Light Crossbow

Preparation time: 4-6 rounds total. Pull bolt 0 (on ground) 2 (in quiver), span and nock 4 2 MP dice to reduce prep. time by one round at Reex /TN of 8 Attack Target Number (ATN): 5 Effective ST: 4 DR (Damage Rating): ST + 1p (5 total) Draw Weight: 80 - 120 lbs Range: 5 yards / 10 yards / 15 yards / 25 yards / 50 yards A simple crossbow capable of being spanned by hand. Draw weight was between 60 and 120 lbs. The prod (bow) was made of wood or more rarely horn. This was a hunting weapon suitable for taking small game. Though it would not normally be considered appropriate for military use it is powerful enough to pose a threat of serious injury to anyone being shot with it, and it could kill if striking a vital area. Penetration is somewhat less than that of a short self-bow.

ight crossbows were used all over the world, including China and the Pacic Islands going back to Bronze Age and before. They were known to the Greeks though not considered very valuable as military weapons. (The Greeks however perfected many much stronger siege engines based on the crossbow, such as the ingenious Gastrophetes)

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Repeating Crossbow

Preparation time: (To load the magazine): 20 rounds total. Load arrows in magazine 15, attach and load magazine 5 (Before each shot): 1 round total. Winch back mechanism; bolt falls into place automatically 1 Attack Target Number (ATN): 7 Effective ST: 3 DR (Damage Rating): ST (Total 3) Draw Weight: 40 60 lbs Range: 3 yards / 5 yards / 10 yards / 15 yards / 30 yards Repeating Crossbows did in fact exist, (they were used in ancient Greece and by peasant militias in China from ancient times until the late 19th century!) but they had several limitations. The Chinese types red very light bolts that lacked etchings (feathers) for stabilization. Thus, they were weaker in impact and less accurate.
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epeating Crossbows have actually existed on Earth for at a very long time. They were thought to have been rst invented by the Chinese, and are known to have been used in their war against Japan in the late 1800s. The actual age of the invention is unknown, having been lost in antiquity. Chinese repeating crossbows were capable of releasing 10 arrows in as little as 15 seconds. These were red with a lot less force than the heavy European crossbows, of course, and their killing power was thus often supplemented with poison (see injection poisons, p. 86). Repeating crossbows cannot re reservoir arrows.

************************* Pricing The following prices are indicative only, depending on the campaign world you use. If you are using Weyrth as your setting, the following are Imperial Standard coinage prices. For Heavy coinage, all prices are 2/3rds of the amount listed. For light coinage, double it. Weapon Arbalest Double Crossbow Hunting Crossbow Light Crossbow Long Bow Recurve Bow Recurve Composite Bow Repeating Crossbow Short Bow Cost 90 silver 50 silver 25 silver 15 silver 20 silver 12 silver 30 silver 50 silver 7 silver

************************* Optional Rule: Different arrow heads Arrows are not particularly sophisticated devices; their primary purpose is to kill, and little variation is necessary in such an elegant design. However, different cultures and different needs have been the genesis of alternate designs for the arrowhead, some of which are detailed below and may, at the Seneschals discretion, be used in Riddle of Steel campaigns. Most arrowheads are designed to be removed from a broken shaft and reattached to another shaft for re-use. This is often not possible where an arrow has pierced hard armor however, as that can distort the head. All of the following arrowheads may be used for crossbow arrows (bolts) as well.

130 The Flower of Battle

Hunting
This is the default arrowhead, and may be metal attached to the shaft, or may in fact simply be the sharpened wooden tip of the shaft, often re-hardened. Hunting arrows work in all respects as described above and in The Riddle of Steel rulebook. *************************

Barbed
Barbed arrows are designed to go in easily, but come out only with effort. They have backwardspointing barbs for this reason, and the wound is often torn larger in an attempt to remove them. When removing a barbed arrow, the Pain level of the wound increases by +1 unless the remover makes a successful First Aid roll with at least as many successes as the attackers Margin of Success. *************************

Blunt
Blunt arrows are often used in hunting or where the desired outcome is the submission of the target rather than its/their death. The tip is rounded and hard. Blunts cause bashing damage instead of piercing, and the DR is reduced by 2, or 3 against any form of armor. However, the Shock result of the wound is increased by +X, where X is the margin of attack successes. *************************

Bodkin
The bodkin is designed for maximum penetration through armor or other defenses. The head is very long and tapered, and razor sharp. Because they tend to be lighter, the DR of a bodkin arrow is 1, however all forms of armor count as if their AV were two lower (minimum 0) against a Bodkin, making them very effective as armor-piercers. *************************

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