Pyramid 3-33 Low Tech

[DouglasCole]

Originally Posted by Gigermann

I've found myself in a bit of an argument (strong term) regarding some of the bow concepts in "The Deadly Spring"; specifically WRT Aiming and Acc. The points in-question are:
[*]The -2 skill (or should it be Acc?) for aiming a same-ST bow, and whether or not a negative Acc result makes any RL sense

Skill. As Refplace and Dan mention, it's just harder to shoot a heavy bow that's close to the max you can pull.

[*]The effects of further Aim maneuvers on the above (FREX, when the penalty renders a 3-sec Aim to +0)

You can only hold Aim for one second (just enough to get the bonus) if your ST is +1 the ST of the bow. You can hold aim for four seconds (Aim + 3 more) if it's +4 over the ST of the bow. That's the intent.

One of the most accurate shooters I saw in real life would draw the bow as she raised it, and loose as soon as her bow was level. She hit where she was aiming at every time. So you could "waive" the first second, and say "you can Aim for one second," but holding aim beyond that requires more ST.

[*]Whether or not the Acc figures listed account for the "Harsh Realism" option for bow accuracy

These were pasted from the spreadsheet; as such, they were calculated from the bow's Velocity and Bulk according to the formula, with bonuses for Fine bow and arrow.

The question is to the writer(s) and/or anyone with RL experience with strong bows, and the effects on aiming: How did you end up with these figures, and how does it stack up with RL experience?

I don't consider myself an archer. I have seen real people shoot powerful bows, such as video of Mark Stretton shooting a 180-lb (or more) longbow. I've seen performances by longbow enthusiasts at the typical Ren Faire, as it happens while I was researching the article, and paid attention to how they draw and shoot. I have shot recurves, compound bows, and played around with bows from 45-70#.