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Hello!
I have a quick questions about ammunition: Are there any specific rules in place for converting arrows into crossbow bolts using a Craft skill? By that I mean the PC literally sitting down with the appropriate tools in hand and turning arrows they found into bolts, rolling Craft: Weaponsmith in the process as if they were making the bolts from scratch?
More specifically, I'm interested in the possibility of converting magically enchanted arrows into bolts of the same type (Ghost Touch and such) without destroying the enchantment in the process, which I think should be quite doable practically speaking. Of course this can easily be made into a house rule or the like, but I'm curious if there is already an official rule for this - or anything similar. And if there really isn't one, do you guys have any advice in how to handle such an attempt? Maybe give it a % chance to destroy the enchantment or something similar for balance?
[As a bit of background, we keep finding stashes of loot that have dozens of arrows in them (all enchanted, and very useful for the enemies we encounter) but no bolts, which end up being pretty useless if no one in the party has a bow. And yes, I know crossbows are worse than bows, but I'm doing it for the flavour. So I'd like to be able to sit down and turn the otherwise useless enchanted arrows we keep finding into bolts I can actually use.]
Thanks in advance!
as far as I'm aware theres nothing like this.
personally, repeatly running into loot thats useless to the party would get on my nerves, I'd recommend talking to your party and if you all feel the same way. bringing it to the attention of your dm. I mean finding magical bolts wouldn't be out of place. not like finding a katana in middle earth lol.
on a side note, I love Xbows as well. wish they were better mechanically but what you gonna do.
No such rule exists in Pathfinder, logically you are just shortening the arrow, filing down the head and making the entire structure work within a crossbow. Rules wise, however, you are transforming one thing into another thing and the system doesn't discriminate with rules for the most part, meaning that if there were rules for this then you could change shuriken into arrows or bolts.
Perhaps your GM, or you if you're the GM, will allow you to fire an arrow out of a crossbow at a slight penalty, but then again maybe you can build an extender onto the front of the crossbow that eliminates that penalty.
Basically, this is so far off the beaten path that Paizo isn't going to address it in a rules book. Alternatively you could take Craft Magical Arms and Armor, and by doing so be able to make bolts for effectively the same prices as the arrows you found.
You GM could also just modify the ammunition dropped to fit what you have, ala Dead Space style (ammo drops based on what weapons you have equipped).
A note for crossbows, I built catfolk batman a while ago. She was a magus, but took the alt racial trait to gain a climb speed. She had a hand crossbow that she never used in combat, but that instead was used in conjunction with grapple bolts and silk ropes. It was, "ha ha ha, can't catch me," fire the grapple bolt as a standard and swing to freedom as a move.
I remember also building the light crossbow machinegun eidolon who shot like 4 - 6 light crossbows every round. Pew pew pew!
You are SooL sadly. Is there a reason the GM isn't just making the arrows bolts? As in, is there someone who can use them or are they just miscellaneous treasure that is going to be sold off and split by the party?
No luck in Pathfinder RAW...
There were rumors of a 3.5 Spell that did it, perhaps such a thing could be researched...
Is there a reason the GM isn't just making the arrows bolts?
I am *so* old...