Enchanted Ammunition Prices

[d-_-b]

I have a question regarding the price of enchanted ammunition such as arrows +1.

The price of enchanting 50 of these suckers is equal to enchanting a bow. Firing one of them costs roughly 40gp which is a hell of a lot of money to literally shoot of. A Sleep Arrow rings in at a massive 132gp
My problem is this: Even though adventurers' economy work on a rather high level compared to the average farmhands I can't imagine who in their right mind would use ammunition at that cost.

Does anyone here have any experience with modifying the price of enchanted ammunition?

[wizarddog]

What I usually allow is for the PC to choose arrows of the same Bonus of different types for their 50. So they may take 10 Flame arrows, 10 Evil outsider Bane arrows, 10 Shock arrows, 10 Cold arrows, and 10 contrust bane arrows. That way they have a variety of types of ammo to use. That's still 8000gp but if they combined them with a special weapon bow (+1 acid for example) then they are adding bonus of energy damage that make them quite powerful. It's an investment.

At higher levels, if you allow it, in Complete Psionic is the Quiver of Energy that generates energy damage for unmagical projectiles. It cost around 15750gp and holds 20 arrows that must be left in the quiver for at least 1 round.

[d-_-b]

The rules that are in place already allow you to create less than 50 arrows of a given enchantment. I do recognize that enchanted ammunition to some degree allow you to plan for more contingencies but that, however, does not lessen the prohibitive cost per arrow which is my real issue.

I've been considering cutting the price of magical ammunition in half, but I fear it might unbalance the game to some extend as it would also have to apply to the more exotic types of enchanted munitions.

[Inquisitor Tremayne]

I typically play archers and have always circumvented the issue by either investing in an amazing bow and/or having the Cleric cast Greater Magic Weapon on normal arrows.

I do purchase a crap ton of all the other "mundane arrows". This is what my current character has in her Quiver of Ehlonna:

40 Adamantine Arrows (ignores Hardness)
20 Cold Iron Arrows (damage Fey creatures)
20 Dark Wood Arrows (extra hard but light)
20 Silver Arrows (-1 to damage, damage vs. lycanthropes)
40 Normal Arrows
17 Dragon’s Breath Arrows (1 point of Fire Damage, Reflex DC 15 or catch fire, 1d6 damage)
20 Serpent Tongue Arrows (Full Damage vs. Objects with Hardness 5 or less)
20 Blunt Arrows (subdual Damage, 60’ range, x2 crit)
20 Swift Wing Arrows (-1 per range increment, 1d6 damage)
4 Fountain Head Arrows (target a flat surface [AC 5], 10’ radius burst of acid deals 2d8 damage, Ref DC 14 for half, last 3 rounds)


She has a +1 Darkwood Composite Longbow (Str +2) at 7th level.


I've always viewed the investment into enchanted arrows as a waste, especially since you can just use your magical bow and gain essentially the same effect.


If she has the spare coin she will pick up a slaying arrow or two for those special occasions, but she mostly just fires normal arrows.

[WhiskeyFur]

Enchant your box to the bext + possible, and then enchant your arrows for specific effects if you can't make a mundane version.

Mage friend a while back could imbue items, so I would string an arrow, he put a fireball in it and I launched. Being a deep wood sniper firing imbued maximized fireball arrows... 60 fire + arrow damage. that was just absolutely insanity. DM made the wisecrack that he felt sorry for the orcs.

Of course this was back when we were watching the Dukes of Hazard fitting dynamite to arrows on TV too.

But... No, I never paid to have my arrows enchanted. Never needed to.

A high enough skill in craft (boyer/fletcher) should give you plenty of leeway to make the arrows you need. If the DM needs examples of custom arrowheads, look at eastern feudal history. The samauri had flesh cutters, leaf bulbs, the whole nine yards.

d-_-b, I think the simplest answer is leave them as loot. If the players want to make it, go ahead, but they should recognize that it would be better to enchant the BOW up to the level they need. Enchant your arrows only for specific effects and let it stack.

A +5 bow with returning arrows is the best return on investment yet. (sorry, I just had to.)