Composite Bow skill

General Information

Historically composite bows are bows fashioned together from disparate materials (e.g. sinew/bone and wood). Within Dragonrealms, there are three distinct categories of bow (in ordest of shortest round-time to longest round-time): the short bow, the longbow, and the composite bow. By default composite bows have a load roundtime of five seconds, making them the heaviest class of standard bow-types (excluding crossbows). Within Dragonrealms recurve, reflex and battle bows all fall within the composite bow skillset.

Like all bows, composite bows must first be loaded and then used in conjunction with the AIM verb for best effect. Curiously, composite bows are the only standard bow-types that are unable to be fletched by players. As such, many consider the composite bow the weakest varient of the three bow types. While this may or may not be true for power-gamers, when used to maximum effect the default power of bows is such that the composite bow can still be an extremely lethal weapon.

Given the overwhelming popularity of longbows and, to a lesser extent, short bows, many players choose to use composite bows to either differentiate themselves or for roleplay reasons. An example of this would be Kaldar players choosing to use composite bows because, within Gorbesh military tradition, the composite bow is the ranged weapon of choice.

Advantages and Disadvantages

Advantages

• Large damage and accuracy bonuses when using the AIM verb.
• Low load times as compared to crossbows
• Can easily fit into a standard backpack, unlike longbows.

Disadvantages

• Inability to use shield when aiming a bow.
• Highest load time of all standard bow types.
• Inability to be fletched, making rare merchant-bought bows the best weapons available.

Note: Returning players or players who do not frequent the Dragonrealms billboards should note that the evasion penalty once applied to using bows was removed after the 3x agility modifier was lowered to a standard modifier. Bows no longer have an evasion penalty associated with them.

Guild-Specific Abilities

• Barbarians and Rangers have the ability to fire two arrows at once (dual load). The first arrow uses full attack power and the second arrow 70% of the user's attack power (snap shot). Requirements: 201 in the bow skill, 30 reflex and 30 agility. Barbarians must be using Eagle Dance and Rangers must have the Hands of Lirisa spell upon them. Syntax: load arrows.

• Rangers and Thieves have the ability to SNIPE targets (firing an arrow while remaining hidden). Requirements: 40th circle within the guild. Syntax: While hidden, STALK the target and then SNIPE them.

• Barbarians and Paladins have the ability to parry arrows within the range of their weapon. While this is mostly attributable to melee, players using pole arms or pole-range weapons like greatswords will be able to parry arrows at pole as well. This is a direct defense contest of bow skills vs. parry skill.

• Shield primary (Paladins) and secondary (Barbarians, Rangers, Traders) guild have the ability to load their bows while wearing an arm-worn shield by down-sizing their shields (Paladins using medium shields, secondary guilds using small shields). Note that this adds a 3-second roundtime penalty to the loading process Requirements: Wearing a smaller arm-worn shield than the maximum allowed by your guild.