Easy pull bow enchant?

[Taverick]

I am now running a game and one of the characters is playing an archer. He wants to get the bow enchantment that allows you to use your full str bonus on the attacks. I know I've seen an enchantment like this and am pretty sure it's called easy pull. But no how much I wiki, google or read through the books I can't seem to find it again. Does anyone know where this weapon enchant is, what it is really called and what it really does? Or am I just crazy nutter peanut brittle bonkers?

[Amoren]

There's a composite short/long bow, which is a special type of bow that allows you to use your strength bonus to damage. Not sure about the enchantment, though.

[Taverick]

There's a composite short/long bow, which is a special type of bow that allows you to use your strength bonus to damage. Not sure about the enchantment, though.

Right, we know about the basic. But I know I've seen an enchantment or something that allows you to use your str mod no matter how great or small with no penalty.

[Agent 451]

I don't know of an actual weapon enhancement, but there's a few things that do what you are looking for:

Adjustable Draw (Weapons of Legacy) adds your Strength mod to ranged damage, and it scales as your Strength mod does. Only problem is that it is a Legacy Item Ability.

Hank's Energy bow (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ask/20061227a), accommodates any Strength, and lets you make ranged Power Attacks.

Bow of the Wintermoon (MiC), allows you to add your full Strength mod, only problem is that it's a (incredibly cheap) relic.

Edit: After some Googling, I came across a mention of Efficient Pull, a feat from Dragon 350. There is a description of it in the Archer Handbook (http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=642.0).

There is also the Nimbus Bow from Dungeon 174, which allows any Strength bonus, only downside (other than being from Dungeon) is that it's a minor artifact.

Bow of Mighty Pulling, (A&EG pg. 102). It's 3.0, and pretty awful. You have to expend a move action to fire one arrow at your full Strength bonus...bleh!

[jackattack]

Could you enchant a bow with Bull's Strength to garner extra STR damage, perhaps up to the character's STR bonus?

[Malimar]

Hank's Energy bow (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ask/20061227a), accommodates any Strength, and lets you make ranged Power Attacks.

Technically, it only lets Hank make ranged Power Attacks. :smallbiggrin:

[The Gilded Duke]

Technically, it only lets Hank make ranged Power Attacks. :smallbiggrin:

Can always name your character Hank.

[Andion Isurand]

A while back I brewed a spell for this situation:

Flexing Weapon
Transmutation
Level: Brd 1, Clr 1, Hex 1, Pal 1, Rgr 1, Sor/Wiz 1
Components: V
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Touch
Target: One touched weapon
Duration: 1 hour/level
Saving Throw: Will negates (harmless, object)
Spell Resistance: Yes (object)

Any kind of weapon that can be, or has been, modified so that its wielder may apply their strength bonus to damage (such as bows, whips, etc.), is made to dynamically alter its own structure as it is being used. This enables the wielder of the affected weapon to apply their full strength bonus (if any) to damage rolls when using it.
A wielder that lacks the strength requirement normally required to use the affected weapon without penalty, may ignore that penalty and apply whatever strength modifier they do have, to damage rolls with that weapon.

[Kelb_Panthera]

there's the bone bow in frostburn. it gives you str to damage with no cap. I'm pretty sure I remember seeing another such bow somewhere.

[Togath]

I'm not sure if there are others, but from my memory the bone bow does indeed work for any strength modifier, but I dont think I've ever seen it recomended for archers for some reason(it seems like a good bow to me)

[Averis Vol]

I'm not sure if there are others, but from my memory the bone bow does indeed work for any strength modifier, but I dont think I've ever seen it recomended for archers for some reason(it seems like a good bow to me)

requires a feat to fire more then 1 arrow/round.

[Togath]

requires a feat to fire more then 1 arrow/round.

ah, that explains it

[Averis Vol]

ah, that explains it

yea, otherwise I'de call it a must (minus hanks energy bow of course) for any archer, 1d10 dmg plus uncapped str= great.

[tyckspoon]

I'm not sure if there are others, but from my memory the bone bow does indeed work for any strength modifier, but I dont think I've ever seen it recomended for archers for some reason(it seems like a good bow to me)

Also it doesn't actually do what people want it to do. It works 'as a composite bow' with regard to Strength. Composite bows work for a specific pre-set strength modifier. Ergo, so does a bow that works as a composite bow.

[Averis Vol]

get it mighty and call it a day?

[StreamOfTheSky]

Ther's a fairly inexpensive +1 bow in Magic Item Compendium called the Bow of the Wintermoon. It automatically adjusts to the user's strength at all times and has the corresponding +X bonus for damage. it's a relic item of Corellon Lanthion so you need to worhsip him, and it has a bunch of crappy extra "relic powers" (Frost and Drow bane properties) you can unlock by taking a crappy feat or expending a 5th level divine spell slot. But you get the adjusting property without any of that, and that's what you care about here.

I consider it essential to any archer. The next time you take a -1 strength penalty/damage/drain, you'll feel SOOO grateful you have it.

Slap sizing property on that sucker (a flat 5000 gp cost, also in MIC) and you can change the weapon's size to whatever you want as a swift action, all day long.

I have a 3.P (mx of 3E and PF) druid archer that spends his time wild shaped as a huge earth or air elemental and LOVES his sizing bow of the wintermoon! :smallsmile:

[Taverick]

Well the bow of the winter moon will suit his needs. Though he doesn't plan on ever getting the relic powers.

But on the topic of helping players getting help with stuff; another wants to know if there is a feat that allows you to use full strength with your offhand during two weapon fighting. I know there is in pathfinder, but I'm trying to avoid to much crossover with that content since one of the players seems to have a grudge against it.

[FaradayCage]

Bow of Elvenkind (Complete Champion I think?) has an auto-adjusting "mighty" feature, but only works for elves.

[StreamOfTheSky]

Don't know of any 3E feat for full str w/ the offhand, just Oversized TWF to use a 1H weapon in the offhand. Combine w/ strongarm bracers and you can have like 2 longswords for 2d6 base damage each. It's not full str bonus, but it's something...

[Taverick]

A character in the game started out with a really low int. He's been playing it well, and it's been a blast to have a barb with an int of 7. But hes taken some rather permanent int drain and it came up that he might not be able to understand language at this point. So here's a question: What is the highest int score you need in order to comprehend languages? Cause he now has an int of 4.

[TuggyNE]

A character in the game started out with a really low int. He's been playing it well, and it's been a blast to have a barb with an int of 7. But hes taken some rather permanent int drain and it came up that he might not be able to understand language at this point. So here's a question: What is the highest int score you need in order to comprehend languages? Cause he now has an int of 4.

That could have gone into Simple Q&A by RAW, but here's a quick answer anyway: a creature must have at least 3 Int to be able to take class levels, and Int 1/2 are defined as animal-like intelligence.

[Taverick]

That could have gone into Simple Q&A by RAW, but here's a quick answer anyway: a creature must have at least 3 Int to be able to take class levels, and Int 1/2 are defined as animal-like intelligence.

Interesting tidbit indeed. Already knew that and didn't answer my actual question at all, but interesting. I'm also not all that forum savvy so I just put the question into the thread I had already created for previous and relevant campaign inquires.

[Khedrac]

Powerdemon beat me to the Easy RAW Questions which is best to keep uncluttered, so I will explain Tuggyne's answer here.

If we ignore non-core for the moment (as it has not relevance) the only class that does not grant literacy is Barbarian.
In 3.5 there are no minimum ability scores for classes (though a wizard with Int < 10 cannot cast any spell) so any non-barbarian is literate (barring special circumstances).
Even a half orc (the only PHB race with an Int penalty) cannot start with an Int below 3.

Therefore anyone with an Intelligence of 3 or more has the capability to be literate (and byt RAW they are literate if not barbarian).

Now someone with an Int of 3 is really really dumb so they are probably only just literate, but there is nothign to stop them being literate.

As for understanding spoken languages - again the minimum for human-like races is still 3 so anyone with a 3 Int can still understand language. When the Int drops to 2 they effectively become an animal (and can no longer take class levels).

[Darrin]

Technically, it only lets Hank make ranged Power Attacks. :smallbiggrin:

This is why all my archer builds have "Hank" as a middle name.


Also it doesn't actually do what people want it to do. It works 'as a composite bow' with regard to Strength. Composite bows work for a specific pre-set strength modifier. Ergo, so does a bow that works as a composite bow.

That's partly my fault, I got convinced it worked that way and for a long while was advocating the bone bow as the end-all-be-all for archers. But yes, after considering the wording, it works just as a composite bow, and you have to pay for each +1 Str bonus. However, if you want to convince your DM that it *should* work that way, go for it.


That could have gone into Simple Q&A by RAW, but here's a quick answer anyway: a creature must have at least 3 Int to be able to take class levels, and Int 1/2 are defined as animal-like intelligence.

Per RAW, all creatures with an Int of at least 3 have a "humanlike intelligence" and can understand anything spoken to them in Common. This is why animals conjured with the summon monster line can understand commands, because as fiendish/celestial creatures they have a minimum Int of 3, and with no language listed in their stat block, their language defaults to Common. Also by RAW: if you can speak a language, have an Int of at least 3, and do not have an "Illiterate" class feature (via Barbarian), then you can also read/write that language.

The rules say nothing about whether the speech is incoherent or the writing is illegible due to low Int. That's more of a "roleplay it" issue than a "rules" issue. I'd suggest not being too strict on coherency stuff. You want it to add a little flavor to the character and maybe cause a few sniggers, but not boil over into table-flipping frustration.

[Alias]

The story of Odysseus and the suitors comes to mind. None of the suitors could string his bow, let alone fire it. And heavy pull bows do exist.

My personal rule is that a composite bow has a strength rating it was built for. A character can use a bow built to a certain strength score without penalty for as long as the bow's intended user strength is lower than their own. But if it's higher, the overflow becomes a penalty to hit and to damage..

Hence a composite bow +5 used by a character with a character with a 14 strength takes a -3 penalty to hit, and a -1 to damage (the bow can provide a +2 for the character, but the stiffness of -3 weighs against that to form a -1 final bonus). A character with an 18 strength using the same bow has a -1 to hit but will get +3 to their damage.

While they look a bit anachronistic, I let gnomes run around with compound bows. While ridiculously expensive, the tension weight on the pulleys can be adjusted to the user's strength. The other advantage of a compound bow is a readied action shot can be held indefinitely with one (readying a shot with a normal bow can be maintained only a number of rounds equal to the user's strength modifier. After that a strength check against DC 15 must be made or the arrow will be loosed accidentally. This almost never comes up, but its worth noting.

[ericgrau]

Interesting tidbit indeed. Already knew that and didn't answer my actual question at all, but interesting. I'm also not all that forum savvy so I just put the question into the thread I had already created for previous and relevant campaign inquires.
By RAW every PC can speak, and every PC has at least 3 int. Therefore it is possible to have 3 int and still speak. Animals lack the ability to handle complicated speech, but some can handle simple sentences (like "come here") if trained or via an instinctive system of noises. Therefore once he hits 2 int he can't speak in complicated sentences, but can still speak. Even at 3-4 int his speech is likely to be far from sophisticated, but still there.