Re: archery commentary

[John Hogg <johnhogg@expert.cc.purdue.edu>]

> As i've said before, I'd be surprised if a character ever got a Kieron
> Great Bow, they aren't exported at all.  So you'd have to kill a soldier
> of the Kingdom to get one(an adventure to hike all the way up to the mountains
> to do this..oh wait..people already go on adventures to get a magical
> item), or do it via a serious black market thing, which is again an
> adventure.  Look at the availability and the price on these things.  They
> cost several thousand GP, _AND_ are only attained via roleplaying.  You
> do not walk into a bowyer and pick one up..ever.  As I stated at the
> beginning of the list a few months back, they are intended as quasi-magical
> items.
> 
> I think a very important thing that people are missing is the availability
> section of the weapon.  All of these weapons are very very difficult to
> find in the first place, and near impossible to get training in.
> The Kieron Great bow does 1d8 damage, has an availability of 5, takes
> a master weapon smith a DECADE to create and a 5d6 weapon smithing
> check, and it costs a base of 4,000sp in the place they are made.  A
> place that _ONLY_ makes them for the military. 
> 
> Speaking from personal experience, I have a character out of play for 2
> game months doing nothing but creating a single weapon.  It sucks ass, and
> i can't even contemplate wanting to keep a character out of game play for
> a DECADE to make one of these, or waiting a DECADE for one.  If they
> go and attack a soldier for one, they are going to have an entire kingdom
> after them.  You can't hide these weapons, its 7' long when unstrung,
> and quite unique in appearence.  People know what these things are, and
> know that they only come from Geleia, and know that only soldier's use'em,
> or possibly folks with a reason, and a right, use'em openly. 

So what you're saying is that there will never be a new GM who looks at
the weapon skill list, sees the Neat Bow, decides it would be cool to have
a villain or 5 that used it.

As stock and trade adventurers will yank the weapons out of the villain's
cold, dead hands (or divine word to have them handed over in pristine
condition), obviously the actors shouldn't have them either ... wait a
minute, then who gets them?

Oh, and the mend spell that fixes the easy-to-lose-unless-you're-going-
to-lose-the-weapon-to-players is cheaper than long eyes and available to
all spellcasters.

Admitedly harsh, but aren't shotguns (that don't even pop up on the weapon
lists ... with good reason) quasi-magical weapons (tech) that aren't
supposed to be available, ever, to players?

(granted, funny as shit ... (KABOOM --"Protect ME, DAMMIT!") but
unavailable to the point that there aren't a set of actors who regularly
use them, AND they AREN'T manufactured anywhere on Jaern.)

I'm coming off as prickish here, I know, but the point is that you CAN'T
introduce new equipment without players having it filtered down to them
somehow.

The other problem is if a player DOES role-play and get one, what happens
when he goes somewhere (say somewhere ELSE in Geleia) and the guards there
don't know he's got a permit for the thing?  If unauthorized possession
gets as militant a response as you propose, they shouldn't make it to the
city gate.

Suggestion:

make the bow in question's skill restricted.  That way, not only do the
players need to have a bow of their own, but someone willing to teach
them to get the best advantage (range, presuming we change the Missle
weapon skill.)

Sorry about the tone, dude, but I really need to be blunt here.
Truly nothing personal.

John