automatic hand-crossbow [Archive] - Wizards Community

automatic hand-crossbow [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
technodemon
02-14-06, 09:04 AM Is there way to do an automatic hand-crossbow similar to automatic crossbow from Van Helsing for the hand-crossbow?
Radijs
02-14-06, 09:13 AM I thank the heavens every day that in DND there isn't.
tarkin
02-14-06, 11:21 AM How automatic do you want it? And how big.

The worlds first machine gun type weapon was an automatic crossbow used by the romans. It was the size of a ballista but fired normal sized crossbow bolts instead of ballista sized ones.

Magic can do a lot.
I made one up about a month ago that was worn on your head.

It was an intelligent item that had detect evil, could reload itself and fire (as long as it had bolts in it's 100 bolt extra dimensional quiver ) and shot at any evil person, 1/round. Cost was heavy - about 32,000 gp.
Fanged Fremont
02-14-06, 12:56 PM It's called the self reloading enhancement. It's from Arm's and Equipment guide, is a +2 enhancement, and lets you hold a bunch of bolts in your crossbow in an interdimentional space.

Or you could just take the rapid reload feat with a light or hand crossbow.
Vileneeds of Q
02-14-06, 02:04 PM Fanged is on to something, if you were to apply fast shot to it some how and other arcger related feats...... :eek:
Azezel
02-14-06, 02:33 PM Actually the Chinese developed a repeating crossbow about 2-3'000 years before the Roman Empire ever was. It was small enough for a man to weild, but it had a very low draw weight (thus short range and relatively puny penatrative power) and since the bolts could not be fletched it was inacurate at best. It had a lever atop the stock, pulling the lever back drew the string, nocked a bolt from a gravity-feed box and then released the string.

This is the sort of thing listed in the PHB. If you want a repeating crossbow I suggest you use this. If you want anything from the film Van Helsing, I suggest you grow up. If you want a sub-machinegun I suggest you play d20 Modern.

Radijs - fight the good fight mate.
technodemon
02-14-06, 03:31 PM i am wanting for a hand-crossbow I also saw an artwork that someone was using one.
Watchman
02-14-06, 04:24 PM Actually the Chinese developed a repeating crossbow about 2-3'000 years before the Roman Empire ever was. It was small enough for a man to weild, but it had a very low draw weight (thus short range and relatively puny penatrative power) and since the bolts could not be fletched it was inacurate at best. It had a lever atop the stock, pulling the lever back drew the string, nocked a bolt from a gravity-feed box and then released the string.Actually, if I recall my reading correctly the famous chu-ko-nu wasn't all that old. Wiki says about 200s to 300s BC (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Repeating_crossbow), and I know of no reason to doubt that date. The Greeks had a self-loading ballista before that.

Here (http://www.atarn.org/chinese/rept_xbow.htm) is a good description on how the weapon operated. Not exactly the steam-powered machinegun gizmo of Van Helsing, I'd say.

As to the OP, I have two suggestions. First, get a good Composite Longbow and then all those Feats and things that give more attacks. There's your machine-gun. This is D&D; crossbows get the short end of stick here. Second, don't rip stupid ideas form bad movies. You'll be happier that way. ;)
mvincent
02-14-06, 04:58 PM Is there way to do an automatic hand-crossbow similar to automatic crossbow from Van Helsing for the hand-crossbow?By RAW, D&D doesn't do automatic or burst fire (like in d20 Modern), so a standard repeating crossbow should work fine. The rate of fire would depend on your BAB.

The rapid shot feat would increase this rate of fire, as would the speed enchantment. Also, you could have the crossbow permanently animated (animate object spell + permanency) so as to be autoloading and autococking.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
technodemon 02-14-06, 09:04 AM	Is there way to do an automatic hand-crossbow similar to automatic crossbow from Van Helsing for the hand-crossbow?
Radijs 02-14-06, 09:13 AM	I thank the heavens every day that in DND there isn't.
tarkin 02-14-06, 11:21 AM	How automatic do you want it? And how big. The worlds first machine gun type weapon was an automatic crossbow used by the romans. It was the size of a ballista but fired normal sized crossbow bolts instead of ballista sized ones. Magic can do a lot. I made one up about a month ago that was worn on your head. It was an intelligent item that had detect evil, could reload itself and fire (as long as it had bolts in it's 100 bolt extra dimensional quiver ) and shot at any evil person, 1/round. Cost was heavy - about 32,000 gp.
Fanged Fremont 02-14-06, 12:56 PM	It's called the self reloading enhancement. It's from Arm's and Equipment guide, is a +2 enhancement, and lets you hold a bunch of bolts in your crossbow in an interdimentional space. Or you could just take the rapid reload feat with a light or hand crossbow.
Vileneeds of Q 02-14-06, 02:04 PM	Fanged is on to something, if you were to apply fast shot to it some how and other arcger related feats...... :eek:
Azezel 02-14-06, 02:33 PM	Actually the Chinese developed a repeating crossbow about 2-3'000 years before the Roman Empire ever was. It was small enough for a man to weild, but it had a very low draw weight (thus short range and relatively puny penatrative power) and since the bolts could not be fletched it was inacurate at best. It had a lever atop the stock, pulling the lever back drew the string, nocked a bolt from a gravity-feed box and then released the string. This is the sort of thing listed in the PHB. If you want a repeating crossbow I suggest you use this. If you want anything from the film Van Helsing, I suggest you grow up. If you want a sub-machinegun I suggest you play d20 Modern. Radijs - fight the good fight mate.
technodemon 02-14-06, 03:31 PM	i am wanting for a hand-crossbow I also saw an artwork that someone was using one.
Watchman 02-14-06, 04:24 PM	Actually the Chinese developed a repeating crossbow about 2-3'000 years before the Roman Empire ever was. It was small enough for a man to weild, but it had a very low draw weight (thus short range and relatively puny penatrative power) and since the bolts could not be fletched it was inacurate at best. It had a lever atop the stock, pulling the lever back drew the string, nocked a bolt from a gravity-feed box and then released the string.Actually, if I recall my reading correctly the famous chu-ko-nu wasn't all that old. Wiki says about 200s to 300s BC (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Repeating_crossbow), and I know of no reason to doubt that date. The Greeks had a self-loading ballista before that. Here (http://www.atarn.org/chinese/rept_xbow.htm) is a good description on how the weapon operated. Not exactly the steam-powered machinegun gizmo of Van Helsing, I'd say. As to the OP, I have two suggestions. First, get a good Composite Longbow and then all those Feats and things that give more attacks. There's your machine-gun. This is D&D; crossbows get the short end of stick here. Second, don't rip stupid ideas form bad movies. You'll be happier that way. ;)
mvincent 02-14-06, 04:58 PM	Is there way to do an automatic hand-crossbow similar to automatic crossbow from Van Helsing for the hand-crossbow?By RAW, D&D doesn't do automatic or burst fire (like in d20 Modern), so a standard repeating crossbow should work fine. The rate of fire would depend on your BAB. The rapid shot feat would increase this rate of fire, as would the speed enchantment. Also, you could have the crossbow permanently animated (animate object spell + permanency) so as to be autoloading and autococking.