Weapon master power armour consideration

[Sir Dellis]

ah, didn't see that...sorry....i sometimes skim a little bit too much on these threads as sometimes they turn into "shouting matches"

[Blue_Lion]

Was there not some magical medieval armor in black vault that was equal to PA?

Believe it is called medieval power armor.

[iteration27]

understandable.ive seen alot of threads devolve into chest beating contests.if i got into that kind of "discussion loop" i'd just use the ol agree to disagree maneuver.im sure everyone on here is pretty smart,but often i see things get heated and one person implying the other person is an idiot.it shouldnt ever get down to that.if the other persons intractability annoys you,just let it go.dont bloody your head on a brick wall.

Black vault? wouldnt acquiring stuff from there be an adventure?
Well,i did consider magical options,but i decided to be invested in tech as my party has an over abundance of magic.Even my girl friend has a magic based character.her character seems to be drastically overshadowing mine though.shes never roleplayed and yet she seems to have taken to it like a duck to a crusty loaf.the group loves her character.might have to change my alignment and assassinate her.

[RockJock]

On second thought, go with the NG Sabre. Even the nuclear version is under a million, no penalties to anything physical, and comes with a vibro sabre. If you have access to both NG books available look at the boomstick, boomhammer, and grenade knives as something to expand your abilities cheaply, while staying melee.

[iteration27]

Yeah ive got grenade knives apparently.didnt know they were in NG,thats why i couldnt find em in my books lol

I assume you mean silver sabre,right? so why the silver sabre over the night reaper? I wont be able to compare the two until the weekend when i can look at my GMs books.

[RockJock]

My book lists the Sabre, not Silver Sabre, but my guess is we are talking about the same PA. The Night Reaper has a few bells and whistles over the Sabre, mainly a Voice Modulator and the equivalent of cybernetic hearing, while the Sabre has a higher PS, can take a bit more damage, and is slightly cheaper. Another reason to go for the Sabre, is the Night Reaper is marketing as a thief/spy armor, so might draw more attention in some locations then you really want. A lot depends on the game you are playing.

Like I mentioned earlier, NG also has some interesting melee weapons other then just vibro blades that might be worth checking out.

[iteration27]

oh right.i didnt consider that,yeah being considered a spy wouldnt be good.
the way my characters figured,hes actually more of a blade specialist.he can fight with other weapons,sure,but that'll be on more of an as needed basis.

[Armorlord]

I can't shake the image of X-60 Flanker serving as a truly epic archer with those extending arms now. In general, I think it could work for the concept. Easy to get in/out of, nimble, and the extending reach could be good for ancient weapon fun.

Though it sounds like the power level of the game is a bit higher and that you are wanting to keep up more, in which case I suggest the A-1 Avenger power armor out of the Phase World Sourcebook. High strength, high main body, and also a stylish choice to be ancient weaponing around in. Plus camo system.
If you swing it, a giant-size phase sword would be good too.

[iteration27]

well it was mentioned earlier that only gear from north america is available and im sure that avenger armour is only going to be found in the three galaxies,plus its naruni,which is also off the table...and im not really sure it would be good for an archer.its really big and bulky if i remember correctly.my bow would be like a toothpick in its hands.plus all that high end,built in modern weaponry would be rather redundant.

[Colonel_Tetsuya]

plus its naruni

It isn't, actually. But it is Three-Galaxies only.

I still think your best bet is either the Aurora Blazer (for mobility) or the Silent Shadow (the wings ca be stowed, it is a little beefier than the Night Reaper, and while it is a "Stealth" armor, it isnt a "Spy" Armor).

Pair those with the Chain-sword from the Dog Boy armor, and/or Wilks Laser Sword.

In either case youll be doing 6D6 MD or so, if you take Fencing.

Grab a Kisentite Sword (SB4: CS Navy) or Skorblade (Merc Ops) for a backup, as neither requires power. They do less damage, but thems the breaks.

Your upgrade path after that is going to be Rune Weapons, really, unless your character is Psionic and has the ISP to power some of the TW Swords from Fed of Magic.

Both armors also allow you to use and carry a bow, as they are man-sized.

A third option could be the Prophet, with its advanced sensors (which give Auto-dodge!). Also man sized and perfectly capable of being stealthy.

I still think the Blazer is the best all-around bet. Giant leaps, cat-like-landings, and the ability to jump-jet right into the melee so you're not stuck wading through enemy fire to get close enough to use your swords or bow (as the bow has a range far shorter than most energy weapons).

Really, Prowl only matters if the enemy is close enough to hear you anyway. If you're taking effort to be quiet and are a couple hundred feet away, i dont even see a prowl roll being necessary.

Edit: there are also some good melee weapons for PA/Robots/Heavy Borgs in Triax 2. As Triax makes their wares available on the US Market, your GM could let you have them if he's so inclined.

[iteration27]

well,according to a successful lawsuit,they do indeed belong to naruni enterprises but whoever manufactures them,they are very rare and extremely over the top for a 1st level character who hasnt been on rifts earth for very long.
as for my choice of PA,i just wanted something that was mansized,good for stealth with no bells or whistles on it,as my options for improving my character are just levelling up and getting better equipment.so something basic like the reaper or sabre are fine to start with,leaving actually better PA for later acquisition/improvement.
My character probably wont use anything magical in nature for a while,as he will still be getting used to even the concept of it.He never encountered magic before rifts earth and to be honest,it kinda scares him a bit.he feels safer with those things he can grasp with both his hands and his mind.but certainly as he matures as a rifts character,he will find himself relaxing his self imposed restrictions concerning what constitutes a proper melee weapon.so plasma/laser weapons will be what he likely upgrades to before TW/rune weapons.
as for range,my bow has an effective range of 1000ft +50ft per level.My GM is going to run a few adventures with mine and my GF's characters and assures us we'll be up to 6th by the end,at which point we'll be joining the main game...so by then my range with the bow will be 1200ft which is a respectable range compared to most rifles.

But anyway,the long and short of it is yeah,you got good ideas which i would explore...but they're too good,and too far outside of my characters starting comfort zone.But by the time we've levelled up to 6 and have a story/history played out,some of those ideas may indeed be explorable.

[Colonel_Tetsuya]

well,according to a successful lawsuit,they do indeed belong to naruni enterprises

Naruni won the rights to the design, but can't make them. They dont know how.

but whoever manufactures them,

No one does. There's some secret to the manufacture that died with the original creator. No one can figure out how to make them, not even NE. Every time they try they get horribly flawed results.

they are very rare and extremely over the top for a 1st level character who hasnt been on rifts earth for very long.

Agreed.

as for my choice of PA,i just wanted something that was mansized,good for stealth with no bells or whistles on it,

Really, almost ALL of the PA in NG2 fits that bill, other than the few that are bigger than man sized (Samson, Delilah, Sammy Jr).

as my options for improving my character are just levelling up and getting better equipment.so something basic like the reaper or sabre are fine to start with,leaving actually better PA for later acquisition/improvement.

I'd say that future upgrades would be more along the line of getting an NE forcefield for your power armor. There aren't really a lot of "better" PAs that are man-sized, not even in the Three Galaxies. But adding a force field and some extra armor (an Operator can add extra armor) is a definite upgrade.

My character probably wont use anything magical in nature for a while,as he will still be getting used to even the concept of it.He never encountered magic before rifts earth and to be honest,it kinda scares him a bit.he feels safer with those things he can grasp with both his hands and his mind.but certainly as he matures as a rifts character,he will find himself relaxing his self imposed restrictions concerning what constitutes a proper melee weapon.so plasma/laser weapons will be what he likely upgrades to before TW/rune weapons.

as for range,my bow has an effective range of 1000ft +50ft per level.My GM is going to run a few adventures with mine and my GF's characters and assures us we'll be up to 6th by the end,at which point we'll be joining the main game...so by then my range with the bow will be 1200ft which is a respectable range compared to most rifles.

Ehh? Yes and no. Some heavy energy weapons have ranges that short, but most laser rifles are 1600ft or so. "Good" Laser weapons are 2000ft+ (Wilks, CS weapons, Triax's longer-ranged lasers). Im not saying 1200ft is bad or anything - it will really depend on the kinds of encounters your GM puts you into. A lot of GMs dont capitalize on range for the bad guys (i do, but i also have the enemy behave realistically, and they dont open up at max range with pulses and bursts - single shots only) so if that's the case then it wont matter much.

[iteration27]

yes,im aware they cant make them and didnt design them,but they do still own the rights nonetheless,so the avenger is still counted as a naruni product as far as im concerned,even though the existing models were produced before naruni acquired those right.But thats just a matter of opinion and doesnt really matter.

PA wise,ok,you're probably right,but im assuming the two PA's i mentioned are pretty much the most basic in the NG catalogue,which would mean any other armour would be a step up.but as i have yet to read NG2 i cant really make informed comment.You just gotta realize that(even though im putting an ancient weapon master in PA) I'm looking at playing the character as close to what he would be at genesis as possible.at least for the early part of the playing experience.I'll reiterate from an earlier comment that i DO really like the sound of what this Aurora Blazer can do,it would fit well with the character concept.but from the characters point of view,all these jet assissted maneuvers would be quite a bit outside of what he's used to and wouldnt even be a consideration for him initially.he knows what he can do,what his usual limits are and hes comfortable with them for the most part.hes still bewildered to an extent by the situation hes found himself in and for him,normalcy provides him a mental safety net.The use of power armour is a concession to the power level of the game and the opponents he faces,but its still keeping him in what he considers to a relatively normal realm for his own abilities.But he will get used to things and then he'll start considering the more unusual in terms of the world hes in and his own abilities,as normal.which is when he'll start really amping up his game.

well i didnt say bows have a better range,i said a respectable range in comparison(for a bow) and lasers are the longest range E-weapons in general,so they arent a fair comparison.but yeah,my bow would be more comparable to a heavy energy rifle,especially as i'll be able to do damage thats also comparable(9-12d6 MDC by the time i hit level 5).
the GM does use miniatures and maps and ranges are important in his games,so the concern over my characters range will be a consideration,but to be honest,i think any enemies will be so intent on the real powerhouses i'll be with that i shouldnt have too much difficulty maneuvering into positions and closing distances,especially with my more low profile,sneaky approach to situation.

EDIT-My GF reckons some of what i just said sounds snippy and argumentative,my apologies if it seemed that way to you.it wasnt meant to be.

[Armorlord]

well it was mentioned earlier that only gear from north america is available and im sure that avenger armour is only going to be found in the three galaxies,plus its naruni,which is also off the table...and im not really sure it would be good for an archer.its really big and bulky if i remember correctly.my bow would be like a toothpick in its hands.plus all that high end,built in modern weaponry would be rather redundant.

Apologies, missed the part about North America. Though it would be as likely to acquire there as a rune weapon, in my opinion.
As noted, it isn't Naruni, though they love to buy/steal/take them for research purposes. If I were writing the scenario, I'd lean toward it being liberated from some Naruni cronies that were part way into disassembling it, having started with the weapon systems, as such only leaving the basic systems and strength.

I would say, if you want to use a bow with a suit, it's going to need to be a different bow than the one you use outside the mech. Hand sizing and draw distances would make all but exosketelons look toothpick-esque. At least a bow for a robotic strength suit would be straightforward from an engineering perspective.

X-series Triax suits like the X-60 seem to be among those they export to North America, so there's that as well.

[iteration27]

no apologies necessary.alot of people just skim read if its a long thread,so missing bits happens.
Yeah as im going to stick with a man sized suit,the scaling shouldnt be an issue.i think anything upto 8ft would be alright with the bow i have,but im hoping the suit i end up with will be closer to 6ft something.and yeah,i do have a normal bow for use outside the PA suit,as my characters normal strength isnt enough for the steel tree bow.

alot of the suggestions ive heard are unsuitable purely from a roleplaying point of view.

My character is from a world like our own real world.its not heroes unlimited or one of the other earth settings,just an alternate earth with no powers or magic or psionics or monsters.just a regular earth.But there are heroes,self styled vigilantes,like my own character,trying to make a difference.
He got accidentally rifted to Rifts earth during an encounter with a being from another dimension,that was just "passing through" and has just been trying to survive as best he can in this new world.Hes seen things and had close encounters that have scared and bewildered him,but hes managed to hold it together so far.mainly by staying focused on who he is.
he got picked up by a small merc outfit and found purpose as a memeber of their group,using his skills in a scouting role.this group is where he picked up his skill in power armour,practicing with one of the basic suits that the group possessed.
Unfortunately his new merc unit was wiped out in an ill executed operation and he would have died too if he hadnt been saved by the arrival of the being that caused his current predicament in the first place.so hes salvaged what gear he can from the bodies and camp of the dead mercs,including the suit of armour he'd trained with.and thats where the game is going to start for me.so you can see how alot of choices for equipment,at this stage in his existence,would be inappropriate.

[Colonel_Tetsuya]

well i didnt say bows have a better range,i said a respectable range in comparison(for a bow) and lasers are the longest range E-weapons in general,so they arent a fair comparison.but yeah,my bow would be more comparable to a heavy energy rifle,especially as i'll be able to do damage thats also comparable(9-12d6 MDC by the time i hit level 5).

Not saying its impossible or anything, just wondering how you're getting that much damage out of a bow.

Most of the MDC arrows do pitiful damage until you get into explosives, and the best explosive arrowhead im aware of is 3D6 MD (though im open to the idea that i missed some somewhere).

The benefit being, of course, that those (explosive) arrows effectively do AoE damage, so the tradeoff is largely worthwhile, IMO.

Another thing to mention is there is a canon source for using Naruni Plasma rounds outside of their guns for traps and arrows - so you can get the plasma rounds and tip arrows with them, inflicting 1d4x10 each (or 2d4x10 for the Heavy rounds used by the Shoulder Cannon). Of course, that's not something you want to get caught with in CS territory. Adding the Force Field to your PA isn't really apparent (unlikely the CS is going to dismantle your armor to check for a FF generator), but plasma-round tipped arrows would be a bit obvious.

At the very least, i think you'd be able to modify the explosive and plasma shotgun rounds (2d6MD to 10ft diameter or 3d6MD to a 20ft diameter (1 or 2 shells) for the explosive, and 3d6/5d6 to a 6/12ft diameter (1 or 2 shells) for the plasma) to work on arrows as well, fairly easily.... and maybe the CFT cartridges from New West as well? (theyd only do about as much damage as the explosives, and only to one target, but individually the cartridges are a LOT cheaper than the explosive arrows or explosive shotgun rounds).

[dreicunan]

well i didnt say bows have a better range,i said a respectable range in comparison(for a bow) and lasers are the longest range E-weapons in general,so they arent a fair comparison.but yeah,my bow would be more comparable to a heavy energy rifle,especially as i'll be able to do damage thats also comparable(9-12d6 MDC by the time i hit level 5).

Not saying its impossible or anything, just wondering how you're getting that much damage out of a bow.

Most of the MDC arrows do pitiful damage until you get into explosives, and the best explosive arrowhead im aware of is 3D6 MD (though im open to the idea that i missed some somewhere).

The benefit being, of course, that those (explosive) arrows effectively do AoE damage, so the tradeoff is largely worthwhile, IMO.

Another thing to mention is there is a canon source for using Naruni Plasma rounds outside of their guns for traps and arrows - so you can get the plasma rounds and tip arrows with them, inflicting 1d4x10 each (or 2d4x10 for the Heavy rounds used by the Shoulder Cannon). Of course, that's not something you want to get caught with in CS territory. Adding the Force Field to your PA isn't really apparent (unlikely the CS is going to dismantle your armor to check for a FF generator), but plasma-round tipped arrows would be a bit obvious.

At the very least, i think you'd be able to modify the explosive and plasma shotgun rounds (2d6MD to 10ft diameter or 3d6MD to a 20ft diameter (1 or 2 shells) for the explosive, and 3d6/5d6 to a 6/12ft diameter (1 or 2 shells) for the plasma) to work on arrows as well, fairly easily.... and maybe the CFT cartridges from New West as well? (theyd only do about as much damage as the explosives, and only to one target, but individually the cartridges are a LOT cheaper than the explosive arrows or explosive shotgun rounds).

The CFT cartridge is an interesting idea. Are you envisioning them basically being rigged to fire upon making contact with the target?

I don't think that they would actually be cheaper than using shotgun shells, however. Each E-6 cartridge coats 320 credits. Northern Gun sells explosive shotgun shells for 150 credits each and APRJ for 200 credits each. There is also the bigbore shotgun shell (2d4 MD plus knockdown) for 120 credits or 16,000 credits for 144 shells. They also sell a standard MD shotgun shell doing 2d4 MD for 100 each or 1200 credits for a box of 20 shells. All of those would be more cost effective options.

[iteration27]

oh,you must have missed that from earlier.its a special trick shot from being a weapon master.I can fire multiple arrows as a single melee action at half bonus to strike.2 arrows at lvl 1,3 at lvl 5 and 4 at lvl 10.so by the time i join the main game im firing off 3 arrows at once.yeah its ammo intensive and im assuming 24 arrows per quiver,but it gives me a good range of possible damage from light rifle too a heavy weapon.my normal steel tree ammo(according to my GM) will be doin 3d6+2,3d6-4d6 from the explosive arrows x number of arrows fired.Plus by lvl 6 i'll have a rate of fire of 9,so thats alot of damage i can do in a single rnd,but probably at the expense of all my ammo(although i do have 2 oversized quivers.havent asked how many arrows one of those will hold though).
makes the idea of using the makeshift heads you mentioned pretty scary.using those heavy naruni cartridges i could be doin 6d4x10 in a single attack,thats pretty darn hefty.Also note i can do a similar thing with thrown weapons(knives shuriken etc) throwing upto 2 in one attack,but i dont think that number increases with lvl.

[iteration27]

jesus,thats 54d6x10 in one rnd,thats a potential of over 3000 MD...i think my GM would ban me from doin that.

wait,that should be 54d4x10,which is still a potential of over 2000 MD.

[Colonel_Tetsuya]

well i didnt say bows have a better range,i said a respectable range in comparison(for a bow) and lasers are the longest range E-weapons in general,so they arent a fair comparison.but yeah,my bow would be more comparable to a heavy energy rifle,especially as i'll be able to do damage thats also comparable(9-12d6 MDC by the time i hit level 5).

Not saying its impossible or anything, just wondering how you're getting that much damage out of a bow.

Most of the MDC arrows do pitiful damage until you get into explosives, and the best explosive arrowhead im aware of is 3D6 MD (though im open to the idea that i missed some somewhere).

The benefit being, of course, that those (explosive) arrows effectively do AoE damage, so the tradeoff is largely worthwhile, IMO.

Another thing to mention is there is a canon source for using Naruni Plasma rounds outside of their guns for traps and arrows - so you can get the plasma rounds and tip arrows with them, inflicting 1d4x10 each (or 2d4x10 for the Heavy rounds used by the Shoulder Cannon). Of course, that's not something you want to get caught with in CS territory. Adding the Force Field to your PA isn't really apparent (unlikely the CS is going to dismantle your armor to check for a FF generator), but plasma-round tipped arrows would be a bit obvious.

At the very least, i think you'd be able to modify the explosive and plasma shotgun rounds (2d6MD to 10ft diameter or 3d6MD to a 20ft diameter (1 or 2 shells) for the explosive, and 3d6/5d6 to a 6/12ft diameter (1 or 2 shells) for the plasma) to work on arrows as well, fairly easily.... and maybe the CFT cartridges from New West as well? (theyd only do about as much damage as the explosives, and only to one target, but individually the cartridges are a LOT cheaper than the explosive arrows or explosive shotgun rounds).

The CFT cartridge is an interesting idea. Are you envisioning them basically being rigged to fire upon making contact with the target?

Basically, yeah, same as the NE cartridges. I didnt recall the CFT rounds being that expensive. That rules them out as being terribly useful.

I didnt mention the APRJ shotgun rounds because they wouldnt really work;without a barrel tomstabilize the slug and time for the Ramjet to accelerate them, theyre pretty useless as arrowheads.

[RockJock]

Let us know what you pick after flipping through the NG books. Another concept hit against the Blazer is it has standard penalties to all the physical stuff, unlike the Sabre and Silent Shadow. The Sabre still comes across as the best "simple" armor. Another minor thing to look at is the slight differences between flying and ground PA Elite.

[iteration27]

yeah ok,i've settled on the sabre(i really dont know why i was calling it the silver sabre).The 2 armours were much of a muchness,but the sabre seems more appropriate,with the night reaper being too specialised to warrant having it available in the way that it was.plus the sabre is marginally sturdier.

i got another palladium induced headache though when reading combat again.The thing with APM and archery ROF.ugh.why the hell did they have to complicate things.as it would sit with my character at lvl 1 i would have 5 APM,7 APM when using melee weapons and +1 APM in my PA with a ROF 3 for archery.At level 6(where I'll join the main game) I'll have 6 APM,8 APM using melee weapons and +3 APM in my PA with a ROF 9 for archery.
So i can get my head around the varied number of attacks.But ROF seems like its separated from APM.Im not sure how they interact.do i just get archery actions or can i use the ROF as defensive actions too.I have messaged my GM about this,but he hasnt got back to me yet.

[Colonel_Tetsuya]

Ive honestly never met anyone, in 20+ years of pkaying Palladium games, who uses the Archery ROF. Ever.

Everyone ive ever played with just had a shot with a bow use up an action like any other attack and called it a day.

Its a relic from Palladium Fantasy that has never been seriously looked at.

[iteration27]

yeah,my GM replied with the same thing actually(sigh of relief)but giving me +2 APM with bows to represent the increased ROF the weapon master usually gets.which means at level 6 my APM are one less than what the ROF would usually be,but allowing me the extra APM from elite RPA actually gives me 11 APM with my bow.and with the multi shot ability i can unleash 33 arrows per rnd,ammo being the only down side.But hes allowing 2 oversized quivers with a 30 arrow capacity each,so thats 60,30 or 20 shots essentially.I dont think thats too bad.

[RockJock]

Yeah, archery ROF is entertaining. Adding the PA and all just makes it a barrel of monkeys.

[iteration27]

well its sorted now.i've got armour that doesnt detract from my stealth,decent ranged attack with a really good ROF,variable damage output with some serious upgrade potential.i just need to find a reasonable way to increase my ammo.although with the thrown experstise at shorter ranges and hard melee capabilities,i should manage.plus with the other characters no one is really going to be paying me much attention.im just assuming that demigod spellcasters and a dragon would draw most of the fire.but i think its a pretty safe assumption.

[guardiandashi]

well its sorted now.i've got armour that doesnt detract from my stealth,decent ranged attack with a really good ROF,variable damage output with some serious upgrade potential.i just need to find a reasonable way to increase my ammo.although with the thrown experstise at shorter ranges and hard melee capabilities,i should manage.plus with the other characters no one is really going to be paying me much attention.im just assuming that demigod spellcasters and a dragon would draw most of the fire.but i think its a pretty safe assumption.

what you need is to get a "quiver of ehlonna" (or the equivalent) D&D 3.5 dmg pg 265 basically its a quiver that's bigger on the inside than on the outside. it has 3 internal spaces, the first holds 60 objects roughly the size of an arrow, the second holds 18 items the general size and shape of a javelin, the 3rd holds 6 items the general size and shape of a bow.

and or a bag of holding or portable hole

[13eowulf]

There is an alchemists magic quiver, holds like 120 arrows. Can't remember if it is in the PFRPG main book or Western Empire.

[iteration27]

The quiver in question is from western empire,cant remember what its called,but i think its illegal to sell it outside of western empire forces.

[Blue_Lion]

Remember you can also have arrows in boxes in the back seat of a vehicle to have a faster replenishment.

I can think of two ways to deal with the ammo issue.
1 find a way to carry more-Use of storage of vehicles and magic can help with that.

2 A easy way to replenish ammo in the field, this is most likely going to require magic of some sort.

Wish I knew of ways for 2 off the top of my head but most of what comes to mind are magical items I created for my games.

[13eowulf]

The quiver in question is from western empire,cant remember what its called,but i think its illegal to sell it outside of western empire forces.

I am not sure that the law enforcement arm of the Western Empire reaches Rifts Earth.... though it could make for an interesting story if it did.

[iteration27]

well like i said i can carry 60 in my quivers,which isnt bad if i dont go overboard with multi shots.another way to conserve ammo would be to neutralize enemies rather than kill them(taking out things like sensors and weapons).
I do also have a hover cycle which hasnt been mentioned,so i can of course have extra ammo stowed on that.
But yeah,i couldnt really find anything like the empires magic quiver in rifts.so arrows capacity is always gonna be limited except for energy firing bows.unless my own GM cobbles sank together for me at some point.

[iteration27]

it might not reach to rifts earth,but it would make acquiring one more difficult as,if i recall,the western authorities execute any merchants caught selling them.

[Blue_Lion]

How lenient will you GM be on magical items.

A magical bow capable of enchanting non-magic, non-TW, non-tech/trick arrows to do their sd as MD would not be to powerful and allow use of a PF style field armor skill to make replacement arrows in the field.(no official weapon but one I have made for players in my game to use.)

Magical arrows that inflict MD then teleport back to their quiver would almost completely negate the ammo issue.(again not official but I have made them available for players in my game)
A quiver of magical arrows that fills up every dawn would help negate the issue as well.(not official but as the other two.)

(IF you want to neutrolise and not kill look at goblin grenade arrows BoM and SoT 6, any spell level 4 or below can be made into one. Notable ones include CoA and magic net, both woulds be useful CC. Tear gas against foes not in EBA might also be useful.)

[iteration27]

well we havent discussed what i might pick up in the future,but as a weapons master i can make my own ancient weapons and arrows.im told that the mages in my party can enchant them with iron wood and that these ironwood arrows would be the same as the steel tree ones.so replenishment wont be a problem.just combat sustainability.but like i said,alot of magic in the party.cojoined demigod warlock diabolists,zembahk mystic worm,dragon with standard spell invocations,goblin with enchanted rune hammer that shoots rifts.and theres an octoman gunslinger and an anti-monster with a bunch of heavy weapons.
So im really very confident that i'll be able to skirt around the edges of the combat and pick targets for maximum efficiency whilst remaining,for the most part,unmolested.my armaments and limited ammo shouldnt pose too much of a problem,as i see it.of course,i AM just assuming i wont be considered a threat most of the time.but i'll see how it goes and then i can see where my character needs adjustment the most.

[RockJock]

New West LASER BOW.....ducks.

The armor has plenty of room to upgrade over time, especially if you have access to high tech sources. On Rifts Earth you have NE Force Fields and a Jetpack easily available, plus maybe a sensor upgrade without going nuts. If you go 3Gs nuts I'm sure a higher tech version is available, and you have everything from GravPacks to Phasetech upgrades.

Oh and remember to use your optics. An archer picking people off in the dark is fun.

[iteration27]

i think i'd take the ducks over the laser bow.oh wait,thats not what you meant lol
yeah,id still take the ducks.they could actually be used as a distraction,or a melee screen,or even provisions.laser bow cant be used for any of those things.

[RockJock]

Thunder Ducks or whatever their name is from one of the newer 3Gs books would be a hilarious group of pets.

[iteration27]

oh i know those! arent they the ones that shoot lightning at people?
I'm thinking you could have a whole gaggle pulling some kinda chariot.