Alter Aeon Online Help

Keywords are:  'ranged weapons attacks bows crossbows slings blowguns guns firearms arms arrows bolts darts bullets cartridges'

Usage:
fire [target] [weapon]
load <weapon> [ammo]
unload [weapon]

Ranged weapons are weapons designed to inflict harm from a distance.
Ranged weapons require ammunition, which must be loaded into the weapon
and then fired at the target.

Ranged weapons must be held or wielded in order to function.
Two-handed ranged weapons are more accurate than one-handed ones.
A held ranged weapon is considered to be in one's off-hand and any
shot fired from it incurs a penalty to accuracy.

Unless otherwise specified, you will fire any wielded ranged weapon
at whomever you are fighting.

Accuracy is determined primarily by your hitroll and dexterity.
Having the 'marksmanship' skill helps greatly.  Targets of ranged
attacks use dexterity as a primary defense, though being able to
intuit out trajectories of projectiles using wisdom helps as well.
The larger the target, the easier they are to hit.  The thief 'dodge'
and warrior 'shield block' skills can help you avoid getting hit,
as can the mage spell 'force shield' and the druid 'windbreaker'
spell.

Inflicted damage is determined by the ammunition.  For example, a
crossbow might have blades attached to the prod that do slashing
damage, but the bolts it fires will likely do piercing damage.
The ammunition's hitroll is critical to its ability to penetrate
armor.

Creatures with natural flight such as birds, bats and winged dragons
have anatomy that is more vulnerable to ranged attacks, and lightly
armored opponents are more prone to taking critical hits as ranged
weapons penetrate gaps in their defenses.

Both hands must be available to in order to load a ranged weapon.
You can load a ranged weapon while wielding it or while it's in your
inventory.

Only compatible ammunition can be used with any given weapon.  Bows
use arrows, crossbows use bolts, slings use bullets, blowguns use
darts, and firearms use cartridges.  If you are unsure, you can
discover which kind of ammunition a ranged weapon uses by identifying
it. The 'autoreload command can be used to automatically reload your
weapon when fired, see 'help autoreload' for more information.

Weapons can be fired while hidden. Blowguns are very quiet and have
the advantage of not revealing your hiding place if they miss. In
contrast, the loud report and cloud of smoke emitted by firearms will
always reveal your hiding place.