Ranged weapons

Ranged weapons
==============

This is the documentation / FAQ file for the ranged weapon system on Icesus.

Question: What are ranged weapons?
Answer: Any weapon which is used with the 'shoot' command is a ranged weapon.
        Thrown weapons can also be considered ranged weapons, but this help file
        refers to shooting devices such as bows, slings and blowguns.

Q:How do I use ranged weapons?
A:First you have to have a suitable weapon and ammunition for it. 
  Then you reload it with the 'reload' command.
  Then you fire it with the 'shoot' command.
  You can aim at a specific bodypart by using the 'aim' command.
  Type 'help <command>' to get information on each particular command.

Q:Why does it keep saying I cannot reload my weapon because I'm in combat.
  How am I supposed to use the weapons then?
A:You might want to try forming a party with a muscular fighter who
  keeps your opponents off your back so that you can aim safely. Also
  controlled undead, pets, elementals and golems can have the same effect,
  should you be able to acquire any.
     They say that some members of the ranger guild can sneak in the 
  room unnoticed and launch surprise attacks at the enemy, only to flee
  after firing their bows. This alternative hunting technique can be used with
  knowledge of the skills 'move silently' and 'hide in shadows'.
  
Q:Why does it take so long to reload and aim?
A:As you get better and gain stats and skills your ability with ranged 
  weapons increases.
  Try training skills such as 'archery', 'blowguns', 'slinging'
  (the weapon types) and 'sharpshooting' (affects virtually 
  everything). 
  The combat style you are using also affects the speed at which you shoot.
  Also a good dexterity score helps a lot. Remember to assign most of your
  combat points to attacking, if you wish to shoot and reload quickly.
  Your weapon plays a very important role in determining your rate of fire.
  As you practice shooting, your 'focus of a marksman' will go up,
  eventually speeding up the processes.

Q:Why do I miss all the time?
A:As with reloading and aiming times, your chance to score a hit increases
  with time and experience.   
  The combat style you are using also affects your chance to hit, as well as
  the damage you do.
  The 'timing' skill is VERY important, as are your weapon and ammunition. Magical weapons
  and ammunition will more often than not find their mark.
  You might also want to check your aiming status with the 'aim' command.
  It lets you choose between easy and difficult shots. Do not underestimate
  the 'critical areas' option, especially when combined with a damaging
  combat style, such as 'savage'. 
  
Q:All right, now I am hitting something, but I do not seem to harm anything
  I hit. Are ranged weapons useless?
A:Ranged combat might not feel a very efficient way of delivering damage at
  the first attempt. It requires some effort and experience to efficiently play 
  a pure archer/slinger. However, ranged combat (including throwing things)
  is a really nice way to start a fight. Purchase a bow and an arrow,
  possibly a flame arrow. Reload it, take aim and fire. While your opponent
  charges at you, change your ranged weapon to something that is better suited
  for close combat. If you manage to score a hit, your opponent is often
  severely wounded before you have even drawn your weapon. 
     On the other hand, if you have a good bow (or sling for that matter),
  but do not seem to make the difference, you might want to train your
  strength up. Also check that your bow is suited for your strength. After
  that, you might want to experiment with different kinds of ammunition,
  some perform better in a particular situation than others. Train all the
  appropriate skills, including 'find weakness' and 'enhance criticals' for 
  those nice critical hits. Then train the high-level skills 'marksmanship' 
  and 'timing'. Offensive battle strategy, combined with the defensive
  battle strategy of your party's front row fighters, allows you to move
  closer to your opponent and fire at point blank range.
     When all else fails, start studying magic. The 'ball' gets them every 
  time:)

Q:Do combat styles have any influence over my performance as an archer?
A:Yes.

Q:What about enhance criticals or find weakness?
A:Yes, as is already mentioned above.

Q:And animal lore against animals?
A:Yes.

Q:And xxx?
A:Yes...

Q:Help, I drew the string of my bow too far and now it is broken! 
  What's this?
A:Some ranged weapons, bows in particular, are subject to wear and tear
  as you use them. They may lose their stiffness and eventually break up.
  This is perfectly normal, only the most powerful magical ranged weapons
  are immune to these effects.

Q:Who is the idiot who coded this crappy system. I want to insult him 
  in person!
A:Galiere is, at least for the moment, responsible for this system.
  All complaints should be directed at him, except for the things
  Misrobo broke while updating things.

Q:How can I sort out my arrows?
A: In general you can handle your arrows like any other objects, but
   because there are so many they have more adjectives. You can do
   things like...
      get all divinely made flight arrow to quiver
      reload bow with poisoned enchanted sheaf arrow from quiver
      drop all not poisoned not powdered arrow from quiver
      get all made by misrobo from corpse to quiver
   If you see it as an attribute of your arrow, you can probably sort with it.



-Written by Galiere@Icesus in April 1998. 
 Updated in April 2003.