Understanding the basics of Archery and its subgroups will allow for a quicker, more efficient deployment of ranged combatants. This primer will provide details only where necessary, and relies on the reader having a basic working knowledge of tactics and strategy. It is written with Commanders in mind, being they more often than not strictly melee fighters. Presented for your benefit;
Archers and Crossbowmen: A Guide For the Rest of Us.
Chapter 1: Understanding Your Arsenal.
A soldier is defined by the actions they take in a time of war. You can identify a soldier by the look of their eye, the shape of their back, the position of their feet and hands, and the attention to their environment. How, then, do you identify an archer, or a crossbowman? At first glance it is much more difficult; more often than not, they appear the same as any other soldier. Some men may be archers but not soldiers, such as hunters or marksmen. It is important to make a distinction between Marksman and Archer, but this will be detailed in future texts.
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The basics of ranged combat are this: An archer wields a bow and fires arrows; A crossbowman wields a crossbow and fires bolts. The best way to put either of these to use is by understanding the abilities and limits of their equipment. An archer can be identified by their equipment: a quiver; a bow; fletchings; cat's gut or other emergency replacement strings; a sidearm like a dagger or short sword; and light armor of leather, hide, or padding. A crossbowman is in a similar situation, though they will usually be less mobile and wear stronger armor.
The bow is composed, in simplest terms, of two flexible limbs ( and a tight string that resists stretching, often made of sinew. |
An arrow is made of three parts:
The arrowhead - < The shaft - _ The fletching - {
Fletching is the technique of attaching feathers to the end of the shaft, giving the arrow greater accuracy and stability in the air.
Shortbows are common in use amongst all races, but primarily are used by Hunters, Halflings, and Drow. Though lacking in the power of the longbow or crossbow, the Shortbow is easier to carry and fire, and weighs much less. The Shortbow's major benefit over Crossbows is in its simplicity; the stronger a person is, the tighter they can fasten their bowstring, resulting in a faster, more powerful arrow. This relies on the craft of bow, however, as most common bows cannot make use of this benefit.
Longbows are true to their name, typically being fired from a vertical standing position while resting on the ground. There is more power in a longbow than a shortbow, but it weighs more and can be difficult or impossible for smaller races to wield. Like the shortbow, its string can be made very tight for people with greater strength.
Arrows are typically wooden, with metal arrowheads. There is little difference between arrows and bolts, save that arrows can deal more lethal damage to an enemy when aimed properly at a sensitive area. This is because the arrowhead is slightly broader, and typically pierces and rips the area surrounding the immediate point of impact. A common practice is for arrowheads to be serrated along the edge.
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Crossbows are more complicated in their design than regular bows, and get their name from their appearance. The limbs are attached at an angle perpendicular to the crosspiece, which is held by the wielder. The bare end of the crossbow is rested against the shoulder for support, as crossbows generally put more energy back into the wielder when fired. A bolt is placed inside the mechanism and drawn back until the string locks in place. Instead of releasing the string by hand, the wielder release the lock on the string, sending the bolt into the enemy.
The general shape of a crossbow is this: T A bolt is very simple, shaped like this: l
Crossbows are typically more powerful than Bows in regards to pure piercing power. Their complicated design results in greater force, but slower firing rates: An archer aims, draws the arrow back against the string, and fires. The wielder of a crossbow must first lock the bolt in place, then aim, then fire. Also, while some archers have developed techniques to fire multiple arrows at once, it is very rare to see a crossbow that can fire multiple bolts, even in rapid succession.
Crossbows are typically easier to fire, as the subtle techniques of archery are replaced by a simple point-shoot action. They come in varying sizes, but are all heavier than most bows. Typically, the larger the crossbow, the more powerful the bolt. A Ballista is a ground-mounted crossbow of large size, used to pierce great monsters, gates, siege weapons, or ship hulls.
The Bolt, typically crafted from metal, is more inclined towards pure piercing power. The tip is often narrow, unlike the standard arrowhead, and with sufficient force it is more likely to pierce armor, scales, or toughened hide. Being fired at a much faster speed out of the crossbow, it is more likely to strike a sensitive area when that area is aimed for; however, it will do less damage to that area than, say, an arrowhead.
Bolts are commonly crafted with special abilities. A few common ones are: Crumbler bolts, which deal great damage to constructs and animatrons; Boom bolts, which strike with an explosion of concussive force, knocking over most enemies in a 10 meter radius of contact; and Electro bolts, delivering an electric shock within a short radius of contact.
The best use of archers, with their more rapid fire and more powerful critical blows, is against lightly armored opponents such as monsters, animals, or mages. On average, archers will need to keep more arrows on hand than crossbowmen.
The best use of crossbowmen, with their piercing power and simplicity, is as retaliatory fire against an enemy charge, clearing debris from the path of allied melee warriors, and using custom bolts (such as electro-bolts or crumbler bolts, made by Svirfneblins) to deal damage against specialized foes.
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The next Chapter will detail proper positioning of ranged combatants before, during, and after combat. Comments and suggestions may be sent to the Last Stand Inn.
~Fran Springbuck