Why take a Crossbow?

[Sarevok]

Long range and great damage (a high level character with far shot and a crossbow can hit someone with a normal person's AC from an amazing distance).
You can kill commoners like that guy with a Bushmaster, John something (the other was John Lee Malvo). It's good for serial-killing commoners, for great bands of bandits attacking someone in the road, but a high-level normal adventurer in normal adventures will rarely make good use of a crossbow.

 

[Deset Gled]

And this is a non-magical weapon? One more black mark against Mongoose and their rather rubbishy notions of balanced game material...IMHO.

The weapon that I believe he was refering to is called the Seige Crossbow. Yes, it does ignore armor. But I don't believe it's unbalanced. Here's why: In order to fire it, a medium sized player needs to use a bipod. Additionally, it takes two full rounds to reload, which will provoke attacks of opportunity in both rounds. It weighs 24 pounds, and 20 quarrels weigh 9 pounds (about little under half a pound apiece).

 

[CCamfield]

However a ballista doesn't do that, and it only has a range increment of 120' in the DMG. There's no way that a man-portable bipod crossbow should be more powerful than a ballista.

 

[Al'Kelhar]

Kobolds with Guns

You sir are a credit to the Kobold.

I'm going to add that to my 'Kobolds Kick Ass' file of nasty tricks.

I recall a particularly nasty incident IMC when the characters encountered kobolds with prepared defenses.

The set-up: 10' wide, 120' long corridor, one wall of corridor is pierced with 18" diameter holes at 2' above the floor and 8' above the floor. There is a doorway half way along that same wall. However, that wall of the corridor is covered with consecutive illusory wall spells. Kobolds on other side of wall (in two levels) are equipped with alchemist's fire, tanglefoot bags, and light crossbows. At far end of corridor is a sorcerer wielding lightning bolts. At near end of corridor is a portcullis which can be slammed shut at a moment's notice.

The bait: Characters encounter a number of kobolds around the previous corner, who fire their crossbows at the characters then run. Characters follow them around the corner into abovementioned corridor...

The players recall the incident in song as "Kobolds with Guns" (sung to the tune of "Cows with Guns").

Cheers, AK

 

[Fisk]

The weapon that I believe he was refering to is called the Seige Crossbow. Yes, it does ignore armor. But I don't believe it's unbalanced. Here's why: In order to fire it, a medium sized player needs to use a bipod. Additionally, it takes two full rounds to reload, which will provoke attacks of opportunity in both rounds. It weighs 24 pounds, and 20 quarrels weigh 9 pounds (about little under half a pound apiece).

That is the one.... I can never remember the name...

I think the ballista could be a little pummped up actually.



This siege crossbow is THE sniper weapon.

crit range of 19-20 climbs to 17-20 as a "Deep woods sniper" (masters of the wild prestige class), 15-20 with improved critical, 13-20 if its the favored enemy (master of wild feat).

Now if you have the desire to have your Elven ranger/throw in a level of deep woods sniper so you can get keened bolts wants to throw all his money at getting a "magically enhanced Crossbow with Distance, and some bursts I am sure you can see how effective he could be from a 1/4 mile away at reigning down death to the evil Humans.

Or .... you could have them work in teams with a shooter and realoaders and the shooter could simply move from weapon to weapon while his loaders preped them behind him.

Add an arcane archer to the "fire team" and depending on how you feel about that character imbuing a weapon that they don't actually fire they could be adding more kick to the bolt.

A cleric that that casts silence on the bolt has now also given you a way to hinder their spell caster who mut now dig the bolt out before they can even think about casting spells.


These are any creature tactics that any one from elves to kobolds can use...... goodness knows we do.