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20 arrows fills a quiver, so 1 quiver of 20 arrows is a good answer for "ready to deploy".
You can create new arrows with woodcarver's tools and proficiency in them, provided you have access to wood (e.g. if you're in a forest).
There is no RAW for extra recovery, but it is deeply sus if a DM lets adamantine arrows break at the normal frequency, in terms of the arrowheads breaking. You'll still lose shafts at the same rate, but if I'm your DM, you can recover 100% of spent arrowheads with enough time and effort, and then you can remake them with access to wood.
There are no mechanics for creating special arrows other than using the standard crafting rules for woodcarver's tools. So to be clear:
As a special rule on woodcarver's, you can make arrows as part of a short rest.
Using the standard crafting rules, using woodcarver's you can craft arrows. There are 4 options:
Normal arrows.
Silvered arrows.
Adamantine arrows. This stacks with Silvered - you can do both. It probably stacks with Magic (see below), but the RAW is clear as mud on this.
Magic arrows. This also requires Arcana proficiency, and you will need to overcome challenges that are up to DM fiat, depending on the magic arrow intended.
There are no elevation mechanics other than LOS and potentially getting around cover being easier to achieve from higher up, which isn't so much a rule as it is an emergent property of being elevated in most kinds of terrain. Note that elevation may increase your distance to the target, but likely at a different rate than your intuition would suggest - standard RAW is much slower than the real world, and variant diagonals are slightly faster.
There is no RAW for extra recovery, but it is deeply sus if a DM lets adamantine arrows break at the normal frequency, in terms of the arrowheads breaking. You'll still lose shafts at the same rate, but if I'm your DM, you can recover 100% of spent arrowheads with enough time and effort, and then you can remake them with access to wood.
I thought there was a rule somewhere that you could recover up to 50% of spent arrows, but I can't find it right now. I could be wrong on that one.
There is no RAW for extra recovery, but it is deeply sus if a DM lets adamantine arrows break at the normal frequency, in terms of the arrowheads breaking. You'll still lose shafts at the same rate, but if I'm your DM, you can recover 100% of spent arrowheads with enough time and effort, and then you can remake them with access to wood.
I thought there was a rule somewhere that you could recover up to 50% of spent arrows, but I can't find it right now. I could be wrong on that one.
That is the RAW in the PHB, that you can spend 1 minute searching the battlefield, and you recover 50%. However, I was wondering if there were a rule, either RAW that I haven't come across or a good rule others use, where you can boost your stocks. A quiver is good for about 38 shots, assuming you spend 1 minute searching each time you use your bow and get 50% back - I was wondering if there was a way to improve that, perhaps by making more arrows during rests, or by rescuing more arrows and repairing them, etc.
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If you're not willing or able to to discuss in good faith, then don't be surprised if I don't respond, there are better things in life for me to do than humour you. This signature is that response.
You could always just buy a second quiver and stash it in your backpack. To be honest, I'm not sure if I have ever tracked nonmagical arrows all that closely. When in town, we just buy "enough" to last us a good while and then replenish when we think about it.
A quiver holds up to 20 arrows and weight 1 lb so you can even have multiple and you can recover half your expended arrows after combat. This is if the DM is strict on ammunition control. Many DMs handwave this out and let you recover all of them. So check that first before over equipping or going into arrow production.
Ammunition: At the end of the battle, you can recover half your expended ammunition by taking a minute to search the battlefield.
As a DM, I don't make my players track ordinary arrows, since they're so cheap and you can recover most of them. I would only track magic / special arrows. And I'm probably not going to give you 20 of those, so who cares how many you can carry?
It says that arrows cost 1gp, I believe that's for 20, is that right?
How many arrows would you consider to be a full loadout ready for a new adventure?
Is there a way of creating arrows? Or perhaps recovering more than half the number spent? For example, spending extra time fixing them?
Also, I was thinking of perhaps creating special arrows. Are there any mechanics for doing so?
Also, are there any mechanics to account for elevation? For example, the archer climbs a tower and shoots from a vantage point.
I'm open to the idea of homebrew, but if there are any official rules, that would be useful.
I've been playing D&D at various tables for about 10 years, I've never once seen someone run out of arrows. I wouldn't worry about any of that.
As for special arrows, I'm going to go off script and suggest that you reskin some spells or class features to fit this concept. That way you can have your character always able to "produce" enough arrows, have weird effects on those arrows, and not have to mess with the mechanics of the game at all. (In general, it's bad practice to try and balance a thing by adjusting its price. Instead, let it be balanced by the existing framework of a class. That's way more reliable, and will make your DM happy, lol.) My recommendation would be the Battle Master archetype for Fighter. As a quick example, one maneuver they can use is called Trip Attack. You could call it "bolas arrow" or "concussive arrowhead" or whatever suits your vision. You shoot someone, they get knocked on their butt. You could even say it's a magic effect, if you include something about how it's really weak magic that doesn't count as magic for various game purposes (overcoming damage resistances, antimagic zones).
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So I'm thinking about doing an archer build.
It says that arrows cost 1gp, I believe that's for 20, is that right?
How many arrows would you consider to be a full loadout ready for a new adventure?
Is there a way of creating arrows? Or perhaps recovering more than half the number spent? For example, spending extra time fixing them?
Also, I was thinking of perhaps creating special arrows. Are there any mechanics for doing so?
Also, are there any mechanics to account for elevation? For example, the archer climbs a tower and shoots from a vantage point.
I'm open to the idea of homebrew, but if there are any official rules, that would be useful.
If you're not willing or able to to discuss in good faith, then don't be surprised if I don't respond, there are better things in life for me to do than humour you. This signature is that response.
I thought there was a rule somewhere that you could recover up to 50% of spent arrows, but I can't find it right now. I could be wrong on that one.
"Not all those who wander are lost"
Thanks Qundraco!
That is the RAW in the PHB, that you can spend 1 minute searching the battlefield, and you recover 50%. However, I was wondering if there were a rule, either RAW that I haven't come across or a good rule others use, where you can boost your stocks. A quiver is good for about 38 shots, assuming you spend 1 minute searching each time you use your bow and get 50% back - I was wondering if there was a way to improve that, perhaps by making more arrows during rests, or by rescuing more arrows and repairing them, etc.
If you're not willing or able to to discuss in good faith, then don't be surprised if I don't respond, there are better things in life for me to do than humour you. This signature is that response.
You could always just buy a second quiver and stash it in your backpack. To be honest, I'm not sure if I have ever tracked nonmagical arrows all that closely. When in town, we just buy "enough" to last us a good while and then replenish when we think about it.
"Not all those who wander are lost"
A quiver holds up to 20 arrows and weight 1 lb so you can even have multiple and you can recover half your expended arrows after combat. This is if the DM is strict on ammunition control. Many DMs handwave this out and let you recover all of them. So check that first before over equipping or going into arrow production.
Ammunition: At the end of the battle, you can recover half your expended ammunition by taking a minute to search the battlefield.
As a DM, I don't make my players track ordinary arrows, since they're so cheap and you can recover most of them. I would only track magic / special arrows. And I'm probably not going to give you 20 of those, so who cares how many you can carry?
I've been playing D&D at various tables for about 10 years, I've never once seen someone run out of arrows. I wouldn't worry about any of that.
As for special arrows, I'm going to go off script and suggest that you reskin some spells or class features to fit this concept. That way you can have your character always able to "produce" enough arrows, have weird effects on those arrows, and not have to mess with the mechanics of the game at all. (In general, it's bad practice to try and balance a thing by adjusting its price. Instead, let it be balanced by the existing framework of a class. That's way more reliable, and will make your DM happy, lol.) My recommendation would be the Battle Master archetype for Fighter. As a quick example, one maneuver they can use is called Trip Attack. You could call it "bolas arrow" or "concussive arrowhead" or whatever suits your vision. You shoot someone, they get knocked on their butt. You could even say it's a magic effect, if you include something about how it's really weak magic that doesn't count as magic for various game purposes (overcoming damage resistances, antimagic zones).