Sheep-Goats 说:
So why not just the bags of arrows thing then -- you get more shots with less inventory squares (especially if you're going and restocking in mid-battle) and a war bow with bodkin arrows is 29p damage -- a higher damage than jarids. I mean, what really is the advantage of throwing weapons?
Strength is factored into the damage calculation with thrown weapons. A high strength character will do more damage with a Jarid or axe than they will with a bow and bodkin arrow.
As far as I can see they fire faster than bows (but not really much faster if you're aiming and not just chucking into a herd), can be used with a shield (not a big advantage for thrown weapons as you're far away anyway), and can be used even if you only have one inventory slot left (the big advantage).
There are other advantages too, but I wouldn't underestimate the ability to use a shield. When your up against enemy ranged troops, especially bowmen, the shield can really come into it's own, as can the speed factor.
Another advantage is the Jarid and Axe's bonus against shields. This can be useful even if your melee oriented - soften up the enemy shield as they move into the attack (or destroy it completely) and you've made it a lot easier to defeat them. A favourite tactic against infantry with a shield is to hurl jarids or axes at them as they close. If your lucky, by the time they reach you the shield will only be good to block one or two hits from your own weapon, leaving them defenceless.
There are other things to consider - only thrown weapons allow you to knock out an enemy (if you have the patience to use rocks
). Also there's the skill side of things - horse archery doesn't appear to affect thrown weapons, so it's one less skill to worry about if you go down the thrown route. Power Throw affects all throwing weapons, while Power Draw is useless for crossbows.
Jarid are certainly fun and you can really win a battle with them, but practically, a bow is just a little bit better, isn't it? (Not everyone plays the game as a powergaming powergamer, but you know what I'm talking about as far as practical player choices go, don't you?)
Like I said, it depends on the character. Low strength characters are most definitely better off with a bow or crossbow, unless they specifically want to knock out the enemy at range. High strength characters are better off with thrown weapons, if damage is the only consideration. Melee characters are definitely better off with thrown weapons - not only do they take up less space, but they also cause far more damage to shields than a bow or crossbow, which is a good reason to keep a bag of jarid around (especially when the enemy starts using metal shields!)
I find the bow or crossbow is definitely better if your going for a dedicated ranged character. The slot taken up by the bow is made up for by the quantity of the ammo. Since your likely to want either speed (on foot) or riding (horse archer) your more likely to put points into agility or intelligence (extra points for horse archery / riding / athletics) than strength.
For a melee character thrown weapons are definitely the way to go. They benefit from the strength increases you make (for the better armour & weapons) and give you a good edge against shield carrying enemies. You can use your shield alongside them, and while you won't have enough to take on an army with the two slots you have left, it does give you a nice edge during combat (especially facing mounted archers or similar).
