That really wasn't my argument so I guess I should have bee clearer. I think I expressly stated it shouldnt be as good as a weapon designed for melee. My point is the intent is that it could be used in melee and people who buy this see it as option they want to use. So choosing a accuracy that is too low goes against that entire intent.
This is exactly what I and, to a lesser extent, Mirikon are talking about - and for all practical purposes what you said. Certainly a bow can be used as a staff/club in melee; so can the stock of a gun, or the barrel of a pistol, or a chair, a bar stool, a pool cue, a pool
ball, a beer bottle, a table, the bar itself (well, sort of), etc. etc. etc. And you can use your bow, gun-stock, pistol-barrel, chair, bar stool, pool cue/ball, beer bottle, table, etc. etc. etc.
as a melee weapon however often you want. Do so with a non-melee-hardened weapon and you risk damaging your weapon, said risk being something that should increase with the frequency of your use. If, however, you have melee hardening as an option, you
should have access to the description, and what it does for you; if not, then your GM certainly should, and if someone is buying melee hardening because of the misguided belief that it changes the item from an improvised weapon into a standard weapon, then
the player is mistaken and the GM should explain things to them.
If your argument is not that buying melee hardening turns the weapon into a designed-for-melee weapon, but exactly what you said above - that the player thinks that it does - then this is an issue with the GM not explaining to them that it only prevents the weapon from getting damaged when
used as an improvised weapon, not that it improves its use, balance, etc. the way increasing its Accuracy would mean. Choosing an accuracy appropriate for the improvised melee weapon, i.e. melee-hardened bow, is immaterial in regards as to how the
player thinks it should be, just because their 'entire intent' is to use their non-melee-designed bow, gun-butt, pistol-barrel, cue stick, cue ball, etc. as a melee weapon.
Like I said - 'how would I rule this for an NPC?' is not generally a bad yardstick to start out with.
There is a middle ground between as good as a weapon designed for it and the absolutely useless range that is improvised weapons.
Note that the 4 you're now agreeing to
is the 'absolutely useless range that is improvised weapons,' as I quoted above.
I like this just b/c it's fun, it's dramatic and it includes Hattori Hanzo. For the time being I'm satisfied with 4, making bow Excalibur can come later should this actually go anywhere.
Thanks.