V9: Projectile Weapons

This page is part of the Official Amtgard V9 Alpha-Playtest Rulebook.

• The Amtwiki is the official home and primary source for Amtgard V9 Rules as of February 25, 2023.
• These rules are currently in Open Alpha Playtest. See the Playtest Disclaimer for more details.
• To learn more about Amtgard V9 Development, please visit Amtgard.com.
• To view the current Amtgard V8 ruleset, please see the Amtgard V8 Rulebook.

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Projectile Weapons

General Rules

Projectile Weapons represent anything that is launched or thrown to inflict damage or effects, such as arrows, kunai, chakrams, and tomahawks as well as magical blasts like fireballs and lightning. The following general rules apply to all forms of projectile weapons:

1. May not be used to strike in melee.
2. May not be used to parry or block.
3. Cannot become destroyed by any means.
4. May be carried in any number unless otherwise restricted, such as by class customization.
5. All projectiles except Arrows and Bolts must be thrown by hand, one at a time, per hand.
   • A player may hold a throwing weapon in each hand and throw both of them simultaneously, but cannot throw them together from the same hand.
6. Arrows and Bolts must be fired from a bow or crossbow as appropriate.
7. Each projectile can affect multiple targets in a single flight as long as each contact meets the criteria for a valid strike. Projectiles become harmless after their movement is completely halted.
8. Batting, kicking, or otherwise applying significant force to a projectile in motion is prohibited.
   • Arrows in flight must be blocked passively by placing an object in their flight path.
   • Other non-arrow projectiles may be blocked, parried, or lightly struck out of the air.
   • Players may not catch or grab projectile weapons in flight.
9. Projectiles may be shared among players that are given explicit permission from the owner of said projectiles.
   • The owner may retract their permission at any time for any reason.
   • The owner is responsible for ensuring the safe use of their projectiles when shared with or used by another player.
   • Players using shared projectiles should be respectful and treat the borrowed equipment with care.
   • When sharing Spellballs, Specialty Arrows, or any other similarly restricted projectile, players must still adhere to the associated frequency rules and carrying limits.
   • Players using shared projectiles must not hoard them or otherwise try to gain a gameplay advantage by deliberately obstructing the amount of projectiles that other sharing player(s) have access to. This is especially relevant when sharing Spellballs and Specialty Arrows.
     
10. There are two sub-types of projectile weapon: Contact Projectiles and Stabbing Projectiles.
    • Contact Projectiles can strike with any part of their surface.
    • Stabbing Projectiles can only strike with their tip.

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Contact Projectiles
Contact Projectiles can strike with any part of their surface.

Small Thrown

• Must meet the Universal Equipment Requirements.
• Must have a non-rigid core.
• Must be between 2.5" and 6" in total length.
• Must be entirely Strike-Legal. There is no minimum thickness, however extremely thin projectiles may struggle to make valid contact so craft accordingly.
• Must not be constructed in a way that could be reasonably confused with a Spellball.

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Large Thrown

• Must meet the Universal Equipment Requirements.
• Must have a non-rigid core.
• Must be greater than 6", up to 18" in total length.
• Must be entirely Strike-Legal. There is no minimum thickness, however extremely thin projectiles may struggle to make valid contact so craft accordingly.
• Must not be constructed in a way that could be reasonably confused with a Spellball or Rock.

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Spellballs

A set of Spellballs

Spellballs are color-coded projectiles that can impart damage and other effects.

1. To use a Spellball, it must be primed before being thrown at a target.


2. Spellballs are primed by casting the ability while holding the physical ball in a Free Hand.


3. Once primed, a spellball can be held indefinitely before throwing, however it will cease to be primed if the physical ball is no longer held by the caster (except while passing from one hand to another), if the caster begins casting another ability, or if the caster dies.


4. A player can only have one Spellball primed at a time.


5. Primed and thrown Spellballs will impart their effects on anything they hit with a valid strike until they stop moving.


6. Spellballs that are thrown without being properly cast are entirely nullified and will have no effect whatsoever, even if the physical ball still strikes a target.


7. Spellballs use the ‘Ball’ frequency. See 'Frequency' for more details.

V8 Transition Note: Spellballs are projectile weapons and can be blocked with Missile Block and resisted by Blessing Against Projectiles or similar abilities.

Spellball Construction

• Spellballs have their own special construction requirements.

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Rocks

• Must meet the Universal Equipment Requirements.
• Must have a non-rigid core.
• Must be equal or larger than a 10" diameter sphere.
• Must be entirely Strike-Legal.

Rock Gameplay Rules

• Rocks are Shield Crushing, Armor Breaking, and Weapon Destroying.

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Stabbing Projectiles
Stabbing Projectiles can only strike with their tip.

Javelins

See Javelins under Melee Weapons.

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Bows & Crossbows

Archer with a Bow

Bows and Crossbows are used to fire arrows or bolts respectively. Only actual bows and crossbows may be used for this purpose. Other forms of projectile launchers cannot be used to represent a bow or crossbow.

• Compound bows are prohibited.
• Regular Bows must have a draw weight of 35lbs or less at a 28" draw.
• Crossbows are limited to no more than 450 inch-pounds.

Bow & Crossbow Gameplay Rules

1. Bows and Crossbows cannot be destroyed.
2. The physical bow or crossbow cannot be used to strike another player. They must be exclusively used to launch Arrows & Bolts.
3. Cannot be intentionally struck nor used to block, deflect or otherwise defend against incoming strikes. A certain amount of incidental contact during the chaos of live combat should be expected, however repeated or egregious disregard for this rule can result in suspension from play or loss of archery privileges.
   • If accidentally struck, it is treated as an Invalid Obstruction.
4. Bows and Crossbows cannot be wielded with any other equipment in the same hand (besides arrows). Likewise, other equipment cannot be wielded while in the same hand as a bow or crossbow. A buckler or small shield may still be wielded on the arm so long as there is no risk of it interfering with the safe use of the bow.
   • For gameplay purposes, reloading a crossbow does not count as wielding it.
5. Bows may not be drawn beyond 28" at any time and must be half-drawn at ranges closer than 20ft. Crossbows are not required to half draw.

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Arrows & Bolts

All forms of arrows and bolts follow the same rules.

1. Must meet the Universal Equipment Requirements.
2. Must be built to be fired from a bow or crossbow, as appropriate.
3. Must be safe to strike other players with the tip (see construction guide below).
   

Developer Note: For accessibility purposes, playtesters may continue to use Amtgard V8-Legal arrows during V9 playtest games until such a time that we can guarantee the investment in reconstruction will not be wasted effort. That said, we are deeply thankful and appreciative of everyone who chooses to invest their time and resources to build and playtest the construction rules below.

Arrow Gameplay Rules

1. All Arrows and Bolts are Armor Breaking and Weapon Destroying.
2. Specialty Arrows (or Bolts) will impart additional effects based on their Color-Code.
3. Players can only use a Specialty Arrow if they have an ability that allows it.
4. Players may fire multiple regular arrows at once however Specialty Arrows must be fired alone.
5. Multiple arrows fired simultaneously will count as separate strikes, even if they hit the same Hit Location.
   
   

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Arrow Construction Guide

Anatomy of an Arrow

Safety First
Before building your first arrows or bolts, take the time to learn from an experienced player or study an online construction tutorial. Poorly constructed, poorly repaired, or outright broken arrows/bolts can pose a serious safety hazard and may never be used for Amtgard combat.

Arrow Shaft Construction Rules
The shaft of the arrow or bolt is the stick portion to which the head is affixed.

1. Must be carbon, aluminum, or fiberglass.
2. Any real arrowheads or hunting tips must be removed.
3. Shafts longer than 28" must have a drawstop around the shaft to physically prevent drawing the arrow past 28".
4. The nock and any vanes/fletching present must be in good repair.
5. The orientation of vanes/fletchings (or the lack thereof) must not cause chaotic or unpredictable flight.
   
   

Arrow Blunt Construction Rules
The blunt is the reinforced tip of the shaft upon which the striking portion, the arrow head, will be constructed.

1. All blunts must be solidly built, stiff enough to carry anticipated loads without excessive deformation, and able to support typical Amtgard archery impacts repeatedly without failure or degradation.
2. The end of the shaft must be securely capped with a circular, impact-resistant disc at least 1" in diameter.
   • The disc must be centered over the end of the shaft.
   • If a metal disc is used, it must be at least 1/16" steel or equivalent.
   • Discs of any other material must be durable, impact-resistant, and at least 1/4" thick.
     
3. The blunt must then be further built up to at least 1.5" in diameter.
   • The non-disc portion of the blunt can be constructed from any material, including foam, so long as it ensures that the foam arrowhead built upon it is not able to move easily in relation to the shaft. This includes but is not limited to: plunging up and down, wobbling from side to side, twisting-without-return, etc.
4. The entire blunt can be a single unit (such as a 3D-printed piece) as long as the resulting structure is equivalent or safer than the above requirements.
   
   

Note: Arrows can be constructed in a wide variety of ways. You can help your equipment inspectors by keeping a single uncovered arrow available and, if applicable, an unmounted 3D-printed blunt or modular head for them to inspect. You can also keep an equipment reference sheet with details and photos about your build as well as any relevant testing credentials or testimonials. Help them help you!

Arrow Head Construction Rules
The arrow head is the Strike-Legal portion at the end of an arrow or bolt, after the blunt.

1. Must be Strike-Legal on all sides with a foam depth of at least 2" in front of the blunt.
2. Must have a circular cross-section of 2" or greater throughout the entire head.
3. Must have at least 0.5" of impact-resistant safety-grade foam immediately after the blunt. This foam must not deform around the arrow shaft or blunt on impact.
4. The physical striking surface of the arrowhead must include at least 1" comfort-grade foam with a circular diameter of 2.5".
5. Domed arrowheads are allowed but must be no sharper than a 2.75" hemisphere. The narrow tip of the dome does not need to meet the 2.5" cross-section as long as the head meets the 2" depth rule (see diagram).
6. Any additional foam used to meet the 2" depth requirement should be chosen with the goal of making the arrow as safe and comfortable to be struck by as possible, specifically in regards to accidental strikes to the face and eyes. When in doubt, use safety-grade foam.
   
   

Arrow Head Cover

1. Arrow heads must be covered in a durable, opaque cloth. Cloth tape may not be used.
2. Specialty Arrows must be covered with the appropriate Color Code.
   • Properly colored fabric strips may affixed to the shaft in lieu of colored head covers. These strips must be clearly visible from at least 20ft away and not impact the safe use of the arrow.
3. Covers for regular arrows must be a color or combination of colors that cannot be reasonably mistaken for a specialty arrow.
   • The colors reserved for specialty arrows are: Red, Yellow, Green, Purple, and Grey.

Caution: Risk of Eye Damage
Eye damage from accidental face strikes is the most common form on arrow-based injury in LARP. A safe arrow design must not damage the orbital bones or be able to put pressure directly on the eyeball. As a rule of thumb, arrows should be built to the point that their owners are willing to receive a straight shot to the face under test conditions without fear of serious injury.

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