Ranged Combat

Just to remind you, the basic value of Long-range combat (bLR) is determined via the formula: bLR=int[(IN+DE+ST)/4]. To this basic value you will add your talent points (TaP) in Shot weapons and Throw weapons to result in you Long-range skill for each individual kind of long-range weapon (LR).

Example: Yallina is an elf with IN: 13, DE:12, ST:9 and a TaP "Shot weapons" of 6 as well as a TaP "Throw weapons" of 3. So her basic value for long-range combat will be bLR=(13+12+9)/4=34/4=8.5. You take only the integer and get 8. Now her talent abilities will be added to give 14 in "Shot weapons" and 11 in "Throw weapons".

Now, the interesting point: Archery and throwing knifes are difficult to present as simple rules. Many factors have a strong influence: the kind of weapon, size and distance of the target, is there any cover ? You have to look for a compromise between reality and playability. So let us have a look at these determining factors and their effects:

Targets

There are many targets a hero could aim at: possibilities range from silver daler to dragons. So targets have to be judged and put into categories according to their size:

Tiny

Silver daler, dragon eye, mouse, rat, toad etc.

Wee

Snake, fasan, cat, raven etc.

Small

Wolf, hobgoblin, dwarf, roe etc.

Average

Goblin, elf, man, orc etc.

Large

Horse, elk, ogre, troll etc.

Huge

Barn-door, dragon, elephant, giant etc.

The master may decide which item fits into which of these categories. If the target is covered it is usually smaller than its actual size. A goblin, for example, is an average target. If you can only see the upper part of its body, this reduces to a little target. Only its head and this will even be a wee target.

If a target moves you should deal with it as one size smaller. So a moving snake would be a tiny target instead of a wee target. If you can actually sink of the target as an intelligent moving body, you have to reduce it by two classes. This is only possible for intelligent creatures and hares.

Distance

As the targets the distance is also split up into ranges:

These distances do not give any maximum ranges for weapons, they give a range in which reasonable aiming is possible. Of course, an arrow of a long bow may fly further than that, but if it will hit the target has to be considered from situation to situation. It is the master’s choice alone outside these ranges.

Missile and Throwing

Each time a hero wants to use a long-range weapon to actually hit something or somebody, she has to roll a test on her Long-range skill. The difficulty of such a test depends on distance and size of the target and this difficulty, i.e. an additive to the test, may be determined by one of the following tables. You proceed as always: Roll the 20-sided die, add the additive to the result and compare it to your long-range skill. If the result is equal or less than the skill, you have succeeded. Otherwise you failed.

Yallina (Shot Weapons:11) wants to hit an elk (big target) with an arrow of her long-bow in a distance of 50 metres (very far). So, as we can see from the long bow table, she has to stand a harder test plus 7, i.e. the additive +7, she may only roll a 7 or less to succeed (14-7=7).

Now, consider Yallina (Throw weapons:11) had a spear instead of her long bow. Looking at the spear table, you will see that it is impossible for her to succeed in the test. (The whole line is missing as you might notice) Only the gods (presented by the gamemaster) may help her in this situation and the gods are very reluctant to mess about with men.

Table: Missile Weapons

Improvised weapons as stones and bottles have to be thrown according to the category throwing axes plus additive of 2.

Option: Precise Aiming (LR+)

As in any fight one-to-one you may increase your hitpoints by announcing an additive to your long-range test.

This represents a very precise aiming at a target. Of course, the rest of the additives because of distance and target stay as they are.

If a hero wants to kill a deer (average distance, average size, fast movement) by one shot only and he is a very good archer (LR "Shot weapons" 24), he will have to announce a LR+15 shot, i.e. he will hit if he rolls 1. As everybody wood, who announces+15 and rolls 1, because 1 is automatic success. Good sport!

The gamemaster decides, if LR+ shots or throws lead to incapablity to fight, if the hitpoints are not enough to do so and the response will most often be "No!".

High STRENGTH Long-Range Attacks

To cut a long story short, these attacks are not possible, bows tend to bended far enough and cross bow cannot be rendered different. Throwing with higher STRENGTH will generally change the precision of the throw, so just forget it!

Tests for Long-Range Weapons

Prepare Long-Range Weapons

AT the end of the discussion about long-range weapons we want to make some comments as usual. An archer who wants to shoot at a target which is turning up very suddenly has to prepare her weapon accordingly (i.e. the dagger or the axe is already in hand, bow or crossbow is bended).

On the other hand nobody can keep up the preparation time for ever (the power to bend a bow or to raise a crossbow is too high and it would ruin its inherent tension and therefore its further use). So a bow is always transported with the bow string hanging loose. A wet bow-string has to be substituted and the bow has to be dried carefully, before employing it again.

To exchange a bow-string will take about 15 fighting turns.

To bend the bow and take another arrow will take 2 fighting turns. A quick release like that will, however, be far from being simple and so a test on long-range weapons would be hardened by an additive of +1 still. If somebody wants to fight with the values noted, she should wait 5 fighting turns before releasing the arrow. (But who would that in a critical battle situation?)

There are two different crossbow, the light one is bended by a so-called goat-foot and may fire every 8 fighting turns, the heavy-one needs turning around some time and will take at least 15 fighting turns to release.

To throw a weapon and drawing it before will take only 1 fighting turn. Spears are usually carried around in hands, so nobody will have to wait to throw them, just toss the dice.

Changing Weapons

Sometimes it happens that a hero looses a weapon by mischance or by shear force of the enemy. In that case she will want to change to another weapon if she got one. Sometimes she just wants to change it, because there is no luck in that damn blade. To put it back where it belongs will take 2 fighting turns, to let it tumble to the floor not even half such a turn. To draw the new weapon will take 1 fighting turn only, to take something from the back, a two-handed sword or shield, however, will take 3 fighting turns. To take a potion from a belt, open and drink it will usually take the same amount of time. If the potion is inside a rucksack, do not bother but escape…