Small person, Large weapon...


Advice


I am currently running a session of the Kingmaker campaign, and one of the players, a Halfling rogue, took a heavy crossbow as his main weapon. Now I would an 8 lb weapon would be more than a bit encumbering to a 50 lb Halfling. Despite having the crossbow finesse and quickdraw, I still have to imagine their needs to be some kind of penalty for doing so.


He would be using the Small version of the heavy crossbow.


He shouldn't be allowed to wield it. A small creature can't wield a large weapon.

EDIT: Whoops, I totally misunderstand the subject. Yeah, a small creature using a small crossbow has no problem.

Liberty's Edge

If he is using a Heavy Crossbow designed for a Medium creature then he attacks at -2.

If he is using a Heavy Crossbow designed for a Small creature then it does 1d8 damage instead of 1d10.


CBDunkerson wrote:

If he is using a Heavy Crossbow designed for a Medium creature then he attacks at -2.

Which can not be done. You can not use a two-handed weapon designed for a size larger than you are at all... special mechanics notwithstanding.

The Heavy crossbow requires two hands to fire.


AND if he's using a crossbow designed for a small creature, you reduce the weight of it by 1/2, meaning it weighs 4 lbs.


Drahliana Moonrunner wrote:
CBDunkerson wrote:

If he is using a Heavy Crossbow designed for a Medium creature then he attacks at -2.

Which can not be done. You can not use a two-handed weapon designed for a size larger than you are at all... special mechanics notwithstanding.

The Heavy crossbow requires two hands to fire.

Heavy crossbow permits being used 1-handed at a -4 penalty. But if he's using a Small heavy crossbow, then it's just the 4 pounds to a 50 pound halfling, and it's all good.


james014Aura wrote:
Drahliana Moonrunner wrote:
CBDunkerson wrote:

If he is using a Heavy Crossbow designed for a Medium creature then he attacks at -2.

Which can not be done. You can not use a two-handed weapon designed for a size larger than you are at all... special mechanics notwithstanding.

The Heavy crossbow requires two hands to fire.

Heavy crossbow permits being used 1-handed at a -4 penalty. But if he's using a Small heavy crossbow, then it's just the 4 pounds to a 50 pound halfling, and it's all good.

I would still say it is a two-handed crossbow and therefore cannot be used by a Small creature. Even if you can use a weapon one-handed, it doesn't actually change the weapon category unless it explicitly says you can use the weapon as a one-handed weapon.

For instance, have a look at the Titan Mauler's Jotungrip, which lets you use an appropriately sized two-handed weapon in one hand, and treat it as a one-handed weapon. Wielding a crossbow in one hand is only using it with one hand, not treating it as a one-handed weapon.

Edit: OH, and while I'm at it, I'd like to explicitly let the OP know that equipment has size categories, like how creatures do, and most are only able to use equipment without penalty or at all if that equipment matches their size category. A small piece of equipment is usually half weight and the same price of a Medium sized equipment of the same type, while a large piece of equipment is double weight and double priced.


It says you can use a crossbow one-handed, but it takes two hands to reload. I'd say a small creature could fire a medium crossbow, at the significant penalty of -8 (-4 for size, -4 because their two small hands counts as one medium hand) but they can't actually reload it.


Tyinyk wrote:
It says you can use a crossbow one-handed, but it takes two hands to reload. I'd say a small creature could fire a medium crossbow, at the significant penalty of -8 (-4 for size, -4 because their two small hands counts as one medium hand) but they can't actually reload it.

Would you allow them to fire it at no penalty if it were mounted on a tripod?


kyrt-ryder wrote:
Tyinyk wrote:
It says you can use a crossbow one-handed, but it takes two hands to reload. I'd say a small creature could fire a medium crossbow, at the significant penalty of -8 (-4 for size, -4 because their two small hands counts as one medium hand) but they can't actually reload it.
Would you allow them to fire it at no penalty if it were mounted on a tripod?

Absolutely... if they were willing to give up dex bonuses to dodge.


kyrt-ryder wrote:
Tyinyk wrote:
It says you can use a crossbow one-handed, but it takes two hands to reload. I'd say a small creature could fire a medium crossbow, at the significant penalty of -8 (-4 for size, -4 because their two small hands counts as one medium hand) but they can't actually reload it.
Would you allow them to fire it at no penalty if it were mounted on a tripod?

That's basically a Medium light ballista at that point, and I would have them treat it as such.


Thanks for the responses everyone. I just realized my ignorance of the size differences on the weapon profile. So he can use it normally however he has forgotten that it takes a full turn to reload so he will have to adjust accordingly for that. I had a feeling he was missing something.


Crusader77 wrote:
Thanks for the responses everyone. I just realized my ignorance of the size differences on the weapon profile. So he can use it normally however he has forgotten that it takes a full turn to reload so he will have to adjust accordingly for that. I had a feeling he was missing something.

Let him know that he can get Rapid Reload to decrease it to a standard action, but he'll need to get Crossbow Mastery to get it to a free action. Maybe tell him to use a light crossbow with Rapid Reload to get it to a free action? Otherwise, he'll end up like the Ranger iconic, and nobody wants to be like him XP


kyrt-ryder wrote:
Tyinyk wrote:
It says you can use a crossbow one-handed, but it takes two hands to reload. I'd say a small creature could fire a medium crossbow, at the significant penalty of -8 (-4 for size, -4 because their two small hands counts as one medium hand) but they can't actually reload it.
Would you allow them to fire it at no penalty if it were mounted on a tripod?

I'd have it work in a similar manner as the double hackbut in that scenario, where it's a full-round action to set up the stand. Then, sure.

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