Wow, fletching is easy... you mean there's more?

As with everything known in the Realms, there are many, many other issues you can pursue in hopes of honing your skills and creating items as near "perfection" as you desire.  Naturally, there is no such "perfect" item, but there are many avenues you can take to come pretty durn close!  Due to the close link between the creation of bows and arrows, I've lumped both into a discussion where we discuss determining the quality of your creations and the the choices you have for wood type.

Appraising Quality

Now, after creating a few bows or arrows, you will undoubtedly ask, "My arrows look the same as anyone else's!  How can I tell the difference?"  Well, the question of differentiating between bows and arrows of varying quality is thankfully established to the point where you don't have to rely on hearsay for facts -- anyone can claim to make an excellent bow, but the key is in using your [appraise] skill to see for yourself.

It is commonly accepted that roughly every ten ranks of skill in a bow will give you a perceptible increase in quality.  There may be some leeway when you're close to that next ten-rank, but for the most part, a ten rank line is the base.  Thus, the appraisal system determined for longbows looks like:

Table 4-1:  Appraisals and Wood Caps on Longbows

Longbow Skill Ranks [1]	Longbow Appraisal Value in Kronars[2]	Longbow Cap[3]	Arrow Appraisal  Value in Kronars
20	175
30	375
40	550
50	750	Pine
60	925
70	1125
80	1300	Maple
90	1500	Spruce
100	1675	Birch
110
120	1875
130	2050
140	2250	Fir, Mahogany
150	2425	Willow
160	2625
170	2810		530
180	3000		560
190	3185		590
200	3375	Walnut	625
210	3560		655
220	3750	Oak
230	3935
240	4125
250	4310
260	4500
270	4685
280	4875
290	5060	Ebony
300

(based on infomation provided by Sarzen Silentshadow in the "Death By Air" discussion folder and the research notes of Flashingblade)

1. At 120 ranks of longbow skill, your longbows will become reasonable/reasonable when appraised.
2. Note that from 20-100 ranks, longbow appraisal appears to alternate between a 175/200 Kronar increase between ranks.  From 100-120 ranks, there is a jump of only 200 Kronars.  Finally, at 160 ranks, the pattern changes to alternating between 185/190 Kronar (150 Lirum) increase.  The appraisals for 250-300 have not been verified -- they stem from the "Ashkei fletching fiasco" and some extrapolation by Flashingblade based on the above patterns.
3. Wood cap is the maximum appraisal you will ever get on a longbow made from that particular wood.  Note that the Ebony cap is not confirmed -- another product of the "Ashkei fletching fiasco."

When you [appraise] a bow or arrow, in addition to the usual qualities related to balance, power and damage, you get an estimated value in copper Kronars (and Lirums or Dokoras if you're skilled enough).  If you appraise the item a few times (up to four tries at once), you'll get an envelope for the value of the bow.  Naturally, as your appraisal skill improves you'll get more consistent results.  Once you have a good idea of the value, you can look on the chart and get an approximate reading of the quality of the bow.  Again, I caution you... unless you have very high appraisal skill, you will get an envelope of varying ranges.  Don't be too caught up in the value of your bow unless you know for a fact who made it and their skill at the time.  Many archers feel that using a bow made by their own hand is best matched to their ability anyhow -- and easily replaced if lost.

The only (fairly) absolute quantities, in descending order of reliability, for establishing the value/quality of longbows are:

• You made the bow and you know your skill (I hope).
• Someone you trust made the bow and you know their skill.
• At 120 ranks of longbow skill, the appraisal on balance and power change to reasonable/reasonable (so this can be an upper bound or, if you're lucky, a lower bound!)
• The wood type of a given bow has a maximum capacity, or "wood cap."  More discussion on this is in the wood section, but it is an excellent way to set an upper limit on a given bow if it's one of the woods that have been observed to possess a "cap."

Just to make things a bit more difficult, it has been hinted that rangers possess a bonus when using bows, and quite possibly, when carving them as well.  Thus, ranger made bows may have properties undetectable to a simple [appraise].

Now, once you've figured out what your bow's worth, how do you tell others?  You may have heard many archers referring to the number of "points" on a bow.  Unfortunately, over the years there have been several systems that folks have used to rate bows for sale, bragging, etc.  Even more confusing still, they all refer their respective units as "points" despite the completely different benchmarks they are based on.
 

Table 4-2: Bow appraisal systems

System	Points	Rank	Example
Zovyn	(appraisal value in Kronars)/100  rounded down	-	longbow appraising at 2420 K would be "24 points"
Luigi-"old"	(longbow skill)/10  rounded down	-	longbow made at 153 ranks would be "15 points"
Luigi-"new"	(appraisal value in Kronars)	(longbow skill)/10  rounded down	a rosewood longbow made with 63 ranks would be a "6th rank, 925 point bow" a pine longbow made with 60 ranks would be a "6th rank, 750 point bow"
Current	(appraisal value in Kronars)	(longbow skill)	rosewood longbow made by a ranger with 63 ranks would be a "ranger-made, rosewood, 60 rank, 925 point bow" a pine longbow made by a ranger with 63 ranks would be a "ranger-made, pine, 60 rank, 750 point bow"

(based on information provided by Sarzen Silentshadow)

Currently, accepted practice describes a bow with wood, profession/skill of bowyer, and appraisal value -- sort of a belt-and-suspenders system to prevent any misinformation.

Balance/Power Ratings

Why are longbows the only bows that show an appraised improvement in balance and power when carved at high skill?  Well, this theory fits quite well into the weapons rating system as we know it.  As observed by Sarazak Daisuke and a number of others during the notorious "draw-oops!" incident, there is a range of properties within each rating type.  So, my guess is that there are indeed improvements to bows carved at high skill, but they are not noticeable with a simple appraisal.  Simplying each rating into a range of three areas, high, mid, and low, I propose that the different bows are rated as follows -- note the careful juxtaposition of balance versus power for each type:
 

Table 4-3:  Base appraisals of bows

Balance	Bow-type	Power
		high-reasonable
		mid-reasonable
mid-fairly	Composite Bow	low-reasonable
high-fairly	Longbow	high-fairly
low-reasonable	Short Bow	mid-fairly
mid-reasonable
high-reasonable

Upon a simple [appraise] you'd get exactly the above with any standard, run-of-the-mill bow of a given type:  composite (fairly/reasonable), longbow (fairly/fairly), and short bow (reasonable/fairly).  What I think happens upon reaching certain skill levels is a slight shift of the above by a notch -- in this case, we know for a fact that at 120 ranks, longbows change their appraisal to reasonable/reasonable, so we have:
 

Table 4-4:  Appraisals of bows made at high skill

Balance	Bow-type	Power
mid-fairly		high-reasonable
high-fairly	Composite Bow	mid-reasonable
low-reasonable	Longbow	low-reasonable
mid-reasonable	Short Bow	high-fairly
high-reasonable		mid-fairly

See how each column shifted one "notch" in the favorable direction?  Well, look closely and you'll see that although longbows "improved" and became reasonable/reasonable, short bows and composite bows remain the "same" in terms of appraisal!!!  Yes, many folks have complained that there are no "better" short or composite bows in the realms, but indeed, we just might not have the capacity to see it with our appraisals!

Given this, it is a fair assumption to think that perhaps there are intermediate steps as well... you don't have to shift both columns at once, nor at the same rate.   This is supported by one reported case where an archer manufactured a reasonable/fairly longbow (at ~80 ranks).  In addition, short bows made with extremely high skill (200+ ranks) are reported to appraise at well/reasonable, which could make them low-well/mid-reasonable on the above scale -- three "notches" with a simultaneous balance/power shift (could be two if short bows start at mid-reasonable/low-fairly instead).  A two or three notch shift at "only" 200+ ranks seems a bit too quick seeing as the first "full notch" for longbows occurs at 120 ranks, thus the balance must be moving quicker than the power.  Early recurve bows appraised at fairly/well, which doesn't fit on the fixed scale either.  Possibly, short bows slide their balance scale faster than their power, longbows slide them equally (with some variation either way), and composite bows slide power fastest.  As an interesting side note, the new "White-oak Elothean Competition-balanced Longbows" appraise at reasonable/poorly, and on the above scale would be high-reasonable/ high-poorly, making them the most balanced (and therefore, most accurate) longbows currently in the realms.

Wood Selection

For those of you who have ventured all throughout the Realms, you may have noticed that there is more than one kind of tree out there!  Surely enough, there is a broad spectrum of wood types you can forage to create your bows and arrows.  As things stand now, the species that we have learned to work effectively with are:

Although the above selection may seem extensive, a bit of careful observation as you travel the highways and byways of the Realms will reveal even more species of flora. Unfortunately, these species possess properties that we are unfamiliar with -- only the odd traveling merchant from afar possess the secrets to utilizing the following woods effectively.  Perhaps, we will someday learn on our own how to use them:

By far, the easiest wood to work is the soft wood of the common pine tree.  In all likelihood, you will carve your first items from this easy wood.  Unfortunately, finding it can be a bear at times -- especially early in your life as a neophyte in art of foraging.  Although I didn't look extensively for it as a young ranger, I did notice that pine sticks and limbs are more plentiful in the Langenfirth Ranger Guild than in the Crossing one.  When in doubt, ask an elder forager to see if they can find you a few sticks or limbs to get you started.

Once you've mastered use of pine, or if you just can't find any, the wood of spruce and maple trees appear to be a close second in difficulty.  Maple is plentiful in the Crossing Ranger Guild, but usually is too hard to work for the novice bowyer.  Again, ask an elder -- no sense losing your hair trying to find a piece of suitable wood (despite the fact that you might be looking for pine right under a pine tree).

Upon successfully making bows and arrows from maple, spruce, and pine consistently, you are, in all likelihood, ready to run amuck with whatever woods you fancy.  Willow and alder are known to be relatively easy to work whilst the hardwoods such as oak, teak, mahogany, walnut, and ebony are almost impossible until you've trained long and hard in the science of mechanical lore (if you try to keep your mechanical lore on par with your bow skill, you should do well).  The alder thicket just south of Theren Meadow an excellent locale to forage for a wide variety of wood types (e.g. alder, spruce, teak, maple, pine, willow), as is the beech grove near El'Bain's Stop (e.g. alder, ash, willow, maple, pine).

By this time, you might be asking if there are any other reasons you'd pick one wood over another if your skill is sufficient to create items from any of the known woods.  Well, there are several factors that have, for the most part, been unexplored by the majority of bowyers and fletchers.  Many of the issues surrounding these factors are difficult to quantify and are noticeable only by the most skilled craftsmen.

One almost completely new factor is the recent indication that the critters of the Realm have learned that archers have a weakness (besides our reduction to evading like a rock when holding a bow):  our bows are extremely fragile and are subject to breakage if exposed to the rigors of melee combat.  Thus, if a critter cannot kill you flat out at melee, it can do the next best thing -- break your bow or arrow.  Thus, it has become clear that the different durabilities of the various woods are a key factor in allowing our creations to survive combat.  Unfortunately, there is no in-depth studies available on this topic.  The only recourse is to utilize the woods that are "hardwoods" by definition whenever possible.

The other factor is the inherent properties of each type of wood.  Taking pine as a prime example, its superior workability comes from its soft nature.  As a result, there is an upper limit to the quality of the bow you can create despite your skills.  Termed "wood caps" by the general community of archers, at certain skill levels, you will notice that some woods stop improving despite your skill.  When you reach a "cap," your only recourse is to switch to another wood.

One final note about woods that applies to arrows only:  despite the variety of woods you can make arrows from, any arrows you make with the same level of skill will combine and lose their "wood" property.  For example, if you fletched two "pine bishop head arrows" at 23 ranks of longbow skill and later, fletched two "spruce bishop head arrows" at 26 ranks of longbow skill, upon putting them in your quiver, they would combine and simply become four "bishop head arrows," losing any "wood" properties.  However, one caveat of this is if you are skilled enough to surpass the cap on one of the two woods.  For example, if you have 90 ranks of bow skill and fletch two "pine bodkin arrows" and two "willow bodkin arrows," they will not combine -- the pine arrows are capped at 50 ranks and thus will only combine with other arrows made with 50 ranks of skill.