This is discussion archived from a time before the current discussion method was installed.
Take care with this section. An arrow (or nail from a nail gun, or bullet, or ...) can hit in such a way as to cause minor damage, particularly if it is in the meat of a muscle. (Thighs in particular, as long as the artery isn't severed). In the case, breaking the arrow off somewhat above the point of impact (high enough that a couple of inches of shaft will still hold it in place. will allow movement some freedom of movement that the arrow might interfere with. Particularly with longbow shafts, several feet long, this may be required. Additionally, a barbed head lodged deeply and most of the way through the muscle can, on occasion, be pushed through with less damage than removing it surgically.
Motion to split the game examples into action, adventure and roleplaying sections. —Document N
Mizaru: I've decided to cut my own Maple Story example, along with the natter that disputed it. (See below.) It didn't seem to fit in, since I was pointing out a gameplay issue and all the other examples are story or presentation issues. Besides, class balance is endlessly debated anyway, so I think it's best we don't bring it up at all. If someone else wants to re-add it, be sure to rephrase it to be more neutral and less incendiary. I still think archery in MS is pitiful, but for now my bitter opinions will be saved for Maple Story's It Just Bugs Me! page.
- The Korean-developed MMORPG Maple Story uses this to ridiculous extents. Its "bowman" class is underpowered to the point of uselessness (except at very late endgame levels). Not only are bows inferior to every melee weapon class, they also get outdamaged by shuriken, which somehow have the same range.
- Not exactly... I think the above troper forgot about Critical strikes (which is a class skill bowmen get sooner than any other class) which doubles your damage with a 40% chance. Unless you build your character badly, bowmen are more or less the strongest class through out the entire game.
Narwhal: Almost everything on this page appears to be an aversion of the trope rather than an actual example. Should citing aversions on this page be discouraged from now on?
Mark Z: Yes, it should.
ninjacrat: Bit late; I deleted most of them a week ago.
Haven: Took out this bit of natter, keeping it here because potentially useful.
- And didn't Boromir wear armour?
- Chainmail... which is great against slashing weapons, but has issues with piercing weapons... riveted rings in particular can be burst open by a piercing weapon with enough force(welded rings are a fair bit stronger).
- Got it wrong there. Riveted mail is superior to butted mail. Also, any mail is rather easy to penetrate if you have a very long, tapering pointy object, since it essentially gets within a ring and forces it open. Look at some of the Oakeshott XV and X Va swords, those defeat mail rather easily by thrusting. Arrows don't work nearly as well. In a backyard test conducted by some fellow on My Armoury
the arrows usually managed to break a ring or two, but they had expended enough energy that they bounced off the padded garment people wear under mail.
- And didn't Boromir wear armour?
Kizor: Hello. The article acquired another version of the first paragraphs. This new version has some interesting information about the damage arrows cause. It also starts with arguing that arrows are less deadly than modern firearms, when nobody seems to have claimed that they are, and more importantly calls Annoying Arrows Truth in Television. The claim that arrows are inconvenient is totally wrong and makes the whole article incoherent. Both versions should be combined to create a new and even better one. I cannot do it at this moment as I am falling asleep as I type, and because it requires some background research. I changed the article back to the older one. I am copypasting both versions here for your perusal and to show my willingness to do more than just revert.
Old: In media the bow, one of the ancient world's most effective ranged weapons, has nowhere near the punch it has in Real Life. A character struck with an arrow need only grab the shaft and yank it out with little more than some momentary discomfort, then go back to doing whatever they were doing. If they're too busy in the middle of a melee, they can just leave them in place and deal with them when things settle down.
Needless to say this is yet another area where Hollywood gets it wrong. An arrow hit on a lightly armored or unarmored person would knock them off their feet - as with bullets, not because of the kinetic energy, but because the shock of being wounded disrupts muscular coordination. Even if the arrow strikes an area not immediately vital, it must be removed quickly and the wound tended if death is to be avoided. Peter Woodward of the excellent series Conquest addressed the question of arrows. It is simply physiologically impossible to keep fighting with an arrow stuck in you.
Hollywood sometimes shows people pushing an arrow through their body and out the other side. This course of action simply compounds an already bad and potentially fatal injury.
New: In a rare moment of Truth in Television, a hit by an arrow is typically not as fatal as with an actual hand-held weapon— particularly with a small bow at long range. On the contrary, most of the damage is done by pulling the arrow out, due to the barbed arrowhead; meanwhile otherwise, the arrow itself would most typically create a flesh-wound.
Even so, an arrow in fiction will typically have nowhere near the punch it has in Real Life. A character struck with an arrow need only grab the shaft and yank it out with little more than some momentary discomfort, then go back to doing whatever they were doing. If they're too busy in the middle of a melee, they can just leave them in place and deal with them when things settle down.
Needless to say this is yet another area where Hollywood gets it wrong. Peter Woodward of the excellent series Conquest addressed the question of arrows. It is simply physiologically impossible to keep fighting with an arrow stuck in you.
Hollywood sometimes shows people pushing an arrow through their body and out the other side. While this may be preferable to pulling it out, this course of action simply compounds an already bad and potentially fatal injury.
