Wait...what? The harder you pull the trigger, the more damage the gun should do?
Makes sense to me. It's like if you light a stick of dynamite EXTRA HARD, it makes a bigger explosion.
But on the topic it's been shifted to, I ran crossbow numbers. They look fine. In fact they look really good.
You might need to show how you got those stats.
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I have no problem with crossbows getting +X to damage (where X is determined by the maker, a la composite bows). If your strength is less than the bow's you can still crank it. It just takes forever. Call it the arbalest, if you like. The arbalest does this damage no matter what your strength is.
I *really* like the idea of a magically-enhanced arbalest that has something ridiculous like a +20 to damage and takes two or three full rounds to load.
There's precedent for this. In 2nd Edition, heavy crossbows were the ONLY mundane weapon to grant their ammunition a static bonus to damage (they gave a +1). Pathfinder is a much higher-damage game than 2nd edition (noted by the decreased lethality of fireball and the introduction of the composite longbow), so I see no problem with changing that +1 into a +X.
Also: PLEASE, please, please stop using the word 'fire' with bows and crossbows. There is no fire in a bow. Nor is there any fire in a crossbow. We use that term for firearm discharges because they DO use fire to shoot a projectile.
Good terms to use for bows and crossbows:
loose
shoot
launch
attack
discharge
pretty much anything but 'fire'.
I have no problem with crossbows getting +X to damage (where X is determined by the maker, a la composite bows). If your strength is less than the bow's you can still crank it. It just takes forever. Call it the arbalest, if you like. The arbalest does this damage no matter what your strength is.
I *really* like the idea of a magically-enhanced arbalest that has something ridiculous like a +20 to damage and takes two or three full rounds to load.
There's precedent for this. In 2nd Edition, heavy crossbows were the ONLY mundane weapon to grant their ammunition a static bonus to damage (they gave a +1). Pathfinder is a much higher-damage game than 2nd edition (noted by the decreased lethality of fireball and the introduction of the composite longbow), so I see no problem with changing that +1 into a +X.
Also: PLEASE, please, please stop using the word 'fire' with bows and crossbows. There is no fire in a bow. Nor is there any fire in a crossbow. We use that term for firearm discharges because they DO use fire to shoot a projectile.
Good terms to use for bows and crossbows:
loose
shoot
launch
attack
discharge
pretty much anything but 'fire'.
I guess that's something that gets you...
*sunglasses*
fired up.
...
Also: PLEASE, please, please stop using the word 'fire' with bows and crossbows. There is no fire in a bow. Nor is there any fire in a crossbow. We use that term for firearm discharges because they DO use fire to shoot a projectile.
Good terms to use for bows and crossbows:
loose
shoot
launch
attack
discharge
pretty much anything but 'fire'.
Lowers his +3 Flaming burst composite longbow. "Errr... what?" :D
Here is some real world info on Composite bows vs. Self bows (Aka longbows and short bows)...
"Advantages :The main advantage of composite bows over self bows (made from a single piece of wood) is their combination of smaller size with high power. They are therefore much more useful than self bows when the archer is mobile, as from horseback, or from a chariot. Almost all composite bows are also recurve bows as the shape curves away from the archer; this design gives higher draw-weight in the early stages of the archer's draw, storing somewhat more total energy for a given final draw-weight. It would be possible to make a wooden bow that has the same shape, length and draw-weight as a traditional composite bow, but it could not store the energy, and would break before full draw.
For most practical non-mounted archery purposes, composite construction offers no advantage; "the initial velocity is about the same for all types of bow... within certain limits, the design parameters... appear to be less important than is often claimed." However, they are superior for horsemen and in the specialized art of flight archery: "A combination of many technical factors made the composite flight bow better for flight shooting."
The higher arrow velocity is only for well-designed composite bows of high draw-weight. At the weights more usual for modern amateurs, the greater density of horn and sinew compared to wood usually cancels any advantage.
Disadvantages: Constructing composite bows requires much more time and a greater variety of materials than self bows, and the animal glue traditionally used can lose strength in humid conditions and be quickly ruined by submersion. An authority suggests that crafting a composite bow may take a week's work, excluding drying time (months) and gathering materials, while a self bow can be made in a day and dried in a week. Peoples living in humid or rainy regions historically have favoured self-bows, while those living in dry or arid regions have favoured composite bows."
(This tells me that you should not get your composite bow wet)
Also, since they are harder to make and take longer, fewer bowyers will be making them so they will be much rarer than longbows or shortbows. Some cultures may not have them at all.
They are the bow of choice for mounted archers.
As far as crossbows go, they have a better penetrating power than longbows but a slower fire rate. The real advantage is that they don't require the extensive training that longbows require. For every one longbowman trained, you can train 10 crossbowmen.
In Buffy, a longbow is used about five times. In the whole series.
Meanwhile, crossbows are used about five times per season.
Clearly, Joss Whedon has informed us of the superiority of the latter. Who are we to doubt him?
I trust Joss Whedon's expertise in weaponry at about the same level as his demonstrated skill in solar system design.In Buffy, a longbow is used about five times. In the whole series.
Meanwhile, crossbows are used about five times per season.Clearly, Joss Whedon has informed us of the superiority of the latter. Who are we to doubt him?
Ssshhhh! It's a MAGIC sun. Every orbit is in the goldilocks zone!
Lowers his +3 Flaming burst composite longbow. "Errr... what?" :DSorry.
Do you use fire, or do you use arm strength to launch projectiles from that weapon?
The arrows are surrounded by a nibus of flames that pulls them forward. Think of an inverted rocket with fuel being wrapped around the rocket.
Beat that ;)
I trust Joss Whedon's expertise in weaponry at about the same level as his demonstrated skill in solar system design.In Buffy, a longbow is used about five times. In the whole series.
Meanwhile, crossbows are used about five times per season.Clearly, Joss Whedon has informed us of the superiority of the latter. Who are we to doubt him?
Ah! And since we all know that Firefly is the bestest thing evar and there's never anything wrong with it, I take it you agree with me?
But crossbows can be used while you're prone! There, ha ha!
Yeah...
Buffy AND Firefly invoked on the same thread?
Ugh, please don't bring up the worst shows ever made to give credit to the coolest weapon in history.
why is it that no matter the game system there has to be a thread on how "broken" rule, weapon, power, trait, skill, xyz is?
We can "run" the numbers all we want it will not matter.
Because no matter how "broken" one person can prove something is another can show how "un-broken" it is.
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Totally irrelevant quibble, but unlike something like trip, sunder also requires an attack action, so no go on the AOO in the RAW.
Sunder can be used in place of a melee attack, like trip and disarm... that's also why Monks can Flurry those three. While the wording '... as part of an attack action in place of a melee attack...' could do with some clearing up, I'm pretty sure you can AoO with Sunder... otherwise, following the 'attack action only' logic, you couldn't Sunder as part of a full-attack action either... which seems weird.
On the other hand, I'm sure there's already scads of threads on that and it is a little off topic... ;)
slings could be given the bow treatment in terms of rate of fireSlings are what you make from what you have when you have no bows. They are, and should be, inferior to other ranged weapons. If a player wanted to have a sling-expert halfling, I'd work with them to to help make it not suck. But, it sucks, and it should. That same halfling with any kind of bow would be more effective, if he's not fighting skeletons.
I'm not sure if you're talking about in-game or IRL, but in both cases, I disagree. From the gaming point of view, it's a good thing if all weapons are viable under the right circumstances, and have some edge against other weapons. The sling has that it's a simple weapon, yes, but so are all other ranged weapons besides bows. For martial character, only bows are ever worth thinking about.
In the APG, it's been somewhat remedied for the crossbow because of the crossbow specialist fighter which is viable, but it's bad design to have worthless weapons and the times slings are better than bows are so incredibly small that it's not worth thinking about them, and it's only the ranged weapons that get this treatment - if you want to be a fighter with a longspear, you can still be a very viable character since you only lose 1 dpr compared to a glaive.
It's simply bad design, especially since PEOPLE ACTUALLY WANT TO PLAY SLINGERS. It doesn't need to be optimal compared to a longbow - that a bow is better than a sling isn't really the issue - the issue is that the difference is so large you can't ignore the bow for stylish purposes. You can't play a viable slinger.
Comparing it to the real world your statement is also far from the truth. Now, I'm not an expert on the subject, but this is what I know (and if I'm somewhere wrong, feel free to point it out): The main benefits of bows vs slings are that bows are easier to use; you can train a bunch of peasants to use a common bow safely in a month, and have them fire to some effect, and the other main benefit is that it's easier to use a bow in formation. Then there are a lot of minor differences; it's easier to dodge incoming arrow fire because arrows are far more visible, armor penetration in short range is of course far better for the bow, range is better for the sling if it's very windy and so on.
Sling were however IRL NOT crappy weapons. In terms of power, they are far superior to crossbows simply because of rate of fire; "reloading" a sling takes less than a second if you're skilled. Slings however, REQUIRES skill. Crossbows don't.
Basically, I think in terms of worth as a weapon when you're skilled, it's like longbows>slings=shortbows>crossbows. In terms of ease of use, it's crossbows>shortbows>longbows=slings. And slings are hard to use in formation, especially without extensive training.
In D&D, in terms of worth as a weapon, it's longbow>shortbow>>>crossbow>sling, and in ease of use it's sling=crossbow>shortbow>longbow (as several classes get proficiency in shortbow but not longbow).
To me, longbows should be exotic, slings should be martial with a boost, and crossbows should be simple.
Actually, this is our rules for ranged weapons:
Simple
Crossbow, hand - 1d6, 19+, Move to reload
Crossbow, light - 1d8, 19+, Move to reload
Crossbow, heavy - 1d12, 19+, Full to reload
Crossbow, strongman - 1d12+2, 19+, Full to reload, two full unless str 14+
Martial
Shortbow - 1d6, x3, Swift to reload
Comp. Shortbow - 1d6+Str, x3, Swift to reload
Sling - 1d4+Str, x3, Swift to reload
Exotic
Longbow - 1d8, x3, Swift to reload
Comp. Longbow - 1d8+Str, x3, Swift to reload
Rapid Reload lowers reload step by to free for bows, hand and light crossbows, and slings, move for heavy crossbow, and move/full for strongman crossbow.
Slings get a +4 bonus to sleight of hand checks to hide the weapon and can be retrieved or drawn as a free action if having one rank in sleight of hand.
Range, weight, cost and so on are unchanged.
So here, I think it more fairly represents historical usage (though it's of course still abstracted and I don't make any claims to being ACCURATE, just less inaccurate) and also all weapons have noticable benefits even at higher levels.
Personaly i would like to see cross bows not be better than bows in straight DPR , but i would like to see them be better in some situations. I i like the idea they have with the crossbowman variant in the APG , i just don't think it was enough.
IMHO, you should not consider the APG crossbowman as a straight damage dealer. The Archetype has sniping (deadly stroke, expecially with double crossbow) and control role (most enemy spell-likes and spells will fail if used properly).
In the damage department, people should remember that is easier for the crossbowman get the critical hit chance for critical fetas, (and the gain in damage at the 20 level capstone is greater, unless I miss something).
OK, I was just reading through the crossbowman fighter specialty, and was pretty underwhelmed. As I read it, you only get the dex bonus to damage on a readied action. So much for full attacks.
Now as for thrown weapons being competitive, they can only keep up at low level. Once you start hitting levels where you really want/need magic weapons you will fall behind fast. Even the returning property doesn't hell enough since it only guarantees you 1 shot per round with the weapon.
Now as for thrown weapons being competitive, they can only keep up at low level. Once you start hitting levels where you really want/need magic weapons you will fall behind fast. Even the returning property doesn't hell enough since it only guarantees you 1 shot per round with the weapon.
Agreed. I don't have an issue with thrown weapons not being good as a primary attack method - since it's a bit silly to carry around 20 throwing axes anyway (not that nothing else is silly - this just isn't my cup of tea). However, they should be viable as a circumstantial choice of weapon, something to open up combat with. Daggers work decently since they're good melee weapons too, but other than that pretty much all throwable weapons are underwelming (light hammers are decent, i guess).
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It's a mechanical wench.Some sort of robot woman I assume? I gotta get me one of those crossbows... ;)
Those are called gynoids.
Buffy may have used crossbows more often, but Blade: Trinity, which is about on par with Buffy in terms of realism and entertainment value, had the normal woman using a composite longbow when she couldn't use her guns and it at least had a montage showing how much power a bow could generate. So from that alone we can safely say that the Composite recurve longbow is the best, it's just apparently a bit difficult to find in Sunnydale.
Now as for thrown weapons being competitive, they can only keep up at low level. Once you start hitting levels where you really want/need magic weapons you will fall behind fast. Even the returning property doesn't hell enough since it only guarantees you 1 shot per round with the weapon.Agreed. I don't have an issue with thrown weapons not being good as a primary attack method - since it's a bit silly to carry around 20 throwing axes anyway (not that nothing else is silly - this just isn't my cup of tea). However, they should be viable as a circumstantial choice of weapon, something to open up combat with. Daggers work decently since they're good melee weapons too, but other than that pretty much all throwable weapons are underwelming (light hammers are decent, i guess).
Actually I have been playing with a Chakram build and it looks fairly interesting. The only concern I have is whether you can catch and stow a returning weapon as a free action with Quickdraw(stowing is the question, catching is a free action RAW). I suspect not, which will really hose the build.
But the build is an interesting idea based on a chakram and shield build with very high armor and the ability to nail things within fairly short range. The Chakram has nice damage dice (d8) and only minimal penalties for use in melee (-1 to hit once you have heavy armor).
Buffy AND Firefly invoked on the same thread?
Ugh, please don't bring up the worst shows ever made to give credit to the coolest weapon in history.
So we're talking worse than American Idol and Oprah? Because that hurts.
(why do I get the impression this ninja has set off a domino chain?)
OK, I was just reading through the crossbowman fighter specialty, and was pretty underwhelmed. As I read it, you only get the dex bonus to damage on a readied action
I suppose there is no need for "yet another archer". You can focus on the sniping (deadly stroke with a double crossbow is a x4 damage + constitution bleed attack, great with ambushes and invisibilities) OR you use a lot of critical feats to take advantage of the high threat.
I agree that more options should be viable, but make everything flat and feel the same is a bad move. The crossbowman supports a different playstyle.
I was wondering... what about the lightining reload line, a TWF sniper rogue, and weapon cords? could be another way.
One could use caster buffs, shadowndancer dips, vanish took with talents, surprise rounds to getreasonable sneak attack damage...
Buffy AND Firefly invoked on the same thread?
Ugh, please don't bring up the worst shows ever made to give credit to the coolest weapon in history.
So we're talking worse than American Idol and Oprah? Because that hurts.
(why do I get the impression this ninja has set off a domino chain?)
Buffy never did much for me, beyond the hot chicks. Firefly was imaginative, original, and beautifully written; a victim of the times and the network. It was too good to survive Fox under Bush.
Buffy never did much for me, beyond the hot chicks. Firefly was imaginative, original, and beautifully written; a victim of the times and the network. It was too good to survive Fox under Bush.Buffy AND Firefly invoked on the same thread?
Ugh, please don't bring up the worst shows ever made to give credit to the coolest weapon in history.
So we're talking worse than American Idol and Oprah? Because that hurts.
(why do I get the impression this ninja has set off a domino chain?)
Ok now that is a new one. Bush has now been blamed for TV show cancellations.
Did he give you gout as well?
why is it that no matter the game system there has to be a thread on how "broken" rule, weapon, power, trait, skill, xyz is?
We can "run" the numbers all we want it will not matter.
Because no matter how "broken" one person can prove something is another can show how "un-broken" it is.
This just in, everything I like is good, everything I dont is broken and over powered!
Seriously that's all this ever is...most times I ignore it. If they hate casters its magic, if they hate rogues its sneak attack, flavor of the week is gunslinger because people dont want guns in their games.
Ok now that is a new one. Bush has now been blamed for TV show cancellations.
Did he give you gout as well?
I didn't mean that as a slight on Bush. Fox execs were not happy with the "anti-government rebellion" aspect of the show at the time, and wanted to kill it, among other reasons. Sorry to inflame your embarrassment.
I didn't mean that as a slight on Bush. Fox execs were not happy with the "anti-government rebellion" aspect of the show at the time, and wanted to kill it, among other reasons. Sorry to inflame your embarrassment.Ok now that is a new one. Bush has now been blamed for TV show cancellations.
Did he give you gout as well?
I'd love to see a cite on that claim. It failed because the ratings sucked. The rating sucked because they played pinball with the slot and showed it out of order.
I think you have too much desire for politics to intrude into mundane things.
I'd love to see a cite on that claim. It failed because the ratings sucked. The rating sucked because they played pinball with the slot and showed it out of order.
I think you have too much desire for politics to intrude into mundane things.
Couldn't find what I read long ago, but here's the latest Mal Reynolds:
I thought it was a funny reference!
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Vaguely related note: the whole thing about 'the church trying to ban the crossbow' was down to the fact that a crossbowman could target, and kill, specific knights (i.e. the gentry and nobility), whereas bows fired in volleys weren't that specific. Killing people was fine... peasants deliberately killing important people was unthinkable!
Vaguely related note: the whole thing about 'the church trying to ban the crossbow' was down to the fact that a crossbowman could target, and kill, specific knights (i.e. the gentry and nobility), whereas bows fired in volleys weren't that specific. Killing people was fine... peasants deliberately killing important people was unthinkable!
Yep. God doesn't mind killing, usually, but that's crossing the line!
In the APG, it's been somewhat remedied for the crossbow because of the crossbow specialist fighter which is viable,
I don't see how the crossbow fighter is remotely viable. The dex bonus to damage is only on readied actions, which means you get it once per round at best. If you want to hold an action to zap a spell caster you're better off going with a scorching ray tossing sorcerer.
Actually I have been playing with a Chakram build and it looks fairly interesting.Yeah, chakrams are pretty silly in the rules. A freak weapon, never widely used anywhere, yet superior to the javelin, used just about everywhere for thousands of years.
I guess one of the writers is a Zena fan. Whatcha gonna do?
-Kle.
Well heck, the falcata is the best melee weapon in the game, and they were pretty much an obsolete curio in actual practice.
I don't bother to get worked up about the game when it has a disconnect from actual weaponry.
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Mea Culpa. I missed the Dex to readied actions only part. This is why I should not be allowed near math. My other builds are fine. Crossbow DPR was off. I'll eventually convince my brain to run the numbers again if anyone cares. I'm actually somewhat relieved. Deadeye Dan would have outstripped everyone's DPR by lots once 11 came around, as I was reading the class ability (the wrong way).
Crossbow has to be built differently. Rapid Shot isn't going to help the crossbowman. Vital Strike will. Basically snipe the heck out of people with a double crossbow, Vital Striking flat-footed AC. Make it so no one casts ever unless they have a few levels in monk or uncanny dodge.
Can a flat-footed character use deflect arrows?
In the APG, it's been somewhat remedied for the crossbow because of the crossbow specialist fighter which is viable,I don't see how the crossbow fighter is remotely viable. The dex bonus to damage is only on readied actions, which means you get it once per round at best. If you want to hold an action to zap a spell caster you're better off going with a scorching ray tossing sorcerer.
Well, I'm not saying it's OPTIMAL, but it's VIABLE against CR appropriate foes (though most optimizing players make short work of anything CR appropriate). It seems to also work decently multiclassed with rogue, since he can negate dex to AC. Stack unto that a whole bunch of critical feats and he's a decent debuffer.
It's not in any way GOOD, but it's viable.
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Here. Fixed
Once again, Dan has a stat block of 10/26/14/10/12/07. Still with those nice mental stats.
He has heirloom weapon and killer, just like everything else built.
Dan Wields a +3 Double Crossbow. His other combat-pertinent gear is a +4 Belt of Dex (included).
His feats are Exotic Weapon Proficiency, Point Blank Shot, Rapid Reload, Precise Shot, Crossbow Mastery, Weapon Focus, Weapon Specialization, Deadly Aim, Vital Strike, Greater Weapon Focus, Improved Critical, and Critical Focus
I gave him vital strike since he gets a benefit from readying an action. I did not give him rapid shot; a readied action is more damaging than a full attack.
Damage for Readied Attack: 45.03 / +Attack: 0.00 / +Damage: 1.14 (Reload both bolts as a move action)
Standard DPR: 40.17 / Single Attack: 25.75 / +Attack: 0.93 / +Damage: 1.14 / Extra Attack: 21.47
No good on a full attack, but ready him against a spellcaster and they will never cast. Actually the sniping option is viable. It’s not the greatest DPR, but you have a move action. It also goes up by 12 next level, between the next step of vital strike and full dex to damage.
Again, sorry for the misread earlier.
Well heck, the falcata is the best melee weapon in the game, and they were pretty much an obsolete curio in actual practice.
Not so certain that was the reason it fell into disuse.
Not so certain that was the reason it fell into disuse.
Well heck, the falcata is the best melee weapon in the game, and they were pretty much an obsolete curio in actual practice.
I have to imagine they fell into disuse because they were unwieldy. A quick weapon is usually more favorable in real practice.
Falcatas would have been rubbish for close orders formation fighting.
Part of the problem is the fact that we can't test it -- the method for making actual Falcata's has been lost -- also when originally in use the people using them failed the weapon more than the weapon failed them.