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Ayrik
Great Reader
Canada
8035 Posts |
 Posted - 17 Nov 2010 : 16:44:21
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quote:
(Arik's PM inbox)
hey man i need your help again....give me a good Idea for a magical bow suited for a drow character (archer kit)....it's 3 days that i'm thinking about it and my mind produced only a lot of scrap...thanks in advance...
I'll be honest here - this isn't really an area of interest to me.
Obvious ways to beef up a special magical bow would be:
any sort of "typical" magical bow or xbow (or property of same) stolen from canon, at least as a starting point
the usual sorts of basic weapon modifiers, magical attack and damage damages, etc
increased ROF or attack rate, at least when certain conditions are met (particular kind of arrows, kind of archer, kind of target, environment, phase of moon, smile from special NPC, whatever)
applying some "unique magical sword" rules to a bow instead - the legendary Holy Fey Artifact Bow of Unassailable Elven Supremacy might be awesome, but don't let it underrate the awesomeness of a (thus-far unnamed) Shortbow that "just" has a +1 bonus, holy fire that inflicts double damage vs undead, can glow on command to provide the archer with Light and Protection from Evil 10' Radius, strums itself alarmingly whenever it smells a vampire (and once per week can fire any old piece of wood as a Heartseeking Arrow of Vampire Slaying or cast Haste on itself when facing such foes)
ability to augment or replace all arrows fired with things like Magic Missile, Acid Arrow, a small amount of added damage with an elemental or special effect (fire, cold, holy, psychic, etc), possibly only when certain requisites are met by the archer
can fire arrows that detonate a spell upon impact (suggested: Light/Darkness, Grease, Web, Heat Metal, Silence, Shatter, Fireball, Call Lightning, Wall of Whatever, Polymorph into Goldfish, Dimension Door) once or a few times each day, week, month
no normal bowstring, just a glowing strand of magical energy which only appears when "pulled" (ripoff from the cheesy old D&D cartoon)
Alternately, make the arrows magically exciting (one-shot powers) instead of the bow. This grants killer archery with limited (and hoarded, and losable) charges rather than a bow which slays everything you aim at. Powers on bows and arrows are generally cumulative.
Can anybody else offer any good ideas?
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[/Ayrik] |
Edited by - Ayrik on 17 Nov 2010 18:44:03
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Zireael
Master of Realmslore
Poland
1190 Posts |
Posted - 17 Nov 2010 : 18:57:21
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Poisoned, invisible arrows?
The rest of your ideas are quite good. |
SiNafay Vrinn, the daughter of Lloth, from Ched Nasad!
http://zireael07.wordpress.com/ |
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Bladewind
Master of Realmslore
Netherlands
1280 Posts |
Posted - 17 Nov 2010 : 19:07:52
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I think making it have limited morphing ability is kinda neat. Allowing it to change shape and size so the drow archer can fit the bow into a sheath like a dagger when stored isn't that game breaking but gives great utility.
Perhaps it comes in a case and it can be dismantled and folded in component parts ala modern sniper rifles. Adding certain parts to give it the options you mentioned above even.
Or make it be nigh unbreakable as its made from adamentite, giving it stats as a adamantium quaterstaff when wielded in melee. |
My campaign sketches
Druidic Groves
Creature Feature: Giant Spiders |
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Markustay
Realms Explorer extraordinaire
USA
15724 Posts |
Posted - 17 Nov 2010 : 21:14:23
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Crossbow of Darkness
Does normal damage, but 'infects' the victim with shadow-stuff, causing an ugly, grayish-black rash to slowly spread outward from the wound. When the rash hits a vital organ (heart, brain, ect), the victim dies, and comes back within one day as some type of undead. Once that happens, there is no chance of resurrection.
I would suggest creating a unique type of undead, but you could use any number of official ones.
Or you could link it to Lolth instead, and make the infection cause the victim to turn into a Chitine (or Ettercap) within 24 hours. either option gives the whole thing a nice horror element (the second one is almost like The Fly, as the person slowly starts becoming more 'bug-like'). |
"I have never in my life learned anything from any man who agreed with me" --- Dudley Field Malone
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Ayrik
Great Reader
Canada
8035 Posts |
Posted - 17 Nov 2010 : 22:06:03
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Invisible (and/or silent) arrows present all sorts of devious possibilities. Poisoned ... hmmm.
Is-that-a-longbow-in-your-pocket sounds awfully good, too.
Alternately, the durable bow which can withstand abuse in melee combat or even work as a weapon is good. Maybe it has a secret button that releases retractable spikes/blades? Seems like a scummy drowish sorta thing to do. I note that Elven Bows described in PHBR8/Complete Book of Elves are described as being built along the hand-to-hand idea (though, disappointingly, not made of adamantite or having any other cool properties).
I suspect something like a Crossbow of Darkness will somehow be found in my own Realms soon enough. Though I would personally opt to make the spreading necromantic infection take a longer time, say a week or so, maybe even a month, during which various stages of cumulative penalties (and manifestations of the undead state; cosmetic, psychological, even magical) are suffered ... serving as a horrible hint to what's happening, a problematic issue with undead-fearing NPCs, and a more generous time window to find the cure. |
[/Ayrik] |
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Knight of the Gate
Senior Scribe
USA
624 Posts |
Posted - 17 Nov 2010 : 22:24:25
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| Building off of the 'longbow in a pocket' idea; what about an armguard (the sort that protects you from having the string whack your arm) that the bow can be 'stored' in? It takes up a single bracer slot, and maybe even has the powers of bracers of archery; it isn't a bracelet of charms, though- it has a specific magical bow 'attuned' to it, and that's the only bow it can summon. The bow cannot be used by anyone not wearing the arm guard. Combine this with a bow that makes its own ammo (see: the cheezy 80's AD&D 'toon) and the archer is always ready to go. Even if the bow itself isn't terribly powerful, this makes it an exceptional assassin's weapon. |
How can life be so bountiful, providing such sublime rewards for mediocrity? -Umberto Ecco |
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Ayrik
Great Reader
Canada
8035 Posts |
Posted - 17 Nov 2010 : 23:04:28
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2E PHBR1/Complete Fighter's Handbook describes the Bracelet of Charms as being able to store longbows.
Standard Bracelet of Charms summarized (can of course be modified as needed):
- usable only by Warriors
- slide the bracelet around the part of the weapon that is normally gripped* then speak the command word and name the weapon; the weapon instantly disappears and a tiny dangling metallic representation of the weapon appears on the bracelet
- the wearer thereafter calls forth this weapon by speaking it's name, and it instantly appears in his hand as it was held before (same hand as the bracelet)
- if the wearer then speaks the command word, the charm representing that weapon disappears from the bracelet and "frees the slot"
- more usually, he'll speak the weapon's name again (when he's done using it) to instantly store it within the bracelet; he must hold the weapon at this time, if it is disarmed or lost it must be recovered before the bracelet will function again, if it is broken then the charm can still be "freed" when holding the remaining handle part
- the bracelet can hold 4 charms, can function once per turn (max 8/day), can hold any kind of weapon the character can hold (normal or magical) and cannot hold nonweapons or stuff like siege engines**.
* I suppose this means a bracelet which cannot be unclasped must be placed around bows while they're unstrung.
** Just imagine being able to call four fully loaded catapults, each instantly appearing right underneath your trigger finger.
[Edit: this would make an excellent ring, replacing the dangly little charms with engraved images ... wearing one bracer is a bit awkward, since most bracers come in pairs. Gloves would work as well. A pair of Bracers of Archery is an excellent idea.
Having said all that ... these items are somewhat redundant if self-storage is incorporated into the bow. I like the modular bow idea better, personally.] |
[/Ayrik] |
Edited by - Ayrik on 17 Nov 2010 23:46:32 |
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Markustay
Realms Explorer extraordinaire
USA
15724 Posts |
Posted - 18 Nov 2010 : 18:49:48
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The bow-in-a-ring is kinda cool, but it may be a bit too Barry Allen/Flash.
Years ago I had a PC that was duel-classed Fighter/Mage, and he had a ring that when turned instantly changed everything a person had on them to something else. Basically, a complete wardrobe-change, including any packs, weapons, etc...
The only thing that would remain the same was the ring itself. Came in handy when the mage ran out of spells and needed to wear some armor.
Something like that (a Ring of Change) would come in handy for things like cut-purses and assassins - they could have a totally different second disguise stored within the ring.
Would your bow just 'appear', or would it be transformer-ish? I can see something mechanical like that coming out of Lantan. |
"I have never in my life learned anything from any man who agreed with me" --- Dudley Field Malone
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Ayrik
Great Reader
Canada
8035 Posts |
Posted - 18 Nov 2010 : 19:52:38
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| lol, a bow named "Soundwave" which makes mechanical Transformers-style noises while "unfolding" out of your ring, then fires bow-shaped humming arcs of strangely resonant damaging sonic energy? Maybe stuns or deafens targets or blasts them with Silence? Can fire off a dissonant cone of Shatter or Thunder once each week? (Command word would of course be "Guile", as spoken in the bowmaker's language.) |
[/Ayrik] |
Edited by - Ayrik on 18 Nov 2010 22:01:12 |
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Ayrik
Great Reader
Canada
8035 Posts |
Posted - 18 Nov 2010 : 20:14:48
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I like the idea of armor-piercing arrows. Or are +N magical arrows already the same thing?
Anti-personnel, flechette, Armor-Piercing Depleted Mithril (APDM), stone-biter, etc?
PHBR8 provides lots of interesting arrow variants, though most of them seemed painfully contrived and unoriginal to me. The only one I ever really used was the Message Arrow (basically, the shaft is a hollow cylinder that can contain a single tightly-rolled page, too lightweight to do much damage but that's not its purpose anyhow).
How about invisible arrows that cast Clairvoyance or Clairaudience upon impact, for spying? How about some kind of non-lethal Manacles, Sleep, Choke, Forget, Tazer Field, or Time Stop arrows for capturing opponents? How about arrows enchanted with Disjunction, Anti-Magic Shell, Attraction, or Reverse Gravity for strategic applications?
I like the evil priest snake-arrow idea in the old Conan movie. However, I can understand players not wanting to carry a quiver full of writhing (or rigid) snakes. Better used as a spell than an item, I'd think. |
[/Ayrik] |
Edited by - Ayrik on 18 Nov 2010 22:31:28 |
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George Krashos
Master of Realmslore
Australia
6688 Posts |
Posted - 19 Nov 2010 : 16:18:06
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How about this (based on the Magic Item Compendium format):
Orlluth, "the Dreadfang"
Price (Item Level): 45,000 gp (17th)
Body Slot: - (held)
Caster Level: 9th
Aura: Moderate; (DC 19) conjuration
Activation: Swift (mental)
Weight: 2 lb
This shortbow appears as a solid cylinder of adamantine engraved with spiralling web and spider motifs as well as drow glyphs of power and veneration to Lolth.
By mental command and as a swift action, the holder of the adamantine cylinder causes a black-hued spider leg to emerge from each end which then join by a spidersilk thread to create a shortbow.
This weapon is a venomous +2 shortbow of revealing which confers the spiderclimb ability on the wielder for as long as it is held and in bow form. In addition, on a successful critical hit, any arrow fired by Orlluth functions as a viscid glob (see Spell Compendium, p.231).
Prerequisites: Craft Magic Arms and Armor, faerie fire, poison, spider climb and viscid glob.
Cost to create: 22,500 gp, 1,800 XP, 45 days
Revealing: Any opponent struck by a weapon that has this property is outlined in magical flames, as the faerie fire spell for 1 round.
Venomous: When activated, a venomous weapon coats itself in injury poison (Fort DC 14, 1d4 Str/1d4 Str) which lasts for 1 minute or until your next successful attack with the weapon, whichever comes first.
A venomous weapon functions three times per day.
Projectile weapons bestow this property on their ammunition.
-- George Krashos
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"Because only we, contrary to the barbarians, never count the enemy in battle." -- Aeschylus |
Edited by - George Krashos on 19 Nov 2010 16:19:29 |
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Zireael
Master of Realmslore
Poland
1190 Posts |
Posted - 20 Nov 2010 : 09:49:12
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| Lovely! Anyone got an idea on how to do invisible poisonous arrows mechanically? Poison's not trouble, it's the invisibility part that's bothering me. |
SiNafay Vrinn, the daughter of Lloth, from Ched Nasad!
http://zireael07.wordpress.com/ |
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Knight of the Gate
Senior Scribe
USA
624 Posts |
Posted - 20 Nov 2010 : 11:08:02
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quote:
Originally posted by George Krashos
How about this (based on the Magic Item Compendium format):
Orlluth, "the Dreadfang"
Price (Item Level): 45,000 gp (17th)
Body Slot: - (held)
Caster Level: 9th
Aura: Moderate; (DC 19) conjuration
Activation: Swift (mental)
Weight: 2 lb
This shortbow appears as a solid cylinder of adamantine engraved with spiralling web and spider motifs as well as drow glyphs of power and veneration to Lolth.
By mental command and as a swift action, the holder of the adamantine cylinder causes a black-hued spider leg to emerge from each end which then join by a spidersilk thread to create a shortbow.
This weapon is a venomous +2 shortbow of revealing which confers the spiderclimb ability on the wielder for as long as it is held and in bow form. In addition, on a successful critical hit, any arrow fired by Orlluth functions as a viscid glob (see Spell Compendium, p.231).
Prerequisites: Craft Magic Arms and Armor, faerie fire, poison, spider climb and viscid glob.
Cost to create: 22,500 gp, 1,800 XP, 45 days
Revealing: Any opponent struck by a weapon that has this property is outlined in magical flames, as the faerie fire spell for 1 round.
Venomous: When activated, a venomous weapon coats itself in injury poison (Fort DC 14, 1d4 Str/1d4 Str) which lasts for 1 minute or until your next successful attack with the weapon, whichever comes first.
A venomous weapon functions three times per day.
Projectile weapons bestow this property on their ammunition.
-- George Krashos
That's awesome. I wish my party were still in the Underdark for me to throw this at them. |
How can life be so bountiful, providing such sublime rewards for mediocrity? -Umberto Ecco |
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Zireael
Master of Realmslore
Poland
1190 Posts |
Posted - 28 Nov 2010 : 11:09:59
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I'm waiting for something re invisible arrows. I'd love to make a drow archer, I found an excellent portrait.
BTW could a drow be a mystic archer? |
SiNafay Vrinn, the daughter of Lloth, from Ched Nasad!
http://zireael07.wordpress.com/ |
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Ayrik
Great Reader
Canada
8035 Posts |
Posted - 28 Nov 2010 : 11:38:47
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I've read a bit about steel bows. Used in India; many historians claim these bows were superior to longbows (including reflex/recurve and composite bows) and used to decisive advantage by India's military, others believe these bows really weren't used very much or had much impact. I don't have any firsthand knowledge of archery (beyond firing some cheap fiberglass arrows one afternoon at a BBQ) ... does anyone know more about steel bows?
Steel Bows in India (1 2 3), and How bow and arrow is made. |
[/Ayrik] |
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Need ideas, magical bow for drow archer
