Draft:Crossbow

Omega 0.90.4

Crossbow(Base damage rating20Base hit bonus+15Normal attack typeMissileHands2Weight150

A crossbow is a two-handed launcher for bolts. Its damage contribution exceeds a longbow's, but it requires a separate loading action before the first shot and after a loaded bolt hits.

Generation

Crossbows occur in random treasure, pawn-shop stock and acquirement. Their item level is 3 and base value 500 Au. Julie's does not sell them.

A brigand begins with a neutral +0 crossbow, recoverable through the ordinary carried-item drop. This fixed possession does not include a stack of bolts, nor does it determine the brigand's own ranged attack routine. Randomly constructed crossbows instead roll blessing and enchantment.

Loading and firing

Wield the crossbow using both hand slots, with a separate shield if desired. Use Fire/Throw and select an accessible bolt. If the crossbow is unloaded, that action loads it without asking for a target or consuming the bolt. Use Fire/Throw and choose a bolt again to shoot.

Action or result	Crossbow afterward	Projectile
Select a bolt while unloaded	Loaded	Still in inventory
Fire a loaded bolt and miss	Still loaded	Normally on the ground
Fire a loaded bolt and hit	Unloaded	25% destroyed; otherwise dropped

The loaded state is cleared by the successful bolt attack, not by every attempt to shoot. Even if physical immunity prevents HP damage, a landed bolt attack still unloads the crossbow. Shooting another kind of projectile does not obtain the bolt bonus or run its unloading step.

Shot accuracy uses current character hit. A loaded bolt's damage rating is current character damage + bolt damage + bolt enchantment + twice the Strength modifier. For the full rolls and comparisons, see Shooting and throwing. Shots remain ordinary physical damage.

Other uses

A melee attack with the crossbow uses ordinary weapon damage; it neither shoots nor consumes a bolt. Throwing the launcher gives up its use and normally leaves it for recovery. Its base damage contributes 20 to tunneling, but its missile type does not obtain the thrusting multiplier or the striking weapon's protection from tunneling mishaps.

Strategy

Load before entering a dangerous approach when possible. A loaded opening shot gives eight more base damage points than an equally enchanted longbow, with the same base hit; the tradeoff is 50 additional weight and an extra action to prepare the next shot after a hit.

After a miss, selecting another bolt fires again immediately because the crossbow remains loaded. After a hit, the same command only loads it. Keeping that distinction in mind prevents mistaking a preparation action for an attack while an opponent closes. A longbow is the simpler option when sustained firing and movement matter more than the larger individual shot.