Editing Mnemon Explains Solar Combat (section)

====Archery====

Ah...Solar Archery. Really, in my position, I should hate it, but I can't help but smile when I think of all those Tepet boys and girls lying under the Haltan redwoods, riddled with the arrows of the Bull of the North. I sent him a big box of thank-you chocolate (anonymously, of course).

Archery is the pre-eminent offence ability for the Solar Exalted. It is both the tool for punching holes in a single foe, and for killing extras en masse (I do so love the bit where you make armies evaporate. Just don't do it to mine, or I'll have Octavian eat your gizzard).

Firstly, get a Short Powerbow. Long Powerbows aren't worth the extra artifact dot, and mortal bows are totally inferior - they don't add any extra damage, and they cap your effective strength. Powerbows are fine for any strength (hello, Increasing Strength Exercise!), and have enormous range. However, their Rate is quite low - 2 - and hence this is one of the rare times you might consider a Jade version, for the extra point of rate. The accuracy and damage for orichalcum is excellent, however, so either choice is viable. Orichalcum Hearthstone bracers are also an excellent pick, allowing an easy 11L base damage before ammunition for a Str 3, Essence 3 character with Increasing Strength Exercise and an Orichalcum powerbow.

The reason why it's worth focusing on damage with archery is because in general, ranged attacks are assumed to do less damage, and tend to have charms balanced accordingly, so doing lots of damage tends to get a lot of effectiveness out of those charms. Arrow Storm Technique allows you to continue attacking so long as you don't miss or repeat a target, and hence is excellent for killing extras - automatic kills are extremely useful there. Furthermore, with Accuracy Without Distance, you have an attack that can be relied on to do at least base damage against anyone without a perfect defence - so making that base damage HURT can ruin someone's day, career, chance of inheriting the throne etc etc.

Choose your ammunition on a per-target basis, but expect to overwhelmingly use target arrows. Most of your enemies will rely on armour for their soak, so halving the benefit of their armour can drastically reduce their soak. For instance, if you did 11L base damage and hit an average Dragon Blood wearing Articulated Plate (normally a 13L soak assuming Sta 2-3), you would do 5 dice damage with a single success, since the armour's 12L soak would be cut to 6L.

Against targets with less than 6L but more than 1L armour soak, generally you'll want to use a broadhead, as it will give a slight advantage in damage over a target or frogcrotch arrow. Broadheads are also a safe bet if you're not sure of the soak situation - they don't mess with armour soak at all, and hence aren't actually a risk.

Frog Crotch arrows are best against armour soaks of 1L or less. They add +4 base damage, but double armour soak.

Nearly all the charms for Archery are excellent, though you may find There Is No Wind only particularly useful if you fight in poor conditions relatively often (or wish to lure foes into such poor conditions) and Immaculate Golden Bow only useful if carrying around your powerbow is problematic. Solar Spike does too little damage to be useful. Trance of Unhesitating Speed is worthlessly expensive, but required for Arrow Storm Technique (the Player's Guide corrects Trance of Unhesitating Speed to cost 3 motes per attack - try asking your GM to use this ruling).

Accuracy Without Distance is a perfect attack, and the most powerful offence charm available to Solars. Only perfect defences can prevent it from hitting, though some special defences can interfere with it (for instance, Dragon Blooded have a charm that burns all physical arrows that come near them - which can be defeated by Phantom Arrow - and a charm that redirects attacks to nearby targets). Generally, if you use this charm on a target, you can assume you'll do at least base damage, or force them to use a more expensive charm to defend. Use it on a foe who can't use a Perfect defence, and you're set.

Arrow Storm Technique is the best multiple action charm in the game, allowing shoot every single target within range so long as you hit each target. The key (apart from either having Inexhaustible Bolts of Solar Fire from the Dawn castebook, or be sitting on a wagon full of arrows) is the order in which you attack your foes. If your first shot is directed at an enemy Abyssal, she will certainly defend, and your charm will be over. However, if you start with the easiest targets and work up, you'll get many, many attacks - shooting first her zombies, then her war ghosts, then her nemissaries, then her horse, and then finally the Abyssal herself. She'll still defend, but she'll be down an army.

Dazzling Flare Attack is a great little damage adder, letting you add up to 2xEssence damage for Essence motes to an attack. It also throws in an extra attack die for good measure. Usually more useful than Firey Arrow Attack, but they work well together in combo.

Rain of Feathered Death is an excellent substitute for an Extra Action charm, as it's supplemental, allowing you to still take multiple actions, multiplying the damage on each one. Because each volley is defended against together, don't use this charm against opponents with excellent defence, as they'll be able to defend far more cheaply than the cost of this charm. Instead, use it to punish and swiftly kill enemies with poor defence.

Phantom Arrow Technique isn't particularly useful as a substitute for normal arrows (unless you're quite short, or don't have the right type for a particular target), but it's excellent for defeating defences that target normal arrows, such as Arrow Consuming Flame Defence for Dragon Blooded.

Sample Combo: Perfected Scourging Sunlight Accuracy Without Distance + Firey Arrow Attack + Rain of Feathered Death + Seven Shadow Evasion, 15XP. For (3+Essence) motes + 1wp per attack, perfectly does base damage + extra successes + 3xEssence damage, and may perfectly dodge any attack for 6 motes.