| GinamusPrime |
Maybe I'm missing something, misinterpreting rules and text, or it's just not in the game yet, but I have concerns about crossbows.
I didn't see a Rapid Reload feature in the feats for crossbows. I didn't look through the Ranger class completely, but it saddens me to see that crossbows are seemingly being phased out of use. The Impossible Volley feat tree is cool, with Double and Triple Shot, but it only works with bows. I can count on one hand the number of feats that can be used with crossbows and, honestly, a couple of those are available at the same level, necessitating a choice that would radically alter the outcome at higher levels.
The way I see it, why have such a variety of melee weapons that are all roughly the same in terms of usefulness (one 1d6 weapon isn't necessarily better than another 1d6 weapon), but heavily lean toward bows over crossbows? I can understand not having repeating crossbows, but without those, there's no point in using or having a crossbow when bows are so much better. Even hand crossbows are useless. True, bows get higher penalties in close combat, but they get a lot more feats, as noted above. Feats where you can almost negate such penalties for close combat (and cover/concealment).
This concern plus the lack of a construct race is what makes choosing between 5e/Next and 2e/PF2 difficult for me (limiting which groups I can join since I can't join a multitudinous amount of groups at a given time). I loved the old Pathfinder system because it had more options (options that made a law enforcement official who used crossbows effectively in combat, an idea I've always wanted to try but haven't found a group to play it with yet).
The construct race is another thing I'd like to see later on. Not necessarily the alien androids like in the last system, but something like the Warforged in D&D. It is by far my most favorite race concept in any rpg. The idea that a race can be artificially created for a specific purpose and then, after fulfilling that purpose, are now free to choose who they want to be as a people while also struggling to fit into society and wrestling with concepts like faith, true freedom, self-expression, etc. is just so fascinating to me! They are the only reason why I put up with playing 4e and 5e, despite their (in my opinion) sometimes dumb rules (that and no one near me plays 3/3.5).
If there were a rapid reload feat making at least a hand/light crossbow have a reload of 0, or a repeating crossbow that would work with the Impossible Volley tree, and an artificial/half-construct race, this system would be the superior choice for rpgs in my eyes. Alongside the old Pathfinder, of course. And 3.5.