Board Thread:Lore Texts/@comment-26298013-20170614024833

Weapons of War: Staying At a Distance
 * 1) title:Weapons of War: A Ranger's Guide, Volume I
 * 2) author:{name:gondor_male}
 * 3) types:eriador,lindon,rivendell,eregion

This guide will, I hope, save your life. Whoever you are, whatever age may have begun since the writing of this book, I hope it will guide you, aid you, protect you. You, like me, are a man of the West, a Dúnadan, a descendant of the ancient Kings of Numenor, and from Numenor to Arnor. We protect the North, for the peaceful peoples that live here are unprepared for the violence of the Enemy, and we strive to secure their safety, small though it is, for every bastion of good, every denial of evil, renders Sauron a little less powerful.

As a Ranger, you have made a choice. You will protect our people, whatever sacrifices are required. You will protect other people as well. This guide will help you do that. This particular book will only cover the means by which you may kill, or be killed, from a distance, as that is the first thing you must learn to protect yourself against. As a lone man in the wilderness, getting involved in a sword fight with Orcs is a sure way to let your pursuers catch you, so we make much use of the bow and the spear, and face retaliation in kind.

The first, and most essential, weapon of missile warfare is the bow. But there is not just one type of bow. There are many bows you will come across in your travels. The first, and most important, however, is your own bow. The bows we use as Rangers are utilitarian wooden bows, with good killing power and average firing speed. However, our bows will shoot further than an average bow. Stay away from your enemies, and kill them from a distance. You cannot ensure the safety of the world by getting valiantly killed in a swordfight.

Orcish bows often hit harder than ours, though they cannot shoot as far. So keep your distance. If you see an enemy who's stolen an Elvish bow, run the other way. You will never outshoot them. Elvish bows shoot faster, hit harder, and fly further than almost any bow Men have ever created. If you cannot recognize the weapon, treat it with caution.

Bows are not, however, the only weapon you will see. If you see an enemy with a sling, that is not an enemy, it is probably a Hobbit. You will likely not see the poison-dart blowgun, save if you ever journey to Gondor during an attack by the Southrons. Just be aware, that if you are hit with any small darts or Uruk bolts, check the bolt after removing it. It may have been poisoned.

Crossbows are extremely slow to reload, but heavy heavy-hitting bows. Attack while the user reloads, but avoid getting hit if you can. Orcish crossbows are famous for their ability to pierce even Dwarven plate mail.

Finally, we come to thrown weapons. You will not use any of these save in direst need. Rangers travel light, and you cannot be throwing your weapons away unless it is necessary. The two thrown weapons are spears and throwing axes. Only the Dwarves use throwing axes, which hit hard but can only fly a short distance. Many Orcs use spears, however. Spears are often inaccurate, do not fly far compared to an arrow, and take time to throw, but you would do well to avoid being hit by them. You may also see or use a spear as a regular stabbing weapon.

- Yay wall of text! I'm going to be writing at least two more. One might be of comparable length (Melee weapons), but the other should be shorter (Medicine! Rangers were excellent doctors. When they weren't shooting and/or/simultaneously stabbing you in the name of the West). Please, check my spellings, grammar, and Rangerliness. Any or all of it might need correcting.

I'm not sure if I have the latest mod, but I could not find a set of "Ranger" names. Rangers DO pull from Gondorian names, right? 