Archer can't hit anything (help?)

[sllort]

Bored with playing a mage in every BG game ever, I decided to take a fresh start with BG2 and play a female elven archer. Roled myself a 19 dex and 18/89 strength, threw 5 points into longbow, and i was on the road. Yay.

Now, I'm halfway through chapter three, and I have a bit of a problem.

I CAN'T HIT ANYTHING.

If she says "my weapon has no effect" one more time i'm gonna have Jan backstab her to shut her up. Seriously.

I've noticed that there are two bows which require no ammunition. These are both SHORT BOWS and are completely useless to someone without longbow proficiency. Their magic arrows, btw, hit everything that my longbow can't. So my fighter, Mazzy, can hit stuff with her cheap little shortbow, but my expert elven archer with 19 strength and a +3 damage longbow for ogres is completely USELESS. Can't hit vampires, golems, most undead, shadows, liches... well, you know the deal. +2 arrows, fire arrows, and acid arrows completely DON'T HELP.

So, what I want you all to tell me is the good news. Tell me I don't have to start the game over. Tell me that somehow there's a way for me to fire magical arrows out of a longbow with an elven archer and actually damage something other than peasants. Tell me I don't have to start over as a half orc druid dual wielding flails made of fairy soap to be able to actually SLDFJASLKDFJASfing hit something.

Please, tell me the good news.

[Maxamus]

Hmmm

Well the good news i can give you is this

Shadowkeeper can help you. If you don't midn having the constna thought of cheating, then it can give you the proficenies in any thign you want. So you can put the same profiences for short bow as your long bow, and be in good shape. The only problem is you'll probably have the thought of cheating big time and ruinging the game.

My mega-mage is startign to annoy me cause he can;t have damage inflicted to him, so good luck. (360 base hp soudned good at the time)

[Dundee Slaytern]

"My weapon has no effect"

Dude, start using enchanted arrows. Tansheron and Gesen Bow uses +3 and +4 enchanted arrows respectively. There are buttloads of +1 and +2 enchanted arrows sold in shops and scattered throughout the game. Use them.

For the rare occasion when an enemy is immuned to +2 and lower weapons, switch to either Shortbows.

You just need a few * in Shortbows.

[Gothmog, Lord of Balrogs]

since you have longbow+++++, put every new proficiency into a different melee weapon. Use the best one (flail of ages is a perennial fave). Use LOTS of +1 and +2 arrows, because they are in practically infinite supply. If you have ToB, drop by the Watcher's Keep (first level ONLY!) and pick up the Potion Case, Ammo Belt, and Quiver of Plenty +1. Those three items will solve most of your problems. (PC&AB give you more space and more money b/c more stuff sold)

[sllort]

Just to clarify a few points I may have missed in my rant:

I don't have short bow proficiency. I have longbow +++++.
Arrows +1 and +2 don't count as magical. Neither do piercing, frost, fire, acid, or anything else I can find. Only the two magical shortbows do. This means you can't use a longbow to fight anything hard. (Golems/shadows/vampires/etc).

In short, is there any way to fire a magical arrow from a longbow?

I'm in the process of rolling myself a new character right now because I have the suspicion that the answer is no. But please, if I'm wrong, let me know.

At least she has Hide in Shadows 100. So she can hide her head in shame and run after failing to hurt anything.

Bah.

[Dundee Slaytern]

+2 enchanted arrows are not magical?

*cough*

My solo Archer must have been delirious when he killed that Stone Golem then.

All other arrows other than normal ones, are +1 enchanted. Even arrows of piercing are +1 enchanted, not +4.

Seriously though, start pumping * into Shortbows when you have a chance. Consider them as backup weapons for things like Greater Vampires/Mummies, Iron Golems and Demi-Liches.

[Maxamus]

The Demi Lich screwed me over when I played an archer, I thought it was the Lich, not demi

Anyway, I ran out of arrows (stupid stupid stupid) and attacked the demi lich with Atbanes Balde +2, killed it, but when I *thought* i fought a real lich,when I took on a real lich, effects (still out of arrows > ) were very similliar

[Dundee Slaytern]

Originally posted by Maxamus: The Demi Lich screwed me over when I played an archer, I thought it was the Lich, not demi Anyway, I ran out of arrows (stupid stupid stupid) and attacked the demi lich with Atbanes Balde +2, killed it, but when I *thought* i fought a real lich,when I took on a real lich, effects (still out of arrows > ) were very similliar

I sense a flaw in your tale. Demi-Liches require +4 enchanted weapons to hit. So I highly doubt it was a Demi-Lich that you killed with, using Arbane's Blade +2.

PS: Demi-Liches and Liches look veryyyy different. The only Demi-Lich in SoA requires you to kill a Lich first anyway.

[ 06-16-2002, 12:55 AM: Message edited by: Dundee Slaytern ]

[sllort]

Dundee, I don't mean to contradict you. I'm just telling you what happens when I play the game. I shoot +1 arrows at stuff, and my archer yells "my weapon has no effect". I have mazzy shoot her ammo-less bow at the same creature, it hits.

I don't know why. I'm just tired of not hitting things. It's annoying.

[Dundee Slaytern]

Originally posted by sllort: Dundee, I don't mean to contradict you. I'm just telling you what happens when I play the game. I shoot +1 arrows at stuff, and my archer yells "my weapon has no effect". I have mazzy shoot her ammo-less bow at the same creature, it hits. I don't know why. I'm just tired of not hitting things. It's annoying.

Some enemies require +2 enchanted arrows to hit. Most enemies only require normal or +1 enchanted arrows.

Some examples of creatures that require +2 enchanted arrows include Stone Golems and Vampires.

Enemy Mages sometimes put up spell protections to render weapons useless, Breach them and fire Acid arrows on them.

Which creatures in particular, are troubling you?