Sabrael kneeled as she crested the small rise, scanning the tracks
near her. She had been trailing this Gnoll hunter for about an hour
now, and she knew she was close. It would be the last day he did
any poaching near Surefall Glade. She glanced behind her and
sighed. They were still following her, as they had been for a while
now. I guess they thought she would lead them to easy prey, this
small group of adventurers behind her. She shrugged to herself and
rose, trotting down the hill, scanning the treeline in front of her.
Then she saw him, weighed down with the pelts he was carrying, about 200
yards in front of her, almost to the trees, already partially hidden by
the scrub growing outside the forest. She stopped and raised her
arms above her, chanting in the Elvish language, and she felt the magic
coursethrough her body. The Gnoll was surrounded briefly by
a greenish glow, then the plants and roots around him began to grab at
him, their rough branches ripping through the shabby clothes he wore
and into his flesh. He had enough time to turn and howl in frustration
before she sent the first arrow singing into him from her ashwood bow.
A few more arrows and it was over, the gnoll slumping life! lessly
to the ground as the plants released their hold. She kenlt down over
the body and began to collect the skins and the small amount of cash
on the Gnoll, as she heard the group approaching her from behind.
"M'lady," a voice came, "might we have a moment of your time? We
were impressed with the efficiency with which you dispatched this foul
beast, and were wondering if you might speak with us for a moment about
the bow you carry..." She smiled even as she listened...she
was always happy to discuss her craft of fletching and the use of
bows, especially when she could smell a sale...
Archery
In this rambling diatribe, I am going to discuss with you the proper use of bows in the world of Norrath. I will begin with a general discussion, and progress on to more specific information for each class that can use a bow.
First off, 99% of people out there don't have a clue how to use a bow. I cannot count the number of times I have heard the statement "Bows are only good for one shot before the monster gets to you," or "bows are only good for finishing off monsters that run away." While a bow CAN accomplish these two feats (drawing monsters to you, and finishing them off), it can be used in much more effective ways as well. But the use of a bow requires some qualities lacking in some people...finesse, at least a modicum of intelligence, and a firm grasp of simple tactics.
When you start using a bow, which you should do as early on as you can, DON'T buy one from a merchant. They do nothing but rip you off. They sell "Hunting" bows for 5gp or so, Shortbows for more than 4pp, and Longbows for nearly 5pp. What a waste. A simple Hickory Recurve bow made by any player with a decent fletching skill has the same range and delay as a Shortbow OR a Hunting Bow, and does TWICE the damage. I sell them for 1pp, and so does everyone I know, unless I have to drag it halfway across the continent, then I sell it for 2pp. Quite a bargain, considering. Longbows SEEM nice because they have a range of 100, but I make Elm bows with a range of 75 and a damage of 13 (as compared to the Longbow's damage of 8) and sell them for 7pp, or a little more if I have to haul them a long ways. Still quite a deal, considering the damage it does. Anyway, after that, the bows just get better (but more expensive also). You should always carry and use the best bow you think you can afford. I won't lie to you...the best bows (Oak and Darkwood) run into the hundreds of platinum to make and buy, but these are for high level characters anyway, and they can usually afford them. Besides, like any good weapon, a bow is a one-time purchase until you decide to upgrade, at which time you can usually trade in or sell your old bow and lower the price of your new one. Arrows are of little consideration in comparison to the bow. Simple 1sp arrows, sold by many merchants, are good enough for most uses. Only the best archers (i.e. higher level) should need different arrows, and they get them from a fletcher, not a merchant. These arrows do more damage at a better range, but cost more as well. Beginners and even most mid-level (10-15) should stick with the basic arrows. So now you know bows are expensive, at least the really good ones. So you ask, what good are they? Well, to put it in the simplest possible terms, they are a substitute for the offensive spells that you don't get. Rogues and Warriors never learn spells, and Rangers, Paladins, and Shadowknights have pathetic offensive capabilities as far as magic goes. At 9th level, Rangers get one offensive spell, Flame Lick or Burst of Fire or some other such nonsense. This does about 5 points of damage to the target creature, lowers it's AC a few points, and really ticks it off. Even the spells that Rangers and Shadowknights get at 22nd level are being thrown around by 8th level Druids and Necromancers. Needless to say, the monsters you will be fighting at 22nd level will be unimpressed with your magic, to say theleast. But if you have a bow, on the other hand, things change...
Even at 9th level, my ranger was able to dish out 17 damage consistently with her Ash recurve bow and cheap, 1sp arrows. On average, I could get 3 shots on a given creature before it got into melee range, and if I used my Snare spell beforehand, that increased to 4 or 5 shots! That is up to 85 points of damage BEFORE I had to start swinging a sword. Not bad at 9th level.
How did I accomplish this?
Basic Bow Tactics
Those people who only shoot a monster once before melee are one of 3 things:
a) Inside an enclosed space, like a dungeon.
b) Fighting VERY fast monsters.
c) Stupid.
After you are done reading this, go fire up your character, look at your keyboard, and press the down-arrow key. I hope that you are not amazed to find that your character moves backwards when you do this. You should know this already. So, the question is, if you can move backwards, and if you can fire arrows at a full run (which you can, unlike spells), why are you shooting an arrow and then standing there, waiting to get attacked? Pick a target, fire an arrow, and start running backwards, firing more arrows. You should get 3 shots on the average monster before melee. And you won't have run that far either. The only bit of thinking this even requires is to look behind you so you don't run off a cliff, into a bandit camp, or the maw of a waiting griffin. That's it. Basic bow tactics. You should also know that switiching from firing arrows to melee is as simple as pressing your auto-attack button. No need to switch weapons or anything. And to switch back, say to shoot a fleeing monster, just turn auto-attack off and start shooting. Simple as that. And it just gets better from there.
Warriors and Bows
For the Warrior class, a bow is a must have item. They get
no spell ability whatsoever, and their role seems to be limited to standing
in front, dishing out and recieving damage. While that is all well
and good, and indeed a necessary role, all too often I have seen the Warriors
of the world run up and start hacking on some monster only to have another
spawn next to them or wander by and join in. Why not draw that monster
away from the spawning point, or a bit closer to a safe spot near the guards,
by shooting it with a bow first, perhaps even several times, before melee
begins? Or better yet, in a group, the Warrior can intitiate the
combat by shooting, drawing the monster to the entire group. And
if the group contains spellcasters with Root, Grasping Root, or another
"hold in place" spell, or better yet, Pets of some sort, then why not just
sit back and hammer the poor, helpless creature with arrows while it is
held immoble by a spell or fighting some Pet? Play smart. Conserve
your hit points. It reduces your horrendous downtime, and allows
the casters of your party to conserve their mana for damaging
opponents instead of healing you. You will kill more things
in less time if you play like this. Isn't that what being a warrior
is all about? And if you spend your time alone, wouldn't it be nice
to be able to win easily a fight that would have otherwise been very close,
all because you spent 3 silver pieces and thwacked 3 arrows into a monster
before you started hacking on it?
Rogues and Bows
Almost everything I just said about Warriors applies to Rogues too. The only exception is that Rogues rarely stand up front taking all the damage. So what do you do while the monster is Held at a distance by some spell and the rest of the party is blasting away at it? Sneak up to it and Backstab? Depending on the situation, this can be pure suicide. Suddenly the monster breaks free and turns on YOU, or, worse yet, something even worse wanders by or spawns near the monster and jumps all over you. Backstab is a good way to help a group that is already in melee combat, but you shouldn't have to be the only one who is up there next to the monster. Buy a bow. Sit back a bit. Shoot for a while. Make the easy money. BE A ROGUE. And Rogues have the advantage that, since they don't buy the really expensive armors, and they have a ready source of cash (picking pockets), they can afford the best weapons, including bows. A solo Rogue should NEVER be without a bow, just for the versitility it adds. And bows are so much better than any throwing weapon in the game it's almost ridiculous.
Rangers and Bows
The Ranger class (and Shadowknights) is where the use of a bow really comes into it's own. At low levels, you are just like a Warrior, with about the same abilities (You get Kick later, but that's made up for with Tracking and Forage). When you hit 9th level, though, your life can become a lot easier. Go buy the Snare spell and the best bow you can afford. Go find some soon-to-be-a-corpse monster out in the open somewhere. One that /cons white, or even yellow if you are confident. Look behind you, and make sure there isn't anything dangerous back there. Cast Snare on this hapless being, and start running backwards shooting arrows. After about 5 arrows or so, and hopefully 50-85 points of damage, he will catch you. Mop him up in melee combat. Collect your loot. Heal up a little bit. Repeat. Have a friend join in if you want...it's always more fun with friends. And at 15th level, it just gets better. You get Grasping Roots, which not only holds the monster still while you rain death down on it, but the spell itself does damage too! What more could you ask for? This works alone or in groups. With Grasping Roots, it even works in enclosed spaces, where there isn't room to run backwards. What a cakewalk.
Paladins and Bows
Paladins are pretty much the same as Warriors with a bow...but that is actually a wonderful thing, as when I started playing this game, Paladins couldn't even USE bows! Also, Paladins have the added advantage of spells, including a Root spell at level 22 and blinding spells earlier than that. What could be more fun than blinding some poor creature and then shooting arrows at it?
Shadowknights and Bows
Shadowknights are nearly the best class to have a bow with. The tactics are EXACTLY the same as for the Ranger, except instead of Snare and Grasping Roots, you get to cast Engulfing Darkness. In additon to that spell, you get Damage-over-Time spells, AND you get to summon pets! Just send the pet after the monster, and rain in arrows and spells on it until your pet or it is dead. When your pet dies first, you should EASILY be able to mop it up in melee. I have never played a Shadowknight, and I don't know how tough pets are, but this tactic seems nearly unbeatable to me. Especially in a group. Especially if that group also has pets and/or Root spells. Good grief, why WOULDN'T you carry a bow? You will NEVER get a spell that can dish out damage like a good bow.
Archery skill
So, with all this in mind, maybe I have you convinced bows are a
good thing. Maybe not. Its just my opinion, but the only GOOD
reason for not using a bow is "it doesn't fit with my concept of my character."
Role-playing a charcater that feels a bow would be unchivalrous (or
whatever) or one who exists only for melee combat is fine. Ignoring
the benefits of a bow for any other reason is ignorant. In any event,
how, you might ask, does one get good with a bow? Well, start early.
I made the mistake of letting my bow skill fall behind, and there I was,
11th level, with a 102 (Master) Fletching skill (trade skills are not limited
by your level) but struggling to get my Archery skill up to my level maximum.
The best way to do this is to go out with the use of the bow as your
sole priority. Bring a good supply of cheap arrows, go into the wilderness,
and pick on monsters that /con blue to you until your skill is maxed out.
Use the tactics discussed above. Even better is to pick on monsters
(like Orcs and Gnolls) that /con green to you, but still give you experience,
so they will run away. Then you can start
the combat with a few arrows, and end it with a few more as you
follow along behind shooting the hapless creature. Just make sure
you don't use this tactic where the beast runs for help (like in BlackBurrow).
Out of doors is usually a better choice. Archery skill is tougher
than other combat skills to increase because you end up using it less.
You take many more swings in melee than you do shooting, so progress
may be slower than normal. But it's fairly cheap, as arrows only
cost a silver (or less to those with high charisma) each. And remember
to save some money to buy a good bow. Armor and hand weapons are
very important, but I hope I have convinced you that having some sort of
missile weapon on you is equally as important, or at least can make your
career as an adventurer a whole lot easier.
Mistress Sabrael, Ranger of Surefall Glade (master fletcher)
Hahati@aol.com