Then Marshall Dillon remembered he can't use guns...

[alsih2o]

One of my players does a write-up of each game session and posts it on our website. It is a great refresher for everyone and will hopefully be a ENWorld storyhour some time soon.

As he was writing up our 10th session log he was describing the druid in the party (my wifes character) shooting at the bad guys with her crossbow.

OOPS. Crossbow, no homebrew rule here. Just a 10 session brainfart. Now, I understand why druids are limited in their choice of weapons and have no argument about it. The question is how to handle the future?

Do you just say "whoops" and go on playing wihtout the crossbow? I do not feel like deducting XP ir soemhting drastic, but is there anything needed to explain it or woudl you just go on playing as if it never happened?

Yeah, this is a petty concern, but most of my concerns are.

 

[Mark]

10 sessions is a long time to have to review/rehash/revoke. House rule the crossbow as "OK" for druids. Create an in-game reason why. Perhaps a historical/traditional reference to a Paul Bunyon type who carried a crossbow and saved animals from sport hunters.

 

[Kid Charlemagne]

I'm with Mark. House Rule it in, even if its just an explanation thats particular to her. Its not like having access to crossbows will unbalance anything power-wise, it's a flavor thing anyway.

 

[BiggusGeekus]

The older crossbows didn't use metal parts. It could be a crossbow made of wood and bone. Its also a lot easier to learn to use than a "regular" bow, so her order of druids might give it the thumbs-up so as not to distract the faithful from their duties with martial training.

Or, your wife's character could have learned it as a special technique. Kind of like Uma Thurman in Kill Bill v2 ... or something.

 

[Mythtify]

The crossbow is a simple weapon. Create a good background reason why she is skilled with a crossbow, and let it go. There is no feat to allow a character that isn't skilled with a simple weapon to become skilled with a specific simple weapon. The other solution would be to have her take simple waepon proficiency next time she is do a feat. Though this would make he skilled with all simple weapons.

 

[molonel]

House rule it. Ten sessions is a big boo-boo to go back and try to erase just because of some latent desire to adhere to the RAW. It obviously doesn't unbalance the game, or you would have looked before now.

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

3.5 druids don't have any weapon restrictions beyond proficiencies; just grant her a free crossbow proficiency for the wood & bone crossbow she's been using. It's a simple weapon, after all. No harm done.

 

[BSF]

It's mostly flavor limitations anyway. Don't sweat it.

Backfill the backstory just a tad so she learned it elsewhere. Maybe from some of the folks she worked with at the lumber company you mentioned in the Druid thread?

 

[RangerWickett]

Heck, if you really wanna hew close to the rules, just don't do anything. Assume that she just rolled really well back whenever she used the crossbow, which off-set the nonproficiency penalty. Druids can use whatever weapon they want, even if they're not proficient. You just have to remember to give her a -4 penalty to her attack next time.

 

[Buttercup]

Heck, if you really wanna hew close to the rules, just don't do anything. Assume that she just rolled really well back whenever she used the crossbow, which off-set the nonproficiency penalty. Druids can use whatever weapon they want, even if they're not proficient. You just have to remember to give her a -4 penalty to her attack next time.

No, this sounds too much like punishing the player for the DM's mistake. Just do as everyone else has suggested--create a bit of backstory to explain why she uses a crossbow, and move on.