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So, I just finished my first session of Pathfinder Society (played Core), and I had a blast! I'm looking at potential purchases, and like the Composite Longbow. However, I'm a little confused. I see the following quote in the Guide to PFS
nor
can nonmagical aspects of equipment be upgraded (such
as the strength rating on a composite bow).
Obviously I can't upgrade a composite longbow I own. Is buying a composite longbow with increased strength rating considered an upgrade? Or is it only upgrading if I already own the longbow? Can I buy a brand new composite longbow with, say, a +2 STR rating for 300gp?
I looked around the forums for this and couldn't find anything.
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You can buy it brand new, but you can't buy a regular composite longbow and then upgrade it to a +2.
The full quote of that line is:
A mundane item can not be upgraded to masterwork, nor can nonmagical aspects of equipment be upgraded (such as the strength rating on a composite bow).
It's considered a "basic weapon" which is always available, under the first dot point in the list of what's always available.
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Welcome to Pathfinder Society! :)
You can buy a whole new composite longbow with the strength rating you are looking for. "Upgrade" refers to items you already own.
For what it's worth:
1. If you are still 1st level, you can sell back your old bow for the full price you paid for it.
2. You can also buy a bow with 2 Prestige. A darkwood (mwk) composite longbow with a +3 Str rating or less can be had for 2 Prestige Points.
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Why darkwood? I've seen this as a standard and can't understand why.
To save 1 lb. of encumbrance? Better hardness to resist sunders?
I've asked ths right out twice before and been completely ignored so a response would be awesome.
Your legal options on a bow for special materials are darkwood, greenwood, and whipwood. Darkwood is the generically more useful of these materials and is dirt cheap. In Core, darkwood is the only legal option.
RPG Superstar 2010 Top 16
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Because it's essentially free when working with Prestige Points, Derek. For 2 points, a character can get an item worth up to 750 gp. A (STR 14) composite longbow costs 300 gp. Add $300 for masterwork. So, a plain ol' +2 STR masterwork composite longbow costs 600 gp / 2 PP.
If we could get a little bicycle bell on the thing, and it cost less than 150 gp, then you'd see a lot of little ringing bows of death, rather than darkwood.
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Why darkwood? I've seen this as a standard and can't understand why.
To save 1 lb. of encumbrance? Better hardness to resist sunders?
I've asked ths right out twice before and been completely ignored so a response would be awesome.
If you choose to buy your comp. longbow with 2 prestige, you might as well throw darkwood on it. It's not like you get to save the money from the prestige purchase if it's under 750gp
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Aww you got my hopes up, I'm in Core and "adaptive" is not. That's a great property too that I'd love to have. I'm already a +4 Strength, and quite frankly would just save the gold to buy a +4 if not for the fact that I want to still be proficient when fatigued after my rage.
My wife had that problem before she could afford adaptive. She ended up with a "normal bow" at her regular STR rating, and an "angry bow" at her raging STR rating. She even had it carved with a mean looking face so she could put her hand on it and huff, "Don't MAKE me get out the ANGRY BOW!"
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Derek, Darkwood bows count as masterwork, so it's more than just the weight (which, yes, is a part I basically ignored and couldn't care less about).
Tony, I'll definitely have to look into that. Once I get 1000gp buy a darkwood +6 Comp bow, and keep it drenched in the blood of my fallen enemies.
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Just grabbed a +3 STR Darkwood bow. +4 ATK / 1d8 + 3 damage is way better than the +2 ATK / 1d8 damage Light Crossbow I had before...
Just out of curiosity, how is changing from a crossbow to a longbow adding +2 to your attack? Masterwork only adds +1, and your Dex and BAB don't change.
(I'm wondering if there's a cool trick I'm missing out on.) :-)
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Many thanks to the above posters!
It seems like darkwood simply comes down to a "just because".
My ranger burned 2 prestige for a normal composite longbow. I wondered what I was missing out on and it sounds like nothing much.
Maybe my next archer will do it. My cleric rocks a +2 darkwood sheild. Zero ACP is sweet.
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Ah OK, gotcha. In that case, I agree it's a "just because", especially when it's free.
I took it for the same reason I won't watch HSN. "Do I really need that? No, it's pointless, no reason to take it... but I can have it, so what the hell."
EDIT:One of these posts I'm going to remember to select to post as my character instead of my main avatar, instead of having to edit it 5 minutes later when I remember it.
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Yes, that's all I meant. 1/2 the weight of a 3 pound bow rounds to only one pound of weight saved.
Masterwork is very much worth the price, especially since it's required for later enhancements.
Well, for my -1, when he got it, that weight savings added up to being able to carry something else useful and still being in Light Encumbrance.
If I had thought about it, I might have gone for the darkwood arrows, just to save some more weight, and carry more "other" stuff.
Str 16 sounds like a lot, until you realize Light for that Strength is still only 76 pounds.
Armor, bow, melee weapon(s), arrows, backpack, alchemist's fire, sunrods or other light source, etc.
I literallly was tracking my weight carried, and sighed when I got a masterwork backpack (86 pounds!) and now that he has a handy haversack and efficient quiver(s), he is well under 76 pounds, so he gets his full 40' movement. (Travel Domain cleric in his class mix)
So you can't even use the Ultimate Equipment when you are in core?
That where the adaptive feature for bows is in.
Would be way easier to add just adaptive to your bow than buy a whole new one.
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Yes, that's all I meant. 1/2 the weight of a 3 pound bow rounds to only one pound of weight saved.
Being nit picky here, but half of 3 is 1.5
You don't round weight carried. Some items go down to 1/4 pound. If you rounded everything then suddenly your belt pouch, dart and mithral dagger would all double in weight.
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So you can't even use the Ultimate Equipment when you are in core?
That where the adaptive feature for bows is in.
Would be way easier to add just adaptive to your bow than buy a whole new one.
Core Rulebook
Guide to PFSOPWeb Traits Enhancement
The only way to get anything at all that's not in those sources is to get it from a chronicle, and you do still need to own the source book / PDF.
I do find it odd the Field Guide isn't there.
It's nice, because without something like the D&D 4e character builder Wizards had, I have no interest in trying to explore all my options and build the best character I can.