[magical equipment] Bolt bow and Bolt rifle

[Chavik]

Bolt Bow:
A bolt bow at first appears to be a large wand attached to the stock of a light crossbow.
1d6 energy damage
critical x2
Spellcasters have proficiency
requires at least 1 full rank in use magic skill to operate

Bolt Rifle:
A bolt rifle is the stock of a heavy crossbow with what looks like a short staff attached to it.
2d6 energy damage
critical x2
Spellcasters have proficiency
requires at least 1 full rank in use magic skill to operate


Both versions of bolt bow are for my homebrew "magic-as-technology" world.
they are used not in place of crossbows but rather by more well equipped troops. Prices range but are usually set at 300gp for a bow and 450 for a rifle. each one is good for about 200 shots after which a wizard can recharge them for an unset price (depends on the wizard obviously... gotta make a profit) They come in all standard energies, Cold, Fire, Lightning, and Sonic.

[Eighth_Seraph]

Very interesting idea, I like it. All you need to do now is set a range, range increment (if any, a bolt of lightning might not need one) and reaction to enchantment. For example, how would a Shocking Bolt Bow work? Or an Icy Bolt Rifle that deals fire damage? Might be a good idea to explain that.

[Chavik]

Very interesting idea, I like it. All you need to do now is set a range, range increment (if any, a bolt of lightning might not need one) and reaction to enchantment. For example, how would a Shocking Bolt Bow work? Or an Icy Bolt Rifle that deals fire damage? Might be a good idea to explain that.

magical enchantment would affect a bolt bow the same as a regular weapon. these weapons are manufactured with specific materials for each energy type. for example if a bow is made out of ash.. it is a firebolt bow. if an icy bow is developed from a pieec of ash, then it deals the fire damage first and icy damage second.

[Proven_Paradox]

One of the balancing factors that take arcane casters down a peg is their crappy weapon options, and I'm always heasitant about removing that, even if the weapon in question has such a high price.

I mean, they're not bad items; quite the opposite, really. That's the problem though: it takes away a necessary balance factor.

[Chavik]

One of the balancing factors that take arcane casters down a peg is their crappy weapon options, and I'm always heasitant about removing that, even if the weapon in question has such a high price.

I mean, they're not bad items; quite the opposite, really. That's the problem though: it takes away a necessary balance factor.

this is so true, but you must remember that thiese weapons should only be allowed in magic intensive worlds, and should be available to all pcs and npcs.

[Icewalker]

Yeah, it might cause balance problems. I love the idea though, good weapons for an elite troop kind of thing, without being so powerful that any kind of militaristic squad of some kind could afford to be equipped with it. I kind of agree with Seraph on this, having a icy fire-bolt bow or some such thing would be a little wierd. Maybe they cannot be made if they violate certain balances, like whoever crafts these can't make them with any combonation of fire and ice, or some such thing.

[Chavik]

Yeah, it might cause balance problems. I love the idea though, good weapons for an elite troop kind of thing, without being so powerful that any kind of militaristic squad of some kind could afford to be equipped with it. I kind of agree with Seraph on this, having a icy fire-bolt bow or some such thing would be a little wierd. Maybe they cannot be made if they violate certain balances, like whoever crafts these can't make them with any combonation of fire and ice, or some such thing.

elite troops and high-up officers are exactly what i had in mind.
eliminating the possibility of multiple energy types seems reasonable.

in my mind these weapons are low-supply, high-demand... maybe i should price them more... neways... they are basically the latest step in an arms race.

[mabriss lethe]

Burns the air with a string of curses:

I just spent over an hour reworking an old AD&D homebrew from way back in the dim and misty times and my computer decided to crash just before I was finished with it. Here's the short, short, short version. I'll post the full rules at some point whenever I feel like it.

Wand musket:
Looks like a breach action shotgun (I know muskets are muzzle loaders, but I couldn't think of a better name then and I'm too fed up to change it now.)The wielder opens the breach and chambers a wand, then reseals it. now it's ready to go.

The musket is usable by any caster that can use spell trigger items or who possesses the skill Use magic device. It grants the wielder a +1 bonus to range touch spells and a +2 bonus to use magic device checks, both bonuses limited to the wand in the chamber. there are a multitude of special barrels and modifications, but all of that fell into the abyss when the computer crashed. The wielder has to be careful though, if the musket is fired too many times in an hour, it overheats. An overheating musket can still be used, but it burns an extra charge out of the wand every time it's triggered and deals 1d4 fire damage to the wielder.

The bare bones model cost something around 400 gp with the modifications driving the cost up by leaps and bounds.

There. time to post before something bad happens