Bows.

[Forest Junkie]

Could we please allow bows to be drawn directly into the offhand instead of our primary?

Maybe flag all bows to automatically be drawn into our offhand so an arrow can be pulled from our quiver. This would make things flow smoothly, IMO.

Thanks.

[Marc]

>pull quiver
>draw bow

Done

[Forest Junkie]

>pull quiver
>draw bow

Done

Durr. Makes sense, never thought of that. Thanks.

[Delirium]

Could we please allow bows to be drawn directly into the offhand instead of our primary.

This already happens.

If it doesn't, then I would guess that that particular bow object is flagged wrong.

[amoeba]

Could we please allow bows to be drawn directly into the offhand instead of our primary.

This already happens.

If it doesn't, then I would guess that that particular bow object is flagged wrong.

It does not on any of the many bows I have used, but I do as Marc does, works dandy.

[RunningMountain]

Why aren't bows coded as bludgeon weapons as well?

[SpyGuy]

Why aren't bows coded as bludgeon weapons as well?

Because you'd likely shatter your expensive longbow if you tried to swing or parry with it as a club.  Though it might make an interesting exotic weapon to have a bow/spear or whatever.

My current bow draws into my secondary hand, its quite handy.

[Majikal]

I don't find this IC or anything but there are bows that can double over as weapons, I've found one or two with spiked ends for jabbing. One was even stabbing so you could backstab with it.

[RunningMountain]

Ah, that's cool Majik, I just think it'd be very realisitc if ..even as a last resort to be able to use your bow against someone if you ran out of arrows, in fact I think armor such as bone helmets and certain bracers and stuff should be bludgeon weapons as well, more realistic.

[AaronG]

If not a bow, arrows are already good piercing weapons.

[Majikal]

In my opinion every item IG should be a potential weapon. That's how it is in real life, I've even resorted to hitting someone with a video tape that was knocked off the top of the TV we collided into at a party.

Though.. I could see how this might lead to problems. Seeing a hunter beat down a tembo with a mug of ale might me kinda funny.

[Armaddict]

Watch Robin Hood, prince of thieves.

While somewhat unrealistic with the parries and the devastation he causes with a bow against helmed men in close quarters, the application of the bow as a close-combat weapon is realistic.

I wouldn't mind seeing such implemented, myself.

[Trenidor]

You do know that's a movie right?

It might be possible for a few whacks, but eventually every bow will break within a short little battle. Bows have stress placed on them from the pulling that the string forces them into. When you hit something under stress, it makes it weaker....Take for example a carton of eggs. It's proven that you can stand on them without any of them breaking, but if I were to come along and flick them with my finger...they'd burst open.

Even in movies, where they actually don't hit the people with there bow, it just appears they do, they break their bows with what little hitting they do on people.

[Angela Christine]

I don't know anything about anything, but my instinct is that a bow would be libel to break, because it is already under stress.  Being under stress it what makes it launch arrows, right?  So adding additional stress in the wrong places by striking it would be bad.

An unstrung bow would be a different story.  Without the string it is just a somewhat flexible stick with some extra fiddly bits that have no function.  A high strength longbow or composite bow might make a pretty good staff, in a pinch.  An expensive staff, since a bow usually costs much more than a staff, but still useful.  There would be some danger that you could ruin it as a bow though, if the bits where the bowstring attach were dammaged, or if there was a small crack anywhere along the shaft since the crack would be likely to increase once the bow was restrung and put under tension.


Anything can be a weapon, but generally things designed to be weapons make better weapons than improvised things.  If a chair or a mug was a better weapon than an axe, people would stop making axes and start makeing weapons that looked like chairs or mugs.  The main use of most improvised weapons would be to reduce the unarmed penalty, they may not do more dammage than fists but they are useful for taking or deflecting blows that you wouldn't want to take on your flesh.  A chair can be a pretty good shield for a short time, but it isn't all that good for striking the other guy unless you happen to get into a position where you can break it over the back of his head or something.  A broken bottle isn't all that good for either attacking or parrying, but the fact that you have it at all should give you a small defensive bonus vs. being unarmed because it makes the other guy hesitate rather than running up and bashing your head in, simply because he doesn't want to risk getting disemboweled while he kills you.


I think most any object should reduce the defensive penalties for being unarmed.  However, improvised weapons are not designed to resist blows, so they should break much more easily than real weapons.  Half-giants and muls sometimes break real weapons, but even a below average strength elf should have a chance of shattering an improvised weapon.


Angela Christine