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Old 12-21-2010, 07:22 AM   #4
Icelander
 
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Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Iceland*
Default Re: Draw weight (poundage) of bows and GURPS ST

By GURPS rules, draw weight probably ought to be BLx2.

However, actual skill with a bow appears to give an advantage in drawing bows. For example, an average person can learn how to use a 50-lb bow without too much trouble. This does not imply that an average person has ST 11+.

Long story short, using BLx2.5 for the draw weight of bows yields pretty accurate results.

That makes a 130-lb warbow around ST 16, which feels plenty realistic. A realistic dedicated archer probably has ST 11-12, Arm ST +3 and the Strongbow Perk from MA. That allows him to use bows of a draw weight from 128-145 lbs. To use a 150-160-lb bow, you need effective ST 18, or ST 13+Arm ST 3+Strongbow.

Finally, a 200-lb bow would be ST 20. In the real world, at least two men can draw a bow about that weight.
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