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Thread: Trick arrows?
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2008-07-06, 01:15 AM (ISO 8601)
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Trick arrows?
Enchanted ammunition only costs 1/50th the cost of a normal weapon with the same enchantment. This means that there's not really any reason for most archers (or other ranged-combat people) to not carry a wide variety of trick arrows, a few full-attacks worth of each, just in case they need them.
So what interesting effects are there that can be applied to ranged ammunition?
Also, what ways exist to keep your arrows from being destroyed when they hit, or to reduce the chance of them being destroyed? If there was a way to make them reusuable, of course, that would be very useful... if broken.
Finally... there are some effects that give a non-combat bonus to anyone who wields the weapon, but are not limited to melee weapons or launchers only (in other words, they can be put on anything). Can you make, say, a single Finder arrow at 1/50th the price, and still get its +4 bonus to Search, Spot, and Survival checks underground? Or a single Doomwarding arrow, and get all 7 charges?
Aside from that, for trick arrows, this is what I have so far. I've left out effects that only add a little damage / to-hit bonus, or things that only work on a critical; these are more things you can get away with just carrying a few arrows of, just in case.
(Remember, if something allows a save or requires a caster level check -- you can make multiple attacks in the same round with Manyshot and force the enemy to save multiple times, or whatever.)
Dispelling. 120 gp a shot.
Targeted dispel magic on anyone it hits, 1/day. Obviously, if your arrow is destroyed, the 1/day limit is meaningless.
Greater Dispelling. 1584 gp a shot.
As above, but greater dispel magic, and 3/day (assuming it somehow survives to be fired more than once!)
Anchoring. 224 gp a shot.
Dimensional anchor for one minute on a hit, 1/day (as above.)
Disarming 160 gp a shot (+2 equivalent).
Allows you to make a ranged disarm attempt.
Domineering 160 gp a shot (+2 equivalent).
Causes target to become shaken (DC 16 will save negates.)
Paralyzing 160 gp a shot (+2 equivalent).
Holds target on a hit (DC 17 will save negates). New save each round to end; lasts 10 rounds at most.
Banishing 360 gp a shot (+3 equivalent.)
Banishes extraplanar targets of 25 HD or less back to their home plane for 24 hours on a successful hit (DC 24 will save or successful SR resists.)
Clouting 360 gp a shot (+3 equivalent.)
Knocks opponent back 10 feet on a hit (DC 19 fort save negates).
If they fail that save, they have to make another DC 19 fort save or be stunned for a round.
Knockback 360 gp a shot (+3 equivalent.)
Bull rushes target as far back as possible on a hit, as a medium creature with +8 strength mod. (I can see this one being fun in many cases.)
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2008-07-06, 03:50 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Trick arrows?
You know that ammunition that hits its target is considered destroyed, right? So that 1/day and 3/day stuff is really extra meaningless (unless you're considering missed shots to be using up a charge, in which case there's still that 50% chance the arrow will be destroyed).
It's a pretty good idea, though. A lot of these are really pretty cheap for a mid-level or higher character, and the situational nature makes sense to put them on ammunition instead of your bow.
Out of curiosity, what enchantment would be the best for reproducing the arrow that splits the other guy's arrow in half (a la Robin Hood)?
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2008-07-06, 04:37 AM (ISO 8601)
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2008-07-06, 04:55 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Trick arrows?
Yeah, that's why I asked if there's any way to preserve it, and noted that the 1/day and 3/day stuff is mostly meaningless.
Out of curiosity, what enchantment would be the best for reproducing the arrow that splits the other guy's arrow in half (a la Robin Hood)?
Missed one, and it's a nice one.
Silent Strike 40 gp a shot (+1 equivalent)
Silences anyone it hits for 4 rounds (DC 15 will save negates).
Sure, not the hardest will save in the world to make, but look at that price. You can afford to whip these out and multishot away whenever casters appear until they roll a 1 on their save. Call them your arrows of STFU.
Also one more that isn't so great, but for completeness:
Explosive 360 gp a shot (+3 equivalent).
5-foot radius explosion dealing 2d4 damage, DC 15 reflex save for half. Probably not useful enough in the situations where it comes up. I guess you could use it against swarms, but honestly, it's too expensive and not useful enough even then... Still, explosive arrows is such a standby of trick shots that it almost has to be in the list.
Oh, there's one other...
Spireshard 360 gp a shot (+3 equivalent.)
Anyone damaged by it becomes unable to cast spells or SLA for 1d4 rounds; DC19 will save resists.
Sounds great, right? The will save is actually not as bad as it might sound, because it also works against SLAs, and lots of creatures have lowish will saves but nasty SLAs.
Problem: This is limited to melee and thrown weapons only. And normally, thrown weapons aren't ammo...
Solution: Shurikens! Yes, a use for the lowly shuriken. They count as ammo for enchanting costs (and for what happens after they're thrown), but are also throwing weapons. If you happen to be able to, say, flurry with them, that's even better. Well, monks do need the boost... Of course, you're still paying over 1000 gp to flurry with three of them. But still, worth carrying a pair for emergencies if you've got a level of monk or two. (The fact that it has to actually deal damage is also an issue -- DR could be a problem.)
Actually, I think I made a list like this a while back, in a thread where people were complaining about shurikens. This is pretty much the only use for them -- trick shurikens make a bit of sense, since you a monk doesn't need to devote any feats to getting the ability to throw three a round eventually (although it take a full-round action to do so, unlike a manyshot.) Well, enough to carry a few if you happen to be a monk already... which you shouldn't be.Last edited by Aquillion; 2008-07-06 at 05:23 AM.
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2008-07-06, 05:58 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Trick arrows?
Try Raptor arrows fro Magic Item Compendium. For only 6006 GP, you get a +1 arrow with the return property and that cannot be destroyed. And it has the bane property when establishing the relic connection.
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2008-07-06, 06:02 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Trick arrows?
Am I the only one who looked at this thread and thought Green Arrow?
These are non-magical but Dragonfire Arrows from Races of the Wild. Hit something and do 1 point of fire damage... with a chamce to set them on fire as well. Stick an enchantment on it, and you're good to go
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2008-07-06, 09:56 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Trick arrows?
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2008-07-06, 10:11 AM (ISO 8601)
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2008-07-06, 10:26 AM (ISO 8601)
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2008-07-06, 10:37 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Trick arrows?
Let us not forget the arrows that the pixies use: Memory Loss, anyone?
"So Marbles, why do they call you Marbles?"
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2008-07-06, 11:23 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Trick arrows?
+1 Lucky Arrow (166g): From the XPH, good for after you get Manyshot but before you can pick up Greater Manyshot, also from the XPH. Use one on each Manyshot for a chance to reroll a missed attack.
+1 Thundering Arrow (166g): Use with the spell Hunter's Mercy (SC), possibly even with Manyshot and a +1 Lucky Arrow to make sure you hit with the attack.
+1 Spell Storing Arrow (166g): Use with Dispel Magic, Blindness, Hold Person, Maximized Poison, Maximized Shivering Touch (FB), Maximized Sound Lance, etc. to effectively turn a full-attack into multiple spells/round. Yes, Maximize does work because the spell's level is not considered any higher unless you use Heighten Spell, even if it took a higher level spell slot to cast; you can even use Sanctum Spell outside your sanctum to put 4th level spells into a Spell Storing weapon. I know that Spell Storing isn't on the ranged weapon table, which only means that it cannot be randomly discovered on ranged weapons, but nothing in the text entry suggests that it is impossible to create ammunition with this enchantment.
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2008-07-06, 11:42 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Trick arrows?
Did you forget that it needs to have a +1 bonus to gain any other enchantments, making the cost 166 each? Or is there something I'm missing?
You need an arrow of dimension shuffle, It would teleport your target 10 feet in a random direction, if I remember the spell correctly.
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2008-07-06, 01:04 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Trick arrows?
Yes, Maximize does work because the spell's level is not considered any higher unless you use Heighten Spell, even if it took a higher level spell slot to cast;Time travels in divers paces with divers persons.
—As You Like It, III:ii:328
Chronos's Unalliterative Skillmonkey Guide
Current Homebrew: 5th edition psionics
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2008-07-06, 02:14 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Trick arrows?
Don't forget that the arrows have to have at least a +1 enhancement bonus before they can have any special abilities, not sure if you figured that in the price or not. I don't know of any way that magic arrows can be reused, WotC seemed pretty adamant against having that happen. You might be able to do it with throwing weapons, though, with the returning ability. Not sure.
Last edited by Moriato; 2008-07-06 at 02:15 PM.