Greatarrow (3.5e Equipment)

Author: Sulacu (talk) Date Created: March 29, 2015 Status: Mostly complete Editing: Clarity edits only please

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Greatarrow

Exotic Ammunition

Cost:	50 gp
Damage (Small):	—
Damage (Medium)1:	—
Critical:	—
Weight2:	5 lbs
Type3:	—
HP4:	10
Hardness:	10

1. See Damage Increases by Size to calculate the damage for a weapon larger than Medium or smaller than Small.
2. Weight figures are for Medium weapons. A Small weapon weighs half as much, and a Large weapon weighs twice as much.
3. When two types are given, the weapon is both types if the entry specifies "and", either type (player's choice at time of attack) if the entry specifies "or", or each end of the double weapon is a different type if the entry specifies "/".
4. The hp value given is for Medium armor, weapons, and shields. Divide by 2 for each size category of the item smaller than Medium, or multiply it by 2 for each size category larger than Medium.

For your overcompensatory needs.

Greatarrow

Greatarrows are frighteningly powerful projectiles designed to be fired with the help of a greatbow. Less of an arrow and more of a small lance in shape and thrusting force, a greatarrow is a 3 to 4 feet tall shaft capable of piercing the toughest dragonhide and smashing through the thick steel plates of siege engines. They are especially forged for the purpose of generating intense stopping power and penetration. Greatarrows are always masterwork.

Greatarrows are retrievable, though any greatarrow that has struck a surface or creature with a hardness or damage reduction greater than the greatarrow's hardness takes damage equal to the hardness of the object stuck. A damaged greatarrow can be repaired with 30 minutes of work, with the right tools and Craft skill, though a broken greatarrow (0 hp) requires half its price in goods and components to be restored.

Recovering a greatarrow from whatever hole it has punched in a creature, object or barrier requires a Strength check with a DC equal to the combined knockback rate of the greatbow and greatarrow used.

Ordinary greatarrows are fashioned from steel (hardness 10, with 10 hit points), weigh 5 pounds, and are valued at 50 gp a piece. For the purpose of applying the masterwork element, greatarrows are produced in batches of 10 (200 gp base plus 300 gp masterwork costs).

Magical Greatarrows

Greatarrows can be enhanced, similar to other magical ammunition. A magical greatarrow increases the greatbowman's effective base attack bonus for the purpose of dealing more damage and increasing knockback rate by an amount equal to the greatarrow's enhancement bonus.

Magical greatarrows can have a maximum base enhancement bonus of +5. Greatarrows with an enhancement bonus of +6 or higher are epic, and follow epic pricing rules.

Each point of a greatarrow's enhancement bonus adds 2 to its hardness and +10 to its hit points, as per with magic weapons. As such, magic greatarrows can withstand more punishment and be more easily retrieved as a result.

Table: Magical Greatarrows¹

Enhancement Bonus	Price Increase2
+1	+150 gp
+2	+600 gp
+3	+1,350 gp
+4	+2,400 gp
+5	+3,750 gp
Prices are for one greatarrow. Add to base price of one greatarrow; a +3 greatarrow costs 1,400 gp.

Types of Greatarrows

Greatarrows are as numerous as the dangers they are meant to eliminate.

Table: Special Greatarrows

Type	Price1
Heavy greatarrow	150 gp
Barbed greatarrow	400 gp
penetrating greatarrow	1,050 gp
Prices are for one greatarrow.

Heavy Greatarrow: These greatarrows weigh 10 pounds and have 20 hit points, and increase the greatbow's knockback rate by 5 points. However, due to the heavy weight of this greatarrow, the range increment of the greatbow is halved.

Barbed Greatarrow: Designed to stick deep inside large flesh and blood targets, barbed greatarrows reduces all of the target's movement speeds by 10 feet. This effect stacks, to a minimum speed of half the creature's base speed. The DC to remove a barbed greatarrow from its target is increased by 10, and removing a barbed greatarrow from a living creature deals damage to it equal to the wielder's effective base attack bonus.

Penetrating Greatarrow: Adorned with head flanges that cause rotation and penetrating force, this greatarrow has a hardened tip (+5 hardness) and pierces hard defenses, but peters out its momentum quickly. This greatarrow converts the greatbow's knockback rate into pure penetration power, not knocking back any targets but piercing them instead. The greatarrow's knockback rate is reduced by 5 points when it penetrates a 5-foot square occupied by a creature, up to 1 foot of wood, up to 6 inches of stone, or up to 2 inches of metal, and continues in a straight line until stopping inside the creature or object that reduces it below 0. Any creature or object with a hardness or damage reduction greater than or equal to the penetrating greatarrow's hardness will stop the greatarrow from penetrating it, regardless of the amount of knockback remaining.

A penetrating greatarrow requires an attack roll to be made against every creature and attended object (in order of penetration). Needless to say, a missed attack will not deplete the greatarrow's knockback rate.

A penetrating greatarrow loses all penetrating qualities after the first range increment.

A penetrating greatarrow ignores cover, unless the cover is created by a substance with more hardness than that of the arrow itself.

Finally, a penetrating greatarrow deals extra damage to large creatures, dealing extra damage equal to half the greatbowman's effective base attack bonus for every additional 5-foot square of its body penetrated by the greatarrow.

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