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Size of the weapon determines its damage, weight and cost. Smaller weapons deal less damage, but are lighter and cheaper than larger weapons. It would be reasonable that tiny shortbow has smaller range than its large counterpart. However, I cannot find any rule that states that.

How does weapon size affect range increment?

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1 Answers1

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Bigger and littler ranged weapons can have proportionately altered range increments…

The Arms and Equipment Guide on Size and Range says

Larger and smaller versions of ranged weapons have correspondingly longer or shorter range increments. Each time you increase a weapon’s size, lengthen its range increment by 25%. For example, Huge longbows, such as those wielded by ogre mages, have a range increment of 125 feet.

Each time you decrease a weapon’s size, shorten its range increment by 25%. A Medium-size long-bow in the hands of a halfling has a range increment of 75 feet. (4-5)

So that is a thing. A DM will have to adjust the mentioned weapon sizes (which changed radically) due to the 3.5 revision.

…But a 3.5 DM's minor adjustments may eliminate this rule

This is, so far as I'm aware, exclusively a Dungeons and Dragons, Third Edition rule, omitted from any texts after the 3.5 revision. This makes it game-legal for use in a 3.5 campaign but maybe subject to minor adjustments by the DM (DMG 4) due to the revision. Personally, I've never used the rule—the game's complex enough as it is—, but in an archery-focused game, I can certainly see folks wanting to.

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Hey I Can Chan
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  • While I can see wanting something like this, to keep things consistent with reach I’d want it to be based on the wielder’s size, not the weapon’s size. – KRyan Sep 07 '16 at 18:23
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    A Halfling able to use a composite longbow for a medium sized creature should be able to draw and fire just as far as a larger creature using the same bow. It's the size of the weapon and the length of the bowstring that determines the draw strength and the flight distance of an arrow, not the size of the person. – Sandwich Sep 07 '16 at 18:33
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    @KRyan I see your point, but weapon size is the real cause of weapon damage effects. It's my opinion that it's also the cause of increased reach effects. Large creatures also have natural reach of 10', but if wielding a medium polearm, I'd not double their reach, but add +5'. Considering that the med creature takes -4 for wielding a large longbow, it's paying for the privilege. – Chemus Sep 07 '16 at 18:35
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    @KRyan These are 3.0 rules, so a Medium-size longbow is appropriately sized for a halfling, the weapon being one size category bigger than the wielder, therefore the maximum size for any weapon for most creatures. In 3.5 projectile weapons always require 2 hands to use, so, for example, a Medium creature just can't use a designed-for-a-Large-creature longbow because such a weapon would require effort beyond the creature's (ahem) grasp. – Hey I Can Chan Sep 07 '16 at 18:44
  • Whoops! Forgot number of hands required! Monkey Grip has a use! – Chemus Sep 07 '16 at 18:53
  • @Chemus There are rules for these things, and they do not match what you describe. Reach is dependent on wielder size, not weapon size (as long as the weapon isn’t undersized), and Large-or-larger creatures with reach weapons double their reach, not add 5 feet. – KRyan Sep 07 '16 at 19:23
  • @HeyICanChan Yeah, that’s kind of my point: 3.5 completely overhauled how weapons and size interact, so I don’t think that the 3.0 rules have much place except perhaps as inspiration for houserules. – KRyan Sep 07 '16 at 19:24
  • @KRyan I'm pretty sure that even published creatures sometimes have their weapons referred to by their size categories rather than the much more complicated yet more precise designed for a [size category] creature. Saying Small, Medium, and Large weapons are as printed and each +1 or −1 size category thereafter means a +25% or −25% to the range increment, respectively, is probably the minor adjustment I'd make were I jazzed about using such rules. – Hey I Can Chan Sep 07 '16 at 19:34
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    @KRyan If I'm incorrect, why did you call out undersized weaponry, which is exactly what I was saying? – Chemus Sep 08 '16 at 01:14