Re: (TFT) Fine bows... Xbows?

[Ed Thorn <prophesor@yahoo.com>]

--- rsmith <rsmith@lightspeed.ca> wrote:
> Hi Ed, 
> 	Thanks very much for your comments!

Always willing to blather.  :)


> 	A couple further questions:  Neglecting
> play balance.  Is there any reason why 
> crossbows could not be made fine.  (I'm also
> seeing a lot of crossbows in my campaign so
> I am tending to say that they can't be fine
> for that reason alone.)

_Could_ not be?  No.  _Should_ not be?  Yes.  Do you
want 'fine' traps in your dungeons?  'Fine' meat
grinders in your butcheries?  But I overstate...

Crossbow costs _one_ IQ slot.  I would not let anyone
make 'fine' use of a 'fine' Xbow until they spent 2 IQ
slots on Xbow use.  Just like I wouldn't let somebody
fashion a 'fine' club, then use it 'finely' with the
default (free) club 'talent' the rules give everyman.

_Enchanted_ clubs and Xbows are a different thing
entirely.  But I think 'fine' requires a certain level
of understanding and skill.  I have a truly superior
longbow at home, but it's been in storage (and my
skills in disuse) so long that while _it_ may be
'fine', it and I together no longer are.  :)


> 	From what you said, the 'sweetness of 
> draw' would it be a property of the bow that 
> all users would appreciate.  Is this correct?
> Or would it be a personal thing... THIS bow 
> is sweet for THIS person, but not for anyone 
> else?

'Sweetness' would be constant for the persons that fit
the bow.  Because 'sweetness' compares the power
stored and released across the range of the draw
length, people drawing to different lengths would
estimate sweetness differently.  My recurve is very
sweet for me, but my friend Jim (maybe 4 inches less
draw?) just doesn't like it, though he uses a similar
weight of bow himself.

So you might as a GM describe a bow as "Longbow, 16
ST, +1 DX for 30 inches of Draw Length", and then say,
"It turns out that's just right for Arugula the
Barbarian."

> 	My feeling from is that it would not be 
> wildly unrealistic to say that a bow could
> be made fine.  So the question becomes, 
> what would be the most fun.
> 
> 	Does anyone want to weigh in on the 
> question, on if it would be more fun to allow 
> TFT to have fine bows.
> 
> 	Should fine bows and fine arrows add in
> abilities?

I think the Xbow/club thoughts above point the way. 
Let Bow Talent at 2 IQ slots permit a 'fine' +1DX
performance with a 'fine' weapon.  And perhaps to get
'double-fine' +2DX performance from both your fine bow
and your fine arrows, you might need another IQ point
of Bow skill?

Or more simply, just rule that you need a fine arrow
to get fine performance from a fine bow.  That doesn't
feel unfair.



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