Crossbow Users

[Rolzup]

Looking for a bit of advice here....

I'm in a 3.0 game right now, playing a Rogue/Fighter who's focused on being the "Face Man". Maxed out Bluff, Diplomacy, and suchlike, to the point of having a +16 Bluff at 6th level. Fun character to play, and somewhat effective even though he's an abject coward; he's been able to talk the party out of a few fights.

But.

Much though I'm enjoying this, it's sorta forcing the rest of the party to conform to this character's style...which interferes with the righteous kicking of ass on occassion.

So I'd like to make an effort to make this character a little more combat-worthy, so that he's not stuck in the back row shuffling his feet when the rest of the party wades into battle.

So. Human Rogue 3/Fighter 2, just gained a level. Feats are Point-Blank Shot, Precise Shot, Combat Expertise, and Improved Feint (the last taken from the 3.5 book, with DM permission). Strength is 10, Dex is 16.

I'm thinking of taking another level of Rogue, and grabbing Weapon Focus: Light Crossbow as that level's feat. With that, and the DM letting me use Precise Shot (instead of Far Shot) as a prerequisite, I'm thinking of going with Deepwood Sniper for his 7th level class.

But heck, I like to keep my options open. Are there any other prestige classes that specialize in the crossbow? I took a look at the "Crossbow Master" from _Masters of Arms_, but that didn't really inspire me much. Anyone have any other suggestions?

Rolzup

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

Definitely consider the Rapid Reload feat (3.5) for your light crossbow so you can make better use of iterative attacks when you get them.

Haven't seen too much crossbow-focused stuff, unfortunately.

 

[Dingleberry]

Why are you focusing on crossbow rather than a regular bow? Using a bow would also solve the iterative problem, but without costing you another feat.

 

[youspoonybard]

Improved Feint only works for melee, too, right?

I'm pretty sure...

 

[Rolzup]

Improved Feint only works for melee, too, right?

I'm pretty sure...

I believe that's the case. Thing is, I've been getting decent use out of IF in melee, but it just feels cheesy to use it round after round after round. Using it once or twice per opponent is all right, but after that?

(Partially it's the way that I see this guy using it. He's not as much a "Fake a heat shot but then drop your sword arm and stap him in the knee" kind of feinter. He's more of the "Yell 'Hey, your bootlace is untied!' and then hit him over the head when he looks down" sort. If that makes any sense. No mechanical difference, but it plays out in an entirely different manner.)

So I'd like to expand his combat capabilities somewhat. Introduce something new.

As to why the crossbow instead of the bow? Tradition and style, I suppose. He started out as a Rogue carrying a crossbow, and he's just stuck with it. Under the circumstances, he's unlikely to find a regular bow anytime soon, either....

Rolzup

 

[Spatula]

Definitely consider the Rapid Reload feat (3.5)

Rapid Reload originally appeared in Sword & Fist.

Crossbows are generally a suboptimal choice, although with sneak attack and Improved Feint, they might not be. While 3.5 limits feints to melee, 3.0 does not.

 

[Hypersmurf]

Rapid Reload originally appeared in Sword & Fist.

Yes, but compared to the 3.5 version, the S&F version sucks

So by "Rapid Reload feat (3.5)", he meant "take the less sucky version".

-Hyp.

 

[Shard O'Glase]

Yes, but compared to the 3.5 version, the S&F version sucks

So by "Rapid Reload feat (3.5)", he meant "take the less sucky version".

-Hyp.

still sucks a bit, a crossbow after a feat is speant shouldn't still cause an AoO while reloading. This feat is basically the equiv of martial weapon prof, and hey even after it the crossbow is still subpar with its inability to make a str version.

 

[johnsemlak]

A PDF that might give you a few ideas is Three Arrows and a King by EN Publising. It is more aimed at bow users, but has xbow stuff. A couple of xbow-only feats (Improved Crossbow handling and Crossbow mastery) and some prestige classes.

 

[Hypersmurf]

still sucks a bit...

Hence "less-sucky"

-Hyp.