I think Bows own swords

[I wish my name was Baggins]

My fighter/thief that I keep trying, albiet unsucessfully, to win the game with is what I would consider to be a walking machine gun. To begin with he has his two **'s in bows, and three attacks per round. Add a, if memory serves me correctly, +1 Longbow of Speed or something like that, bracers of archery, and a 20 dexterity to boot...19 because he is a halfling, +1 from a tome...take all of this together and add Xzar "The Crazy Haste Casting Mage" and Mr. Baggins has trouble keeping arrows in the quivers. Yeah he has the short sword of backstabbing but why use it when you have an arrow hitting the target, while a second one is already in flight, while a third one is nooked in the bowstring. The geek in me wonders if his shots have less power because the bow never really completely unflexes.

[SixOfSpades]

The fact that ranged weapons are so much better than melee weapons (in BG1, at least) is painfully obvious. (Although, as Greg very correctly pointed out, having an archer-based party is only truly feasible if you have a Tank to protect them.) Even against a pack of Gibberlings, my Tank isn't very effective, as she's swinging Varscona with her 18/71 STR. That's because, as a low-level character, she's got a low Attacks Per Round; and the 5 people behind her are popping off shots like nobody's business. So most of the kills, naturally, come from the archers.

My party is:
Sanctimonia (Female Paladin, bitchin' stats)
Imoen (still in Mage Dual)
Kivan
Jaheira
Coran
Yeslick
Our Dexterities are, respectively, 18, 18, 17, 14, 20, and 18. That's one heck of an archer party. (Why Jaheira? Well, with 2 Healers on the team, plus Lay On Hands and 2 extra Cure Light Wounds, I save a bundle on Healing Potions.)

One thing I haven't seen mentioned on this thread is Crossbows. I don't like them, myself: There's only 1 good one before Chapter 5 (and man is it expensive), you don't find much in the way of free Bolts, and they have a slower shooting rate (and are therefore not as good for disrupting spellcasters). That's my opinion, how to the rest of you feel about them?

[Telchar of Nogrod]

I've experimented with crossbows and I find that they aren't as good as bows; but, they have some interesting good points. First off, if you are going to go the distance with one of your characters wielding a crossbow, then that possible crossbow in ch 5 is a must. It is really a great weapon. The problem is the deviation from the plot. I hate doing it. Secondly, Bolts of Lightning are awesome. They do a lot of damage and they make your enemy scream in pain, always a desirable feature. Thirdly, it makes the problem of running out of your favorite arrows go away. Of course, if I had my choice, and I do, I outfit all possible candidates with bows.

[Greg]

I still think swords are better, my level 6 fighter is awesome with a long sword. I do have to agree with you guys, with bows you do get more hits in but usually the damage is incredibly less the swords. If my fighter has to walk 40 yards wearing full plate while your archer shoots at him then you may only get 3 hits in for about a total damage of around 10. Once my fighter gets to your archer it is all over.

[Lord Brass]

That might be true Greg, but consider the realities of the situation. If you chase one guy, then the other (-s) are shooting at you all the time. You've failed to reach your first target, whilst continuing to take damage. Also, in "reality", if you were wearing full plate or any heavy armour, you'd be dead on your feet from exhaustion before you caught up to anybody. (Of course, in warfare using these weapons, wear whatever armour you like, as an arrow from a longbow would perforate you from a distance and you might not ever see the guy that did it.)

Crossbows though Six'. Good point to raise, but don't you feel slings are another weapon that seems to suffer. The 'Army Scythe' is good, but finding free ammunition for it is near impossible, the same as a sling. The sling is a good weapon, especially for halflings, but in the wilds of Faerûn, most of the bad guys use bastard swords and short bows. So staying equipped is a lot easier if you can use those weapons yourself. A shame really, because as Telchar says Bolts of Lightning are fun to fire. [img]smile.gif[/img]

[I wish my name was Baggins]

I have experimented with crossbows...mainly with that whimpy bard that you can pick up after you hack his boss into little pieces in Beregost...but the slow rate of fire never held my attention long enough to worry very long about them...I am curious however as to the "Army Scythe" as I do not remember ever coming across it. Can somebody fill me in?

[Lord Brass]

It's the magical crossbow that they sell in Thunderhammer's at Beregost. It costs a lot, but the effects are to give you two attacks a round, like a bow, but with the crossbow's damage. Still not worth in my opinion.

Ranged weapons are the best strategy. Everyone in my party has them. Combined with some magic missles and fireballs, and your enemies are pretty much dead. Plus, bows kill mages so fast. You can never have to many archers in that game.

[Greg]

BTW i wasnt talking about wearing full plate in real life, i was talking about the game.

[NiceWorg]

But it is interesting to try out something new instead of choosing a bow party every time. Crossbows are a good option as alternative try. But then and still, bows are simply more effective.