After reading some of the strategy posts here in the forum, I decided to well-equip my party with ranged weapons.

It's devastating. With a little slowing spell support to combat massive hordes, everything gets wiped out rather quickly.

One of my Fighters has 4 attacks per round with the magic bow I've got him equipped with. Couple that with a THACO of 8 and he's dicing up the enemy -- and running out of arrows. I went through 120 arrows in one area of Dorn's Deep.

With this much effective firepower, is there any reason not to equip the party almost entirely with ranged weapons? (other than running out of ammunition once in a rare while.)

------------------
http://www.angelfire.com/anime2/memn...ges/bronze.gif
Most Subtle Official Straightman of the Laughing Hyenas -- Grammarian Brigade.

I usually only equip my fighter/thief(bow), ranger(bow/x-bow), ranger/cleric(sling), and fighter/druid(sling) with range weapons (they are not in the same party), and yes, I agree range weapon are pretty powerful at times. There are times where there are close encounters, hence my other party members usually engage in melee after maybe a spell or two. Personally I consider range weapon as close support for my melee party members, their job is to wear down enemies (similar to pure class mages in my games).

------------------
Long live H22A1!!!!!

Does IWD add in the penalty for using a ranged weapon in close combat the way BG2 does? I mean in BG2, your opponents get something like +4 to hit when you are using a ranged weapon in melee combat. I don't notice the same penalty in IWD, but then maybe I just take out the enemy before they get too many hits on me.

------------------
http://www.angelfire.com/anime2/memn...ges/bronze.gif
Most Subtle Official Straightman of the Laughing Hyenas -- Grammarian Brigade.

I don't know about the penalty for using ranged weapons on opponents closed with you own people, but I have been hit in the back by my Archer more than once. In 3E which I have heard is what IWD is supposed to mimic, a miss is just a miss. No chance of hitting party members. The user of the ranged weapon is supposed to have aimed wide to avoid hitting commrades.
Since you can not perform Called Shots in any of the infinity engine games then the penalties for those don't apply either. Wouldn't it be nice to have an Arcane Archer in your party.

------------------
http://home.online.no/~tobak/bloodshadows/crest.gif

I am starting to fall in love with ranged weapons myself. I used only 4 members of my party to clear the area of Lower Dorn's Deep with the Idol. I took my fighter/thief, Ranger, and Paladin and equipped them with bows and magic arrows of varying types and had them slowly uncover the room, wiping out the idol's minions one and two at a time with arrows. My mage was ready with dispel magic for those nasty spells the mummies sling. That was that! The whole level cleared with almost no hit points lost.



------------------
Gaelic

The AC and the attack in melee with bows still aplise and that you sometimes get the same thing as with spellcasting, you get interupted..

I usually go for a quick combo, clerics and wizards with slings and fighters with bows and 2handed swords. One paladin who has a X-bow, major drag to change to sheild and sword everytime melee is unavoidable..



------------------
http://wolfgir.najk.net/name.gif
WOLF WINS EVERY FIGHT BUT ONE, AND IN THAT ONE, HE DIES

I've never used X-bows. I tend to assume they are slow. Some in IWD seem pretty good, but I have a natural affinity to longbows myself. Maybe my bias comes from the days of PnP D&D when I played Elven Archers.

Are crossbows effective?

------------------
http://www.angelfire.com/anime2/memn...ges/bronze.gif
Most Subtle Official Straightman of the Laughing Hyenas -- Grammarian Brigade.

The archer kit in BG2 (Ranger Sub-Class) gives you the called shot ability. I never really obothered to use it very much, so I don't know if the game engine made it work properly.



------------------
http://www.angelfire.com/anime2/memn...ges/bronze.gif
Most Subtle Official Straightman of the Laughing Hyenas -- Grammarian Brigade.

Hmmmm...maybe I will have to try BG2 again. Missed that. Thanks Father Bronze.

------------------
http://home.online.no/~tobak/bloodshadows/crest.gif

>>Are crossbows effective?

The second best ranged weapon in the game is the repeating light crossbow. Has 1/2 attacks less per turn than the Longbow +4: hammer (the 4 attack one). Combine that with the fact that crossbows deal 1-8 damage as opposed to 1-6 of bows... yah, they are effective. Things like the crossbows of accuracy are nice for classes who's thac0 falls behind (like thieves/bards). It never hurts to have a character or two that's good with them. That way, you can use all the magical bolts you find. There are more good bows than crossbows though, in my opinion.

Now, as to the power of ranged weapons... the ammo limitation is the big thing. And it gets bigger the higher level of difficulty you play on. Kick it up to Heart of Fury mode and the critters have so many hp's that you won't rely upon archery in most instances. On HoF mode, you quickly wind up going melee with all but your mage/clerical types. The good old slings don't go through ammo. The high hp of critters means that they'll live to close on you anyway.

The second limitation is critters that require a certain level of magic to hit. Only what is on your arrow counts.

And the third disadvantage is that archery damage doesn't do as much as melee. My fighter/thief clocks things for 20+, hit after hit after hit. And other melee weapons have chances to petrify, destroy, slow, whatever the enemy.

Fourth limitation is space. All those arrows, bolts, and bullets take up inventory space.

Now, all of my characters always carry a ranged weapon. There are times when mass ranged firepower is called for. But the main ranged weapons I use (besides slings on the casters that can't take a HoF-mode punch) are the throwing axe +2 and lover (+4 throwing dagger). Both of these don't offer mass attacks per round... but neither requires ammo.

By the way, to carry it all a step further, try throwing summoned critters into the mix. Summoned critters are the main way I deal with enemy spellcasters now. The melee enemies tend to rush up front, so I drop summoned critters behind the lines to mulch their casters. However, summoned critters also work great cast in front of your party while you fire arrows past them.

THe only thing I don't like about crossbows is the lack od ammo availability. You pick up tons of arrows throughout the game, but few bolts. The Electricity ones were cool though.

I need to try the summon series of spells. I still have not gone that route.



------------------
Gaelic

Monster Summoning spells are nice. They can take the heat off of your characters for a few seconds. They can also be used to spring traps. Unfortunately I have noticed thay they dissappear if you pass into a new area. Even if it is just another room away like the caverns under the statues of the Dwarven and Elven kings in the first level of Dorn's Deep.

------------------
http://home.online.no/~tobak/bloodshadows/crest.gif

Some, i use them for psychologicla effects on myself and my pen and paper days http://www.tgeweb.com/cgi-bin/ubb/no...es/biggrin.gif (There are still some left!)
i use them to get one shot before advancing into meee combat. They´re slow (except of speed) and well, due to some bolts they´re quite good. Slaying, biting and so on. They do pack some ounch but are never the less less useful than a bow due to rate of fire.

I prefer Composite bows! http://www.tgeweb.com/cgi-bin/ubb/no...es/biggrin.gif or longbows. (I too liked elven archers and mainly wanted to play a ranger bot unfortunately i always got stuck with the bard.. perhaps thats why i like to play a neutral fighter that whoops around =) ) hehe sorry for the carry-away there..

The X-bow of accuracy is good for characters that never hit s anything too! hehe..


------------------
http://wolfgir.najk.net/name.gif
WOLF WINS EVERY FIGHT BUT ONE, AND IN THAT ONE, HE DIES

I LOVE ranged weapons! I make sure all my team can use 'em. It is especially important for Mages and Thieves to have Ranged attack, due to lower health points, but good for all. http://www.tgeweb.com/cgi-bin/ubb/no...miles/rail.gif

------------------
Smile! Life is too short for bitching! http://www.tgeweb.com/cgi-bin/ubb/no...s/EEhearts.gif

Fljotsdale

RE Monster Summoning spells - The monsters do disappear. Try casting "Create Undead" instead. Skellybobs and Zombies are weak, but they still take the heat off your party. Give them a try.

Nah, avoid them. Not only are they weak, but they stay around... in the area you are currently in, they won't follow from map to map. There is a summoning limit of 6 critters. This means that if you enter the same area from another location, those pesky undead count against your limit and could therefore stop you from summoning as many critters as you want to. Higher level summonings stick around longer and are healed by the bard war chant of sith. The lower level ones are best cast only when you need them, as their duration tends to be short.

I usually use ranged weapons on the party members that I want to keep away from the combat area, and they usually will pick a target and stay on him until termination. I use my stong fighters up close and personal with the biggest one of them all, and have one ranged weapon spearing him from the rear at a distance. The other ranged weapons look for those weaker, but still annoying little baddies. That usually wipes out the screen of all the debris, so I can consentrate on the other bigger problems.
(It is also a good way to get a fighter out of harms way, if he is dying, yet keep him in the battle)

------------------
http://www.dewa.com/animated/7.gif
Larry, a Loyal Guardian of the OHF

True!

I prefer the range attacks to. I usually have a hasted, or invisible thief going up to get the a sneak/backstab attack and then run back to the company waiting with range weapon all save one stopper that the enemies starts to attacking. All the others then starts to hoose em down with arrows, bolts, slingstones and magic and that poor fughter whoops ass as a maniac http://www.tgeweb.com/cgi-bin/ubb/no...es/biggrin.gif



------------------
http://wolfgir.najk.net/name.gif
WOLF WINS EVERY FIGHT BUT ONE, AND IN THAT ONE, HE DIES

I'll have to try that tactic. Is it effective in the final...building, or does the fighter tend to get hammered too fast?



------------------
Gaelic

Without much spoiling . . .
.
.
.
ranged weapons don't work very well in the final battle.

If you need further clarification, let's start another thread so as not to have spoilers in this thread. This discussion has been very good for helping with strategy, without spoiling the plot for those who haven't gotten very far.



------------------
http://www.angelfire.com/anime2/memn...ges/bronze.gif
Most Subtle Official Straightman of the Laughing Hyenas -- Grammarian Brigade.

Actually, ranged weapons can work quite nicely in the final battle.

Of course, you need Arrows of Piercing (which you gotta find) to hit anything if you're using Bow.
Now for those who use Crossbow, you'd need something nice like the bolts of lightning (you can even BUY that ammo!)

i find that a rogue or a fighter type spell caster do very well to stand back and fling bolts at the boss (for IWD and HOW)

No sweat, no spoiler here.

I finished IWD yesterday and I see both points. Perhaps I will start a thread about tactics for the final battle of IWD.



------------------
Gaelic