Post/Author/DateTime	Post
tn320 02-08-06, 07:51 AM	If you have a +5 bow and +5 arrows, what is the characters bonus to attack and damage?
Thaumaturgist 02-08-06, 07:53 AM	+5 on attack and +5 on damage?
Despana 02-08-06, 08:15 AM	It's the same as if you had a nonmagical bow and +5 arrows or a +5 bow and non-magical arrows. +5. In any circumstance where you have both a magical bow (or other projectile weapon) and magical ammo you just use the higher of the 2.
White_Wizard 02-08-06, 08:27 AM	If you have a +5 bow and +5 arrows, what is the characters bonus to attack and damage? When you have a magic enhanced ranged weapon (bow) with magic enhanced ammo (arrows), you apply only the greates enhancement between the two. Since both your arrows and your bow are +5, you apply a +5 bonus to hit and to damage. They don't stack. This can seem a disadvantage, but it's not: in fact you still count in every other magic property. For example, if you have a +4 holy longbow with +1 flaming arrows, you would deal: 1d8+4 damage from the bow plus 2d6 against evil creatures from the bow's holy ability plus 1d6 fire damage from the arrows' flaming ability. A notable exception to this is when both the bow and the arrows have the same ability (let's say the are both flaming weapons), in which case you only count 1d6 of flaming damage, because the two abilities don't stack. There's a very similar thread here around: you should find very useful info there ;)
tn320 02-08-06, 09:43 AM	Thank you for the quick responses.
Zherog 02-08-06, 10:57 AM	Actually, the answer depends entirely on whether you are playing 3.0 or 3.5. 3.0 You would have +10 to attack and damage 3.5 You would have +5 to attack and damage Another difference between the two is how damage reduction is overcome. In 3.0, the only enhancement that mattered for overcoming DR was the one on the arrow. Your bow could be a +gajillion epic weapon, and if you fired a normal arrow you wouldn't overcome DR X/+1. In 3.5, this is no longer true.
Thorak 02-08-06, 12:59 PM	Here's the interesting corollary, though; +14 equivalent non-epic ranged weapons. How? Easy. +1 bow with +9 in special abilities (say, Distance, Flaming, Shocking, Icy, Exit Wound, Speed), and +5 arrows. Total effect; +5 to hit and damage, with +9 in added bonuses. +14 equivalent. Or a +5 bow with +5 in abilities, and +1 arrows with +4 in abilities. Works the same way. Your biggest problem is finding enough abilities that are worthwile.
Niren 02-08-06, 01:32 PM	It was pointed out to me by zherog that the bow could be +1 and another 9 enhancements = +10 and the arrow +1 with a differnt set of 9 enchancements so you can have many combinations. Pluses on bow or arrow Combined Bow & Arrow enhancments +1 18 +2 17 +3 16 +4 15 +5 14 remembering that you have to have at lease a +1 to enhance the item.
mvincent 02-08-06, 06:07 PM	It was pointed out to me by zherog that the bow could be +1 and another 9 enhancements = +10 and the arrow +1 with a differnt set of 9 enchancementsThen cast greater magic weapon on the bow (+5), and the flame arrow spell on the arrows. (if you're using 3.0, I guess you could GMW the arrows too)
jedi_unger 02-08-06, 06:26 PM	(if you're using 3.0, I guess you could GMW the arrows too) 3.0E: Bow with +1 / +5 enchantments Arrows with +1 / +5 enchantments Two mid-level GMW for +3 = +6 / +6 with +10 enchantments, clearly quite epic at +16, and at middle levels. That's why they changed the rules. That, and for non-munchkins arrows were bad because you couldn't pierce DR with bows in 3.0E, only arrows.