ARCHERY BOW BOWS (2345)
Syntax: automatic skill The vast majority of adventurers and heroes find archery much too impractical for a life of head-to-head combat, and leave bows and arrows in the hands of archers that can shoot their weapons from the safety of battlements. Two exceptions to this rule, however, are the hunter and the raider. The hunter is a specialized ranger who has adapted the skill of archery to be suitable for a life of adventure. Perpetually trying to keep distance in confrontation requires a hunter's endurance and cunning, and typically with the time required to load and aim, only a single shot can be fired in a round of combat. As Goblins are socialized into a world in which speed and keeping enemies at a distance are essential to survival, their raiders likewise train to keep confrontation on their own terms--and archery provides them the distance necessary to avoid enemies that would otherwise crush them. Ranged attacks do, however, afford opportunities unique in the art of war, but only a true hunter or skilled raider possesses an arsenal of skills capable of making the bow viable enough to withstand the chaos of a direct fray. Arrows fired from bows are impossible to parry. The training of a hunter allows them to use their bow even in the water. The archery skill allows the hunter and raider to wield their bows, which requires two hands. See also: HUNTER, RAIDER.