Arrows ricocheting and hitting their targets?

[Benjamin Clayborne]

By the way: shooting something in the eye blinds it in one eye—it does not kill it. The optic nerve is around 3mm in diameter (an eighth of an inch, way smaller than any arrowhead), and the skull is not meaningfully weaker behind it than anywhere else. If the shot isn't going to penetrate the cranium elsewhere, it won't do it through the eye, either. You'd have just as much luck trying to go through the nose or palate… and might actually have better luck going through the ear.

To be fair, dragons are usually significantly larger than humans; it's not hard to believe their optic foramen (the opening in the back of the optical orbit through which the optic nerve passes) might be big enough to admit an arrowhead. I doubt most readers would care, though.

 

[Argentum]

By the way: shooting something in the eye blinds it in one eye—it does not kill it. The optic nerve is around 3mm in diameter (an eighth of an inch, way smaller than any arrowhead), and the skull is not meaningfully weaker behind it than anywhere else. If the shot isn't going to penetrate the cranium elsewhere, it won't do it through the eye, either. You'd have just as much luck trying to go through the nose or palate… and might actually have better luck going through the ear.

So much awesome information as always! Thanks Ravana!

I guess I should give a better explanation of the situation. During the fight, the dragon will be in his changeling form, the human form that he is currently possessing. In my story, I have the minds of all people represented with a fortress. I know there was this quote that the eyes were the doorway to the soul. I sorta used that. I have it possible, for one man to peer into the soul of another through the eyes. Really, it'll only get you to the doorway, where you either have to break in and ravage the mind or be allowed in. When I chose arrows, I wanted them to pass in through the eye of the dragon, there it would pass through the open gates and strike the actual 'spirit' form of the dragon where he stood inside the fortress of the possessed man. It doesn't need to harm the physical body at all, just get in through the eyes. Though that still leaves the problem of ricochet. And becaus I know now that ricocheting in the way needed is impossible, I will remove it altogether and just have the dragon stand in the way.

 

[Ravana]

…I will remove it altogether and just have the dragon stand in the way.

LOL!

And, as always, you're welcome.

Of course, if the dragon shares the vulnerabilities of the form he's in, you could get at him in reverse, though the ricochet's still out.

For arrows, that is: remember I mentioned sling bullets? They're round–they'll ricochet just fine. (To a point, at least.) And remember I mentioned concussions? What happens to the possessing mind when the brain of the possessed gets discombobulated, and doesn't know where–or possibly even who–he is?

Could make for a nifty way to "trap" the possessor… at least long enough to take advantage of the situation.

 

[Devor]

What if the arrow gets caught in something which applies a lot of pressure in multiple directions, and then the arrow snaps, with the arrowhead flying into the dragon's eye. Would that work for you?

 

[mirrorrorrim]

In an episode of Top Shot (a reality/shooting competition show) during the last season, the competitors had to skip arrows off of a ramp before embedding them in a target. So, if it were something like that, and if the archers were skilled/lucky enough, I think it's plausible.

 

[arbiter117]

The ricochet angle would have to be very slight, more like skipping a rock across water. Too much angle and the arrow will break or simply not have the energy to do much as stated above But then, that's real wooden arrows and a real wooden bow I'm guessing about (I've never actually shot someone/been shot by someone/seen someone shooting someone in this way)