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On page 134 of UC, a little sidebar mentions 3 eastern weapons that are equivalent to standard weapons found in the Core Rulebook. Two of these weapons, the daikyu and the hankyu, are the equivalents of the longbow and shortbow, respectively. Does anybody out there know, whether they are a developer or an eastern weaponry buff, if these weapons have composite counterparts?
On page 134 of UC, a little sidebar mentions 3 eastern weapons that are equivalent to standard weapons found in the Core Rulebook. Two of these weapons, the daikyu and the hankyu, are the equivalents of the longbow and shortbow, respectively. Does anybody out there know, whether they are a developer or an eastern weaponry buff, if these weapons have composite counterparts?
Yeah, composite version is legit here.
Teh Wikipedias (Scholarly no, but serviceable for now)
"Traditionally made Japanese yumi are also laminated long bows, made from strips of wood: the core of the bow is bamboo, the back and belly are bamboo or hardwood and hardwood strips are laminated to the bows sides to prevent twisting." It might not be horn and sinew, but composite it is.
For that matter, frankly, the lot of the Japanese bows would be composite, even if they are +0 strength rating. So looking at more expensive bows as a whole for a little bonus on range.
Regular longbow and short bow are self-bows. Just shaped staves of wood with a string on them. Composite generally is lacquered with multiple materials present. These meet that requirement.
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On page 134 of UC, a little sidebar mentions 3 eastern weapons that are equivalent to standard weapons found in the Core Rulebook. Two of these weapons, the daikyu and the hankyu, are the equivalents of the longbow and shortbow, respectively. Does anybody out there know, whether they are a developer or an eastern weaponry buff, if these weapons have composite counterparts?Yeah, composite version is legit here.
Teh Wikipedias (Scholarly no, but serviceable for now)
"Traditionally made Japanese yumi are also laminated long bows, made from strips of wood: the core of the bow is bamboo, the back and belly are bamboo or hardwood and hardwood strips are laminated to the bows sides to prevent twisting." It might not be horn and sinew, but composite it is.For that matter, frankly, the lot of the Japanese bows would be composite, even if they are +0 strength rating. So looking at more expensive bows as a whole for a little bonus on range.
Regular longbow and short bow are self-bows. Just shaped staves of wood with a string on them. Composite generally is lacquered with multiple materials present. These meet that requirement.
Wow, thank you!
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Although I accept it in game because it's the way it's written-- I'm not sure why the game makes such a distinction between composite and non-composite bows, and for that matter, between "long" and "short" bows.
The power (aka Str rating and damage bonus in game) and the range it's capable of (in RL) has a lot more to with the draw-weight and draw length of the bow, along with the (not quite sure of the right term) "springiness/responsiveness" of the bow, than it does with the length of the bow-stave or the materials it's made of (separate from the draw-weight/springiness options those materials make possible).
For instance-- English Longbows-- self-bows, made entirely from a single, whole, unlaminated, stave of wood-- generally among the most powerful (along with some of the asiatic composite bows) bows in history (before the advent of the modern compound bow. While there have been arguments about just how hard bows hit, there's no doubt that the good old longbow was among the most deadly of them-- yet, since it's a self-bow, no damage plus/no strength-mod for you in game.
And, that most dreaded of asiatic composite bows, such as Turkish and Mongol horse archers liked to wreak havoc with? Awesome power, exceptional range-- high draw weight, drastically improved springiness with that horn/wood/sinew laminated composite construction-- to the best of my knowledge, rarely more than 4 feet from tip to tip when strung (if even that), which is rather more "shortbow" territory than "longbow" length. Yet, that's the bow that should have the range and hitting power (and strength modifiers, if your archer can handle it), that the game gives to the "composite longbow". Strength should also affect range, not just damage-- and an archer should not be able to pick up and use a bow whose strength rating exceeds his strength (he shouldn't be able to effectively draw an arrow on it). Of course, for any of these bows, arrows also had to made strong enough to match the draw-weight of the bow-- fire an arrow with too weak a spine for the bow, it's not going to fly true on release, and you run a high risk of simply splitting/shattering the arrow instead of firing it when you release the string.
Of course, Pathfinder archery isn't realistic-- it's a game, it isn't meant to be realistic... but it's worth keeping the above points in mind when considering what the real weapons were like, and what they were capable of in relation to other real weapons.