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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Machiavelli" data-source="post: 3084935" data-attributes="member: 40964">A couple years ago I used AutoCAD to draft a design for an 8-shot crossbow.  It may be about what you're looking for, so long as you're ok with a gnomesque level of mechanical sophistication.It uses a block-and-tackle system on the single (very strong) composite metal/wood laminate cross-piece to provide a draw force of 40 pounds at 12 feet of draw.  Two separate ropes on two separate blocks feed around the front of the cross-piece from the bottom up, then back into a groove just big enough to fit both ropes and a modified bolt.  At the back of the groove the ropes pass down through the stock to be taken up on the winding winch.  A ratchet-and-pawl system on the winch limits each pull of the firing lever to release 1.5' of rope back through the weapon onto the drawing blocks.  The bolts are pushed, one at a time, down between the ropes in the firing groove, and they have dull teeth on the sides to engage the grooves of the twisted-strand ropes.I'd say drawing and loading a bolt, then aiming and firing it, would take the same time as doing the same for a bow.  As such, you could use the crossbow like a bow for 8 shots, which provides absolutely no advantage over a bow.  With a spring-loaded auto-loader triggered by the firing lever, though, you would essentially have a semi-automatic crossbow.I'd set the stats for the semi-automatic crossbow at the following:Exotic Ranged Weapons[CODE]Gnome Heavy Auto-bow   750gp   1d6(s)   1d8(m)   19-20/x2    60ft    16lb    Piercing  Auto-bolts (8)        16gp     -         -         -         -      2lb      -[/CODE]Loading the Gnome heavy auto-bow takes 2 full minutes, provoking attacks of opportunity every round, and cannot be performed by a non-proficient wielder.  A loaded auto-bow may be carried without danger of accidental firing, but for at least 8 consecutive hours every day the bow must be unloaded, to prevent warping of the crosspiece.  A warped crossbow deals 1 hit die lower damage (1d8 becomes 1d6, etc.) and its range decreases by 20ft.  Firing the Gnome heavy auto-bow is no more complicated then firing a standard heavy crossbow, so it can be fired without penalty by a wielder proficient with simple weapons, but a proficient wielder may choose to fire up to 4 bolts per attack, applying damage for each bolt and suffering a -1 cumulative penalty to the attack roll for each bolt fired, up to -3 for four bolts.  Only specialized auto-bolts may be used, which may not be available in most armories.</blockquote>

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