Armored Combat:Conventions - Use of weapons and defensive equipment - Combat archers

Combat archers

1. Your minimum range is dictated by ensuring that the ammunition completely clears your bow/prod before contacting your opponent.
2. You must be aware of what is beyond your target to ensure that errant shots do not endanger anyone.
3. Each arrow or bolt must be inspected individually before every use.
   1. Tubular-shafted ammunition may be inspected by the archer and used again immediately.
   2. Fiberglass-shafted ammunition must be taken off the field and re-inspected under the supervision of a marshal who is qualified to inspect combat archery ammunition before being used again.
4. Ammunition dropped onto the ground is considered dead as if it had been fired, and needs re-inspection.
5. If the scenario rules allow:
   1. If you are a live combatant, you are allowed to pick ammunition off the field for re-inspection and reuse it during the same battle.
   2. If you are a dead combatant, you can clear ammunition from the field for use in future battles.
   3. You are allowed to take ammunition from caches stored on or off the field and from other combatants (dead or alive) with permission of the owner.
6. You must not deliberately block a strike or projectile with your bow or crossbow.
7. You are allowed to carry and use a shield or pavise. You are not allowed to draw or span your bow or crossbow while holding a shield or carrying a pavise.
8. You are allowed to have a backup weapon, but are not allowed to draw it until your bow/crossbow has been safely disposed of (taken off the field, discarded in a low traffic area, handed to another combatant, etc).
   1. If you draw your backup weapon to enter combat, your hands must be appropriately armored for using that weapon.
9. You are allowed to carry and use throwing weapons without the need to discard your bow or crossbow or change hand armor.
   1. Your hands must be appropriately armored to use throwing weapons to strike at your opponent hand-to-hand.