Is there a reason hunters can't fashion bows? I can see them giving up fashion staff and/or spear for it, especially given that bows can also be made from natural materials.

Given the low number of bows around and the focus on bows in the hunter portion of the class, it just seems to make sense to me.

Thoughts?

-Falstaff

Where would the string come from that would be stretchable, pliable? Sinew is used in composite bows, usually from the legs of deer. Horn is also used in the bow making.

So, if hunters get a 'fashion bow'-like skill, I could understand it taking some time. They could add a skill like 'gather materials'. In effect, it would make the bow-making more time consuming, especially if you made it fail more often. Overall, lower the average of the weapon (26?) and you have a fine weapon that takes some time to make, though you could do better, unlike the ranger staff or spear. Gives it a sense of balance, no?

Just my two cents here, but If you go out right now
and find a decently straight length of wood you can
make a staff, and with a little bit of ingenuity a
spear. A bow on the other hand is a much more difficult
thing to get it to pull right, not snap in your hands
forgetting the whole being able to aim part, it's just
a much more difficult thing to do than people think.

It is not Falstaff who wants to make it but a made up character who has lived his life in the woods and lived by hunting and making use of bows. Why should they not get it? It make sense to me.

-----Abernyte the once fan of the hunter ranger but since given up on them.

Hehe, I was not explaining to falstaff what problems falstaff
would have in making a bow, what I meant was a ranger sitting
in the woods fashioning a staff or spear in a couple hours time
is viable and makes sense, making a bow in a couple of hours
just kicks my willing suspension of disbelief in the nuts is all.

I'm not even saying it shouldn't be put into the game. :)
I'm just saying the idea makes my back teeth ache.
heh.

Apparenlty putting in your two cents no longer means what it
used to? I thought I was throwing out my opinion on someone's
idea for the game. *scratches head* When did it become me
telling falstaff how to make a bow at home or something.
Maybe I just missed something there, just got up need more
coffee.
bbl.

I can imagine someone who totally depends on his bow to be running around with spare ropes.

I suck at woodcraft, but I could probably make a passable* (not necessarily durable ...) bow and some arrows, in like four hours, if I already have a good rope on me, and a good knife. I've done it once in a while as a kid.

Also, creating a rope by hand isn't really _that_ hard.

Considering a guy who does nothing but that kind of stuff, it would be very easy for someone like that.

* Passable for me at least, someone with more skill/knowledge would probably laugh at me.

My 1.25 cents (since you said the value of 2 cents has devaluated :D)

Heh. No worries. I figured you were tossing out your $0.02 just like I was.

Having made a few bows (albeit none of great quality), I assure you it can be done fairly easily. I'll grant you that making a staff is probably easier, but I was offering that it could be done with natural components found in a forest. I figure that your average stick in the forest isn't anywhere near as powerful as an average ranger staff. If they can make above-average staffs, someone who focused on bows would gladly give up focusing on the ability to make a spear in order to focus on making his preferred weapon.


Now that I believe this thread is up to 6.25 cents, I leave all to their relative opinions on the matter. No harm done, and no feelings hurt here regardless of how the suggestion plays out.

-Falstaff

Making a staff that glows green and heals you or making a bow in a couple of hours? Everybody picks their own spots to get hung up on reality, I guess it's just natural, and I'm sure if we dug into it, people probably suspend disbelief less on subjects that they are more intimately familiar with. So if you have some knowledge of what goes into making a solid bow, sure I can see where you wouldn't think it makes sense as a skill.

To me, it comes down to would it fit the class skill set, and does it work within the game balance framework. I think it does.

Ug, I am.. forced.. to agree. The pain... the paaaaaiiinnn.
It fits perfectly with the class and I can't see it unbalancing
anything (but then it might, and we just can't see it from
this point of view??)

I just know you need a good piece of cured wood or it'll snap
you *can* make it out of just about any decent unblemished
length though, it's just not like a kid going in the backyard
and bending a limb and tying off yarn to it.

Staff/spear = a good tanking weapon that heals with a high avg damage with lots of +hit/dam. Serpent strike is your only skill, which is pretty nice with the hunter class. As a hunter, you have no dual wield, but you can be parried.

Bow = Best tanking weapon with archery skill, unparriable attacks (think what it could do against APs/Paladins/anyone without dodge), multiple skills to use it with, including a lagging one. Now, give it healing and high avg damage and hit/dam like the staff/spear, and you have one of THE best weapons in the game. Its not balanced in the same way.

I made some suggestions near the top of the thread.

http://forums.carrionfields.com/dc/dcboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=41&topic_id=64&mesg_id=64&page=10