Where do you carry your longbow when in melee?

[Darklone]

I thought this was mainly true of self-bows, that composites were less susceptible to this problem.

Composites were even more susceptible ... as well as being pretty susceptible to wetness due to weather.

 

[Umbran]

I thought this was mainly true of self-bows, that composites were less susceptible to this problem.

Not really - period composites used a lot of natural adhesives, usually animal glues, which just aren't up to modern standards - prolonged tension, especially with higher humidity, just wasn't a good idea. It wouldn't matter for any particular combat, but it is a bad practice for maintenance of a weapon upon which your life depends.

Bows,m composite or otherwise, contained a lot of wood. You know how you put a curve in wood? Steam (or moisture), and tension. So, what happens if you keep your bow under tension in the rain? It warps.

 

[Vague Jayhawk]

I put the longbow in the same place I put my familiar.

 

[dead]

Flimsy???
Have you ever seen a longbow? If it was so flimsy that it could only be safely carried in hand, it would break when it was first used?

PC's can strap them on their backs when using melee weapons.

Would a 6-foot longbow be cumbersome strapped to the back? Should any penalties be applied.

I know if you strap a shield to the back, penalties apply.

 

[Thanee]

Well, you wouldn't crawl through a tight corridor like that...

And running in a forest might be a little more precarious than otherwise...

But not really, no.

Bye
Thanee

 

[Zaruthustran]

As the one-sentence replies suggest, it's really a question of what type of game you're playing.

If you're playing a loose, videogame RPG-style game then just ignore the question. All inventory exists in some kind of undefined "backpack"--it effectively disappears when not in use. I see these gamers all the time. When I ask them where they put their glaive (or tower shield!) when it's not actively held, they just give me a blank expression and reply "Uh... in my backpack."

Yeah. A 10' pole with a 12" butcher's cleaver on the end. Stored "in" the (nonmagical!) backpack of your 4' dwarf. Right.

If that's the kind of game you're playing, just ignore the question the same way you most likely ignore food, watches, ammunition, familiars, encumberance, wand charges, light sources, and spell components.

If you're more into "realism", then work out some reasonable method with your DM. A decent "get on with the game" compromise is slinging a strung longbow over your shoulder or stuffing a shortbow in a quiver/case. Or drop the thing. Or use a magical solution, like a Quiver of Ehlonna or Haversack. Or hold it in your off-hand.

If you're really into realism, consider circumstance penalties to attack, AC, tumble, or all of the above if you choose to sling or hold onto that big bow. Give attackers circumstance bonuses to sunder attempts, or rule that an attack that misses by 1 point hits the bow instead.

From a strict rules perspective the bow is treated more like the first scenario. It simply adds to a vague "encumberance" total, and that's that. So it's totally up to you to determine the level of realism in your game. Find something you and your players are comfortable with, and run with it.

-z

 

[Fingers Boggis]

My cleric uses an elven craft long bow. If he's taken by surprise a quickened righteous might and spikes means he deals alot of damage with that bow and the rest of the time he's raining down the arrows. Zen Archery and Intuitive Attack means he gets WIS to attack with both the shooty and the hitty forms of the bow.

Its all good
Fingers

 

[BlackMoria]

Gloves of Storing work well....switch out the melee weapon for the bow and vice versa with the snap of the fingers.

 

[MarkB]

I typically keep mine somewhere on the ground. I fire from a distance and drop it as I charge into melee. If caught by surprise my first action in melee combat usually is to drop the longbow/shortbow/crossbow.

This gets dangerous once area-effect spells start getting thrown about, assuming your DM is by-the-book, since unattended objects are affected by area damage. Drop your bow to slaughter the orc with your sword, and if the enemy sorcerer can get his fireball off before you pick it up again, that bow is likely toast.

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

Reminds me of a recent movie where I was annoyed that everyone ran around with strung bows all of the time, regardless of whether or not they expected them to be used.

What movie was that ... oh, yeah -- Eragon.

My archer characters have typically carried the bow, then dropped it -- and usually had either a buckler, or used two-handed weapons. Longbow + greatsword is a decent combination.