I have often found it strange that
Strength Adds are applicable to missile weapons like bows, crossbows, and
gunnes. It takes a minimum Strength to draw a bow, cock a crossbow, or steady a
gunne from recoil; those with greater than the minimum required Strength find
their task easier. The damage these weapons do depends more on construction
than wielder Strength.
It makes sense for damage from these weapons to be increased by Dexterity and Luck. Dexterity is simply increased firing accuracy, and Luck is just a lucky strike to a vital body part. Dexterity Adds is still counted twice: the stationary archer / rifleman has greater accuracy primarily due to the weapon being fired.
For thrown weapons and slings, the
range and velocity of the weapon are directly determined by the wielder’s
Strength. It seems reasonable to assume that accuracy is more difficult (Which
is why the bow superceded the javelin and the rifle superceded the bow: easier
to use).
For bows, crossbows, and gunnes
Missile Adds are determined by + 2 per Dexterity point over 12 and + 1 per Luck
point over 12; - 2 per Dexterity point under 9 and - 1 per Luck point under 9.
For all other ranged weapons use
regular Adds.
The Strength required for the
weight of bow is what an archer can manage a few shots with and then need a
rest, not the weight used for constant shooting for hours.
Ranges are in yards.
|
Lbs. |
Dice + Adds |
STR Required |
DEX Required |
Effect. Range |
Max. Range |
Cost (gold) |
Weight (lbs) |
|
18 |
2 |
7 |
15 |
34 |
68 |
60 |
3 |
|
26 |
2 + 1 |
8 |
15 |
47 |
94 |
65 |
3 |
|
38 |
2 + 3 |
9 |
15 |
71 |
141 |
70 |
4 |
|
45 |
3 |
10 |
15 |
83 |
165 |
75 |
4 |
|
54 |
3 + 1 |
11 |
15 |
99 |
198 |
80 |
4 |
|
60 |
3 + 3 |
12 |
15 |
110 |
220 |
90 |
5 |
|
64 |
4 |
13 |
15 |
118 |
237 |
100 |
5 |
|
71 |
4 + 1 |
14 |
15 |
130 |
261 |
125 |
5 |
|
78 |
4 + 3 |
15 |
16 |
142 |
284 |
150 |
6 |
|
84 |
5 |
16 |
16 |
154 |
308 |
175 |
6 |
|
92 |
5 + 1 |
17 |
16 |
169 |
338 |
200 |
6 |
|
100 |
5 + 3 |
18 |
16 |
184 |
369 |
225 |
7 |
|
110 |
6 |
19 |
16 |
201 |
402 |
250 |
7 |
|
120 |
6 + 1 |
20 |
16 |
219 |
439 |
275 |
7 |
|
130 |
6 + 3 |
21 |
16 |
239 |
479 |
300 |
8 |
|
144 |
7 |
22 |
16 |
263 |
527 |
325 |
8 |
Sheaf of 24 Arrows
|
|
|
|
|
40 |
1 |
Limits:
Longbow Only greater than 50 lbs.
Self
Bow Only less than 84 lbs.
(64 lb. Standard bow)
Of course, anyone can use a bow
below their own STR, but they only do the damage of the bow. The ideal is to
have a bow made to suit the archer, but this isn't always possible. There are
limits to what can be made: you can do just about anything with a composite
bow, but a long bow gets too brittle and weak below about 50lbs, and similar
limits (though lower) would apply to a self bow. Also, self bows can only be
made up to a certain strength, which is why in ancient times they were drawn to
the chest, not the chin: pull them too far and they snap. I'd say the STR 18
may be an upper limit for making a self bow.
Stringing the bow is more work
than drawing it. To string a bow quickly would require + 2 Strength above the
minimum requirement (which is why the bows in the above table require different
minimum Strengths than the T&T rule book). To string a bow slower, about
twice as slow, requires only + 1 Strength above the minimum.
There is a handy and simple devise
called a “stringer” which would negate the increased minimum Strength, but it
is even slower to string a bow with (maybe twice as slow as slowly stringing a
bow). A “stringer” consists of two leather loops and a piece of string.
