Arrows
Can't use a bow without arrows to shoot! Arrows come in a variety of shapes and sizes, though they all have one thing in common: they MUST be aerodynamically shaped or they're just not going anywhere. Arrows can also be used for self-defense in melee in a pinch, though they are not a substitute for forged melee weapons.
Size
An arrow's size (and thus weight) has a major effect on its performance. They can range from half a yalm to nearly 2 yalms long, though most tend towards a range around 1 yalm. Longer and heavier arrows can confer more force upon the target but suffer from reduced range that the user must compensate for, and are only appropriate for use with larger bows with heavier drawstrings. Very short arrows, on the other hand, have extremely good range and can be used to snipe opponents without fear of retaliation if they do not have similar equipment.
Shaft
The shaft of the arrow can be made of many different materials, though it is traditionally made out of a type of wood. The stiffness of the shaft is referred to as its "spine", meaning how little the shaft bends when compressed. An arrow that bends less has more "spine". Groups of arrows must be similarly spined for consistent results. "Center-shot" bows can be used to gain consistent results with a wide range of spines, but most traditional bows are not center shot and the arrow has to deflect around the handle in the Archer's Paradox (this is getting complicated...). To put it short, the arrow's spine has to be made to allow the arrow to deflect correctly around the bow. Higher draw-weight bows typically require more spine for the right amount of flex when shot.
Footed Arrows
Arrows made out of two different types of wood (a hardwood near the arrowhead and a softwood for the rest of the shaft) fastened together are referred to as "footed arrows", and proffer the superior survivability of hardwood with the flexibility and light weight of softwood arrows. Gridanians are most likely to use these types of arrows.
Arrowheads
Arrowheads are extraordinarily varied, and can be designed to best a wide variety of targets. Any arrow designed to penetrate its target can be dipped in poison to further its effect. Note that this list is not exhaustive, though it should cover most types likely to appear in Eorzea.
*Armor piercing (needle bodkin) - The most expensive type of arrowhead, these are always made out of some type of hardened metal and forged into a shape designed to penetrate even the toughest plates of armor. It should be noted that, on planet Earth, arrowheads of this design were not in common use due to the development of firearms which had no problems penetrating plate armor. Apparently this does not apply in Eorzea, as archers are still commonly seen despite the simultaneous development of full-body plate armor and firearms. These arrows will cause less harm to poorly armored targets than broadhead arrows, and the weight of the heads gives them poorer flight characteristics, so these are used exclusively for fighting armored legions, Garleans especially.
*Bifurcated - A.k.a. "Frog-Crotch", "Fishtail", or "Forked" arrowheads, these heads are shaped in a V or crescent shape with points extending outward on either side. The cutting edge can be in the inside of the curve, though sometimes the entire head is sharpened. These arrowheads are commonly used as rope-cutters, and can be used to cut through a ship's rigging, climbing cords, and even other archers' bowstrings.
*Bodkin points - Short, rigid points with a small cross-section made of unhardened iron. Used for greater range or accuracy as well as cheap production. Ineffective against armored targets.
*Blunt - Unsharpened arrowheads occasionally used for target shooting or for stunning the target without penetration. In Eorzea these may be made of metal or hard rubber. Note that the shaft is capable of penetrating the arrowhead and/or the target, so safety is still paramount with their use.
*Broadheads - The most common type of arrow in use in Eorzea for war and hunting, broadheads are made out of some type of hardened metal and have two or four wide, sharp blades intended to bleed the target by cutting major blood vessels. They are designed to cause further damage upon removal as well, making them extremely dangerous. They are also expensive, can damage most targets, and are usually not used for target practice. They can come in two types:
**Fixed-blade - What it says on the tin.
**Mechanical - Uses some of the kinetic energy of the arrow to deploy its blades out into the target when struck. They possess better flight characteristics due to their more aerodynamic design, but less penetrative power due to some of the energy being lost during blade deployment.
*Cage Fire - An arrowhead commonly used by Eorzeans, cage fires are designed to be ignited with elemental fire before being released into the fray to set an area alight. They have poor aerodynamic properties and thus must be lobbed into the area at moderate ranges rather than shot freely. They are frequently reusable.
*Whistling - An arrowhead slightly hollowed out with four to six holes bored into it. A whistling arrowhead, once launched, releases a high-pitched whistling noise as it flies. Whistling arrowheads are not designed for combat, but instead designed to signal others from a distance or to scare off foes.
Fletching
Fletching is found at the back of the arrow and is usually made out of the feathers of wild birds, particularly dodos. They are used as airfoils and provide a small amount of force that helps to stabilize the arrow in flight, reducing its tendancy to pitch and yaw and thus keeping it flying true to its target. Feathers used on an arrow mut come from the same side of the bird as bird feathers have a slight natural twist depending on where they come from. This same twist helps the arrow rotate in flight, increasing accuracy. Arrows designed to travel the maximum possible distance will often have little-to-no fletching, while arrows with broadheads will have long and high fletching to counteract the aerodynamic effect of the arrowhead.
...So as you can plainly see, bows are friggin' complicated. There is a LOT more to bows and arrows than what I've already written here. If you're interested in excessive, exhausting detail, there is a document on arrows posted here that's designed for use with some RPG system or other, but is still very useful as a resource on the ridiculous variety that arrows can come in.
Can't use a bow without arrows to shoot! Arrows come in a variety of shapes and sizes, though they all have one thing in common: they MUST be aerodynamically shaped or they're just not going anywhere. Arrows can also be used for self-defense in melee in a pinch, though they are not a substitute for forged melee weapons.
Size
An arrow's size (and thus weight) has a major effect on its performance. They can range from half a yalm to nearly 2 yalms long, though most tend towards a range around 1 yalm. Longer and heavier arrows can confer more force upon the target but suffer from reduced range that the user must compensate for, and are only appropriate for use with larger bows with heavier drawstrings. Very short arrows, on the other hand, have extremely good range and can be used to snipe opponents without fear of retaliation if they do not have similar equipment.
Shaft
The shaft of the arrow can be made of many different materials, though it is traditionally made out of a type of wood. The stiffness of the shaft is referred to as its "spine", meaning how little the shaft bends when compressed. An arrow that bends less has more "spine". Groups of arrows must be similarly spined for consistent results. "Center-shot" bows can be used to gain consistent results with a wide range of spines, but most traditional bows are not center shot and the arrow has to deflect around the handle in the Archer's Paradox (this is getting complicated...). To put it short, the arrow's spine has to be made to allow the arrow to deflect correctly around the bow. Higher draw-weight bows typically require more spine for the right amount of flex when shot.
Footed Arrows
Arrows made out of two different types of wood (a hardwood near the arrowhead and a softwood for the rest of the shaft) fastened together are referred to as "footed arrows", and proffer the superior survivability of hardwood with the flexibility and light weight of softwood arrows. Gridanians are most likely to use these types of arrows.
Arrowheads
Arrowheads are extraordinarily varied, and can be designed to best a wide variety of targets. Any arrow designed to penetrate its target can be dipped in poison to further its effect. Note that this list is not exhaustive, though it should cover most types likely to appear in Eorzea.
*Armor piercing (needle bodkin) - The most expensive type of arrowhead, these are always made out of some type of hardened metal and forged into a shape designed to penetrate even the toughest plates of armor. It should be noted that, on planet Earth, arrowheads of this design were not in common use due to the development of firearms which had no problems penetrating plate armor. Apparently this does not apply in Eorzea, as archers are still commonly seen despite the simultaneous development of full-body plate armor and firearms. These arrows will cause less harm to poorly armored targets than broadhead arrows, and the weight of the heads gives them poorer flight characteristics, so these are used exclusively for fighting armored legions, Garleans especially.
*Bifurcated - A.k.a. "Frog-Crotch", "Fishtail", or "Forked" arrowheads, these heads are shaped in a V or crescent shape with points extending outward on either side. The cutting edge can be in the inside of the curve, though sometimes the entire head is sharpened. These arrowheads are commonly used as rope-cutters, and can be used to cut through a ship's rigging, climbing cords, and even other archers' bowstrings.
*Bodkin points - Short, rigid points with a small cross-section made of unhardened iron. Used for greater range or accuracy as well as cheap production. Ineffective against armored targets.
*Blunt - Unsharpened arrowheads occasionally used for target shooting or for stunning the target without penetration. In Eorzea these may be made of metal or hard rubber. Note that the shaft is capable of penetrating the arrowhead and/or the target, so safety is still paramount with their use.
*Broadheads - The most common type of arrow in use in Eorzea for war and hunting, broadheads are made out of some type of hardened metal and have two or four wide, sharp blades intended to bleed the target by cutting major blood vessels. They are designed to cause further damage upon removal as well, making them extremely dangerous. They are also expensive, can damage most targets, and are usually not used for target practice. They can come in two types:
**Fixed-blade - What it says on the tin.
**Mechanical - Uses some of the kinetic energy of the arrow to deploy its blades out into the target when struck. They possess better flight characteristics due to their more aerodynamic design, but less penetrative power due to some of the energy being lost during blade deployment.
*Cage Fire - An arrowhead commonly used by Eorzeans, cage fires are designed to be ignited with elemental fire before being released into the fray to set an area alight. They have poor aerodynamic properties and thus must be lobbed into the area at moderate ranges rather than shot freely. They are frequently reusable.
*Whistling - An arrowhead slightly hollowed out with four to six holes bored into it. A whistling arrowhead, once launched, releases a high-pitched whistling noise as it flies. Whistling arrowheads are not designed for combat, but instead designed to signal others from a distance or to scare off foes.
Fletching
Fletching is found at the back of the arrow and is usually made out of the feathers of wild birds, particularly dodos. They are used as airfoils and provide a small amount of force that helps to stabilize the arrow in flight, reducing its tendancy to pitch and yaw and thus keeping it flying true to its target. Feathers used on an arrow mut come from the same side of the bird as bird feathers have a slight natural twist depending on where they come from. This same twist helps the arrow rotate in flight, increasing accuracy. Arrows designed to travel the maximum possible distance will often have little-to-no fletching, while arrows with broadheads will have long and high fletching to counteract the aerodynamic effect of the arrowhead.
...So as you can plainly see, bows are friggin' complicated. There is a LOT more to bows and arrows than what I've already written here. If you're interested in excessive, exhausting detail, there is a document on arrows posted here that's designed for use with some RPG system or other, but is still very useful as a resource on the ridiculous variety that arrows can come in.