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View Full Version : The Slings and Arrows of... well, mostly just Slings



Darrin
2007-01-30, 09:28 AM
Did anyone manage to wrangle out of Custserv a grudging admission that you can use Rapid Reload with slings?

If not, would taking the Quickdraw feat allow you to full-attack with a bunch of pre-loaded slings? Slings = 0 cost + 0 weight, and as far as I know there's no danger of carrying around a "loaded" sling.

Lord Lorac Silvanos
2007-01-30, 09:44 AM
House ruling that you can apply Rapid Reload to Slings seems reasonable.

It is also less silly than allowing someone to carry around several pre-loaded slings or bows.

Golthur
2007-01-30, 10:29 AM
Rapid Reload and Quick Draw are almost the same feat when applied to hurled weapons, but I'd allow Rapid Reload to work on slings, since they're ammo-based.

clarkvalentine
2007-01-30, 10:33 AM
Someone at my table wants to build a slinger, I'd say "Cool!" and do everything I could as GM to help them out.

So heck yeah, Rapid Reload would work at my table, Customer Service or not.:smallbiggrin:

Darrin
2007-01-30, 10:38 AM
House ruling that you can apply Rapid Reload to Slings seems reasonable.

Exceedingly reasonable. However, not RAW as far as I can tell.



It is also less silly than allowing someone to carry around several pre-loaded slings or bows.

Since when did RAW mean "not silly"?

Quickdraw might be moderately more useful than Rapid Reload, since you could use it for melee weapons in a pinch.

I've been noodling around a Grippli druidish/rangerish build that focuses on slings, nets, and bolas. I've always liked combining Magic Stone with slings, but not being able to full attack stinks. Even if Quickdraw works to full-attack with preloaded strings, I'm not sure Magic Stone would work there... can you stick your hand in a pouch and touch three pre-loaded sling stones?

Golthur
2007-01-30, 10:57 AM
Since when did RAW mean "not silly"?

You got a point there.


Quickdraw might be moderately more useful than Rapid Reload, since you could use it for melee weapons in a pinch.

I've been noodling around a Grippli druidish/rangerish build that focuses on slings, nets, and bolas. I've always liked combining Magic Stone with slings, but not being able to full attack stinks. Even if Quickdraw works to full-attack with preloaded strings, I'm not sure Magic Stone would work there... can you stick your hand in a pouch and touch three pre-loaded sling stones?

If I were running, I wouldn't allow you to do it without effectively "unloading" them to touch them.

Lord Lorac Silvanos
2007-01-30, 11:06 AM
Exceedingly reasonable. However, not RAW as far as I can tell.

Hence the mentioning of allowing it as a house rule.



Since when did RAW mean "not silly"?


I never said it did. I implied that running around with pre-loaded slings or bows are conceptually silly.

Darrin
2007-01-30, 11:37 AM
You got a point there.



If I were running, I wouldn't allow you to do it without effectively "unloading" them to touch them.

I suppose I could cast Magic Stone (30 min duration) and then get a Wood Wose/Unseen servant to load them as move-actions. Assuming the Wood Wose/Unseen servant can get two move actions a round:

Round 1: Cast Magic Stone
Round 2: Cast Wood Wose. Wood Wose loads two slings.
Round 3: Wood Wose loads third sling. Full attack w/ Rapid Shot.
Repeat Magic Stone/Full Attack.

selfcritical
2007-01-30, 12:55 PM
I suppose I could cast Magic Stone (30 min duration) and then get a Wood Wose/Unseen servant to load them as move-actions. Assuming the Wood Wose/Unseen servant can get two move actions a round:

Round 1: Cast Magic Stone
Round 2: Cast Wood Wose. Wood Wose loads two slings.
Round 3: Wood Wose loads third sling. Full attack w/ Rapid Shot.
Repeat Magic Stone/Full Attack.


Mechanically, the sling is just a low-damage bow. Realistically, a sling isn't any harder to load than pulling an arrow out of a quiver(assuming you have a ready bag). I don't see any reason why a sling should require more feat investment to still be worse than a bow than playing an archer character.

Darrin
2007-01-30, 01:10 PM
Mechanically, the sling is just a low-damage bow. Realistically, a sling isn't any harder to load than pulling an arrow out of a quiver(assuming you have a ready bag). I don't see any reason why a sling should require more feat investment to still be worse than a bow than playing an archer character.

Note entirely like a bow. Crappier range, but you can add your strength bonus to the damage. Halflings also get +1 to hit with slings. There are also some feats/PrCs for thrown weapons that might also work with a sling.

Mike_G
2007-01-30, 01:27 PM
A sling can also be more versitile, in that you can throw things other than stones or bullets.

I picked one up for my Rogue because, first, a sling is very concealable, and because it's reasonable to get small glass or pottery spheres made and fill them with Alchemist's Fire, contact poisons, etc. If yopu have some good NPC alchemsist around, this can be a nice grenade laucher type weapon.

And a pre loaded sling is utterly silly. I would not alow it. Rapid reload makes perfect sense, whether or not it is explicitly stated in the rules. It seems that people are less ready to accpet "interpretation" of the rules by the DM. We always lean to common sense when the RAW is vague. By common sense you can carry loaded slings around, and even if you could, grabbing a new one would take much longer than just grabbing and loading a new stone.

What happens if you are cleaning your loaded sling and it goes off?

selfcritical
2007-01-31, 11:44 AM
A sling can also be more versitile, in that you can throw things other than stones or bullets.

I picked one up for my Rogue because, first, a sling is very concealable, and because it's reasonable to get small glass or pottery spheres made and fill them with Alchemist's Fire, contact poisons, etc. If yopu have some good NPC alchemsist around, this can be a nice grenade laucher type weapon.

And a pre loaded sling is utterly silly. I would not alow it. Rapid reload makes perfect sense, whether or not it is explicitly stated in the rules. It seems that people are less ready to accpet "interpretation" of the rules by the DM. We always lean to common sense when the RAW is vague. By common sense you can carry loaded slings around, and even if you could, grabbing a new one would take much longer than just grabbing and loading a new stone.

What happens if you are cleaning your loaded sling and it goes off?


I think you're confusing a sling for a slingshot.

Dareon
2007-01-31, 02:14 PM
I think you're confusing a sling for a slingshot.
I think he was joking with that last line.

Fax Celestis
2007-01-31, 02:20 PM
I've been noodling around a Grippli druidish/rangerish build that focuses on slings, nets, and bolas.

Grippli are 3.5? WHERE!?!??!??/?!?!??!???!?/1//1/!//!oneoneoneeleventyoneslashslashoneexclamationpoint I needs them. My precious. Yes. I needs them so good.

Dareon
2007-01-31, 03:03 PM
DEAR SWEET PELOR THE POOR ABUSED TABLES.

...I think I saw them in an issue of Dragon. Could be wrong, but I think it was somewhere in the 324-330 range.

Mike_G
2007-01-31, 03:45 PM
I think you're confusing a sling for a slingshot.

I assure you I'm not.

Why do you think that? Are you saying you can carry loaded slingshots around?

What in my post is true for slingshots and not slings?

the_tick_rules
2007-01-31, 04:33 PM
i thought reloading slings was a free action, aren't they. the larger crossbows are the ones that take extra time.

Seffbasilisk
2007-01-31, 04:41 PM
Ok....I'm not so sure he's kidding now.... Mike G... Do you know what a sling is?

Thomas
2007-01-31, 04:53 PM
i thought reloading slings was a free action, aren't they. the larger crossbows are the ones that take extra time.

Read the rules. I was surprised when I checked it out, too, but it's a move action. (And all crossbows "take extra time" - as in take an action.)

Mike_G
2007-01-31, 04:56 PM
Ok....I'm not so sure he's kidding now.... Mike G... Do you know what a sling is?

The thing David slew Goliath with.

A leather cup on a strap that you swing around your head to fling rocks.

I made a joke about carrying a "loaded sling" since another poster had asked if you could carry a bunch of pre-loaded skings, and that's such a silly image that it needed to be made fun of.

As far as flinging a small vial of alchemists fire instead of a rock, there's no reason why you can't. Sling bullets are fairly large stones, with a given weight in the PHB of half a pound. Eight ounces of water weighs the same. A hollow glass or clay ball with space for four ounces of acid, alchemist's fire, etc, could easily be used as a sling ball.

Why on God's green earth do you doubt I know what a sling is?

TimeWizard
2007-01-31, 06:04 PM
.... of outrageous fortune? or to take arms against a sea of troubles? To sleep, parchance, to dream. And in that fatal sleep of death, what dreams may come?

Smooth Darrin. I like your style.

Darrin
2007-01-31, 10:11 PM
Grippli are 3.5? WHERE!?!??!??/?!?!??!???!?/1//1/!//!oneoneoneeleventyoneslashslashoneexclamationpoint I needs them. My precious. Yes. I needs them so good.

Grippli were updated for 3.5 in Dragon #324, p. 87.

You can find the details at Crystalkeep:

http://www.crystalkeep.com/d20/rules/DnD3.5Index-Races.pdf

Fax Celestis
2007-02-01, 01:47 AM
Grippli were updated for 3.5 in Dragon #324, p. 87.

You can find the details at Crystalkeep:

http://www.crystalkeep.com/d20/rules/DnD3.5Index-Races.pdf

Wewt! I r teh winz!

*ahem*

That is, thank you, Darrin, old bean.