In modern archery, a compound bow is a bow that uses a levering system, usually of cables and pulleys, to bend the limbs.
The pulley/cam system grants the user a mechanical advantage, and so the limbs of a compound bow are much stiffer than those of a recurve bow or longbow. This rigidity makes the compound bow more energy-efficient than other bows, as less energy is dissipated in limb movement. The higher-rigidity, higher-technology construction also improves accuracy by reducing the bow's sensitivity to changes in temperature and humidity.
The pulley/cam system also confers a benefit called "let-off". As the string is drawn back, the pulleys rotate. The pulleys are eccentric rather than round, and so their effective radius changes as they rotate. The pulleys feature two cam tracks. An inner cam track which connects mechanically to the limbs or opposite cam and an outer cam track which the bowstring runs through. As the bow is drawn the ratio of bowstring pay-out and bowstring take-up relative to limb-weight and leverage of the cams changes. By manipulation of the shapes of these cam tracks, different draw-stroke profiles can be created. A compound bow can be soft-drawing with a slow build-up to peak weight and a gradual let-off with a long "valley" at the end. It can also be hard-drawing with a very fast build-up to peak draw-weight, a long plateau where weight is maintained, and a quick let-off with a short valley. The let-off itself is the result of the cam profiles having passed center and approaching a condition very similar to a cam-lock. In fact some compound bows, if the draw-stops or draw-length modules are removed, will self-lock at full draw and require professional equipment to unlock safely.
Compared to primitive bow used in Special Region, the compound bow is many times superior in term of accuracy, speed, light weight, power efficiency and reliability since its built with modern technique with consideration of physics factors. Furthermore, the modern arrow used in the compound bow is made of modern materials like aluminum or carbon fiber instead of the fragile and ancient wooden arrow, which much the modern arrow has more penetration power. It is shown that a compound bow's arrow can pierce through Imperial Troop's armor with ease.
Tuka Luna Marceau owns a compound bow that she bought from Japan for fighting purpose and prefer its over any ancient bow and crossbow in the Special Region. During the Imperial Civil War, most Dark Elves, Warrior Bunnies or some demi-human races ally with the JSDF begin to favor compound bow due to its penetration power, speed and reliability, except for Yao Ro Dushi, who prefers to use firearms.
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