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Author Topic: Dreaded Bolts and Arrows  (Read 2514 times)

HandofCreation0

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Dreaded Bolts and Arrows
« on: March 25, 2013, 05:24:33 pm »

Why is it always a single bolt or a single arrow is ALWAYS enough to down your character. When you start off as a peasant or hero, you don't have any points you can really dedicated to the willpower/toughness/endurance slots, so any sort of chipped bones is enough to cause you to pass out giving enemies free reign over your soon to be lifeless corpse. How exactly do you deal with these cheap ass bastards so they are as much a threat as any other unit is?

I know the basic strategies for fighting them, disarm them, grab the crossbow/bow from them, put things between them and you, or just run, but when they can shoot you from 15 squares away, approaching them to kill them can be a near suicidal challenge should just 1 of those bolts hit you.
« Last Edit: March 25, 2013, 06:29:28 pm by HandofCreation0 »
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Loud Whispers

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Re: Dreaded Bolts and Arrows
« Reply #1 on: March 25, 2013, 06:58:12 pm »

Why is it always a single bolt or a single arrow is ALWAYS enough to down your character.
Because a high velocity harpoon sized missile generally does that?

Always let companions take lead. Once they fire they are not reloading in time for them to escape face stabbing.

HandofCreation0

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Re: Dreaded Bolts and Arrows
« Reply #2 on: March 25, 2013, 07:05:17 pm »

Why is it always a single bolt or a single arrow is ALWAYS enough to down your character.
Because a high velocity harpoon sized missile generally does that?

Always let companions take lead. Once they fire they are not reloading in time for them to escape face stabbing.

Doesn't always help if you have more than just 1 crossbowman/bowman shooting at you and people running up your butt trying to mash you into a thin paste with your companions.
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Loud Whispers

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Re: Dreaded Bolts and Arrows
« Reply #3 on: March 25, 2013, 07:16:05 pm »

Why is it always a single bolt or a single arrow is ALWAYS enough to down your character.
Because a high velocity harpoon sized missile generally does that?

Always let companions take lead. Once they fire they are not reloading in time for them to escape face stabbing.

Doesn't always help if you have more than just 1 crossbowman/bowman shooting at you and people running up your butt trying to mash you into a thin paste with your companions.

Of course it does! Then you just walk off while everyone dies and get more companions! And thus the cycle continues. With you getting stronger. Eventually you reach a point where you bat bolts out of the air.

HandofCreation0

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Re: Dreaded Bolts and Arrows
« Reply #4 on: March 25, 2013, 07:22:54 pm »

You can't really walk off a bolt in the leg when getting knocked down from it results in everyone catching up to your now 500 speed butt and beating your skull in.
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Loud Whispers

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Re: Dreaded Bolts and Arrows
« Reply #5 on: March 25, 2013, 07:29:24 pm »

You can't really walk off a bolt in the leg
But then what else are human pikemen for?

Solon64

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Re: Dreaded Bolts and Arrows
« Reply #6 on: March 26, 2013, 02:28:49 am »

The correct way to "deal" with these overpowered arrows/bolts is to mod them so they behave properly.  Do a forum search for the Broken Arrow mod, the guy behind that one did a ton of testing and has come up with settings for ranged weaponry and its ammo which is a bit more realistic (i.e. bruises chainmail but rarely pierces except with a better material, plate is very rarely pierced, etc.)

Doesn't remove the whole "Ow you shot me in the eye and then shot me in the throat" thing since armor covers neither the eyes nor the throat, but certainly makes ranged weapons at least a little less "railgun-y"
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Matoro

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Re: Dreaded Bolts and Arrows
« Reply #7 on: March 26, 2013, 04:05:27 am »

Sneaking is your friend. Good ambusher skill is way to go.
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Catsup

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Re: Dreaded Bolts and Arrows
« Reply #8 on: March 26, 2013, 08:02:14 pm »

Sneaking is your friend. Good ambusher skill is way to go.

this is the answer, though i would disagree in the good skill level part. Any level of sneak will get you close up to 3 squares away from the enemy before detection is calculated based on your ambusher level.

allies dont sneak with you though, so they'll get mobbed while your slowly closing the distance, making this method only useful for later when you solo bandit camps. I would really just start out with as many allies as i can get and try to only raid smaller camps without elites. Try to lure the bandits out 1 at a time and if they have a lot of rangers then advance with your allies in front of you and try to hide behind trees as you go (sneak if all of them are giving in to pain). ALso, RUN for your life if you get any type of incapacitating injury, not necessarily away though, just for cover like behind a few trees as you'll only have a few steps before you give into pain. You should survive if you have enough allies and they arent vastly outnumbered.

There is a very cheap way to prevent deaths like this though, just become a vampire, vampires do not feel pain and do not breathe; im not sure if they can go nauseous either. They also have all their needs removed and the occasional thirst doesnt have any penalties or kill you, and can be easily sated if you wish by occasional combat (if you went whips or wrestling and can strangle ppl).

Mr Space Cat

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Re: Dreaded Bolts and Arrows
« Reply #9 on: March 26, 2013, 08:49:13 pm »

Shields. Lots of shields. Preferably all in one hand, and while sneaking.
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Catsup

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Re: Dreaded Bolts and Arrows
« Reply #10 on: March 26, 2013, 09:10:09 pm »

Shields. Lots of shields. Preferably all in one hand, and while sneaking.

this too, the other super-cheap way; mass wooden shields in 1 hand salvaged from a previous fort in the same world; or elf bandits if you modded them in.

Mass metal shields might weigh you down too much.

WillowLuman

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Re: Dreaded Bolts and Arrows
« Reply #11 on: March 26, 2013, 10:11:33 pm »

Simple: start with no swim skill, then carefully (moving only 3 spaces in the water before you get out) grinding it up to novice to get a huge willpower and endurance boost. Next, get a shield, 2 if you can. Set stance to "stand ground" and sneak up next to an animal. This will take some time. If you manage to stand next to one, you can keep waiting while it tries to hit you. Don't do this with anything close to your size or larger. Once you've trained block and armor user to Competent or so, just sneak up on the ranged people. If they see you, you'll have a good chance of blocking their bolts.
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HandofCreation0

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Re: Dreaded Bolts and Arrows
« Reply #12 on: March 27, 2013, 03:17:25 pm »

Simple: start with no swim skill, then carefully (moving only 3 spaces in the water before you get out) grinding it up to novice to get a huge willpower and endurance boost. Next, get a shield, 2 if you can. Set stance to "stand ground" and sneak up next to an animal. This will take some time. If you manage to stand next to one, you can keep waiting while it tries to hit you. Don't do this with anything close to your size or larger. Once you've trained block and armor user to Competent or so, just sneak up on the ranged people. If they see you, you'll have a good chance of blocking their bolts.

Just going from no skill to novice gives a massive willpower and endurance boost? DAYUM! All my adventurers are going to turn into... people who... swim a lot?
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WillowLuman

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Re: Dreaded Bolts and Arrows
« Reply #13 on: March 27, 2013, 07:10:36 pm »

Yes it does, just make sure not to drown while still in the dabbling phase!
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Mr Space Cat

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Re: Dreaded Bolts and Arrows
« Reply #14 on: March 27, 2013, 07:12:29 pm »

It's also fairly slow and monotonous, from what I've heard.

Off topic too, but HandofCreation, your avatar is awesomesauce.
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