Earlier tonight GM Naijin linked a Google Doc containing planned updates to archery. You can locate it here: https://bit.ly/39V3E77
Goal
The intent of this design is to make improvements to the quality of life of archery, increase the effectiveness of crossbows, slightly tune the power of archery, improve fletching, and to give a clear path of upgrades for project pieces. Additionally, we would like to add more combat options available to archery so it has more options than aiming at eyes.
Note: This design document is considered approved but changes may continue to happen up until release.
Quality of Life Improvements
The main pain points of archery are:
- Ammo management, gathering, and generic changes.
- Command entry, specifically for crossbows, is cumbersome.
Ammo Changes
- The current system in place for managing ammo is not fun, it’s riddled with bundling issues (blessing, e-blades, etc), and offers no room for project pieces. We plan to fix this by:
- Making new types of bundles that are bottomless, that is, they never need to be replenished.
- Bundles will take temporary enhancements like 304 and 411, and can also be charged with fletched arrows for additional benefit. Charges stay with the bundle and function identical to melee weapons.
- Fired ammo is now intended to be disposable. The GATHER system is no longer necessary.
- Ammo bundles purchased from shops will be 0x and non-magical, but very cheap.
- Bundles can alternatively be made into functional wearable items that make sense to store arrows and bolts in.
- Arrows are able to lodge into their target but if they lack the force to do so they will shatter instead. There’s potential here to allow for customized player messaging for arrows shattering.
- Bodkin arrows will be added as a new type of ammo with crush/slash damage.
- Bundles will have a flat encumbrance of 2lbs.
Command Entry
The new system will utilize the READY system and you longer have to retrieve an arrow. Simply FIRE, and the ammo will be pulled automatically.
Crossbows will follow a similar system and become more comparable to bows. See the crossbow section below for more information.
Increase the Effectiveness of Crossbows
Crossbows are rarely used due to the speed, DS, and command advantages of bows. Crossbows will be tweaked to reduce their overall roundtime but will maintain their niche as a more accurate and more damaging weapon at the cost of overall speed and defense.
- The new command system will be similar to archery. LOAD disappears entirely and COCK/FIRE will be rolled into fire itself with a combined RT for all actions.
- Alternatively, you can still COCK and FIRE a crossbow separately if you choose to.
- Crossbows will keep their reduced DS, aiming skill bonus (+5 standing, +20 kneeling), and AS bonus (+30 while kneeling) to differentiate them as a slower precision style weapon.
- Crossbow RT will be reduced to 4 seconds for light and 5 seconds for heavy, regardless of aiming or hiding. If cock is used separately it takes 2 seconds and the remaining RT is used on fire. e.g., cock for 2 seconds, fire in 2 seconds for a light crossbow. The minimum roundtime for all bows with enough strength remains at 3 seconds (even while aiming or sniping).
- The capped AIM chance for crossbows will be increased by 5% (from 75% to 80% for eyes, other locations vary).
- Crossbows will receive a flat 5% bonus to remaining hidden while sniping.
- The chance to be revealed from hiding while COCKing will be removed since it’s already handled during FIRE.
This change firmly plants crossbows as the more offensive weapon at a cost of speed and defense.
Archery Tuning
- Ammo management is the only check (albeit a poor one) to the strength of archery. The quality of life improvements means archery needs a slight tweak to bring it more inline with the power of other forms of combat physical combat.
- Basic arrows will be changed from 100% puncture to puncture/slash (primarily puncture).
- Enchant will be removed from arrows.
- Bodkin arrows will be added and will be crush/slash damage (primarily crush).
Improve Fletching
Fletching is primarily used as a customization tool for arrows, is slow
- A bundle of 20 or more fletched arrows can be converted to a new style bottomless ammo bundle. Arrows fired from the bottomless bundle will take on the description of the fletched arrows.
- Fletched arrows can be added to the bottomless ammo which will give an equivalent number of shots of +5 AvD. This bonus is flat at all ranks. Higher ranks of fletching will increase the speed at which you fletch arrows.
- The time to fletch a single arrow will be drastically reduced.
- Bodkin arrow heads will be added to the fletching stores as a way to fletch bodkin arrows.
Give a clear path of upgrades for project pieces
Archery is the only system in the game that allows two separate pieces of gear to dictate the total enchant of the weapon. This means most archers stop upgrading their bow at 5x or 6x enchants and bows have limited upgrades available. Arrows are eventually lost and are a poor candidate for upgrades because of this.
- Ranged weapons will be the target of project pieces and enchant will be removed from arrows. This gives a reason to push bow enchants up to 10x. Ranged weapons should take all the upgrades that melee weapons do.
- Ranged weapons will accept ensorcell, enchant, sighting, flares, blesses, and scripts.
- Arrow bundles are meant to be interchangeable with your hunting needs. For example, you can have a fire flaring bow and use an ice flaring bundle of arrows to hunt fire immune creatures. In the same area you could use blessed arrows to kill the undead.
Improving Archery Options
- CMAN MFIRE will be moved to a MFIRE verb that functions similarly to MSTRIKE. MoC rank thresholds, targets, and roundtimes are the same as melee. Bows have a 7/6/5 base RT. Crossbow times are still TBD.
New Combat Maneuvers
Truehand will now function with archery and be renamed True Strike.
Skill Name: True Strike
Mnemonic: truestrike
Hostile: Yes
Stamina Cost: Base 10. Additional stamina costs are determined by the Base Weapon Speed of your attack. A stamina penalty of +1 per second of base speed is applied for each second under 5 and +2 for each second over 5. For two weapon combat, an effective Base Weapon Speed is calculated by taking the primary weapon's base speed, adding half the secondary weapon's base speed (rounded up), and adding 1 to the result. The minimum stamina cost is 10.
Other Requirements: Cannot be used from hiding.
Available to: Warriors, Rogues, Rangers, Bards, Monks, Paladins.
Prerequisites:
None
CMP Cost:
Rank 1: (Squares) 2 (Semis) 3
Rank 2: (Squares) 4 (Semis) 6
Rank 3: (Squares) 6 (Semis) 9
Rank 4: (Squares) 8 (Semis) 12
Rank 5: (Squares) 10 (Semis) 15
Description: Increases the chance to hit your target for one attack. At Rank 1, True Strike changes the standard attack d100 roll to 20 + d80 and reduces the target's chances of evading, parrying, and/or blocking your attack by 10%. Each additional rank adds 10 to your combat roll (d80, d70, d60, d50, d40) and reduces your opponent's evasion, parry, and blocking ability by a further 10%.
New Dislodge maneuver.
Skill Name: Dislodge
Mnemonic: dislodge
Hostile: Yes
Stamina Cost: Base 15 (-5 Rank 1, -3 Rank 2)
Other Requirements: An empty hand.
Available to: Warriors, Rogues, Rangers, Bards, Monks, Paladins.
Prerequisites:
None
CMP Cost:
Rank 1: (Squares) 2 (Semis) 3
Rank 2: (Squares) 4 (Semis) 6
Rank 3: (Squares) 6 (Semis) 9
Rank 4: (Squares) 8 (Semis) 12
Rank 5: (Squares) 10 (Semis) 15
Description: Attempt to violently retrieve ranged ammo or a hurled weapon that has been lodged in your target. Successful attempts will place the weapon in hand.
Archery Related Scripted Items
Affected
Compartmentalized Quiver
Mechanical Bow/Crossbow
Not affected
Wand Bow
Mechanical Quiver
Spirit Glove, not affected
Elemental Bow, not affected
Poison Bow, not affected
Duplicating Quiver
Trueshot Quiver
Witchwood Quiver
Racial Sighted Bows