Ignoring the THORN stuff for now: Ranged Weapons
Ranged weapons belong to Range Classes:
Close - 5'-25'
Short - 10'-50'
Medium - 25'-125'
Long - 50'-250'
Remote - 125'-500'
Ballistic - 250'-1000'
Yes, there is overlap. This is intentional.
In general, Close and Short ranged weapons are thrown (daggers, hammers), Medium and Long ranged weapons are propelled (bows and slings), and Remote and Ballistic ranged weapons are siege weapons (ballistae and trebuchets).
A character can attempt to make an attack at a range one class greater or lower than the weapon's class, but each hit/wound requires 1 additional success.
To add a die to a ranged weapon's pool requires 2 building points. Increasing a die in a pool is still only one BP.
Like melee weapons, ranged weapons have a maximum die rank for the pool. Unlike melee weapons, 1) ranged weapons are all attack, there are no defensive subpools; and 2) ranged weapon require a minimum number of die ranks in the weapon pool before the character can use the weapon (add the rank of each die in the pool).
Some examples:
Code:
weapon range rank min hits outside
/success range
blowgun close -- -- -- --
dagger close d4 1 1/1 1/2
dart short d4 2 1/2 1/3
hammer short d6 1 1/1 1/2
bow
short medium d6 2
flight 1/2 1/3
sheaf* 1/1 1/2
long long d8 3
flight 1/1 1/2
sheaf* 3/2 3/5
great long
/remote d10 6 2/1 1/1
x-bow**
heavy long d8 2 1/1 1/2
light medium d6 1 1/2 1/3
spear short d6 2 1/1 1/2
javelin medium d6 3 1/1 1/2
sling medium d8 2
stone 1/1 1/2
bullet 2/1 1/1
(Amazing isn't exactly how I'd describe the difference in how beautifully everything lines up in the edit window compared what is actually output. What's the point of the code tag if spacing isn't maintained?)
Notes:
Blowgun darts don't do any damage but act as a delivery method for toxins. Check to see if the toxin was effective for each success.
Sheaf arrows cannot be used to shoot at a greater range.
Crossbows take a turn to reload and can only be fired every other turn.
Great bows technically are long range weapons but suffer no penalty for remote distances. They use arrows designed to withstand the greater force of the great bow. If a standard arrow is used by a great bow, the regular penalties apply for remote distance and the arrow is damaged in the shot.