Mearls ([info]mearls) wrote,
2007-01-11 23:27:00

Crossbow Feats

I bought a crossbow-toting guy in my latest round of Reaper purchases. I also like using the exploding-arrow-shooting bow in Gears of War (which I finally got to sit down and really play today; snow days are fun!). So, here are some crossbow feats.

Reactive Shot
Your trigger finger reacts faster than your mind.
Prerequisites:Improved Initiative, Weapon Focus (any crossbow)
Benefit:When you roll for initiative while carrying a loaded crossbow, treat the d20 initiative roll as your attack roll with your crossbow. You automatically target the closest, visible opponent. If no foes are in sight you do not attack.

Covering Fire
Your accurate fire prevents opponents from threatening your allies.
Prerequisites:Precise Shot, Weapon Focus (any crossbow)
Benefit:As an immediate action in response to an opponent's movement or attack, you may fire your crossbow at that opponent. If your shot hits the foe suffers a –10 ft. penalty to speed or a –2 penalty on his next attack, depending on the action that triggered your attack.

Armor Piercer
By taking careful aim, you send a shot between your foe's armored plates.
Prerequisites:base attack +4, Precise Shot, Weapon Focus (any crossbow)
Benefit:If you spend a move action to take careful aim at an opponent, the next crossbow shot you take during the rest of your turn is a ranged touch attack.

Improved Armor Piercer
When you take careful aim with your crossbow, you make a deadly attack.
Prerequisites:base attack +6, Armor Piercer
Benefit:When you use your Armor Piercer feat, your crossbow deals extra damage based on your base attack bonus. The die used for this extra damage is the standard damage die used for your crossbow. For example, a light crossbow grants additional d8s for damage.
Attack Bonus +6 - +10: +1 die
Attack Bonus +11 - +15: +2 dice
Attack Bonus +16 - +20: +3 dice
etc.

  • Post a new comment

    Error

    switch

    Your IP address will be recorded 

     
    Help
  • 99 comments
Previous
← Ctrl← Alt
Next
Ctrl →Alt →

[info]gospog

January 12 2007, 12:23:21 UTC 5 years ago

Was it this guy?
http://shop.rpg.net/product_info.php?cPath=_2_210&products_id=37318&

Or was it the Bounty Huntress chick?

[info]highmoonmedia

January 12 2007, 12:43:23 UTC 5 years ago

Neat feats. Open?

[info]das_uber

January 12 2007, 13:22:03 UTC 5 years ago

Armor Piercer- Benefit:If you spend a move action to take careful aim at an opponent, the next crossbow shot you take during the rest of your turn is a ranged touch attack.

Hm. This essentially gives you the effect of both Fell Shot and Psionic Meditation for ranged attacks as a general feat. Maybe a bit much? Don't get me wrong, the effect is cool.

I like Reactive Fire and Covering Fire. Reactive Fire in particular does something entirely new in a way that won't slow down combat.

[info]graigschaublin

October 9 2008, 16:35:45 UTC 3 years ago

And if you don't want to ask, you can find pretty much any information you are looking for on our extensive www site.

[info]metallian

January 12 2007, 14:03:01 UTC 5 years ago

Oooo, very nice feats. I would definitely consider taking these for a crossbow-wielding PC. Armor Piercer might be too good, though - seems better than Deft Strike from Complete Adventurer, anyway.

[info]osito71

January 12 2007, 14:07:23 UTC 5 years ago

I think covering fire is awkward, but the armorer piercing ones are neat. I had been thinking in that direction recently (ways to make the x-bow more viable in D&D).

[info]boymonster

January 12 2007, 14:52:16 UTC 5 years ago

I'm not a fan of feats that are dependent on initiative rolls. It seems as if the Reactive Shot would occur so infrequently, for instance, that it would make more sense as part of a package of minor effects lumped into a tactical feat (and you could include a slightly weaker version of Covering Fire with it, as well as some kind of attack of opportunity thing.) Call it Reactive Arbalester or something.

[info]osito71

5 years ago

  • Loading...

[info]boymonster

5 years ago

  • Loading...

[info]jdigital

5 years ago

  • Loading...

[info]elishadilmon

3 years ago

  • Loading...

[info]benlehman

January 12 2007, 15:59:58 UTC 5 years ago

Does covering fire do what I think it does? As in: any opponent at any time at no opportunity cost to you?

If so, you just made repeating crossbows worth the money, but on the other hand, that's absolutely insane

yrs--
--Ben

[info]kid_prufrock

January 12 2007, 18:11:14 UTC 5 years ago

There's some opportunity cost. You only get one immediate or swift action a round. This is an issue for some characters, but not for others--generally, it applies to characters who have certain abilities from later supplements or fighter/casters who like quickened spells.

It's best construed as a better version of Rapid Shot. You can't use it on your turn, you have to use a crossbow, and it uses up your "bonus" action, but (a) there are no penalties for using it; and (b) it inflicts penalties on your opponent. The fact that you have to use it with a crossbow is pretty big, I think, since not only is it feat intensive to make multiple attacks with a crossbow but (I think?) you can't apply your Strength bonus.

[info]winfredupritch

3 years ago

  • Loading...

[info]goodkingjay3

January 12 2007, 17:29:10 UTC 5 years ago

Neat feats! I'll definitely add these to my list!

[info]buzzmo

January 12 2007, 18:58:03 UTC 5 years ago

Mearls updated his blog! Hallelujah! :D

[info]burritoalpastor

January 12 2007, 20:20:49 UTC 5 years ago

Feels to me like Armor Piercer should have a higher BAB and/or aim time. Also, Improved Armor Piercer seems like a poor idea - that's what sneak attack dice and the Crossbow Sniper feat are for.

Reactive Shot reminds me of a feat from Iron Kingdoms designed for pistol duels - when rolling initiative, add a number to your init mod no higher than your BAB, and subtract it from your attack rolls on the first round of combat. Always liked that one.

Reminds me that I made up one or two crossbow feats a while back, but never did anything with 'em. I'll have to see if I can find them.

[info]jrients

January 12 2007, 20:59:23 UTC 5 years ago

In my head I can already hear my players asking to use these. I'm not fond of the name 'Reactive Shot'. I think I'd prefer 'Instinctive'.

Anonymous

January 15 2007, 16:51:41 UTC 5 years ago

Jeff's players

But with guns!

[info]varianor

January 13 2007, 00:38:48 UTC 5 years ago

Armor Piercer is the bomb! (And yes, it is amazing, that when Mike updates his blog, 14 people before me notice despite an...interval.)

[info]jdigital

January 13 2007, 22:59:19 UTC 5 years ago

Obligatory critique:

Reactive Shot is an interesting feat, but given that it has two prerequisites and doesn't form the prerequisite for a much better feat or prestige class, isn't it a little weak? You're paying a feat to limit your own actions - unless, of course, you gain a free bonus attack here.

Covering Fire - I like the idea of this feat. But isn't this feat giving a free out-of-turn attack action? Is this not a similar issue to the old Expert Tactician feat every munchkin rogue took where you got an extra attack?

Armor Piercer - A pleasant situation, again I like the concept. At first sight it invokes thoughts of psionic deep strike and how potentially beardy that was. At high levels the AC negation is potentially very significant but you lose more attacks. At level 4, when you take the feat, there's no reason NOT to use this unless you've also taken Rapid Shot.

Improved Armor Piercer - I love it. Bonus damage for a single aimed shot in place of multiple shots makes for a great sniper.

All in all, I can't be sure whether these things are "awesome ideas that need nerfed to fit current power levels in the game", or "awesome things that are perfectly balanced in practice, and I'm just too inexperienced to see it." I await your next big project with much antipication.

[info]paka

January 16 2007, 22:15:25 UTC 5 years ago

Oooh! I don't know how I feel about Reactive Shot, but the Armor Piercing feats - I'd wondered how you could engineer 2e styled called shots in 3.5, and now I know how!

And crossbows seem so sadly neglected, so any ideas for crossbow-related feats, good, bad, or indifferent, are seriously worth reading.

Anonymous

February 4 2008, 07:09:13 UTC 4 years ago

cheapest tramadol without prescription

discount cheap tramadol no prescription
and free shipping
tramadol prescription!

Anonymous

January 11 2011, 23:46:56 UTC 1 year ago

torby damskie

torby m³odzie¿owe (http://torebki4you.com)
to kazar sklep internetowy , torebki skórzane , kazar . torebki m³odzie¿owe , torebki kazar ?

Anonymous

January 13 2011, 11:31:39 UTC 1 year ago

how to unlock iphone 4

unlock iphone 4 (http://UNLOCKIPHONE44.INFO)
to iphone 4 unlock , iphone 4 unlock , . iphone 4 unlock , ?

Anonymous

January 13 2011, 13:20:58 UTC 1 year ago

unlock iphone 3g

unlock iphone 3g (http://UNLOCKIPHONE3G4.INFO)
to how to unlock iphone 3g , how to unlock iphone 3g , . unlock iphone 3g , ?

Anonymous

January 13 2011, 15:28:45 UTC 1 year ago

iphone 3gs unlock

unlock iphone 3gs (http://e-unlockiphone3gs.com)
to unlock iphone 3gs , unlock iphone 3gs , . unlock iphone 3gs , ?

Anonymous

January 13 2011, 16:45:53 UTC 1 year ago

satellite tv for pc

satellite tv for pc (http://UBJL.COM)
to satellite tv for pc , satellite tv for pc , . satellite tv for pc , ?

Anonymous

January 13 2011, 19:41:07 UTC 1 year ago

buy facebook fans

buy facebook fans (http://100FACEBOOKFANS.INFO)
to get facebook fans , get facebook fans , . buy facebook likes , ?

Anonymous

January 13 2011, 20:04:00 UTC 1 year ago

get facebook likes

get facebook likes (http://1000FBFANS.INFO)
to get facebook likes , get facebook likes , . get facebook likes , ?

Anonymous

January 16 2011, 00:57:22 UTC 1 year ago

Robethric

unlock iphone 4 (http://UNLOCKIPHONE44.INFO)
to iphone 4 unlock , unlock iphone 4 , . unlock iphone 4 , ?

Anonymous

January 16 2011, 03:47:03 UTC 1 year ago

Saevindis

unlock iphone 4 (http://UNLOCKIPHONE4-4.INFO)
to iphone 4 unlock , unlock iphone 4 , . unlock iphone 4 , ?

Anonymous

January 16 2011, 05:40:47 UTC 1 year ago

Sammetili

how to unlock iphone (http://unlockiphone22.com)
to how to unlock iphone , unlock iphone , . iphone unlock , ?

Anonymous

January 16 2011, 06:38:39 UTC 1 year ago

Santourel

iphone 4 unlock (http://unlockiphone44.com)
to how to unlock iphone 4 , iphone 4 unlock , . iphone 4 unlock , ?
Previous
← Ctrl← Alt
Next
Ctrl →Alt →
Create an Account
Forgot your login or password?
Facebook Twitter More login options
English • Español • Deutsch • Русский…