Got a hombrew varianted Ranger using the two-weapon fighting style weilding Quick-Loading hand crossbows and finding my damage to be lacking even with 4d6 sneak attaack.
Was reading a 3.0s' Arms and Equipment Guide(AEG) + 3.5s' magic item compendium(MIC) and found something that needa a little tweeking to the enchantments to work. Suggestions please.
Waepon Base: mwk Heavey Crossbow 350 gp
Enchantments:
Quick-Loading +1 (MIC 41)
Basics: gives crossbow a dimentional pocket that hold 100 bolts. hand/ light free action to reload, heavy is a move action.
Self-Loading +1 (AEG 116)
Basics: auto pulls back string for you. move action to reload. (stacks with Rapid reload)
Now as far as i can tel these stack, meaning a haeavy crossbow is now a free action to relaod.which should equal automatic crossbows.
But in Quick-Loadings description is states that "Adding or removing a boltby hand from the extradimentional space requires a move (manipulation)action."
Does this interfear with the reload time? any work-arounds?
Someone's watched Van Helsing 5 times too many.
wasn't the basis for this idea. just don want o waste a a full round reloading
I'm pretty sure hand crossbows can be loaded as a move action.
Just checked, they can.
Dude, Really? i already dropped the hand crossbow to a free action to reload (Quick Loading, as mention in the first post.). trying to up the damager per hit with out losing the free action reload time.
heh, you are missing the point. I'll try to clarify. make it simpler to understand.
I'm trying to find out if those 2 enchantments stack just right. if they do , the chareachter could then dual-weild a larger damage dealing crossbow with out losing the ability to full round attack because of having to reload by hand.
Quick-Loading: a quick loading crossbow accesses an extradimentional that can hold up to 100 bolts, allowing you to reload the crossbow more rapidly than normal. reloading a quick loading hand or light crossbow is a free action (allowing a charachter with multiple attacks to use his full attack rate), and reloading a heavy crossbow is a move action.
Difrent types of bolts can be held in the extradimensional space, and you can select freely from these when reloading the crossbow. Adding or removing a bolt by hand is a move eqivalent (manipulatio) action.
Prerequ: Craft Magic arms and armor, Secret chest, shrink item.
Self-loading Crossbow: this +1 heavy crossbow is much easier to load than mundane crossbows. after fireing, the crossbow's string is magically reset to the cocked position, requiring the weilder to simply place the bolt in the weapon to load it. loading self loding crossbo requires on a move equivalent action.
Prerequs: Craft arms and armor, Animate objects
Side bar:if wielder has rapid reload feat, reloading is a free action. and weapon deos not restrict weilders abilty to make multiple attacxk around.
there word for word.
now how bout some constructive help instead of just critisism?
the second question of the first post.
Any body know of or can think of a work around for the "by hand reload" issue?
I think that A +1 Quick-Load Self-Loading Heavy Crossbow would do the trick as would a +1 Quick-Load Crossbow and the rapid reload Feat. Think of the feat as being able to cock the weapon really fast and the enchantment as loading a bolt, all in a free action.
The Quick-Load enchantment does not require any free hands to load each bolt for a hand or light crossbow until you go through all 100 bolts at which point you have to spend 100 move actions to refill the magazine.
So with both enchantments you should be able to have a crossbow which reloads as a free action and requires no free hands (fully automatic) and with either one of the enchantments and a feat you get a crossbow which reloads as a free action but requires a hand (semi-automatic).
If you want to try the trick with Light Crossbows you just need a +1 Quick-Loading weapon to be fully automatic.
At least that is what I would rule if I were the DM. Just my 2cp.
Quick-Loading: a quick loading crossbow accesses an extradimentional that can hold up to 100 bolts, allowing you to reload the crossbow more rapidly than normal. reloading a quick loading hand or light crossbow is a free action (allowing a charachter with multiple attacks to use his full attack rate), and reloading a heavy crossbow is a move action.
Difrent types of bolts can be held in the extradimensional space, and you can select freely from these when reloading the crossbow. Adding or removing a bolt by hand is a move eqivalent (manipulatio) action.
Prerequ: Craft Magic arms and armor, Secret chest, shrink item.Self-loading Crossbow: this +1 heavy crossbow is much easier to load than mundane crossbows. after fireing, the crossbow's string is magically reset to the cocked position, requiring the weilder to simply place the bolt in the weapon to load it. loading self loding crossbo requires on a move equivalent action.
Prerequs: Craft arms and armor, Animate objects
Side bar:if wielder has rapid reload feat, reloading is a free action. and weapon deos not restrict weilders abilty to make multiple attacxk around.
Actually from reading this, it seems you do not have to touch the bolts during the reload process:
"a quick loading crossbow accesses an extra-dimentional space that can hold up to 100 bolts"
I think the part about adding or removing a bolt in the second paragraph is referring to refilling (or removing/replacing) the extra-dimensional space - otherwise the light crossbow would also still be a move action to reload even with this enhancement.
So, yes I would say that these enhancements would stack - assuming of course that the GM allows them.
[edit] Ninja'd by Saint Caleth :P
I built a special heavy repeating crossbow for a 3.5 campaign, using the telekenisis spell and "of holding" on the bolt box. It used no bow mechanic, and the box held 50 bolts.
This just covered the weapon itself, not any of the enchantments.
He ended up with a virtually silent hevy repeating crossbow that he could fire with all of his iteritive attacks.
It was very expensive, but it worked by RAW.
This was for a ranger/rogue SPEC OPS kind of bounty hunter.
Ultimate goal is dual weilding light or heavy to up my damage (hands 1d4 deosnt cut it ast 14th level). my build was spec ops assasin in 3.5. the change over has opened and eliminated a few options
This should clear up quicklodings concept for the DM, he was stuck on Thomas LeBlanc's line of thinking "Since the bolt must be selected from the space."
thanks folks.
Took the two weapon fight combat style to help counter act the negatives. at most -4/-4
Since the enchantments stack, i'ver frred up a feet slot, and thinking Oversized two weapon fighting or Monkey grip.
those were the only intended enachant ments. My dm likes to increase from base market cost to nurf our chares. As a result my human has fallen behind in the damage dealing curve. Ill look in to those bracers. might be able to RP for them.
Rapid Reload + Rapid Shot + Crossbow Mastery makes any crossbow able to fire as a free action...
I really wish RR worked with repeating crossbows. It kinda sucks.
Rapid Reload + Rapid Shot + Crossbow Mastery makes any crossbow able to fire as a free action...
Not a Double Crossbow.
TO Cheapy: I thought it did?
My reading of it says it doesn't...
Nevermind, I read that as RS. My vision has been failing me lately.
Well this thread clears that up, a cohort Wild Stalker ranger I built for a friend will need a change of feats. My group will be happy to keep the flavor, we just say each point of damage is an arrow - and if you watch the movie he missed a LOT xD
Oh well, I might give him levels in gunslinger as he levels up now.
Not sure why you would wanna dual-wield. Here's what you can do to legally have a crossbow minigun, if I remember correctly that is. This requires 3.5 weapon abilities.
Double Crossbow
+1 - Quick-loading: Contains 100 bolts, move action to reload.
+1 - Self-loading: Reduces move action to free action.
+3 - Splitting: Splits each bolt/arrow fired into two mid flight, resulting in 4 bolts shot as a standard action, at the cost of 2 bolts.
Let the pain begin!
So, yes I would say that these enhancements would stack - assuming of course that the GM allows them.
If your GM is prepared to let you have what amounts to a pair of magical, belt-fed Uzis, go for it. Me, I can't see it.