Crafting analysis:
Bundle of Damask Bolts
- DC: 30
Craft Points sunk: 40
Materials:- 1 Arrow Shafts
4 Coal
4 Rock Chunk (Iron)
2 Rock Chunk (Silver)
1 Casting Mold
Template usable.
Typical set of 99 post template(standard template used for data) use:- 1d6 _X_ damage
1d8 _X_ damage
1d6 _X_ damage
+3 piercing
- 1 Arrow Shafts
Vlos'Khaliiz Bolts
- DC: 20
Craft points sunk: 95
Materials:- 2 Flask of Oil
99 Bolts (Iron)
4 Rock Chunk (Nitharite)
Class requirements: Ranger/Assassin/Blackguard
Yield: 1 set of 99 bolts.
- Damage Bonus 2d8 Acid
Damage Bonus 4 Piercing
Alignment Restriction: Evil
Race Restriction: Elf
- 2 Flask of Oil
Craft points spent per 99 shots:
- Damask Bolt Bundle: 13.333R
Vlos'Khaliiz Bolts: 95
Winner: bolt bundle
Cost per set:
- Damask bolt bundle: Variable, due to versatility of ammunition properties, but usually trivial thanks to Archer Path bundle generation and yield size of ammo
Vlos'Khaliiz: ~300gp for iron bolts from NPC vendor, 500-1000gp per flask of oil from PC crafters or 600 from tinkers.
Damage:
- Damask bolt bundle: +3+1d6+1d6+1d8+temp essence(damage types variable and thus more versatile against different opponents)
Vlos'Khaliiz: +4+2d8 +temp essense (Base limited to only acid elemental damage, which is commonly resisted in PvE and almost always resisted in PvP thanks to players using essences to defend against acid from baator and the slime temple, among other things. Acid resistance is ubiquitous to high level play. Effective result is that the acid damage is resisted entirely 25% of the time)
Playing a drow assassin, I am VERY heavily incentivized to never use my character's own racial and class based ammunition at this moment. I go through the ammunition too quickly, its a pain to craft because I go through it so fast, my ammo is generally weaker than template bolts, and it is inefficient to spend money on. Thats not a good thing.
Its my personal belief that Vlos'Khaliiz bolts should, no... NEED, to be given help, either in the form of a bundle to drastically increase the number crafted when made, or with the addition of a permanent poison that isn't fishing for 1s. Perhaps a template of their own that lets poisons be applied permanently to the ammo.
Its a neat concept, but has been rendered completely obsolete and irrelevant by cheaper, better, and more plentiful mundane ammunition.
/discuss