D&D 5E Bow vs. Crossbow

[Ashrym]

Well but people tend to think of darts like used in the game at the pub,
they are not, instead they are in fact short spears. You could melee a bit using them in an emergency.
Obviously the romans invented and used them, google plumbata. From the plumbus = lead (Pb) and what I see in the google pictures and already read somewhere I conclude that these were weighted with lead.

That's true, but darts are not melee weapons. They are ranged weapons as categorized in the PHB. Ranged weapons use DEX modifiers by default. The wording on finesse changes that to allow for STR in an odd way.

 

[Ashrym]

This is more what a dart looks like.

They are more like smaller arrows or bolts with a weight for throwing; and definitely not as big as a javelin, or as small as darts at the pub.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Hi Everyone. This one should be simple, but knowing forums it could blow up. Who knows?

So, before getting Extra Attack, what is the advantage to using a Bow over a Crossbow?

Why should there be any advantage?

The main point of crossbows is they could be used with much less training.

Odysseus's rivals couldn't even string his bow, let alone use it.

 

[Ashrym]

With a long bow vs a heavy crossbow, the long bow has better range and weighs a lot less. With the light crossbow vs the short bow the weight is a minor benefit but extra attack vs loading is the real benefit.

 

[Todd Roybark]

“Heavy Crossbow with the Crossbow Expert Feat. The very best there is. When you absolutely, positively got to kill every motherf*cker in the room, accept no substitutes.”

This is per Sam Jackson.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

The main thing with darts is the benefit from the Archery fighting style, whereas javelins and throwing daggers do not.

 

[Ashrym]

The main thing with darts is the benefit from the Archery fighting style, whereas javelins and throwing daggers do not.

Sharp shooter too. Being classified as a ranged weapon has some benefits for darts and slings.

 

[Coroc]

Sharp shooter too. Being classified as a ranged weapon has some benefits for darts and slings.

Ugh. I do not offer darts as a standard equipment and now I am glad I do not. Imagine one of these getting a +10 in damage from ss, whereas a thrown spear is meager in comparison.
That would disturb my sense for realism.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Ugh. I do not offer darts as a standard equipment and now I am glad I do not. Imagine one of these getting a +10 in damage from ss, whereas a thrown spear is meager in comparison.
That would disturb my sense for realism.

Straight in the eye, through to the brain. lethality not a problem.

And darts represent any kind of small throwing weapon - shrunken, throwing knives (too small to be daggers), batarangs, etc.

 

[Larnievc]

Hi Everyone. This one should be simple, but knowing forums it could blow up. Who knows?

So, before getting Extra Attack, what is the advantage to using a Bow over a Crossbow? I noticed this while helping a friend stat up a rogue. They were imagining using a shortbow the whole time, but when we got to the equipment they noticed the light crossbow did more damage. The loading drawback simply isn't a drawback until you get extra attack, and since a rogue never gets extra attack, it simply isn't an issue.

I realized that everyone under 5th level should be using a crossbow to be optimal. There's no advantage to using a bow.

This doesn't feel right.

I seem to remember that cross bows were great for the relatively untrained but as you got to the more highly trained bowmen bows could be fired much quicker.