Re: (TFT) Spellcasting, Fatigue, Wounds and Arrows

[pvk@oz.net]

> In a message dated 11/24/2003 8:14:51 PM Central Standard Time, pvk@oz.net
> writes:
...
>> And if wizards can sense metal innately, they get to be metal
>> detectors...
>
> Only for iron. (Technically, IMC, only for ferromagnetic materials. ...

Same deal for magnetic technological metal detectors.


>> If the penalty is -1 per 10 grams, surely some folks would make special
>> arrows and bolts with higher iron content for this purpose.
>
> No, because they'd still want to *hit* with those arrows and bolts. That
> 10 grams is for a 100% steel arrowhead. Making the arrowhead much heavier
> would result in severe Dx penalties and reduced range. One could make the
> shaft of the arrow from iron or steel, but that would be difficult and I
> doubt that the result would be satisfactory. Most likely you'd get an
> expensive arrow that flew like a pig thrown sideways.

I tend to think that increasing the iron content by 2-4 times could be
pretty easily compensated for by a talented fletcher. I expect that the
arrowhead on a wood-shafted arrow is probably rather less than 25% of
the arrow's total mass, so a spine of iron would do the trick without
unbalancing the arrow at all, and probably some simpler techniques
would work too. Also, IIRC, some Earth crossbow bolts were mostly or
all made of metal. Not to be annoying about it, but that's what I'd
expect. Of course, there would probably also be untalented fletchers
and archers deciding to try modified arrows and bolts which _would_
fly like a pig thrown sideways, which would be amusing, too. ;-)

PvK
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