Composite Bow

[Bowbreaker]

Hey guys!
I'm a newbie 3.5 player, playing a bow-using fighter with relatively good strength and dexterity scores. Reading how you can not use your strength bonus for extra damage with a longbow unless it is a Composite longbow, I thought to myself "that is well worth the 25 extra gp". Turns out the default composite longbow does not do that and you need to buy one for 100 extra gp per strngth rating above 0.
That would be no further problem as I could just sell the 0 STR bow and buy a more expensive one once I have the money. Thing is that I made this whole story about the bow having been handed down by my character's adventurer father. I really would prefer not retconning that part as it kind of ties into several parts of my character's backstory.

So here is my question:
Is a composite bow's strength rating upgradeable or does it need to be included from the beginning? Could I just go to a good bowmaker and pay a fee of ca. 100 gp every once in a while to add +1 to the bow's strength rating?

Thanks in advance.

[Ashtagon]

In terms of real world physics, absolutely not.

In terms of game balance, yeah, roll with it and handwave to your heart's content.

Every now and then, cross off 100 gp, add a plus to your bow, and pretend it always was like that.

If the game mechanics of it weren't so borked, I'd suggest Weapons of Legacy for your character concept. There's amazing fluff in there, married by mechanics that are inferior to the truenamer class.

[Diarmuid]

By RAW, upgrading is not possible. Probably worth asking your DM.

Seems fairly reasonable to me.

[ericgrau]

The realistic thing would be to say that your father is a great warrior and give the bow a high strength rating, one which you cannot use. Estimate his level and what your strength will be at that level, and go with that give or take a +1. In the mean time you might use another bow, or beg for bull's strength. Or at low levels I prefer a sling. You only have 1 attack anyway and a sling has an unlimited "strength rating".

The rule 0 way is whatever you and the DM agree to.

If the DM doesn't mind starting you with a magic item worth 8400 gp I believe there is a +1 equivalent enchantment that gives a bow an adjustable strength rating. (or maybe it doesn't exist, I'm not sure). There is a bonebow from frostburn that does what you want for 250 gp (plus 300 gp more if you want it masterwork, I assume), but it requires an exotic weapon proficiency.

[Bowbreaker]

We are playing a strictly core game (first three books only) but I still will ask the DM. I was asking here mostly for the RAW interpretation.
Although your opinion on if it is balanced and fair towards the other players also interest me.

EDIT: Got ninja'd by the above.
We started the game at level 1 and I already have a +4 (18 Strength), so starting with such a bow may be overpowered as it would theoretically cost 600 gp and I did start with a mere 240 to spend on all my equipment.

[ericgrau]

IMO a bow with an adjustable strength rating, but with a set upper limit, could be fair for a few hundred gp more than that upper limit. The fluff way to explain it is with a mechanical rotating pulley system on the string, similar to some modern bows. EDIT: ICIC, still doesn't solve the limited starting gold issue. Though with a good story the DM might be forgiving. Or he might let you pick up the bow at a later time when you are ready, forcing you to use a regular bow without a story in the mean time. Even if you get it for free later on, around 1,000 gp won't be that much in a few levels

[Ubercaledor]

I would just hand-wave it by saying it's a +(whatever) bow from your father, but you've restrung it to be easier to use. Whenever you upgrade it the new bowstring costs and additional 100gp per strength rating.

[tyckspoon]

If the DM doesn't mind starting you with a magic item worth 8400 gp I believe there is a +1 equivalent enchantment that gives a bow an adjustable strength rating. (or maybe it doesn't exist, I'm not sure). There is a bonebow from frostburn that does what you want for 250 gp (plus 300 gp more if you want it masterwork, I assume), but it requires an exotic weapon proficiency.

Bone Bow does not do that. It 'acts as a composite bow'; well, acting as a composite bow means paying for a specific strength rating. If you do not pay for a strength rating, you get 0. That's what composite bows do.

(Hank's) Energy Bow auto-adjusts, as does the Bow of the Wintermoon (Relic item, Magic Item Compendium, works as a +1 bow with variable strength if you have the right alignment.) There is no stand-alone property for automatic adjusting that I know of, although you could try to reverse engineer it out of the Bow of the Wintermoon if you wanted.

Edit: Personally, I'd just let you have the bonus on your bow modified any time you were having a new magic property applied to it, or just hand-wave that all bows become magically responsive and adjust automatically once they get up to a +2 equivalency or better. It's not that big a deal, and I'm really rather amazed that there isn't a cheap, mundane means of making an adjustable bow somewhere in the printed material.

[Ashtagon]

I would just hand-wave it by saying it's a +(whatever) bow from your father, but you've restrung it to be easier to use. Whenever you upgrade it the new bowstring costs and additional 100gp per strength rating.

Please, don't fluff it that way.

For those of us who know their bows, that is just a painful load of nonsense that is in danger of inducing gales of derisive laughter.

I'd rather have "Another +1. Yes. It just is. deal with it." than something that strains disbelief like that.

[Urpriest]

Here's the thing: if the bow was handed down by your character's father it was probably not just composite, but magic as well, making it well beyond your starting wealth anyway. Core doesn't really have a mechanic for inheritance, that's what things like the Ancestral Relic feat outside of core are for.

[Artillery]

The best actual bow that is a composite would be the the exotic weapon, the footbow from Races of the Wild. You need to be either airborne or prone to fire it. You can use 2-hands with it to get 1.5x your strength modifier with it. it still takes an extra 100gp per strength rating.

Is your race already determined? If not set yet look at the Raptoran from Races of the Wild. They treat the Footbow as martial. They get a flight speed at lvl 5 for con modifier rounds and unlimited at lvl 10. They are also LA+0 with racial HD. They and Dragonborn being the only LA+0 races with flight.

Raptoran get
+10 jump , +2 climb, +2 spot
Glide and Flight (40 ft)
Low-light vision
+1 on Air spells
Favored Class: Cleric

[Xeno426]

He already stated it was core only.

[TheOOB]

For the record, D&D is a very gear based system(at least 3e), so having important weapons and armor at creation is usually a bad idea. Now a family holy symbol or something and you're golden.

Just ask you DM if they will allow a ret-con.

[Ashtagon]

http://dndtools.eu/feats/book-of-exalted-deeds--52/ancestral-relic--70/

Book of Exalted Deeds, not core. But this is the exact feat you need to replicate what you want.

[Gildedragon]

Not a [Core] suggestion but you could treat it as an "Ancestral Relic" for purposes of strengthening it. Every now and then you sacrifice 100gp worth of raw materials to add new layers, improve the limbs, re-apply a new binding agent, replace pieces that are too worn...
so kinda like the restringing option but not quite.
As a DM i'd commend you for the "I wanna keep my family weapon rather than trade it off for another frippery"

[Curmudgeon]

Thing is that I made this whole story about the bow having been handed down by my character's adventurer father.

We are playing a strictly core game (first three books only) but I still will ask the DM.
If you're playing "a strictly core game", where are you getting the option to make up a story about your character's origins? Here's the official (core) word, from the Player's Handbook Glossary:
Dungeon Master (DM): The player who portrays nonplayer characters, makes up the story setting for the other players, and serves as a referee.
If you want the RAW word on this matter: a player-created back story is non-core.

[Slipperychicken]

If you want the RAW word on this matter: a player-created back story is non-core.

I always knew I was doing the right thing whenever I failed to create a backstory for my PC :smalltongue:

[hamishspence]

While it has a much worse range, the Compound Bow from D20 Modern has the trait "Your strength modifier applies to damage rolls made when using this weapon".

That's a WoTC D20 source.

[Telonius]

You want to stay true to your backstory, you had a genuine misunderstanding of a rule that you're trying to address, and you're willing to pay for the difference with in-game resources.

The DM should feel lucky that this is the sort of problem he has to handle.