Wondering how these all work out, call me ignorant but I am trying to follow this....
1) A crossbow can fire once per round even as a full round action normally?
2) What increases the number of shots? BAB? Manyshot? Rapid Shot?
3) If manyshot requires enough BAB to attack twice does that mean you get a third attack and that rapid shot would add a fourth attack?
4) How would bane work with all this? Does this mean you could fire 4 shots a round with all the feats and be dealing 8dX (bane) + 4dY (bolts)?
5) How do bows compare into this equation? And do certain types of bows or crossbows break the rules? Like I believe repeating crossbow wont have to reload so maybe they can fire more times a round?
1. Technically yes. You need a move action to arm it, and a standard action to attack.
2. Rapid Reload allows you to reload light and hand crossbows as a free action. Rapid shot allows you to take an extra shot. BAB matters only if you have rapid reload with a crossbow. It applies to bows automatically. Manyshot does not work with crossbows. This feat is one of the main reason bows are the best ranged weapon.
3. Manyshot means that your first attack roll fires two arrows with a bow.
4. Bane applies to every projectile
5. The repeating crossbow is preloaded with several bolts at once so you would not need the rapid reload feat, but it only holds 5 shots IIRC, and then you have to reload the it. Loading a new case of bolts is a full round action.
1. Technically yes. You need a move action to arm it, and a standard action to attack.
2. Rapid Reload allows you to reload light and hand crossbows as a free action. Rapid shot allows you to take an extra shot. BAB matters only if you have rapid reload with a crossbow. It applies to bows automatically. Manyshot does not work with crossbows. This feat is one of the main reason bows are the best ranged weapon.
3. Manyshot means that your first attack roll fires two arrows with a bow.
4. Bane applies to every projectile
5. The repeating crossbow is preloaded with several bolts at once so you would not need the rapid reload feat, but it only holds 5 shots IIRC, and then you have to reload the it. Loading a new case of bolts is a full round action.
Thanks! Sounds like I am better off with a bow if I want to make use of manyshot then. Your help is greatly appreciated.
Thanks! Sounds like I am better off with a bow if I want to make use of manyshot then. Your help is greatly appreciated.1. Technically yes. You need a move action to arm it, and a standard action to attack.
2. Rapid Reload allows you to reload light and hand crossbows as a free action. Rapid shot allows you to take an extra shot. BAB matters only if you have rapid reload with a crossbow. It applies to bows automatically. Manyshot does not work with crossbows. This feat is one of the main reason bows are the best ranged weapon.
3. Manyshot means that your first attack roll fires two arrows with a bow.
4. Bane applies to every projectile
5. The repeating crossbow is preloaded with several bolts at once so you would not need the rapid reload feat, but it only holds 5 shots IIRC, and then you have to reload the it. Loading a new case of bolts is a full round action.
Get deadly aim also.
A few feats with a bow (many shot, rapid shot, deadly aim) and it looks like you get 2 shots (3 arrows) with +4 damage to each one.. on a class that already gets bane. So unless I am mistake you do up to 3d(arrow), 6d6 bane, and +12? Holy.....
A few feats with a bow (many shot, rapid shot, deadly aim) and it looks like you get 2 shots (3 arrows) with +4 damage to each one.. on a class that already gets bane. So unless I am mistake you do up to 3d(arrow), 6d6 bane, and +12? Holy.....
Dedicated bow users are damage hoses. It's that way almost across the board, not just with an Inquisitor. Keep in mind though, that at low levels those penalties from Rapid Shot and Deadly Aim can be pretty substantial. And you're forgetting to add in when you get Hasted by the party caster to your equation...
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Crossbows are strictly fire-once-and-drop weapons in Pathfinder; there's no combination of feats that makes them optimal versus a bow with the same number of feats.
I respectfully disagree. Crossbow Mastery (Heavy Crossbow) in Skulls and Shackles Adventure Path means my UNDERWATER Heavy Crossbow does as much damage below water as it does above while the composite bow wielder has left his bow on the ship and is stabbie stabbie with a rapier. Presently, my Fighter/4 Ranger/4 is 14/14/9 2d8+12/19-20 underwater. All other archers (minus gunslinger with air bubble) are making swim checks just to reach the mob (at 1/4 speed) taking negatives to hit and half damage on anything other than piercing, and usually reach the mob right after I've killed it.
Everything has a specialty that allows it to shine where nothing else does.
Back in 2nd edition AD&D, they included a rule (that didn't last, sadly enough) that had crossbows at short range ignore 5 points of armor, because crossbows could punch through armor (and were designed to do just that).
In Pathfinder, the best reason to use a crossbow is because it's the only real effective ranged weapon you have as a low-level wizard or sorcerer.
As for the repeating crossbow, you can get around the "reload" issue by enchanting it to have Endless Ammunition - you then have separate clips for specific enchanted bolts (like Bane bolts and the like) for specific fights.
