I can see that neither Rapid Reload nor Quick Draw will work to more quickly reload a repeating crossbow. Is there a way to speed up that process?
If you carry a second one, you can drop the empty one as free action and draw the new one as a move action.
With quickdraw might even be faster.
Guess that's as good as it gets though.
This is the feat you are looking for
Crossbow Mastery (Combat)
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: Starting at 6th level, a ranger with the archery combat style may select Crossbow Mastery as a combat style feat.
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This is the feat you are looking for
Crossbow Mastery (Combat)
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: Starting at 6th level, a ranger with the archery combat style may select Crossbow Mastery as a combat style feat.
Success!
I suppose that will work, though taking a useless feat (ie. Rapid Reload (heavy crossbow)) just to take Crossbow Mastery(heavy repeating crossbow) is a heavy price. And in character, I don't know why I'd be an expert at loading and avoiding AoO's with a heavy crossbow when all I every use is a heavy repeating crossbow.
Still, it's something, and I appreciate the help.
I'd go for rapid reload at level 1 that way you can use a heavy crossbow each round untill you can afford the rather expensive repeater.
Level 6 rangers can take it without the prereqs but i think you'd get lynched on these forums if you suggested that in place of improved precise shot :P.
RPG Superstar 2013 Top 32
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I can see that neither Rapid Reload nor Quick Draw will work to more quickly reload a repeating crossbow. Is there a way to speed up that process?
IMO, feats like Rapid Reload state that you must specify hand, light, or heavy. A heavy repeating crossbow is still a heavy crossbow, it just also happens to be repeating. That's how I would rule it, anyway. Hell, you're already paying an Exotic Weapon Proficiency just to use the damn thing. It shouldn't be overly taxed more than that. Flagging this for the FAQ.
IMO, feats like Rapid Reload state that you must specify hand, light, or heavy. A heavy repeating crossbow is still a heavy crossbow, it just also happens to be repeating. That's how I would rule it, anyway. Hell, you're already paying an Exotic Weapon Proficiency just to use the damn thing. It shouldn't be overly taxed more than that. Flagging this for the FAQ.
I can see that neither Rapid Reload nor Quick Draw will work to more quickly reload a repeating crossbow. Is there a way to speed up that process?
I agree considering its a full round action to load both heavy crossbows and heavy repeaters(HRC) i would have said rapid reload should work with HRC's anyway
I'd agree it should work, now that I saw the Xbow mastery feat.
That feat essentially transforms a Heavy XBow into a repeating one already, you can fire as often as you want, just the same as the repeating (actually more, if you somehow manage to get more than 5 attacks per round). The rest of the stats seem to be the same too.
Repeating needs Exotic proficiency + Rapid Reload and Heavy XBow needs Rapid reload + crossbow mastery. Seems fair to me.
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RPG Superstar 2013 Top 32
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Repeating needs Exotic proficiency + Rapid Reload and Heavy XBow needs Rapid reload + crossbow mastery. Seems fair to me.
Except that the heavy xbow actually needs Rapid Reload, Rapid Shot, Point Blank Shot, AND Crossbow Mastery (since all three of the former are prereqs for the latter) while the repeater only needs Exotic Proficiency and Rapid Reload.
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Rapid Reload doesn't change a repeating crossbow's reload time from a full-round action to a free action- so the heavy crossbow with crossbow mastery route is cheaper.
I wish they'd included some way of boosting crossbow damage though, its a feat intensive chain to do less damage than the guy whos spent 0 feats on his composite longbow.
You're both right of course.
I ignored Rapid Shot and PBS as I figure they're must-have feats for any serious ranged character anyway, so they shouldn't really count. Of course they determine the earliest time you can take the feat.
Also yeah, Rapid Reload, if it does work for HRC would change it to a move action. That's still alot better than a full round action thought.
But the fact still remains that with Crossbow Mastery both the HC and the HRC work exactly the same, just that the HRC needs an extra feat.
So it makes sense to apply Rapid Reload to the HRC as well.
Yeah, Crossbow Mastery from APG is the way to go. Kudos to Paizo for fixing them xbows !
You have a funny view of "fix" :p
Rapid Reload doesn't change a repeating crossbow's reload time from a full-round action to a free action- so the heavy crossbow with crossbow mastery route is cheaper.
I wish they'd included some way of boosting crossbow damage though, its a feat intensive chain to do less damage than the guy whos spent 0 feats on his composite longbow.
Yeah, this is the problem.
A heavy crossbow needs three feats, a repeating needs two, and a composite needs zero and even gets to add strength to its damage.
One word: Retainer- He stands behind you and just hands you reloaded crossbows. Buy him a Pavise (Free standing tower shield) and he'll be safe enough.
Well, for a while anyway :)