Molock on 6/12/2007 at 20:29
I shoot a long bows in my free time since two years, and I can tell you that even pin-pointed arrows shot from bows with pull strength of 50 pounds stick really really hard in wood. I often have to use my whole weight of 205 pounds to pull it out of the wood, and thats from a 50lbs bow!
There are antique bows shooting arrows with a strength of 90-200 pounds, that glues any arrow into the wood or even sheet steel hard enough to climb around on it without pulling it. Remember that some bow with 200 pounds of pull penetratet 1'' steel breast plates with pin-pointed arrows and killed the knights wearing them with one shot.
But for any bow over 90 pounds you need to be a bow specialist with years of training and you have to be VERY strong. Its like holding a 90 pounds heavy weight 3 seconds long without flinching every time you shoot an arrow. - let alone 200 pounds.
I just cant imagine Garrett shooting such a strong bow because your spine and shoulder gets damaged and deform over time of such strong pulls, pulls over 80lbs or more.
Breaking arrows is another thing, the wood of strong arrows required for very strong bows is for sure is hard enough to withstand the pull 200 pounds, the other thing is that no arrow head could hold that weight and the shaft of the arrow would get loose instantly. Thats one reason why it does not work. I think I dont have to mention that an arrow shot into the wood sideways with stress of only some 40 pounds or so would lead into breaking the shaft, even an arrow that gets pulled out a bit sideways breaks.
The other reason is, how the heck did they manage to get a rope around the arrow? Any hole in the arrow shaft required to fix a rope to the arrow would lead to a very unstable flight and a very weak arrow shaft resulting in an arrow that breaks if you just shoot it because it cant bend. Arrows must bend a bit otherwise they break from strong bow pulls and you get the splinters into your left arm eventually leading to very serious injury damaging your wrist arteries.- It wouldnt be the first time. The best arm protection doesnt help with a arrow splinters powered by 90lbs+.
Last but not least you cant pull out most arrows shot into wood shot from a bow with pull strength of over 80 pounds, you are not strong enough to get them out. Even garrett cant pull them out, and you cant use them again because the arrow heads get damaged really hard if shot into wood.
Last time I shot one into the wood with 80lbs of pull the arrow penetratet at least 4'' wood and flattened out the metal arrow head forming a hook.
.
One thing that comes to my mind is fixing a rope to the steel head of the arrow, a head that is strong enough to withstand stress of 200 pounds could be possible. Fact is that you can shoot a head of an arrow deep enough into the wood that even 200 pounds cant get it out. If its a very strong bow the arrow with the weight of the rope - if fixed properly- could be propelled with enough speed to ensure a deep penetration , but the flight would be very very unstable and that would lead into great accuracy suffer. I dont know if such arrow is possible, but it sounds a bit plausibly.
Overall, Garrett would need a very very strong bow.
jtr7 on 6/12/2007 at 20:35
Thief Universe rules:
"This arrow will stick into wooden surfaces and deploy a hanging rope."
It's magic, or a technology that appears as magic. Applying reality to most of these arrows will lead to undesirable results.:cheeky:
Elentari on 7/12/2007 at 05:47
Jeepers, Molock. I can't even think of pulling a bow that strong. lol I know my dad has his set at 60lbs. But to even start pulling that I have to get down and use both feet and both hands. For my own bow it has to be somewhere between 30 to 40 pounds or I can't draw it at all.
jtr7, I have to agree. Sounds like they are 'normal' arrows (as far as looks, at least), then whatever magic runs them, drops the rope and supports the climber's weight.
It must be a fairly flexible magic. . .if the user can both release the arrow and return the rope to its. . .erm. . .storage to be reused later. If the head is barbed like we were talking about. . .is it possible the user would use some sort of 'cue' to make the arrow release easily? Say a release word or some such?
jtr7 on 7/12/2007 at 07:15
Magically, I would think gripping it with his hand makes it release. Can't have him saying anything aloud. The arrowhead pulls out easily whether he's hanging on it or not. Its removal from the wood causes some sawdust to fall out, and the rope disappears instead of getting reeled in. There's far too much rope for a hollow arrowshaft to contain, and the rope is thicker than the arrowshaft.
Zillameth on 7/12/2007 at 08:16
Maybe there is a whole hidden rope dimension. Every time you shoot a rope arrow, a small interdimensional rift is created, and a rope falls through. Every time you pull an arrow out and a rope is destroyed, you release a wicked rope demon into the world. Then these demons prey on people and make them commit suicides... with magically summoned ropes inhabited by even more demons!
It must be the same kind of magic that governs all the cables under my desk.
jtr7 on 7/12/2007 at 08:30
\o/
Yay! I was hoping you'd show up!
sparhawk on 7/12/2007 at 09:13
Every time I rewire my computer, everything is clean and straight. When I come back five minutes later, they are totally tangled. I came to the conclusion that even baby wires already learn at an early age how to properly tangle.
Considering that, I can easily also imagine that there are older and more wise ropes that not only learned how to tangle, but also how to attach themselve to arrows and other stuff, where they are not supposed to fit, and get connected so fast that you can't remove them unless they want it. Maybe Garrett has just a good relationship with his ropes and arrows. :joke:
Peanuckle on 7/12/2007 at 17:42
I hope that the magic that governs computer-cord tangling isn't of the type that governs rope arrows. Imagine the look on Garrett's face when he fires the arrow, it sticks in the wood, and a giant pretzel knot deploys 3 feet from the arrow. I would be so fuggin pissed, especially if it were my only one!
jtr7 on 7/12/2007 at 19:25
Maybe, on occasion, the knots are tied at regular intervals to provide hand grips.
SubJeff on 7/12/2007 at 19:32
Where are the arrow concepts for TDM sparhawk? The rope arrow is clearly the answer to all.
