Shooting Ranges
Regardless of the type of bow being used, indoor shots (underground, in a building or structure) in areas with a roof or ceiling height of 10 feet have a range limit of 150 feet (15″.)  Arrows need to be ‘arched’ for long range shots (hence the term ‘archery’) and low roofs or ceilings will interfere with any shot at a target beyond 150 feet.  Targets that are closer then 150 feet can be shot with a flat trajectory or an arch that is slight enough to not interact with overhead obstacles.

Bows

NOTE: If your character does not have a Strength greater then 15, there really is no point investing in expensive bows!
Bows able to handle 18 or greater Strength MUST BE CUSTOM MADE! 

Powerful, custom made bows, whether they are Self Bows or Composite Bows, require someone of compatible Strength to string them.  A bow made for someone with a Strength between 18:01 and 18:75, cannot be strung by someone with a strength of less then 18:01.  An archer with only 18 Strength CAN shoot it (getting a damage bonus up to the max for their Strength) But they cannot string it.

With ALL Bows, the larger and more powerful the bow, the more expensive it is!

Self Bows

A Self Bow is made from a single piece of wood. The strength of the bow is a reflection of the length and the wood type, with an upper limit due to inherent limits of wood and the practicalities of bow size. The strength of the Bow, and the amount of strength bonus damage that can be transmitted through the arrow is a function of length.

A Self Longbow is 5 to 6.5 feet in length. (Strung. It is longer unstrung.)
A Self Long Bow will allow Damage Bonuses based on Length

A 5 foot bow is the Standard Long Bow. It gives NO Damage Bonus regardless of the character’s ST
A 5 to 5.5 foot bow will allow +1 Damage Bonus for 16 to 17 ST
A 5.5 to 6 foot bow will allow +2 Damage Bonus for 18 ST
A 6 to 6.5 foot bow will allow +3 Damage Bonus for ANY 18 exceptional ST

 

 

Self Long Bow Size/Type	Price
5′ NO Damage Bonus	60gp
5′ to 5.5′ +1 Damage Bonus	100gp
5.5′ to 6′ +2 Damage Bonus	180gp
6’+           +3 Damage Bonus	300gp

A Self Short Bow is 3.5 to 5 feet in length. (Strung. It is longer unstrung.)
A Self Short Bow will allow Damage Bonuses based on Length

A 3.5 foot bow is the Standard Short Bow. It gives NO Damage Bonus regardless of the character’s ST 
A 3.5 to 4 foot bow will allow +1 Damage Bonus for 16 to 17 ST
A 4 to 4.5 foot bow will allow +2 Damage Bonus for 18 ST
A 4.5 to 5 foot bow will allow +3 Damage Bonus for ANY 18 exceptional ST

 

Self Short Bow Size/Type	Price
3.5′ NO Damage Bonus	15gp
3.5′ to 4′ +1 Damage Bonus	30gp
4′ to 4.5′ +2 Damage Bonus	60gp
4.5′ to 5′ +3 Damage Bonus	100gp

 

Composite Bows

A Composite Bow is a bow made from horn, wood, and sinew laminated together. The horn is on the belly, facing the archer, and sinew on the outer side of a wooden core. When the bow is drawn, the sinew (stretched on the outside) and horn (compressed on the inside) store more energy than wood for the same length of bow. The strength can be made similar to that of all-wood “self” bows, with similar draw-length and therefore a similar amount of energy delivered to the arrow from a much shorter bow. However, making a composite bow requires more varieties of material than a self bow, its construction takes much more time, and the finished bow is more sensitive to moisture. They are more convenient than self bows when the archer is mobile, as from horseback, or from a chariot. The composite bow is more popular in dry or arid regions.

The best Composite Long Bows are made by the Elves.  They add +1 to Hit for the archer using them.  (There is debate amongst Elves whether the best are made by the Wood Elves or the Grey Elves.)  The Elves RARELY sell them and the price (IF available) is very high!  10x the price of a comparable Human made Composite Bow.  They are sometimes given as gifts.

A Composite Longbow is 4 to 6 feet in length. (Strung. It is longer unstrung.)  A Composite Long Bow will allow Damage Bonuses based on Length

A 4 foot bow will allow +1 Damage Bonus for 16 to 17 ST
A 4.5 foot bow will allow +2 Damage Bonus for 18 ST
A 5 foot bow will allow +3 Damage Bonus for 18:01 to 18:75 ST
A 5.5 foot bow will allow +4 Damage Bonus for 18:76 to 18:90 ST
A 6 foot bow will allow +5 Damage Bonus for 18:90 to 18:00 ST*

Composite Long Bow Size/Type	Price
4′ to 4.5’+1 Damage Bonus	100gp
4.5′ to 5′ +2 Damage Bonus	200gp
5′ to 5.5′ +3 Damage Bonus	400gp
5.5 to 6′ +4 Damage Bonus	800gp
6’+          +5 Damage Bonus	1600gp

Composite Short Bows are made by the Yttral Nomads of Palador, who DO sell them to traders. 

A Composite Short Bow is 2.5 to 4 feet in length. (Strung. It is longer unstrung.)  A 2.5 to 3 foot bow, that is able to be used as a weapon (NOT a children’s toy) is ONLY possible as a Composite Bow!
A Composite Short Bow will allow Damage Bonuses based on Length

A 2.5 to 3 foot bow allows normal Damage
A 3 foot bow will allow +1 Damage Bonus for 16 to 17 ST
A 3.5 foot bow will allow +2 Damage Bonus for 18 ST
A 4 foot bow will allow +3 Damage Bonus for 18:01 to 18:75 ST*

 

Composite Short Bow Size/Type	Price
2.5′ to 3′ NO Damage Bonus	75gp
3.’ to 3.5′ +1 Damage Bonus	150gp
3.5′ to 4′ +2 Damage Bonus	300gp
4’+           +3 Damage Bonus	600gp

* MAXIMUM Strength Damage possible for the bow

NOTE: Strength Bonuses NEVER apply to the To Hit roll for a Bow. Only to Damage.

 

Arrows and Arrow Heads

Long Bow and Short Bow arrows are NOT interchangeable.  However, any long bow arrow can be used on a Self or Composite Long Bow and any short bow arrow can be used on a Self or Composite Short Bow.

Flight Arrows
Having minimal points (1d3 damage vs AC 10 to 6 1pt vs AC 5 or better) and weighted and crafted for long distance and in some cases target practice and training.)  Unless shot at something hard (archery butts are NOT hard) most Flight arrows can be recovered undamaged. If they can be found.  Flight arrows break only on a roll of 1 on a D6.

Hunting Arrows
The General Purpose arrow used by most hunters and common folk. Several tips are available depending on the game sought.   Hunting arrows that find flesh have a 3 in 6 chance of breaking off in a target. (This is the arrow in the PHB.)

War Arrows
Heavier, weighted arrows with tips designed for armor penetration and maximum damage.  War arrows that hits hardened armor targets (Scale or better) will be damaged 4 in 6 times.  Versus softer targets, leather, flesh… They are damaged only 2 in 6 times.

Arrow Type	Cost	Damage
		Small and Medium	Large
Hunting Arrow, short bow	1sp	1d6	1d6
per dozen	12sp	—	—
Hunting Arrow, long bow	2sp	1d6+1	1d6+1
per dozen	1gp	—	—
War Arrow/Bodkin, short bow	3sp	1d6+1	1d6+1
per dozen	36sp	—	—
War Arrow/Bodkin, long bow	4sp	1d6+2	1d6+2
per dozen	2gp	—	—
Flight Arrow, short bow	1sp	See Description above
per dozen	12sp	—	—
Flight Arrow, long bow	1sp	See Description above
per dozen	12sp	—	—
Blunt Arrows, short bow	2sp	See Description below
per dozen	1gp	—	—
Blunt Arrows, long bow	3sp	See Description below
per dozen	36sp	—	—

Arrow Heads

These vary from area to area and by purpose.

Armor Class To Hit Adjustments are NOT made based on the Bow shooting the arrow, but rather on the type of arrow BEING shot. Calculation is made using the BASE ARMOR TYPE.  (Example: Plate = AC3) It DOES NOT include Target’s Dexterity, Magic Bonuses, situational modifiers or Natural Armor.

To Hit Armor TYPE Adjustments
Armor Type	Hunting Arrow	Blunt Hunting Arrow	War Arrow (Bodkin)	Flight Arrow
None	+4	+3	+5	+3
Padded/Gambeson	+3	+2	+4	+2
Hide/Fur	+3	+2	+4	+2
Light Leather	+3	+1	+4	+1
Molded Leather	+2	0	+3	0
with Mail	1	-4	+2	-3
Studded Leather	+1	-1	+3	-1
with Mail	0	-5	+2	-4
Ring Mail	0	-2	+3	-1
Scale Mail	0	-3	+2	-2
Mail Butted	-1	-4	+2	-3
Mail ‘Noble’	-1	-4	+1	-3
Mail ‘Imperial’	-1	-4	+1	-3
Double Mail	-2	-5	0	-4
Double Noble	-2	-5	0	-4
Double Imperial	-2	-5	0	-4
Banded	-3	-5	+1	-4
with Mail	-4	-6	0	-5
Lamellar	-3	-6	+1	-4
with Mail	-4	-7	0	-5
Plate	-4	-7	0	-5
with Mail	-5	-8	-1	-6
Noble Plate	-6	-9	-1	-7
Imperial Plate	-7	-10	-2	-8

Blunt Hunting Arrows are intended for shooting small game without tearing up the meat or pelt.  Against targets larger then a quail, rabbit, squirrel, etc they do 1d3 vs S (Ex: Kobold)  1-2 vs M (Human) 0 vs L.