How does Quick Shot and Volley combine?
Is it that
Volly give
a.) attack does no expend shots
b.) at the cost of a load, the attacker can get +1 d20 to hit and +1 CD damage
and then
Quick Release gives
an additional 1 CD damage if the attacker spends a Minor Action to prepare AND spends an additional load (so, two loads total) AND buys the Quick Release talent?
That seems really underwhelming for Quick Release.
Itâd be really helpful if you read the rules on Volley and Quick Release before commenting on them. I might be completely misinterpreting what the rules say. Unless we can clarify whether thatâs the case, discussion about whether it is underwhelming or not is pointless.
As fas as I understand this,
a) concerning volley, you are correct
b) Quick release to me reads that you can attack two times on your âturnâ. Once as a minor action and once as a standard action, thus âincrease your rate of attackâ. You could spend two loads for each shot (minor or standard action) [quote: ALLOWING you to spendâŚ] for which youâll receive an addition d20 and 1 CD. So basically you shoot two times. Plus, due to having Accuracy and Quick Release, you can re-roll 2 damage dies on each attack (!).
Essentially, if I read it correctly, Quick Release saves you two momentum spend for and additional standard action attack (Wow. thatâs quite a benefit, Iâd say. Regarding the fact that you attack with additional d20s, you could generate tons of momentum here).
Interesting to me would be your initial question âHow does Volley and Quick Release combineâ. First off, quick release only works with a weapon that has the volley quality, essentialy making you a pretty quick archer and not âHerkules the exstatic spear slingerâ.
Second, it might be me being a picky â â â reader, but it does not exclude you from using the volley quality on that same (quick release) shot. The wording is âWhen using a ranged weapon with the Volley Qualityâ, so Quick Release only works with this type of weapon, BUT it does not state that you use the volley quality for the shots fired, only that you use loads. One might argue that you could stack quick release WITH volleys, but this then would force you to fire four loads (minor action: Quick release shot (1load) with volley (1load) = attack with 4d20 and, if hit, +2 CD. Same goes for the standard action then).
As a game master, I would use the rule of cool and give you that, as it takes away 4 loads on this one turn. You could turn a nemesis into a hedgehog at this point, but most likely have depleted your loads. On the other hand, buy yourself a donkey carrying loads of quivers, stand back in a fight and hopefully your complication roll wonât make the daunted beast run to the river Styx 
Honestly I donât read it that way.
I think it clearly makes just allows you to spend a Minor Action to make the weapon, effectively, Volley 3 (itâs + 1D20 and +1[CD] per Reload spent on Quick Release, so +2D20 and +2[CD] if you use it).
âAn additional D20â is essentially the same language used to describe how Resources function, so that doesnât seem to me to allow a second attack:
each unit of a Resource used adds a single bonus d20 to the skill test, with the normal limit of three additional d20s per skill attempt, after which it is gone
Its useful (Burst 3 Guns in Infinity scare the bejesus out of me for a reason) but hardly the greatest option. I donât have an issue with that: 5D20 + 3[CD] without generating any Doom is a superb opening salvo, so it makes you great at laying down the hurt in the first round.
That sort of resource spend should reliably do 2 wounds, so youâre looking at gutting a Mob, killing a Toughened foe or crippling a Nemesis. Add in Hail of Arrows + Blot out the Sun and for 4 Reloads youâre doing an opening salvo that can reliably annihilate Mobs in a single turn (and potentially multiple mobs if theyâre crowded together).
From Quick Release: âWhen using a ranged weapon with the Volley Quality, you may spend a Minor Action to increase your rate of attack, allowing you to spend two Loads, gaining a bonus d20 and +1§ damage for each Load spent.â
On your single attack, you may spend up to two Loads with a Volley weapon with this talent. Thus, if you have a Volley weapon and Quick Release, you can:
My archer uses a Bossonian longbow and has +2 [cd] from her Awareness stat, so she normally does 7[cd] with her bow. If she uses a Load (which any Volley weapon can do), she does 8[cd]. If she uses 2 Loads (which only someone with Quick Release can do), she does 9[cd]. Given she also has Accurate and six Ranged Weapon talents in all, she rerolls up to 6 of those combat dice, so she averages about 10-11 damage and 2-3 Effects (which means she ignores 2-3 points of armor for free, since Bossonian Longbows have the Piercing 1 Quality).
These are my house rules for applying the Ranged Combat talents when playing Conan, they may not reflect the guidance given in the rules, but they make sense to me!
House Rules
A player starts the game with a number of reloads (quivers) of arrows = approximately 24 arrows per quiver.
Each time the weapon is fired, one shot is removed from the quiver.
A load is 3 shots (arrows). A load is expended using âVolleyâ, Quick release or âHail of Arrowsâ.
Arrows (shots/loads) do not need to counted (GM/Player preference) as consequences can be used to deplete a reload.
Consequences
If it is not practical for the quiver (reload) to be empty on rolling a consequence (e.g. first combat scene), the arrow/load could be iretrievable or the next arrow is damaged (damaged flight, or warped shaft).
It takes a minor action to fix/exchange before being fired ie. the character cannot make another minor action e.g move to an adjacent zone); or the player can opt to add 1 Difficulty level to the next shot. (This can be applied to a Volley).
Instead, the GM may also declare that subsequent talents (Quick Release, Hail of Arrows or Blot out the Sun) can not be triggered following a consequence.
In subsequent Combat scenes a consequence can be to use up their reload/quiver if applicable.
Volley Quality
When firing a weapon with the âVolleyâ quality, a player can choose to loose one arrow or a volley of 3 shots (a load). This is like the âParryâ quality, where a player can choose to make one parry as a free action.
This volley and has no difficulty modifier, but the player uses 1 load (3 arrows) and they gain +1D20 to their skill and +1D6 damage.
The Volley quality is a choice made by the player, the bow can be fired quickly (aiming for a targeted location can still be applied) or fired as a single shot.
If a consequence is rolled during a Volley, in the first combat scene, use the âWarped Shaft/ Lost Loadâ/Damaged Flight rule for the next ranged attack; if the player chooses to drop the bow and change weapon, the weapon does not release from the sheath (player chooses either to sacrifice a minor action or take +1 Difficulty to use the weapon and move).
The GM may also declare that subsequent talents (Quick Release, Hail of Arrows or Blot out the Sun) can not be triggered.
Quick Release Talent
If the character has the talent âQuick releaseâ they can opt to make a second attack using this talent if their first attack did not incur a consequence, they genretated momentum and the damage dice triggered the âVolleyâ quality in the first attack ie. at least one dice rolled a 5 or 6.
The action uses one load (3 arrows) or two loads (6 arrows) and acts as a volley adding 1D20 to the skill check and 1D6 damage (+2D20 and +2D6 for 2 loads). However, this volley is aimed at the primary target and cannot be aimed elsewhere.
Quick Release can only be activated once per combat round.
Hail of Arrows Talent
Hail of Arrows is an action that is activated should the player generate 2 momentum when making their first attack or when using the Quick Release talent. The previous attack must have also triggered the Volley quality (at least one damage dice rolling a 5 or 6) and have suffered no consequences.
Hail of Arrows allows the character to release a volley, using 1 load to recieve a bonus of +1D20 to the skill roll and +1D6 damage bonus. This volley can be aimed at a different target.
As long as no consequences are rolled, momentum is generated and the damage dice trigger the âVolleyâ quality - by rolling a 5 or 6, it can be repeated indefinitely.
However, as soon as a consequence is rolled, the quiver/reload is depleted and Hail of Arrows ends.
Blot out the Sun
If the character makes an attack using âHail of Arrowsâ and generates 2 momentum, the second point of momentum is used to maximise the damage roll for that attack.
@Cthulhu Welcome and donât let me discourage you, but your house rules seem overly complicated to me. Personally, I like the elegance of Volley weapons so I donât have to count individual shots. And when narratively appropriate, a Complication eliminates a Load.
@Princelianâs interpretation is correct in my opinion in regards to Quick Release:
damage damage