Enchanting of Arrows

[Johnny Champion]

Enchanting Arrows and Bolts
The following are the background information and guidelines for the enchantment of magical ammunition, primarily arrows and bolts. However, this could be applied to other magical yet expendable weapons. This overview will use arrows as the basis.

Overview

In general, magical arrows (MA) provide a +1 to hit and +1 to damage. Coupled with a magical bow +1, this amounts to a very powerful means of damage. Arrows have a chance of breaking and more often, forgotten to be recovered at the end of an encounter. In our campaigns, the house rule is that arrows must be accounted for during the battle and afterwards. In other words, an inventory of arrows must be obtained and maintained on the character sheet. This applies to magical and non-magical arrows. However an additional requirement for magical arrows was put in place. After magic arrows are used, there is a ¼ chance of either being broken or the energy dissipated. It was left vague if broken and dissipated was the reason for this loss. There is not an official rule for recovering non-magic arrows.

General Rules

The following rules provide a framework to provide clarification on this vagueness:

Rule 1: Most magic arrows have an indefinite life span where the magical effects are measured.
Rule 1a: There can be arrows that are permanently enchanted. These would be more rare and prized by archers.

Rule 2: Magic arrows have a random chance of dissipating after use, where a hit has a higher chance of dissipation than a miss.
Rule 2a: Magic arrows that hit an intended target have a 25% (1-1d4) chance of losing enchantment.
Rule 2b: Magic arrows that miss have a 12.5% (1-1d8) chance of losing enchantment. Critical misses with a magic arrow do not suffer additional penalties.
Rule 2c: Magic arrows that achieve a critical hit automatically lose enchantment. However, they inflict an additional 1d6 of damage per + of magic.

Rule 3: Highly enchanted arrows with +2 or higher, if dissipated, will decrease by one. Thus a +2 arrow would become a +1 arrow.

Enchantment

I have no idea if other 3rd parties have written on a house rule to cover what is required to enchant ammunition. So this could be a work in progress and subject to change.

Enchantment requires a specialized blacksmith. This trade may be passed down from multiple generations or a blacksmith with magical training or even a combined blacksmith with an associated wizard. However, the most likely archetype is the specialized blacksmith with generations of lore to draw upon. The common name for a blacksmith with these skills is called a Firescale.

In addition to standard iron and steel, the Firescale requires magical ingredients to imbue an arrow. There are several components and rituals that must be used to produce an enchanted arrow.

1. An exceedingly hot fire source that is only possible through magical means. The mechanism to produce such a fire is a guarded secret. From this fire, the molten steel is created.
2. A fine gem and/or a magical ingredient are added to the molten metal. Firescales can use both ingredients or one or the other.
a. If a gem is used: The fine gem is crushed with a special device and added to the molten metal. Often, Firescales will be in the market for gems of certain size and type. They are frequent customers of market jewelers and adventurers. Usually a gem of 100gp or more is needed.
b. Usually teeth or bones from certain magical beasts are added: Purple Worms, Wyverns, Manticores and others. These are crushed to a fine powder. Dragon teeth are not used.
3. Specially prepared magical herbs are then added to the molten metal: Cinquefoil, Pennyroyal and Horehound are such important components.
4. Finally, a melodic repeated spell is chanted over the molten metal as it is poured into molds and beaten into shape. This spell is a guarded secret but quite useless without the other components and skills listed.

The process is relatively laborious and expensive.

The cost for a Firescale to create a quiver of arrows (20) is normally 6000gp (300gp per arrow).

If the Firescale is provided necessary ingredients, the cost would be normally 3000gp (150gp per arrow).

[Tungsten]

Sounds great. Now we just need to find a Firescale. Entire party might need to stock up on some magic ammo.

[Agnati]

The cost for a Firescale to create a quiver of arrows (20) is normally 6000gp (300gp per arrow).

If the Firescale is provided necessary ingredients, the cost would be normally 3000gp (150gp per arrow).

Sounds great. Now we just need to find a Firescale. Entire party might need to stock up on some magic ammo.

Aaaaaaaaaaand suddenly our financial reserves drop to almost nothing. lol!

[Tungsten]

How many arrows are you planning to buy?!?!?!

[Agnati]

"Some" is an appropriate answer. lol
considering I had four or five fumbles, which instantly counts the arrow as 'lost', and I used:

• (4) Normal Arrows
• (8) +1 Arrows
• (2) +2 Arrows (2 fumbled)
• (1) +3 Arrow (1 fumbled)
• (1) Dragon slayer Arrow (1 fumbled)
• (7) Lightning Arrows (1 fumbled)

during the Tiamet fight, but didn't take the time to look for them afterwards, so they're gone. Learned my lesson, though. Ha!
I have about a dozen Lightning arrows left: +1 arrow w/ 3d6 lightning on first use
.... and that's it. lol! My super-sized quiver is feeling a little light!

[Rhourk]

I think magic arrows should disapate after use and should be rare. That way you avoid too much doubling up of bonuses from bow and arrow. In the old days archers got bonuses on bow and on ammunition to try and keep pace with melee fighters. The problem was that melee benefitted from "exceptional" strength bonuses but the was no "exceptional" category for any other stat. That's all been corrected by 5th edition.

Put the bonuses on the bow and have magic arrow effects be cooler and more specialized like the dragon slaying or lightning arrows.

[Johnny Champion]

I think magic arrows should disapate after use and should be rare. That way you avoid too much doubling up of bonuses from bow and arrow. In the old days archers got bonuses on bow and on ammunition to try and keep pace with melee fighters. The problem was that melee benefitted from "exceptional" strength bonuses but the was no "exceptional" category for any other stat. That's all been corrected by 5th edition.

Put the bonuses on the bow and have magic arrow effects be cooler and more specialized like the dragon slaying or lightning arrows.

Specialized arrows are definitely cool. Also fully dissipating +1 arrows could be more common. In this campaign, Magic Arrows of all sorts are relatively rare, often only found or expensive to forge. To hit an enchanted creature, the arrow (not the bow) must be magical (in my mind). Also I don't place magic arrows in treasure hordes often to handle this. Rickul would be out of arrows in short order if they became useless. But for this campaign (whats left of it) will follow this rule, not because I am right but it allows arrows to work basically the way they have all campaign long, but still provides a little background.

[Agnati]

From a DM standpoint, would it seem more logical that a +1 bow only give +1 ToHit, but normal damage unless magic ammo was used? that would avoid the "doubling up of bonuses" that Craig mentioned. Having to use magic ammo to damage an enchanted creature seems logical as well.