Rapid-fire Crossbow from "Van Helsing" movie

[Imagicka]

Greetings...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Repeating_crossbow

http://boards1.wizards.com/archive/index.php/t-316928.html

As for gas-powered repeating crossbows. Well, come on! Oh, wait! We're in a world of magick and technology where you can make a steam-powered clockwork juggernaught, and you have a problem with a gas-powered repeating crossbow?!

 

[JoeGKushner]

It's like in this comic, Berserk, where Guts has a mechanical arm and a repeating crossbow ontop of it. Kills people left and right with it but it'd be terribly ineffective in game terms.

In Champions or GURPS custom built points however...

 

[Jesus_marley]

Why are we even discussing anything that was in that crapfest of a movie? Van Helsing??? More like Van Horrible.

 

[Ambrus]

Although such a crossbow would be considered "mad science", it would be nice to have even a little technobabble explanation for how it works.

The thing to keep in mind is that it's technology based on Christian theology. The part that was left out in the movie's description of the item is that the 'gas' being used to propel the bolts is in fact the Holy Ghost. The clever friar had some high-faith Archbishops call down that aspect of the divine and then the engineers directed it into a pressurized canister which was then installed in the crossbow's stock. The pressure doesn't ever diminish because the power of the divine is infinite; infinite power = infinite pressure. Each bolt fired is therefore propelled through the air by the Holy Ghost itself at Godspeed. Quite clever really.

Edit: Oh, and the arms aren't there to propel the bolts, but rather to give the weapon the shape of a cross; the Holy Ghost can't be properly contained under pressure in anything other than a cross-shaped receptacle. That's why it's called a "cross-bow" in the first place.

 

[BlackMoria]

My technobabble explaination would fit in well for Eberron - basically, the crossbow is self loading, auto cocking repeating crossbow in which the gas cannister contains a 'bound' air elemental to produce the air pressure to active the loading system. The prod still fires the crossbow.

 

[Aaron L]

I was just going to suggest an air elemental too Highly compressed in a cannister, heck, it could probably produce enough force to shoot bolts through steel plate.

 

[kenobi65]

The thing to keep in mind is that it's technology based on Christian theology. The part that was left out in the movie's description of the item is that the 'gas' being used to propel the bolts is in fact the Holy Ghost. The clever friar had some high-faith Archbishops call down that aspect of the divine and then the engineers directed it into a pressurized canister which was then installed in the crossbow's stock. The pressure doesn't ever diminish because the power of the divine is infinite; infinite power = infinite pressure. Each bolt fired is therefore propelled through the air by the Holy Ghost itself at Godspeed. Quite clever really.

Edit: Oh, and the arms aren't there to propel the bolts, but rather to give the weapon the shape of a cross; the Holy Ghost can't be properly contained under pressure in anything other than a cross-shaped receptacle. That's why it's called a "cross-bow" in the first place.

OK, now that's just plain inspired silliness.

The first time I saw "Van Helsing", my reaction was, "man, this movie has it 'turned to 11'" (to borrow from "Spinal Tap"). It's goofy as hell, but I found it fun.

 

[frankthedm]

The first time I saw "Van Helsing", my reaction was, "man, this movie has it 'turned to 11'" (to borrow from "Spinal Tap"). It's goofy as hell, but I found it fun.

Same here. It was a very good Castlevania movie.

I also like the Werewolf:tA crinos / ogre sized werewolves they had in VH. I was not keen on the spider climb or the skin shedding though. And speaking of ogres, i really like Mr. Hyde, he fit my minds eye image of an ogre very well. I also like the way hollywood vampires have a 'false face' that conceals a very monstous appearance with thier typicle cape being actual wings once the illusion is dropped.

BTW If anyone remembers, that auto crosbow had a HUGE penalty to hit. It was not until Gabriel took one shot a round could he hit with it. Take 5 shots a round at -10 each seems about right for as often as he hit with it. About as accurate as the N64 Perfect Dark's Reaper gun.

 

[Ambrus]

OK, now that's just plain inspired silliness.

Me? Silly? Never.

 

[lukelightning]

I thought the bow part was a separate function/component from the cannister.