[PF] Stone and Obsidian arrowheads

[Baron Malkar]

While looking at Ultimate Equipment I noticed something odd.

Obsidian
This black volcanic glass is extremely sharp, and can be shaped into a variety of weapons that do piercing and slashing damage. Bits of obsidian inserted into a length of tempered wood create effective swords called terbutjes.

Weapons Obsidian can be used to craft light and one-handed weapons that do piercing or slashing damage, as well as spear tips and arrowheads. Obsidian weapons have half the hardness of their base weapon and have the fragile quality.
Armor The fragile glass nature of obsidian is perfect for creating sharp points and blades, but those same qualities make it unsuitable for creating armor. Armor cannot be constructed from obsidian.
Cost 1/2 normal.; Weight 3/4 normal.; Cost/Weight (Longer Wording) "Obsidian weapons cost half of what base items of their type do, and weigh 75% of what base items of their type do."

Stone
Stone Age weapons almost always utilize stone in some way. From rocks lashed to wooden hafts to create early maces and axes, to flint knives and stone arrowheads, these primitive weapons are still deadly.

Weapons Light and one-handed bludgeoning weapons, spears, and arrowheads can all be made of stone. Weapons made of stone have half the hardness of their base weapons, and have the fragile condition. Editor's Note: Probably meant to say fragile "quality" not "condition."

Armor Armor cannot usually be constructed from stone, but advanced, often alchemically enhanced stone armor made by dwarves or other stone-working cultures does exist (see stone coat).

Cost/Weight (Longer Wording) "Stone weapons cost a quarter of what base items of their type do, and weigh 75% of what base items of their type do."

Now if you make a quiver of arrows out of either stone or obsidian, it would seem to cost a fraction of the normal cost and weigh less to boot, however it seems that said arrows would have the Fragile quality.

My question is how does the fragile weapon quality work on ammunition?

[SolioFebalas]

I think no chance to find it after miss, and 3/4 or 1/2 range.

[Baron Malkar]

:smallconfused: Where are you getting the decrease in range from?

Here is the Fragile quality if it helps.
Fragile weapons and armor cannot take the beating that sturdier weapons can. A fragile weapon gains the broken condition if the wielder rolls a natural 1 on an attack roll with the weapon. If a fragile weapon is already broken, the roll of a natural 1 destroys it instead.

Armor with the fragile quality falls apart when hit with heavy blows. If an attacker hits a creature wearing fragile armor with an attack roll of a natural 20 and confirms the critical hit (even if the creature is immune to critical hits), the armor gains the broken condition. If already broken, the armor is destroyed instead. Fragile armor is not broken or destroyed by critical threats that are not generated by natural 20s, so if a creature wielding a weapon with a 19–20 or 18–20 critical range scores a critical hit on the wearer of this armor with a roll of less than a natural 20, that critical hit has no chance to break or destroy the armor.

Masterwork and magical fragile weapons and armor lack these flaws unless otherwise noted in the item description or the special material description.

[Bhaakon]

Fragile works on ammunition the same way it works on melee weapons, it gains the broken condition on a 1. Then you roll for the 50% chance of being destroyed or lost. An arrow that has the broken condition, but hasn't been destroyed or lost, can be repaired. So, basically, there's no reason not to use obsidian or stone arrows (though repairing broken ammunition is probably more trouble than it's worth).

If you want to be incredibly pedantic about RAW, arrows are the only launched weapon that can be crafted from obsidian or stone, since they're called out specifically in the description as exceptions to the "light, one-handed" weapon limitation on each substance. Crossbow bolts can't, nor atlatl darts nor sling bullets (even though, logically, they should).

[Baron Malkar]

So aside from the chance for a recovered arrow to require a mending to work right, stone age arrows are strictly *superior* when compared to normal arrows?


:smallsigh:

[Bhaakon]

So aside from the chance for a recovered arrow to require a mending to work right, stone age arrows are strictly *superior* when compared to normal arrows?


:smallsigh:

Yup, though your DM might throw a book at you.

[Baron Malkar]

Next question. would the 1/2 - 1/4 cost apply to the +300gp/50 cost of Masterwork stone age arrows?

[Doorhandle]

I imagine it would have 1/4 the 50gp cost but not the 300gp cost. The masterwork price is pretty universal.

[Baron Malkar]

Ah well. So it is a minor benefit not a game breaking one. Still pretty useful for just about any archer.:smallbiggrin: