Re: archery commentary

[Joel Gunderson <belgarat@expert.cc.purdue.edu>]

I think Johnny-boy has a good idear there.  Making the skill restricted
will reduce the filter-down factor somewhat, but I imagine most folks will
still use them with their mega missile mod.

Foo


On Tue, 22 Sep 1998, John Hogg wrote:

> 
> 
> > 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
> 
>