So, I'm thinking of buying some masterwork ammunition for my level 1 character. When it says that I need to add 6 gp to the cost of a single unit of ammunition, does this mean add 6 gp to the cost of a single arrow, thus making it 6 gp, 5 sp (20 arrows = 1 gp, 1/20=0.05), or do I add 6 gp to the cost of the quiver of ammunition? I'm pretty sure my first guess is correct, but it never hurts to check.
6 gp per arrow. Most ammunition-related prices are based on the idea that 50 ammunition = 1 permanent weapon. So if it's +300 gp for a single masterwork longsword, it's +300 gp for 50 masterwork arrows.
300 ÷ 50 = 6 gp each.
Thanks for the information!
Buy a whetstone. In the Adventurer's Armory, whetstone-sharpening will add +1 damage to an edged (slashing or piercing) weapon for the first attack you make with it. Ammunition that hits is not recoverable, and you only have a 50% chance to recover your misses intact, so most of the time, an arrow is only used for one attack anyway. The misses you do recover will give you something to do while on watch and in the morning while the casters are preparing spells. It takes 15 minutes to whetstone one weapon, so you should prepare quivers in longer stretches of downtime.
As to masterwork for the to-hit bonus, just wait until you can afford a masterwork bow. If you have the strength bonus for a mighty composite bow, that costs extra too, but it's well worth it.
If you have any levels in ranger, sorceror, or wizard (or a charisma class with a good UMD) look at getting a wand of the 'gravity bow' spell. One charge will last you most fights.
Is "Elves of Golarion" the only rules source that Durable Arrows appear in ?
Durable arrows are recoverable.
It's still more economical to just masterwork (or enchant) the bow. If you're in a PF Society game, The Guide for Organized Play says ammunition has to be purchased in complete lots, so you can't get any masterwork weapon or ammunition for less than 300g, and masterworking both the bow and ammo won't stack.
Even with non-masterwork ammo, a single durable arrow is 1g, while 20 basic ones are also 1g. The 20g you'd spend to get a standard quiverfull of durable arrows could also buy 400 basic arrows. You'll miss a minimum of 5% of the time by rolling 1s, and recover 50% of your misses, so you'll get 410.5 shots out of those arrows at the very minimum.Maybe the durable ones are worthwhile if you're playing in a campaign where it's rare that you come to a town capable of supplying common arrows, or you're likely to be using them up to the highest levels, but in most cases the basic ones will suffice. If you need special metals like silver or adamantine, those will of course require special ammo. Check with your GM if it's possible to salvage the arrowheads for rare metals by building up some skill in Craft: Bowyer/Fletcher (can't in PF Society, but the gold from 'Day Job' craft rolls will more than suffice for buying ammo).