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10-27-2011, 06:45 PM | #1 |
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Jacksonville FL
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Max Damage on Bows?
had an archer recently made with a 15 ST and Strongbow Perk for a 17 St on his bow. He wants to get a bow suited to his strength (like Ulysses bow was suited to him)
Question 1: Where can I find a graduated cost table for bows of various strengths? Next thing he wants to do is purchase his skill at DX+2 and then get Weapon Master, giving him a +2. Of course he wants to purchase Very fine arrows for a +2 as well and load them into a Reflex Bow (thr+3). In total he is looking at the following: ST 17 thrust : 1d+2 Reflex bow: th+3 Weapon master +2 Ver Fine Arrows: +2 Totalling 1d+9 imp with and average damage of 12.5 A 27" Scorpion (LT 82) does 3d imp with an average of 10.5 damage. The scorpion has a much less impressive rate of fire. Am I missing something here? Can bows be built this strong?
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Two things that I learned from Dungeons & Dragons is that I LOVE GURPS and it isn't really a compliment when a gnome tells you your hair smells nice. |
10-27-2011, 07:17 PM | #2 | |
Join Date: Aug 2007
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Re: Max Damage on Bows?
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In Basic rules, getting a bow that matches your ST exactly is normal and has no special cost. For this and much other low tech manufacture, labor costs are domeinant and whatever increase in amterials you need is ignored. It would be very small. For ultimate reaism, make him use heavier arrows. They still won't cost that much but they will weigh more. Modern hunting arrows should weigh betwee 10 and 15 grains per pound of pull. There are 7000 grains per pound. I use a simpel 2x BL for the effective ST (i.e. 1x BL for each arm) but I know Doug Cole wants a higher number (2.5?) for some reason. My numbers make this a 115-lb pull bow which is very high but not impossible. Arrows should be between 1150 to 1750 grains each. If you split the difference at 1400 you get 5 to the pound which sounds like a nice even number.
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Fred Brackin |
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10-27-2011, 07:25 PM | #3 | |
Doctor of GURPS Ballistics
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Lakeville, MN
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Re: Max Damage on Bows?
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Basic Lift, ST 20 = 80 with 2.5x, a 50-lb. bow is the norm for ST 10, and a 200-lb. bow, in line with the estimates of the heaviest warbows drawn, is ST 20, which is GURPS' shorthand for "about the strongest person." It just worked out well for what I wanted. Your way is 40-lb and 160-lb, which isn't terrible or evil or nuthin'. It does mean that the heaviest Mary Rose longbow (about 180-190 lbs) requires ST 21.5, and that Mark Stretton's 190-200-lb. bow is ST 22.3. That's fine, but I like ST 20 = 200# bow. Matter of taste. And to the OP's point: yes, with the bonuses you can stack on (and no, as Fred notes, you can't do Very Fine arrows) you can do some pretty ugly things with Strongbow (allows +2 ST at DX+2 . . . NOT +2 damage), Heroic Archer (Gunslinger for Bows), Special Exercises (Arm ST 2), and Weapon Master (Bows), you can stack up some MONSTER bonuses. The bow damage in GURPS is highly cinematic as written.
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10-27-2011, 07:35 PM | #4 | |
Join Date: Aug 2007
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Re: Max Damage on Bows?
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The right archery Style form MA will give you +3 Arm ST to add to the +2 from Strongbow so I'm not worried about having the modern guy with the heaviest pulling bow by a general ST 17. He may have juiced his effective Will a little to use Extra Effort too. He probably already has Breath Control.
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Fred Brackin |
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10-27-2011, 08:10 PM | #5 | |
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Lawrence, KS
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Re: Max Damage on Bows?
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Bill Stoddard |
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10-27-2011, 09:14 PM | #6 | |
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Yukon, OK
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Re: Max Damage on Bows?
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10-27-2011, 08:00 PM | #7 | |
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Caxias do Sul, Brazil
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Re: Max Damage on Bows?
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You could create some house-rules like I did. Houserule #1-Strongbow is forbidden, an archer could buy special exercices(arm ST) and buy up to +2 or +3 ST tought. Houserule#2-Every bow/crossbow have damage reduced by one. Houserule#3-If a bow/crossbow have a ST x2 or more than Min ST, +50% weight and cost, Min STx3 or more, double it. Houserule#4-This one don't change damage, but all bows have Acc2, and 1/2 is half the max range. With this house rules, his damage will be reduced by 1d+4, very high still, but still manageable. Or you could use the House Rules from pyramid - Low Tech. |
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10-27-2011, 09:51 PM | #8 |
Join Date: Mar 2010
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Re: Max Damage on Bows?
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10-28-2011, 03:08 AM | #9 |
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Caxias do Sul, Brazil
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Re: Max Damage on Bows?
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10-28-2011, 03:41 AM | #10 |
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Land of the Beer, Home of the Dirndls
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Re: Max Damage on Bows?
I don't see a big problem when someone with the best (cinematic!) training available, using one of the strongest bows available does damage comparable to a rather low-level artillery weapon (mostly anti-personnel, if my memory serves).
Regarding the amount of CPs and $s invested into that ability, it doesn't strike me as particularly game-breaking. Considering that the same character dishes out 2d+3 swing damage without any advantages and a $40 axe, thus cleaving heavy plate in twain… |
Tags |
bow, bows |
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