Art of the Bow (guide)

Gemstone IV Archery Guide

“The Art of the Bow” By Nuadjha kis'Anthri, the Briar Fox

Written February 2010

This guide aims to introduce a new archer to the range of options included in archery in Gemstone IV and to provide him or her some of the basic info that goes in to making a decision in terms of weapon choice and character build, all with an eye toward long-term character viability. Ideally, the information contained within it will also be of use to more experienced archers who would like to double check damage-factor and crit-rank tables or simply expand their own knowledge. The guide breaks down into several parts:

Basic Mechanics

Bows and crossbows require ammunition, which can either be purchased at bowyer's shop, bought from other players, or made by the archer (see Fletching). Many people find ammunition to be the most irritating of the requirements for archery and the requirement turns many people off. Done properly, however, it's a very simple adjustment. For additional information, see the AIM and FIRE commands in the game.

You may hold your bow in either hand, though the game will automatically place it in your left hand (if it's free) if you use the READY and UNSHEATHE verbs.

Commands: For Bows:

To get an arrow from a bundle:
>Get 1 my arrow from my (container) (or get 1 my (adjective) arrow from my container), Ex. Get 1 my faewood arrow from my quiver

To aim at a body part:
>aim (body part) – Ex. Aim right eye.

To fire:
>fire (creature), Ex. Fire third orc

To retrieve arrows on the ground:
>gather (arrows), Ex. Gather faewood arrows

For Crossbows:
Crossbows require two extra steps beyond bows. You must also COCK the crossbow and LOAD the bolt into the crossbow.

Macros:
Some simple macros or scripts can make your life much easier.

Example Macro:
>Get 1 my faewood arrow\r fire\r

This macro will get and fire one arrow at an already targeted creature or the first in attack order in the room. You'd only have to hit F1 or the designated key to activate it.

Example Script:
Put aim right eye
Put get 1 my faewood arrow from my quiver
Put fire %1

This script would aim for the right eye, get an arrow, and fire at the creature you designate in the command line. Ex: .reye orc would fire an arrow at the orc's right eye.

Bows vs. Crossbows

Bows and crossbows come in two categories and five types: short bow, composite bow, long bow, light crossbow and heavy crossbow. Each has its advantages, though most experienced archers prefer the long bow. The basic rule is that the lighter the bow, the faster it fires and the weaker its damage factor (DF), which means that it doesn't do as much damage when it hits. This rule can get complicated, though, because the GS combat system takes into account a number of factors, including the type of bow, the target's armor, the target's natural critical or damage padding (if any), and your Dexterity Bonus (for critical weighting – see Ranged AS). Though crossbows are slower in most cases than bows, they add a +30 AS when fired while kneeling. Many people keep a couple cocked and loaded as backups, even if they normally use a bow. See the tables below for detailed information on calculating damage based on bow type, armor and wound location.

Puncture Immune and Resistant Creatures

Some creatures in Gemstone still work on an older model (referred to now as pre-BCS – Basic Creature System). Of these creatures, a handful are immune to puncture damage, and as a result they can be an archer's bane. Examples are nightmare steeds, bone golems, and vaespilons. Most are undead. These creatures are slowly being updated to the BCS, which replaces puncture immunity with puncture resistance, which without going into mechanics, simply means that archers will hurt them, but not a lot. As a result of puncture immune and resistant creatures, some archers train in a supplemental hunting method – either another melee weapon or magic. One of the most popular builds of late is the Voln Fu Archer, since the two skills nicely complement each other and have similar requirements in terms of training. The major difference in that path is that an archer will also have to train in Brawling (see Sample Builds below). Others simply ignore these creatures, of which there aren't many.

Open Aiming vs. Sniping

The basic choice of an archer's existence is whether to be an open archer or a sniper. Open archers aim and fire without hiding, which has the advantage of speed but exposes the archer to injury. Snipers fire from hiding, which adds RT but can protect the archer. The open archery path requires significantly fewer Training Points, and most archers toward cap prefer it for its speed. However, some characters, whether because of their individual hunting style, level, or roleplay, do prefer to snipe. Sniping is one of the most effective CvC styles in the game, if that's your style. If sniping, train in as much hiding as possible, because some creatures are very perceptive, especially animals and the undead. If one is fighting an undead animal, then hiding may be very difficult. The more you train in hiding, the better your chances of staying hidden while you fire, as well.

Ranged AS and DS

Ranged AS and DS are the meat and potatoes of archery. The equation for Ranged AS is fairly simple and well known, but the equation for Ranged DS is complicated and not entirely discovered. For the nitty-gritty details, see below, but if that information is too arcane, the basics are these: For AS, train ranged skill, ambush and perception (each to 2x). For DS, train ranged skill, perception (diminishing returns after 2x), and dodge. Armor and bow enchant add directly to DS, just as bow and arrow enchants (up to 10x combined) add to AS.