What happens to arrows once fired?

[JaminDM]

Lots of my players use ranged attacks and I'm not sure what happens to arrows after fire, do they always break, or only sometimes?
As you can tell this is quite an important rule so responses soon please!

Also, are there different rules for other ranged weapons, such as slings and javelins

[DrKerosene]

http://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/SRD:Ammunition

"Generally speaking, ammunition that hits its target is destroyed or rendered useless, while normal ammunition that misses has a 50% chance of being destroyed or lost."

I think anything purchased individually (Javelins) is re-usable, there should be specific details covering such for each weapon in a description.

[TandemChelipeds]

It shouldn't be much of an issue for slings anyway, since you can just pick up stones and use those as ammo.

[Venger]

http://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/SRD:Ammunition

"Generally speaking, ammunition that hits its target is destroyed or rendered useless, while normal ammunition that misses has a 50% chance of being destroyed or lost."

I think anything purchased individually (Javelins) is re-usable, there should be specific details covering such for each weapon in a description.

yes, just make sure you check rules on d20srd (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/equipment/weapons.htm#ammunition) since dandwiki has a lot of homebrew/houserule stuff that's not always tagged.

the rule only applies to weapons that use ammunition, so it would not apply to javelins, but would to bows, crossbows, slings, and shuriken.

honestly, I don't think your players would complain if you just ignored it. like encumbrance/forced march/tracking rations it doesn't make the game more fun, just offers more bookkeeping, plus archers are already severely underpowered enough as it is

[torrasque666]

yes, just make sure you check rules on d20srd (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/equipment/weapons.htm#ammunition) since dandwiki has a lot of homebrew/houserule stuff that's not always tagged.

If it says SRD, its directly taken from the SRD. Don't be so quick to discount it, especially given that it does match up. I've never actually seen a thread there that was marked with SRD that did not match the SRD.

A better rule of thumb is that if its not marked to assume its homebrew.

[Galen]

http://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/SRD:Ammunition

"Generally speaking, ammunition that hits its target is destroyed or rendered uselessDaryl from Walking Dead begs to differ. He's been killing undead with the same crossbow bolt five years running. It's not an official zombie kill if Daryl doesn't yank the bolt back out of the skull.

[Extra Anchovies]

Daryl from Walking Dead begs to differ. He's been killing undead with the same crossbow bolt five years running. It's not an official zombie kill if Daryl doesn't yank the bolt back out of the skull.

He must have a set of Durable arrows (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/equipment---final/weapons/weapon-descriptions/ammunition/ammunition-bow-arrow-durable), then. They're aluminum bolts, IIRC, so it makes sense that they'd hold together. The reason normal arrows break is because the tip separates from the shaft when you try to remove it from whatever it hit.

[Gemini476]

Yeah, you can rather safely be lax about ammunition if you're not in a game where resource management is a big thing. D&D hasn't really been about that since... 2E, maybe? The cancellation of BECMI?

It makes sense when you get experience from gold, but in a game like 3.5? Eh. Not really.

Similarly, unless you're really focused on the exploration aspect you probably don't need to track rations and water and so on.

[torrasque666]

Yeah, you can rather safely be lax about ammunition if you're not in a game where resource management is a big thing. D&D hasn't really been about that since... 2E, maybe? The cancellation of BECMI?

It makes sense when you get experience from gold, but in a game like 3.5? Eh. Not really.

Similarly, unless you're really focused on the exploration aspect you probably don't need to track rations and water and so on.

I keep track when I'm playing a gunslinger in pathfinder, but I also play with a dm who follows encumbrance rules. Bullets and powder weigh more than arrows and bolts, and thus its important to keep track of the weight. For me at least.

[Thanatosia]

Well, historically, as I understand it, arrows were deliberately designed to fall apart when used. The Head in particular was attached as loosely as possible, barely glued on - this was on purpose so that the head would dislodge in the victem if they tried to pull it out by the shaft. Arrows were really designed to disable more then kill (though they did kill just fine), something D&D's take d6+whatever-damage-and-then-forget-about-it's rules don't do a great job of reflecting, the fact that they are supposed to leave a giant painful and hideously difficult to remove arrowhead stuck in your target disabling/hampering them.

[Amphetryon]

Strictly as a house-rule, I always rule that the first arrow/bolt fired per combat per archer is destroyed,* and the rest can be recovered normally. In this way, I feel like we give a nod toward verisimilitude and encumbrance, without bogging down the game with tracking every little thing.

*If players have "special" arrows that are breakable (not magic items), and/or if they try to abuse this particular rule, they're on notice that I will change this to a random arrow from among those fired in a given combat.

[Telonius]

They disappear into the Plane of Spent Arrows. Along with the Plane of Dead Foes, this provides an important safety valve for the physics of the material plane. Each casting of Wall of Stone, or use of a Decanter of Endless Water, increases the plane's mass. Without a matching decrease somewhere along the line, the plane's gravitational field would eventually be affected.

[Bullet06320]

They disappear into the Plane of Spent Arrows. Along with the Plane of Dead Foes, this provides an important safety valve for the physics of the material plane. Each casting of Wall of Stone, or use of a Decanter of Endless Water, increases the plane's mass. Without a matching decrease somewhere along the line, the plane's gravitational field would eventually be affected.

is that by chance located anywhere near the plane of missing socks from the dryer or the plane of lost keys that I just sat down?

[Kane0]

They disappear into the Plane of Spent Arrows. Along with the Plane of Dead Foes, this provides an important safety valve for the physics of the material plane. Each casting of Wall of Stone, or use of a Decanter of Endless Water, increases the plane's mass. Without a matching decrease somewhere along the line, the plane's gravitational field would eventually be affected.

You know, this is a great explanation for why parties just leave behind those they kill after looting them, or why foes that are quite clearly equipped have no gear when looted.

[HighWater]

is that by chance located anywhere near the plane of missing socks from the dryer or the plane of lost keys that I just sat down?

No, the missing socks are due to Ethereal (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/etherealFilcher.htm) Filchers (http://www.cranialherbs.com/srd/doc/SRD/img/MonstersE-F.Ethereal_Filcher.jpg), who need them to prevent their toes from freezing off...

The keys may suffer a similar fate just for being shiny.

[JaminDM]

yes, just make sure you check rules on d20srd (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/equipment/weapons.htm#ammunition) honestly, I don't think your players would complain if you just ignored it. like encumbrance/forced march/tracking rations it doesn't make the game more fun, just offers more bookkeeping, plus archers are already severely underpowered enough as it is

They did complain, that's why I'm asking.

Thanks for all the answers!

[JaminDM]

Well, historically, as I understand it, arrows were deliberately designed to fall apart when used. The Head in particular was attached as loosely as possible, barely glued on - this was on purpose so that the head would dislodge in the victem if they tried to pull it out by the shaft. Arrows were really designed to disable more then kill (though they did kill just fine), something D&D's take d6+whatever-damage-and-then-forget-about-it's rules don't do a great job of reflecting, the fact that they are supposed to leave a giant painful and hideously difficult to remove arrowhead stuck in your target disabling/hampering them.

So what would the rules be for this, sorry I can't think of any........ I'm thinking... I'm thiiiiiiiinking.

[Extra Anchovies]

So what would the rules be for this, sorry I can't think of any........ I'm thinking... I'm thiiiiiiiinking.

There are rules for impalement, I just forget where. It gives a penalty to most rolls, and also a bit of continuous damage, plus damage equal to the weapon's base damage dice (e.g. 1d8 for an arrow) when you remove it.

[Brookshw]

Daryl from Walking Dead begs to differ. He's been killing undead with the same crossbow bolt five years running. It's not an official zombie kill if Daryl doesn't yank the bolt back out of the skull.

Ehhh, last season they specifically showed him inspecting an arrow that was cracked and in season two he was making bolts. The assumption I think is that they break "off screen" but do break. Also if you look up the crossbow he's using in the early seasons on Amazon there's a review from him about how its good for killing zombies.

As to the keys, I thought they got stolen by kenku? :smallconfused:

[Extra Anchovies]

Ehhh, last season they specifically showed him inspecting an arrow that was cracked and in season two he was making bolts. The assumption I think is that they break "off screen" but do break. Also if you look up the crossbow he's using in the early seasons on Amazon there's a review from him about how its good for killing zombies.

There's also a review from a "zombie" about how it killed all of his friends :smallbiggrin:

Daryl is also shown pulling bolts out of zombies he hits, so he reuses the ones that don't break.

[Brookshw]

There's also a review from a "zombie" about how it killed all of his friends :smallbiggrin:


Ha! Really? I don't recall that but its pretty awesome.

[andysowhat]

I usually just think how many arrows got shot. perception dc 25 let them find all the arrows nearby that is not broken and then I just throw a D20 on how many arrows they find. if less then dc20 then they find less ammunition. if more then I let them find more arrows then they where suppose to find

[darksolitaire]

Better make 'em keep track of every arrow, those muggles need something to work their small brains over, gyah hah hah! Only good arrow is a Melf's Acid Arrow!

Ahem.

On a more serious note, arrows in my games are a non-issue, since I don't particularly enjoy that aspect of game. But best thing would be to ask around; if your group likes the gritty realism, go for it.

[JaminDM]

There are rules for impalement, I just forget where. It gives a penalty to most rolls, and also a bit of continuous damage, plus damage equal to the weapon's base damage dice (e.g. 1d8 for an arrow) when you remove it.

If anyone finds this I will be one happy DM, my players were arguing over it quite a bit last session.

[Extra Anchovies]

If anyone finds this I will be one happy DM, my players were arguing over it quite a bit last session.

Now that I've thought about it more, I think it might be a property of a specific magic arrow. I know that there's an arrow in Complete Warrior that sticks in the target, and deals 1d8 damage when removed (and when the target is magically healed they take the 1d8 damage anyways), but doesn't give any penalties. I'd houserule it such that arrows deal 1d4 (or 1d3 with shortbow, or 1d6 with heavy crossbow) plus whatever modifiers (sneak attack, strength bonus, magical enhancements, etc) on the initial hit, then another flat 1d4 (no modifiers) when removed, and for every two arrows (rounded down) that are stuck in a target, they get a -1 penalty on attack rolls, reflex saves, and Strength- and Dexterity- based checks, and a character takes -1 on Concentration checks for each arrow stuck in them.

[Venger]

Better make 'em keep track of every arrow, those muggles need something to work their small brains over, gyah hah hah! Only good arrow is a Melf's Acid Arrow!

Ahem.

On a more serious note, arrows in my games are a non-issue, since I don't particularly enjoy that aspect of game. But best thing would be to ask around; if your group likes the gritty realism, go for it.

that'll teach them to try to do anything as a non-caster

[JaminDM]

Now that I've thought about it more, I think it might be a property of a specific magic arrow. I know that there's an arrow in Complete Warrior that sticks in the target, and deals 1d8 damage when removed (and when the target is magically healed they take the 1d8 damage anyways), but doesn't give any penalties. I'd houserule it such that arrows deal 1d4 (or 1d3 with shortbow, or 1d6 with heavy crossbow) plus whatever modifiers (sneak attack, strength bonus, magical enhancements, etc) on the initial hit, then another flat 1d4 (no modifiers) when removed, and for every two arrows (rounded down) that are stuck in a target, they get a -1 penalty on attack rolls, reflex saves, and Strength- and Dexterity- based checks, and a character takes -1 on Concentration checks for each arrow stuck in them.

Nice idea...