Bows with a PS requirement.

[drewkitty ~..~]

I will keep is simple.

Do bows with a minimum PS requirement transfer the PS bonus, up to the minumum, of the character to the damage the arrow does?
If so I'd like a book/page reference.

Since no one can answer my question I will ask: How do/would you play Bows with a PS requierments? Do they get a PS bonus to the damage, up to the required PS score's bonus??

[Axelmania]

I probably wouldn't add it, assuming that it would be higher damage bows that would have a requirement to begin with.

[Prysus]

I will keep is simple.

Do bows with a minimum PS requirement ...
[snip]
How do/would you play Bows with a PS requierments?

Greetings and Salutations. You might get better responses if you actually try to provide some actual examples and sources. None of the bows I can think of have a P.S. requirement, so I'd play them as they don't exist since they don't exist to the best of my knowledge. You want a better answer, provide some sources so we can discuss an actual topic better. Farewell and safe journeys.



P.S. Though to answer your initial question, P.S. damage bonus is listed as a "Hand to Hand combat" damage. So unless the bow is being modified by hand to hand combat in some form (and I don't think there's a canon way to enhance archery with Hand to Hand skills), or there's specific text to overrule the general text, P.S. damage bonus wouldn't be added without house rules, unless you're actually using the bow as a melee weapon (i.e. a blunt instrument) and not a ranged weapon.

[drewkitty ~..~]

I the PF D&G book there are some bows there listed as having a PS requirement. And one of them being listed as doing more damage then the normal 2D6, but that over the norm damage was when in the hand's of it's mistress.

[say652]

Closest canon thing i could find was The Larhold Barbarian Now. That deals Supernatural Ps+6md. In an sdc setting i don't see it being game breaking.

[ShadowLogan]

Greetings and Salutations. You might get better responses if you actually try to provide some actual examples and sources. None of the bows I can think of have a P.S. requirement, so I'd play them as they don't exist since they don't exist to the best of my knowledge. You want a better answer, provide some sources so we can discuss an actual topic better. Farewell and safe journeys.

Examples exist in Rifts:
South America 2 Larhold Barbarians have multiple composite bows with a PS requirement to use
Spirit West has the laser bow and a non-magic/tech bow
Dinosaur Swamp's Steeltree Bows have a PS requirement

[drewkitty ~..~]

Thank you Say and SL for pointing out the Larhold and the SteelTree bows.

Both are only sort of what I was looking for (both being rifts & not the mechanics I was thinking of) but sometimes that is all you'd get.

What I was thinking was that the bow is built so char with only that PS or greater could use it and it would give the PS bonus up to that min. PS score.
As such a bow made with a min PS of 20 would give a +5 to the damage.

[ShadowLogan]

Thank you Say and SL for pointing out the Larhold and the SteelTree bows.

Both are only sort of what I was looking for (both being rifts & not the mechanics I was thinking of) but sometimes that is all you'd get.

What I was thinking was that the bow is built so char with only that PS or greater could use it and it would give the PS bonus up to that min. PS score.
As such a bow made with a min PS of 20 would give a +5 to the damage.

Well the Larhold bows require a SN PS to use, but "does hand to hand damage (based on supernatural P.S.) + # M.D." on pg190 & 186 (SA2) with differing bonus values between the Shaman and Barbarian classes. I'm not sure why the bonus damage is different between the two classes, either there are two types of bows (with the weaker going to the Shaman) in universe or out-of-universe we have a typo/editing mistake since neither class assumes a static PS score.

So there is some precedent that PS requirement and a bow can alter damage based on PS score (since SN PS determines melee damage), though not in the expected ways (bonus to damage).

[drewkitty ~..~]

well KS does not like sa2 anyways…..*wonders why it gets reprinted* oh yeh $$

[say652]

I liked the South America books. People who constantly say OP, just look at the Occs not the setting. Several minor wars plus Vampires plus Barbarian Hordes plus etc, etc ,etc

[eliakon]

I will keep is simple.

Do bows with a minimum PS requirement transfer the PS bonus, up to the minumum, of the character to the damage the arrow does?
If so I'd like a book/page reference.

Since no one can answer my question I will ask: How do/would you play Bows with a PS requierments? Do they get a PS bonus to the damage, up to the required PS score's bonus??

You get what the bow in question says you do.
As there is no 'generic bow' that has a PS requirement there is no 'generic rule'
Instead for each 'special snowflake bow' you use that bows unique and special rules.
Thus the Larhold bow does not do damage like a normal bow (based on the arrow or a flat rate) but instead does the H2H/Punch damage of the person with a +6 as the 'arrow' damage.
The Steel Tree bow on the other hand does the normal damage for its arrows and does not get any bonus damage based on the PS of the wielder.
Two different "bows for strength" two different rules. I would hazard to guess that additional bows would likewise have additional rules and not follow any sort of format.

Does that help?

[drewkitty ~..~]

Yep, and GMs like having precedents in canon for what weapon you want to have. Just making up a whole text tends to annoy them and you get the "that is not canon' speech, even though you told them you made it up.


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Moving on from the answered question…

How would you convert the Steeltree bows for use in a SDC setting?

[eliakon]

Yep, and GMs like having precedents in canon for what weapon you want to have. Just making up a whole text tends to annoy them and you get the "that is not canon' speech, even though you told them you made it up.


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Moving on from the answered question…

How would you convert the Steeltree bows for use in a SDC setting?

Assuming that I was being super generous and that I was going to let the bows do something special other than be really nize bows?
I would probably apply the MDC weapons become SDC weapons, and then let arrows fired from them be the equivalent of AP bullets (so ignore 2 points of AR) Possibly with say... +3 damage.
If you are using a ST bow and ST arrows of course.

But basically... I would make something up that fit for the game I was running and use that.
If I was going to let them have anything (the canon answer would be "They become SDC weapons that do Structural Damage on a 1:1 basis to the Mega Damage they inflict in Rifts". But that answer is boring so...)

[ShadowLogan]

Moving on from the answered question…

How would you convert the Steeltree bows for use in a SDC setting?

I think the answer is pretty much in the fluff text for Bow-type weapons for non-Steeltree arrow/bolts (ie extra damage, but bolt/arrow is shattered), for Steeltree arrow/bolts I'd look at 1:1 with AP qualities (they are supposed to hit with railgun force, so they would be armor piercing IMHO) based on the fluff text and RCB1r, and might toss in an additional die (or raise the dice code by one) for the "heavy" bow types.