an elf fires 30 arrows during an encounter, so he spends 5 minutes lokking for his spent ammo. roll a d100... 73%. there for he gets back (30 times .73 = 21.9) 21 of his spent arrows.
if any one has input or any other suggestions, please lemme know.
It can't possibly be an issue for balance reasons, but it means even more mostly pointless rolling. Just set the 'recover' at a fixed number, like 50%, that's even faster and has the same effect.
My gut reaction is to turn a blind eye to arrow counts unless a ranged specialist starts to use an unholy amount in a single fight.
My only concern is this: Does the Ranger (and other martial ranged specialists) already include increased bonuses to hit/damage/other over and above what other ranged strikers get, such that it's "fair" to make them count ammo at all?
Showing that a weapons-based ranged attacker has some inherent advantages over spell-based or energy-based specialists, would go a long way to making me comfortable with counting at all.
so i was reading a thread about counting arrows. ... any other suggestions, please lemme know.
gosh, i tell the arrow, bolt, and bullet users, "sorry, those are gone. buy more later, or craft your own."
as for throwing daggers, shurikens, hammers, axes, javelins, i let them tell me whether they collect the thrown weapons or not. but that has little impact as i've only got a rogue using shurikens that he tracks and a druid with two javelins. if those are thrown, she'll wild shape and charge. in fact, she usually starts by wild shaping and charging. she's thrown a javelin once only.
so i was reading a thread about counting arrows. ... any other suggestions, please lemme know.
gosh, i tell the arrow, bolt, and bullet users, "sorry, those are gone. buy more later, or craft your own."as for throwing daggers, shurikens, hammers, axes, javelins, i let them tell me whether they collect the thrown weapons or not. but that has little impact as i've only got a rogue using shurikens that he tracks and a druid with two javelins. if those are thrown, she'll wild shape and charge. in fact, she usually starts by wild shaping and charging. she's thrown a javelin once only.
For the thrown weapons, just tell them to buy a single magic weapon to throw
Magic thrown weapons automatically return to the hand of the one who threw it
From PHB pg 232:
Thrown Weapons: Any magic light thrown or
heavy thrown weapon, from the lowly +1 shuriken to
a +6 perfect hunter’s spear, automatically returns to its
wielder’s hand after a ranged attack with the weapon
is resolved.
Catching a returning thrown weapon is a free
action; if you do not wish (or are unable) to catch the
weapon, it falls at your feet in your space
This would be an issue if we still used arrows with inherrant bonuses, but since the bonus is with the weapon, keeping track of amunition is generally unneeded.
I guess it's just because I took a strong dislike to extra bookkeeping and do everything I can to avoid it.
Rules for recovering ammunition can be very easily handled in the following manner:
The number of ammunition you purchase takes into account any effort you use to recover spent ammunition. For instance if you purchase 100 units of ammo, you are not actually purchasing 100 ammo items. You may be purchasing fewer item. The actual number of ammo you purchase does not matter. What you are purchasing is the ability to discharge the ammo 100 times taking into account any effort you make to recover spent ammo that can be reused. Any roll or equations are already taken into account in the purchase cost of the amount of ammo discharges.
In other words, ignore recovering ammo because there are more important things in a D&D game than trying to recover spent ammo.
Thrown weapons are different and I assume that players have the opportunity after a battle to recover thrown, mundane weapons. Magical thrown weapons automatically return to your hand anyway.
Rules for recovering ammunition can be very easily handled in the following manner:
The number of ammunition you purchase takes into account any effort you use to recover spent ammunition. For instance if you purchase 100 units of ammo, you are not actually purchasing 100 ammo items. You may be purchasing fewer item. The actual number of ammo you purchase does not matter. What you are purchasing is the ability to discharge the ammo 100 times taking into account any effort you make to recover spent ammo that can be reused. Any roll or equations are already taken into account in the purchase cost of the amount of ammo discharges.
In other words, ignore recovering ammo because there are more important things in a D&D game than trying to recover spent ammo.
Thrown weapons are different and I assume that players have the opportunity after a battle to recover thrown, mundane weapons. Magical thrown weapons automatically return to your hand anyway.
This!
I really like this, not thought of it that way before, and I'm going to introduce it to my game immediately! 
Unless the ammo is special (alchemical or whatnot) I don't require my players to track it. Ammo cost is trivial anyway, so I handwave that they just make more during downtime or buy more with a gold piece they found in the street. Since they don't try building rafts out of arrows I just tell them that they have "enough" ammo.
I'm not a big fan of bookkeeping though, unless it seems like it adds something to the game, and I can see how this solution doesn't work for everyone.
I make my players track ammo because the ranger is buying magical arrows (they were in an issue of Dragon and thus, because everything is "core" now, they are "core" magic items).
I also make them track mundane arrows/bolts because if they think the bookkeeping is a hassle then they'll purchase/find endless quivers otherwise it's a non-issue.
so long as characters aren't stranded, cut off from supplies, any tracking of consumables is simply pointless bookkeeping. It's not going to effect the group in any meaningful way, it's just wasting time.
The only time I'd ever consider tracking arrows is if the party had no way of obtaining more arrows. Though in 4E I don't think I'll ever do even that. In 4E no character should run out of at will attacks.
I make my players track ammo because the ranger is buying magical arrows (they were in an issue of Dragon and thus, because everything is "core" now, they are "core" magic items).
I also make them track mundane arrows/bolts because if they think the bookkeeping is a hassle then they'll purchase/find endless quivers otherwise it's a non-issue.
See, I'd be fine with having to track magical ammunition, but tracking plain regular ammo?
Personally, I was surprised when we still had rations to track.
I let players keep track of ammunition, but they usually stock up on plenty of it. I've never worried too much about encumbrance, so they can carry 200 arrows if they want.
On the other hand, my players are getting to the point where they're carrying huge amounts of material, so it may be time to make that a factor.
Main question: what problems would it cause if you ignored it, thus streamlining the game?
I let players keep track of ammunition, but they usually stock up on plenty of it. I've never worried too much about encumbrance, so they can carry 200 arrows if they want.
On the other hand, my players are getting to the point where they're carrying huge amounts of material, so it may be time to make that a factor.
Main question: what problems would it cause if you ignored it, thus streamlining the game?
If they are high enough level, and you don't care let them find a bag of holding.
This sort of thing can be problem if, for instance, the comedy level of equipment carried is too high for your campaign. If you add it up and the characters are somehow each dragging 500lb each in spare armour, treasure and unconscious prisoners, then what image does that bring to mind?
I find that I can generally ignore day-by-day encumbrance, but it's worth double-checking what the players have loaded their characters with every few sessions and asking for adjustments if they are seriously over a boundary. It's still book-keeping, but you can keep it between sessions and not interfere with game at the table.
It's still bookkeeping
I'd do this. Something like 50% for regular arrow, and for most magic arrows 60%, except any that would be "fragile" like glass or would explode, etc. Then the perctile is much less. (more equal to the arrows that missed instead of just the arrows that were fired.)