Large crossbows.

[Alex_UNLIMITED]

A medium PC can shot and reload a large heavy crossbow or a large light crossbow? How many penalties?
I think that a heavy crossbow may count as one-handed weapon for this purpose because:

Heavy crossbow:

You draw a heavy crossbow back by turning a small winch. Normally, operating a heavy crossbow requires two hands. However, you can shoot, but not load, a heavy crossbow with one hand at a –4 penalty on attack rolls. You can shoot a heavy crossbow with each hand, but you take a penalty on attack rolls as if attacking with two one-handed weapons. This penalty is cumulative with the penalty for one-handed firing.

And a light crossbow i think may count as light weapon for this purpose because:

Light crissbow:

You draw a light crossbow back by pulling a lever. Normally, operating a light crossbow requires two hands. However, you can shoot, but not load, a light crossbow with one hand at a –2 penalty on attack rolls. You can shoot a light crossbow with each hand, but you take a penalty on attack rolls as if attacking with two light weapons. This penalty is cumulative with the penalty for one-handed firing.

If i think right, i can use a large heavy crossbow with only -2 penality, recharge it free (with crossbow mastery), deal 2d8 damage (same as a double crossbow) with only simple weapon proficiency. For a light crossbow, if i think right, i can use a huge light crossbow for 3d6 damage and a -4 penality.

[VRMH]

Crossbow Mastery lets you reload as a free action, but you still need to use two hands. And since you'll have a crossbow in every hand...

[Alex_UNLIMITED]

I'm talking about only one crossbow of large size.

[Saint.S]

I'll take a shot at this one.

So, from the Equipment section: http://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/prd/equipment.html Weapon -> Weapon Size, third paragraph:

Quote:

The measure of how much effort it takes to use a weapon (whether the weapon is designated as a light, one-handed, or two-handed weapon for a particular wielder) is altered by one step for each size category of difference between the wielder's size and the size of the creature for which the weapon was designed. For example, a Small creature would wield a Medium one-handed weapon as a two-handed weapon. If a weapon's designation would be changed to something other than light, one-handed, or two-handed by this alteration, the creature can't wield the weapon at all.

Given that paragraph, when you adjust the text of both crossbows one size larger, they become normally unwieldable by a medium sized creature, but could be fired by using two hands. In other words, you can fire a Large Heavy Crossbow (at -2, deals 2d8) or a Large (not Huge) Light Crossbow (at -2, deals 2d6) using both hands, but you need to be a large sized creature to (re)load them.

Note, in my mind, a "Light Crossbow" is not the same type of weapon as a Dagger, Sickle, or Handaxe (light weapons). I interpret "Light" in this case to mean that this two handed weapon does less damage, and requires less effort to reload than its burlier cousin, the Heavy Crossbow. Increasing its size two times (to huge) would make it so that a Medium creature could not wield it at all.

[Andrew R]

I see no reason by the rules a medium character could not use the large crossbow at -2 to hit. Reloading is not a function of weapon size so that should not change.

[zylphryx]

Andrew R wrote:

I see no reason by the rules a medium character could not use the large crossbow at -2 to hit. Reloading is not a function of weapon size so that should not change.

Alex_UNLIMITED in the description for the crossbow types wrote:

Normally, operating a heavy crossbow requires two hands. However, you can shoot, but not load, a heavy crossbow with one hand at a –4 penalty on attack rolls.

.....................

Normally, operating a light crossbow requires two hands. However, you can shoot, but not load, a light crossbow with one hand at a –2 penalty on attack rolls.

Since it requires two hands to reload (thus making crossbow a two-handed weapon in order to reload), you would not be able to reload a crossbow designed for one size category larger than you as it would move beyond a stated weapon designation (light, one-handed or two-handed). I would say Rakishan is correct in his assessment.

In saying that reloading is not a function of weapon size, you are basically stating that a pixie would be able to reload the crossbow wielded by an enlarged storm giant in a single round ... never mind the fact that the bolt would be the size of a small tree or that the bow"string" would be akin to the rope used for ship's rigging.

[ZenithTN]

May I recommend a Large _repeating_ heavy crossbow to avoid/delay the silliness that is gimping the already red-headed step child of ranged weapons rulings above.