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Message: <blockquote data-quote="CapnZapp" data-source="post: 7229343" data-attributes="member: 12731">Thank you for your insightful commentary. Let me try to justify/explain each of my decisions <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" />I definitely do not want to include hand crossbows into the group that recieves bonuses; the ability to "dual wield" it (with a melee weapon) is cool (if not outright powerful) enough. To me, hand crossbows are completely different from regular crossbows, and I don't foresee any mix-ups. Also: very few NPCs will ever use hand crossbows, as opposed to regular ones - this feat is meant to encourage and explain why hapless NPCs favor crossbows (among other things).[Edit: you never claim this] Conversely, it's only hand crossbows that "need" the exception to disadvantage-in-melee; two-handed crossbows (light and heavy) should remain ranged weapons - and ranged weapons should remain disadvantaged in melee in my strongly held opinion.Furthermore, I want the full +5 damage bonus already at first level - one important use case for the feat is to enable threatening city guards and other NPCs. A static +5 is also much easier to remember than a value that is +4 for one NPC but +6 for another. It's simply an equipment bonus (the heavy crossbow's "strength" is 20 for a +5 bonus), unrelated to the wielder.The attack bonus, on the other hand, I'm not sure what you gain by adding more than +2 at higher levels. A static bonus does remain equally desirable at any level; I simply don't see why high-level adventurers need a higher bonus. A crossbow isn't a sniper's weapon, it's just a weapon useful in the hands of untrained rabble. I'd much rather reserve any proficiency based feats for master archers. Granting a level 20 rogue a +6 bonus to crossbow attacks is outright broken; that's like a high-level magic weapon right there.If you ask me why heavy crossbows get the damage bonus but not light crossbows, that's a much more open issue. I guess my answer at the mo' is simply to create a larger difference between a "vanilla" (light) crossbow and a heavy one; hopefully turning NPCs equipped with heavy crossbows into something that give players pause, at least briefly and even if only at low levels <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" />The "within reach" phrasing I need to look at. Thanks!</blockquote>

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