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Hummingbird wrote:

Also why would it say in the description "and even fire them in melee with little fear of reprisal"?

Description =/= rules

I can't answer that question because I didn't write the description. I'm just reading the rules bit which is IMO pretty clear.

Thanks everyone for your input. You've been very helpful.

The Grandfather wrote:

With crossbow mastery loading ANY crossbow becomes a free action.

Sure. So with the expense of two feats, you're essentially gaining two points of damage, on average (the difference between a 1d4 shortbow and a 1d8 heavy crossbow) and the ability to avoid AoOs for shooting in combat. So the question is: "Can I spend two feats and get more benefit than that?" I would argue that Deadly Aim and Rapid Shot (or Rapid Shot and Manyshot) provide more benefit, but YMMV.

Where did you get this: "and the ability to avoid AoOs for shooting in combat." from the feat. I started a post under Rules Questions called Crossbow Mastery and I'm trying to clarify this feat (description vs benefit)

Also why would it say in the description "and even fire them in melee with little fear of reprisal"?

0gre wrote:

Firing a ranged weapon provokes. See the table here.

Without the feat both loading and firing provoked, with the feat just firing provokes.

I concur.

I can understand the reasoning of what you are saying. However my DM is a stickler for rules and he feels that if it does not say it in the benefit part of the text for the feat then it does not work. It makes no sense to have a feat that would help you avoid AoO when you load and not when you fire. Clearly if I'm going to fire and I don't wish to provoke I would load when I wasn't in melee as well. Is there any specific errata for this feat or something that says that the description of the feat is as valid as the benefit part? In other words as a DM or player if a feat said in the description you get a +5 to your movement but it didn't mention any increase in movement in the benefit part, could we rule that it gives a +5 to your speed?

I have a question about the following feat:

Crossbow Mastery
You can load crossbows with blinding speed and even fire them in melee with little fear of reprisal.

Prerequisites: Dex 15, Point Blank Shot, Rapid Reload, Rapid Shot.

Benefit: The time required for you to reload any type of crossbow is reduced to a free action, regardless of the type of crossbow used. You can fire a crossbow as many times in a full attack action as you could attack if you were using a bow. Reloading a crossbow for the type of
crossbow you chose when you took Rapid Reload no longer provokes attacks of opportunity.

Special: A fighter may select Crossbow Mastery as one of his fighter bonus feats. A ranger may select Crossbow Mastery in place of Manyshot for his improved combat style at 6th level.

Now, according to the description, you can fire in melee without provoking an AoO. However according to the benefit paragraph you don't provoke when you reload your crossbow. Does this imply that the action of reloading is what provokes (and not the action of firing in melee itself)? Table 8-2 on page 183 of the Pathfinder Core Rulebook states that an Attack(ranged) provokes an AoO. So which one is it?

I've been reading the message boards with Crossbow Mastery for the past hour and kind find anything specific. Can somebody please clarify this for me? Thx for any help.

PS: Crossbow Mastery is in the Pathfinder Chronicles Campaign Setting page 218 and CotCT Players Guide page 10