouldn't have had. Brownie gets 20', house cat moves 30'. The Sprite in the Bestiary III is diminutive, and only moves 15'.

 

[joah_from_Alberta]

I suggest you dissuade the person from trying a tiny creature. As a melee character, he will be useless. As a caster, he is going to get a ton of benefits, and annoy the GM.

Bestiary Table 3-1, p292 sets the base stats before the character does his point buy as STR 2, DEX 14, CON 8, while the mental stats at 10 base each. So, a tiny bow would be a d4 base damage, but with raising strength to a STR of 5, you are still looking at d4-3. In other words, he would be doing 1 non-lethal damage more than half the time.

Now, if you allow him to be a caster, starting with a 14 dex before the point buy, and +8 stealth modifier due to size, the sprite sized caster is going to be over optimized and unmanageable. A first level sprite sized Shadow Sorcerer starts at +14 stealth if they don't raise their DEX past the starting base. Yeah, you want to avoid this. Just say no.

''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''~~~~~~~~~~

For Joah: Bestiary also on page 292. "Most Medium creatures have a
base speed of 30 feet. Quadrupeds and Large creatures increase this by 10 feet each. Smaller creatures decrease this base speed by 10 feet. If a creature is particularly fast or slow, modify the base speed by 10 feet."

So, Small or smaller bipeds move 20. Small or smaller quadrupeds move 30. The biped vs quadruped might have tripped you up in giving your assassin speed he shouldn't have had. Brownie gets 20', house cat moves 30'. The Sprite in the Bestiary III is diminutive, and only moves 15'.

Yeah thanks, this was back in early Dec when the beast3 wasn't avail, but that's okay. I didn't give him the cinematic satisfaction of felling the giant, I was just incredulous and huffed and puffed for a couple mins and then we moved on.

I don't know what it is with players and why they always want to play something out of the handbook. They want to be devils, they want to be angels, they want to have scales ... its a frigin zoo I tell you.

Cheers,

 

[Eleclipse]

Thanks to all for the advice!

I don't know what it is with players and why they always want to play something out of the handbook. They want to be devils, they want to be angels, they want to have scales ... its a frigin zoo I tell you.

Cheers,

So true.