Post/Author/DateTime	Post
jeremyOR 03-18-08, 02:01 AM	specifically I am playing 2.5 but I would be interested in answers from 3.5 as well. what does the crossbow offer over a standard bow that would make it a desirable choice? The bow seems to do more damage and not require the reloading time that the crossbow does?
Rulebook 03-18-08, 02:23 AM	do you mean any reason to choose the xbow over stickbow? well, theres the fire one handed, and fire from prone arguements, the simple weapon profiency arguement, and if you like more advanced books, the Crossbow Sniper arguement. granted, i still think a proper bow is a better choice than a crossbow, but they DO have many very useful applications.
Shaggy_Shaggs 03-18-08, 02:24 AM	From a 3.5 perspective... Crossbows can be fired while prone (+4 to AC vs ranged attacks, -4 to AC vs melee attacks), making them ideal for a two-way firefight. Their base damage is higher than that of bows, and their range increments are longer. Crossbows do not apply a low-Strength user's Str penalty to damage like bows do. Crossbows have a wider critical threat range, making them easier to use with the Telling Blow feat (any time you crit, your sneak attack and/or skirmish damage applies) and burst energy effects. You can also fire a preloaded crossbow one-handed, making it handy for times when you've only got one hand free (such as while dangling from a cliff edge or rope).
Mad_Jack 03-18-08, 02:36 AM	Crossbows, generally speaking, have longer range and do greater damage than bows. The tradeoff is the reload time. In 3.5, a light crossbow has a 10ft greater range increment than a shortbow and does 1d8 to the shortbow's 1d6. Sure, a light crossbow isn't as good as a longbow, but not every class has the ability to use a bow, especially the longbow. For a lot of folks, crossbows are the only viable option for dealing useful amounts of ranged damage.
Drackthor 03-18-08, 03:20 AM	I'd just like to say, the crossbow excels at being awesome fluff-wise. I'm just saying, Van Helsing made the crossbow one badass weapon.
angryscrub 03-18-08, 02:32 PM	specifically I am playing 2.5 .... what is 2.5 considered to be, exactly? don't recall seeing that terminology before. can't remember 2 that well, but i think the main advantage of the bow was getting two attacks per round, and using strength bows to increase damage. doing either of those with the crossbow wasn't easy. can't recall if there was actually anyway to increase crossbow damage that you couldn't use on the bow too, but i'm pretty sure bows usually won on damage potential, if you could use them. i feel like there were different kinds of arrows too, depending on if you wanted distance or damage. so if you could use both, and were planning to emphasize ranged attack, i think there were more options to bling out your bow. in 3.5 it seems like there are more bow oriented feats (especially manyshot and greater manyshot), though some of them apply to crossbows even if they have archer or archery in the name. crossbow sniper was already mentioned, and i think that and rapid reload are the only crossbow related feats in the game. though crossbow sniper is sweet. really, which is better prolly depends on your character concept. some kind of shot on the run build is obviously going to be better when combined with a bow and manyshot. some kind of sniper/sneak attack build is going to benefit from crossbow sniper.
1 ton ghost 03-18-08, 03:10 PM	right tool for the right job... some environs do not allow for certain weapons. most Underdark exploration makes 2-handed weapons, even 1-handed sometimes, long and sometimes shortbows useless. hence the popularity of hand x-bows amongst drow. bows are cumbersome and hard to use in subeterranean, jungle, and yes, acquatic elements. x-bow is more versatile, just doesn't get the dmg poetential of a longbow. not sure if a bow is easier to sunder. x-bows are technically sturdier Quick Draw and pre-loaded x-bows helps to offset the reload issue. this is particularly a useful strategy w/ poisoned bolts loaded from the Rog/Asn into the magi's x-bow where he promptly employs True Strike. 1-handing one, though difficult, allows you to keep a melee weapon in play. or that potion that might save your ass, or the rope your hanging on, your horse's reigns, an unconsious PC, etc. i use 3.0 cover so it's more than just "standing"/"prone" and "cover" or "no cover". i hate that. reducing it to "this or that". more shades of grey in game and IRL. certain weapons afford you more defensive capacity. w/ x-bows you have more tactical flexibility in this rules set.
mvincent 03-18-08, 03:28 PM	simple weapon profiencyQFT.