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Seems like this subject is a contoversial one. Which I don't think it really should be. The decision rests in convenience versus spending 4 skill points and what the target level for your character is. I don't think many people weigh all the advantages of convenience before making the decision not to take it. But being a low cost skill it is always still availble for you a few levels in the future. Skill levels I talk about are base, not buffed but can benefit in improved efficiency from buffs.
Convenience boils down to 2 things. 1st is simple mathematics in regards to strength and 2nd the conveniece of always having the right quarrels available.
I'm going to use quarrels for my example as I know the exact weight of the top of my head.
100 quarrels = 1500 BU = 100 shots
100 heads = 500 BU + 100 shafts = 500 BU = 1000 shots
Which comes to a base 15 to 1 ratio. This of course assumes no failures, but if you are fletching things within your skill range you should have ~90% success rate.
The benefit of this can be seen as a savings to strength, the value of this depends on your level.
1-20 while you are fighting relatively low level monsters you can use normal quarrels and regular elementals to good effect. You have a decent level of success at fletching normal elementals with a skill as low as 80.
20 to around 35 - These are the levels when fletching generally isn't worth it. During these levels the creatures you fight become much harder and you need to use greater elementals in most cases to ensure your success / survival. This is where you can't fletch the kind of arrows you need. Many people make there assumption based upon these levels. If your target level for your character is 40 or less then you are probably right you shouldn't take fletching on your main character you can stop reading now. If however your target level is higher...read on.
35 or higher depending on your character you are probably going to want to start hunting bugs. This is when fletching starts to pay big dividends. Greater Blunts only take about 160 skill to fletch and as seen in the mathmatics above can save you a lot of burden. Bugs carry great loot! This strength savings can be put to use in 2 different ways, either loot carrying capacity or a chance to majorly upgrade your armor. When you switch to tuskers the same savings can apply, skill of about 200 for a decent rate on greater elementals.
Example: Hunting load = 500 quarrels
500 quarrels = 7500 burden = 50 points of strength
or
100 quarrels @1500BU + 50 heads and shafts (10 extra in case of failures) @500BU = 2000BU = a little over 13 points of strength.
If you are doing general hunting it is pretty hard to have a sufficient load of many different types of quarrels available when they are pre-fletched. This is not the case when you have fletching. Carrying 20 or so of each of the major types of arrowheads is no big deal, while carrying 200 each of the fully made quarrels is.
Putting this in perspective - You're out hunting Apes so you have Greater Fires loaded, one of your vassals needs help at Metos in the Large granite room with a CR. Now for the archer without fletching you have to head back to your mule to pickup blunts, maybe even have to make some. If you don't have your own trade mule it even gets worse. For an archer with fletching, you quickly whip up some greater blunts out of the greater blunt heads and shafts you're carrying and are on your way. Going back to Q's analysis about the fox and porcupine being able to outwit the dogs...the archer with fletching is the fox - the one without it the porcupine.
Conclusion fletching is basicly about strength and convenience. What can you do with the extra carrying capacity it provides you. Sure you can always go around with a strength buff, but that has its price too. Also is gives you flexibilty, you can carry heads of all different types so you can use the most appropriate quarrel for the situation.
So is it worth the 4 points or not?
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