So, now you're asking, what's the difference? Well, there's heated debate over which of these methods should be used. We'll cover the first one, the monetary value of the bow when you appraise it.
In theory, this method works thusly; A person does an APPRAISE LONGBOW, and takes the value of the longbow and divides by 100. The result is the point of the longbow.
The Pros to this method.
- First, you don't need to know who made it.
- You don't even need what level they were when it was made.
- Second, once you become 'Certain' of a longbow's value, the value becomes a constant, and anyone else who appraises that longbow (and is 'certain') will get the same value.
The cons, on the otherhand are;
- You need to have an astronomically high appraisal skill to be 'Certain' of the value.
So, until you get up there in skill, you're only guessing.
- This system does not take into account the type of wood the longbow is made from. Which, I think is important, too.
- And, this system does not take into account anything better than the 'Fairly/Fairly' ratings for strength and balance, so leaves no room for growth.
The other method, the one I use most, is done as follows; You take the person's skill rank in Longbow, or Shortbow (Whichever is being made) and divide by 10, the result is the point of the bow.
Okay, here's the pros';
- Number one, it's a constant.
- Number two (and this will only be apparent to you Bards out there), it gives the bow a sense of history. There's nothing like being able to say exactly who made the bow, after it has passed a few hands, instead of saying, "I dunno."
- And the best pro is that it's sort of (not completely) structured to take into account the strength and balance of the bow.
The cons, and there are a bunch;
- This system doesn't take into consideration the fact that you need a skill of 10 to make Shortbows, and a minimum of 20 to make Longbows. For this to be recognized, you'd have to subtract 10 from the maker's skill, THEN divide by 10 to get an accurate measure on a longbow.
- Somewhere, I'm sure, Mech Lore plays a large part in the crafting of a bow, but niether this system, nor the preceding system included mech lore in the formula.
- Again, there's no mention of the type of wood which, according to Zantheus, makes a big difference after you've passed 50 ranks in longbow skill.
- And last, but not least, you can't always know who made a longbow, or what they're skill was when they made it.
How to make sense of it all? Simple, you just use both, if you can. For example, a person makes a Shortbow who has a shortbow skill of 100. They do a decent job of it, and it comes out perfect. Someone with a decent appraisal skill appraises the shortbow, and is 'Certain' that it's worth 1600 gold pieces. Now, according to the first system, it's a 16 point bow. According to the second system, it's a 10 pointer. Why fight it? Just call it a 10/16 point shortbow. You might get a few questions, but be patient, most people know what I am talking about.
