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Counting arrows?
Posted: Tue Apr 08, 2014 3:46 am
by Heilemann
Do the players keep track of their character's ammo?
Re: Counting arrows?
Posted: Tue Apr 08, 2014 8:11 am
by Woodclaw
According to the basic rules they don't. I guess that the assumption is that a character shouldn't run out of ammo during a normal combat situation (which makes sense a 20 arrows quiver is usually more than enough) and that one recovers/build some arrows between battles.
Re: Counting arrows?
Posted: Tue Apr 08, 2014 8:16 am
by Woodclaw
Wrong thread sorry.
Re: Counting arrows?
Posted: Tue Apr 08, 2014 12:36 pm
by Rich H
Heilemann wrote:Do the players keep track of their character's ammo?
I do in my campaign. There are a dozen arrows in a quiver in my game so I think it's important that they're tracked accordingly. It's not too much of an impact to the game with regards to the counting element/usage but it seems to provide verisimilitude to the game group.
Re: Counting arrows?
Posted: Tue Apr 08, 2014 1:08 pm
by Heilemann
And how do you replenish the arrows Rich? I mean other than buying them, which I assume is just done by mentioning it. But if you're in the middle of Mirkwood? Craft?
Re: Counting arrows?
Posted: Tue Apr 08, 2014 1:18 pm
by Rich H
Heilemann wrote:And how do you replenish the arrows Rich? I mean other than buying them, which I assume is just done by mentioning it. But if you're in the middle of Mirkwood? Craft?
Buy... or trade. Makes for a good motivation for the PCs to engage with others on the road or in hamlets they pass by, along with replenishing rations and other such reasons.
Arrows spent have a chance of being recovered. Generally I roll a success die for each one (assuming they are retrievable and aren't, for instance, in the backside of a troll that has just run off), on a result of 1 to 3 then the arrow is wearied and therefore broken otherwise it's okay to use again with a little TLC (eg, a Craft roll of TN 10 or 12 assuming you think a roll is required, often I don't bother).
I would allow Craft rolls to make more arrows - assuming there is time and resources. If that was the case then a TN 14 Craft check would suffice and each success means one arrow is created. If the PC has an appropriate trait then they could auto-success it but that would only mean one arrow was created in the same amount of time. Or something like that; it's never come up in my game so far as the Elf carries two quivers!
Re: Counting arrows?
Posted: Tue Apr 08, 2014 4:42 pm
by venger
Good topic. My group is currently trapped in a huge Valley and will be there for a few weeks so they can't be replenished normally. Orcish arrows are available though. I am not sure about the implications of using them.
One character has a good craft score so I would make the call they could be replenished if successfully crafted.
Re: Counting arrows?
Posted: Tue Apr 08, 2014 6:32 pm
by Otaku-sempai
venger wrote:Good topic. My group is currently trapped in a huge Valley and will be there for a few weeks so they can't be replenished normally. Orcish arrows are available though. I am not sure about the implications of using them.
One character has a good craft score so I would make the call they could be replenished if successfully crafted.
There shouldn't be any negative repercussions for using Orc-arrows as long as any poisons present have been removed. The adventurers might want to be sure to save the arrowheads from broken missiles; otherwise crafting new arrows will be much more difficult.
Re: Counting arrows?
Posted: Tue Apr 08, 2014 6:58 pm
by Beran
I would also have the PCs keep track of arrows fired and retrieved. As there is no Bowyer/Fletcher skill or Virtue I would just say that anyone who has Bow as a weapon skill has the ability, given availablity of raw materials, to make replacement arrows (Craft check).
Re: Counting arrows?
Posted: Tue Apr 08, 2014 7:47 pm
by DavetheLost
Carrying even a dozen broad heads in one quiver is no small feat. However it is not difficult at all to affix heads to shafts, and arrow shafts, fletched or unfletched, are easy to carry in great bundles.
I don't bother with having my archers track arrow consumption in most cases. I figure they are making replacements, carrying spares, and recovering spent arrows as needed.