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Learning All About The Popular Fantasy Bow and Arrows
Sunfire
CONTENTS
The Premise
You’ve created a cool character you’re planning to put in your fantasy world but you’re not sure what weapon he should use? Swords are great for up and close combat but suppose you want to hit your target from afar? Perhaps fighting in close quarters just isn’t your thing. That’s where the fantasy bow and arrows come in. You can take down your foe quickly and without being noticed. If you miss, well that’s another story.
The fantasy bow and arrows is a staple in the genre and they come in many forms. Regardless of which one is used, they all have one thing in common: they use arrows to take their target down from a distance. This makes them ideal for stealth missions or hit-and-run missions.
What kind of person is this weapon good for? It’s perfect for sharpshooters. They can blend in with their surroundings and effortlessly take down their targets with relative ease, allowing the rest of their party to move in and eliminate the rest. It’s also great for people with keen eyes as they can spot their target from afar without being spotted and sling an arrow at them.
The fantasy bow and arrows are used mainly in the military to weaken their enemy defenses from a distance as their soldiers move in. Archers are vulnerable when firing so they’re usually placed not directly on the front line but right behind a row of troops. The military isn’t the only group that can use this weapon. Anyone who’s interested in learning how to use one can learn how and become a pro though it’ll take some time and training to become an expert.
This article is the second in a series covering the kinds of weapons you see in fantasy worlds. The first one was Looking into The 3 Unique Types of Fantasy Swords.
The first half of this article will cover bows and the last half arrows. With that said, let’s begin with the bows you’re most likely to come across.
Standard: The Most Common Fantasy Bow and Arrows
There are a great number of bows made with common materials. Wood is the most popular since it’s easy to work with and is found in many places. These bows are made from trees such as maple, pine, and spruce. Wood bows are light, don’t weight much, and gentle to the touch.
Bows are also made from metals. Iron and steel are just a couple of the metals that can be used to craft bows. While they’re a tad heavier to carry, they’re more powerful than wood because they can withstand higher pressure than their wooden counterparts. Since they have more power, arrows flying from them are more destructive and smash into their target with greater power.
These bows are found and sold in armor shops. The reason is because the materials used to craft them are readily available and easy to find. These merchants will only stock products they know that will sell and the vast majority of customers are likely to buy simple bows with no frills.
Bows can also be ceremonial, hanging over a fireplace or up on the wall. Such bows are owned by wealthy or well-to-do people. They’re intricately detailed, with expensive materials like gems used to construct them.
Magic: The Rarer Fantasy Bow and Arrows
While there’s an overwhelming number of common bows, there’s a rarer version, one far more powerful: magic bows. This magic feature enables bows to do things their common ilk couldn’t do like shoot out 5 arrows using only 1 or shooting arrows in slow motion. Magic bows can dramatically affect the dynamics of battle, tilting them sharply in their user’s favor.
Typically such power is held by people who understand how easily it can be abused if held by the wrong people. These people include magicians and sorcerers and great, wise leaders. Naturally, dark wizards have their own magic bows they use to terrifying effect on the battlefield against their enemies.
Since magic bows are rare, they’re made with materials infused with magic. This infusion can occur during the crafting process or when the wizard bestows mystical power upon it. The materials used can include wood and metals or their magical versions.
Normal Arrows
What every bow needs is arrows. They’re packed in the quiver on the bow user’s back and they’re used to hit the target from afar. Arrows are light but in the right hands, they can pack quite a punch. Just like with bows, there are many different kinds of arrows and they come in varying sizes.
There are two major types of arrows: wooden and metal. Wooden arrows are crafted out of wood and is the most abundant source of arrows used due to the many trees found in the world. Many armor shops carry them though you can make your own, provided you have the materials. They’re usually sold in bunches since you won’t only use just one arrow. While wooden arrows are light, their power isn’t great which means you’ll expend multiple arrows to take a target down, unless you hit them in the right spot.
Metal arrows are made out of metals such as steel. This means they’re a bit heavier to carry than wooden arrows. However, their power more than offsets their heavier weight. Since they’re comprised of metal, they hit harder, easily piercing the flesh, thereby increasing their effectiveness in destroying the target. While not as abundant as their wooden counterparts, many armor shops carry them though they charge a higher price for them. The process of creating a metal arrow is more difficult than making a wooden arrow because metals are found in mines, which requires more manpower to find and mine ores and forge them into usable metals. For arrows, those metals have to be broken down into smaller sizes. While you can make a wooden arrow yourself, it’s harder to create a metal arrow. It’s just easier to spend the money and purchase it yourself.
One added perk of arrows is that they can be dipped in a flame, turning them into fire arrows. This increases their lethality, as they can burn the target to a crisp. As long as there’s an open source of flames, you can make fire arrows.
Magic Arrows
While standard arrows are used by the vast majority of bow users, there’s a rare group of arrows, one that offers far more power and have many different effects. Magic arrows are more destructive, being able to wipe the target off the face of the planet without leaving a trace. Such power is only used by a small minority of bow users.
Magic arrows are made of materials that contain magic power like unicorn hair or materials that have been granted such power. If one wants to own them, they’ll have to search high and low to find them, for armor shops don’t sell them. Forget trying to make one from scratch, it’s just easier to find them instead.
These arrows harness the power of the elements like fire, ice, electric, and so on. Fire arrows don’t require the need to use an open flame. Just pull one out of the quiver and fling it at the target and watch the flames devour it whole. Ice arrows freeze it to the ground, enabling the user to rush up and kill it. There’s even a kind of arrow that can make the target vanish, as if he never existed!
Due to their great power, magic arrows are rare and thus, hard to find. Additionally, they’re used by wizards, both good and evil, or other people who can do magic. However, even ordinary bow users can use them, provided they learn how to handle them carefully and store them safely. The last thing an adventurer needs is to put his fire arrows in the wrong place and have them accidentally ignite at the worst possible time.
Tying it all Together
A fantasy bow and arrows can help a traveler reduce the number of foes he has to contend with before he engages in close combat. Just like with any weapon, training is needed to master it and become a pro. However, certain types of people like sharpshooters are better suited to use a bow and arrows.
If you’re creating a character who’s great with this weapon, even though there’s many different kinds of bows and arrows, find one that matches him. For example, if your character is an elf, use a wooden bow and arrows, not a magic bow and arrows, unless he’s a magic elf.
When coming up with your own fantasy bow and arrows, come up with cool, creative names that describe what they do. For instance, if you’re creating a bow that harnesses the power of the wind, you can call it the galeforce bow.
Experiment with using different colors and materials when crafting your own fantasy bow and arrows and perhaps the one you make will be a hit!
Let me know what you think in the comments below. (Note: this is an account-exclusive feature).
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Thanks for reading this and until the next time,
Sunfire
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