The Volley quality allows an entire quiver of arrows to be spent in order to gain a single bonus d20 and an additional damage dice? Really? That doesnt seem like much of a bonus for raining arrows down on somebody. Am I missing something?
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Its great actually.
1 less momentum to spend to hit and extra damage is allways great.
And you can spend 2 volleys for +2 to hit and +2 CD.
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Ok I suppose maybe Im misinterpreting what a Load of arrows is. Im imagining a quiver full, like a dozen or more but perhaps a âloadâ is actually only 3 or 4? If you can burn up more than one load in a single turn then surely its only a no more than that?
Thatâs how I always play it. A volley fires a load of no more than 5 arrows. You go through a quiver faster, but a free 2d.20 is a free 2d.20. Throw in momentum on top of that, and youâll turn the enemy into a porcupine.
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So did you just implement a house rule to that effect? Im just having trouble with the notion that a single LOAD can sustain fire throughout an engagement or even several fights but be consumed in one frantic turn of concentrated fire. Im not sure how actually counting shots and saying a Volley equals 4 or 5 or something would be all that difficult.
It can actually do so because its fuzzy logic designed to create interesting complications during critical moments and raise excitement. Itâs Hollywood action cinema. Sure your archer PC could just bring fifty arrows to a fight but whereâs the fun in that?
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I believe I get where you are all coming from but sections of the rules like on page 123 of the core rule were it specifically describes tracking each âshotâ from a ranged weapon and rolling to recover them after combat kind of complicates things. I mean, are we supposed to count our arrows or not?
Unfortunately, the relevant rules are a little bit all over the place.
You only track individual âshotsâ for ranged weapons without the Volley quality, such as javelins or throwing knives. Ranged weapons with the Volley quality only track Loads, not individual shots. See the Volley description on p. 154.
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âŚor⌠just use the Load rules.
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I didnât see a section in the CRB for âLoadsâ, but I did see Ranged Weapon (p.123) and Volley (p.154) as indicated above.
123: Once a ranged weapon user without Volley fires their last âshotâ they cannot use their weapon again until replenished. This would presume one must track their shots.
123: But at the end of the scene, the PC rolls 1 combat die for each shot to see if they recover it. (odds will recover 2/3 of your shots).
154: Volley ranged weapons simply fire much faster, so it is presumed the user will bring more ammo. These users do NOT track their Shots, as they will have enough ammo to last the fight, barring Complications. This is a HUGE advantage for Volley weapons. In additionâŚ
154: Volley ranged weapons can fire a âVolleyâ (bonus d20 and damage) for the cost of 1 âLoadâ. This is another advantage over other ranged weapons. They do not get that +d20 or +damage die. Sure, you lose a single Load ⌠just like like other ranged weapons lose a Shot every time they fire, howeverâŚ
154: You still get to recover âLoadsâ just like others would recover âShotsâ after the scene (about 2/3 recovery rate). So, I donât really see any downside for Volley weapons. 
Ok, so how many shots would you say a Load is then? How would you describe a Volley in a game?
number of shots in a load isnât relevant. That is the point of it. An abstraction of a number of missiles.
âThe Hyrkanian archer rides across the grass towards you, his armor glinting in the sunlight, his expert horsemanship guiding the horse with only his legs. Without mount slowing his mount charges past you as he lets out a storm of arrows pivoting in his saddle as he passes you.â
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Ok and Iâll end this hereâŚa âstorm of arrowsâ would certainly seem to grant more of an advantage than a single d20 and damage dice. When I hear storm I think a dozen or more. Quite a feat in the few seconds of a combat round. For just a bonus dice iâd say 3 or 4 tops makes more sense which makes emptying a quiver seem a little odd.
âVolleyâ weapons are just fast shooting weapons. Itâs not a historical âvolleyâ of arrows fired from a regiment of archers. I actually think of it more like 3 to 4. It is still more than a non-volley weapon ⌠hence the +1d20 & +1CD damage.
Archetypes in Conan the Scout have three Loads in a quiver.
That sounds about right then doesnt it. Wish they would have clarified that in the rules.
Yes it does.
Thatâs one of things I like about this game. Those types of usage (Volley for one) is not locked in, and weighed down by a hard and fast rule, much like rounds or turns do not represent a set amount of time. I think itâs supposed to allow the GM and the players to have fun and RP. If I hit and get a Volley, that means that my archery was good enough that I got off a few more shots then I normally would have.
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a Volley uses a reload(load of arrows) see page 154. Reloads can be purchased from the table on page 141 they are availability 1, cost 1 and encumbrance 1. You can have as many reloads as you can carryâŚ
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Just for clarity, you do need the Quick Release talent in order to use 2 loads in one attack.
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