Bow Construction Review

[crayadder]

Hi all,

 

I have created a bow for one of my fantasy PCs and I would like the community's input on whether what I have created with the game mechanics jives with what I want conceptually.

 

First, the concept: The bow is elven and grown completely, string and all, from a vine. I have thus dubbed it a Vine Bow. It has 3 abilities aside from the benefit of it being perpetually stringed and ready for shooting. They are: the ability to shoot any arrow of requisite length and type (the bow is considered a very heavy bow). The second ability is to fire, 3 times per day, a vine arrow that forms out of the bow itself when the wielder draws the string and desires to use the built in arrows. These do more damage than the regular arrows. The 3rd ability I call Life arrow. When the wielder concentrates he can cause the bow to shoot itself as an energy arrow at a target at extreme range with greater damage than either the first 2 arrows and with greater chance of hitting. This ability effectively destroys the bow as it is converted into the shot.

 

The bow as created in Hero Designer:

 

Vine Bow: Multipower, 100-point reserve, (100 Active Points); OAF (-1)

• Normal Arrows: Killing Attack - Ranged 2d6, Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2) (45 Active Points); OAF (Focus: Arrow; -1), Required Hands Two-Handed (-1/2), Limited Range (-1/4)
  
• Vine Arrows: Killing Attack - Ranged 3d6 (45 Active Points); 3 Charges (-1 1/4), Required Hands Two-Handed (-1/2), OIF (-1/2), No Knockback (-1/4)
  
• Life Arrow: Killing Attack - Ranged 3d6+1, Indirect (Same origin, always fired away from attacker; +1/4), Increased Maximum Range (2,175"; +1/4), No Range Modifier (+1/2) (100 Active Points); 1 Charge which Never
  

 

Comments?

[ghost-angel]

Re: Bow Construction Review

 

That's a lot of points to put into a Charge that never recovers. . .

[Wyrm Ouroboros]

Re: Bow Construction Review

 

I agree. I ... wouldn't go for this at all, mostly for that reason -- you really don't get much of an advantage, and you lose the entire thing.

 

Note that your disads (2-handed, strength minimum, OAF Bow) are applicable to the entire pool. It's ALWAYS going to be at least OAF bow; you may have Charges for the arrows and whatnot, but the bow (and thus the MPow) will always require OAF Bow.

[crayadder]

Re: Bow Construction Review

 

I do have OAF on the pool, as for the 2-handed Hero Designer wouldn't let me choose it as a disad for the pool. I forgot to mention that this is a Heroic level campaign and this Bow is considered equipment. Characters don't spend points on it. It's a very rare find that my PC got as a prize for damn near getting himself killed 3 times in one session while saving the other PCs.

 

Thanks for the input, though! I appreciate it.

[ghost-angel]

Re: Bow Construction Review

 

If no points are involved, just write down what it does and don't much worry about the Build Of It.

[Hyper-Man]

Re: Bow Construction Review

 

When running any type of heroic level game where PC's don't pay for items the only time the points for the items (active or real) really matters is when dealing with adjustment powers.

 

In the case of this bow just decide whether or not any form of a 'Dispel Magic Spell' would ever effect it. If not then the points don't matter at all.

[crayadder]

Re: Bow Construction Review

 

Thanks for the input fellow heroes. Always something new to learn! :-)

[Killer Shrike]

Re: Bow Construction Review

 

There are several different ways to build a bow & arrow set up in the HERO System, and they are more or less appropriate depending on what you are trying to accomplish.

 

In this case, you seem to have a number of effects that can be used at range via a bow. The effects themselves are embedded into "arrows", and the arrows of different types have no relationship with each other. This is a more direct way to do this:

 

Arrow Type 1: 45 AP of RKA w/ X #of recoverable charges and OIF: Bow of Opportunity

Arrow Type 2: 45 AP of RKA w/ X #of recoverable charges and OIF: Bow of Opportunity

Arrow Type 3: 100 AP of RKA w/ 1 NRC Charge and OIF: Bow of Opportunity