Dual Crossbow Wielder Suggestions

[Magesmiley]

First off, this is not my concept. One of my players in my 3.5 game has gotten it into his head that he wants to build a character who wields dual crossbows in the style of a gunslinger. That said, I'm looking for suggestions to pass along to him to bring the character up from 'totally a bad idea' to something better.

I allow pretty much any WOTC 3/3.5 book plus Dragon magazine in my game (and will consider 3rd party books as well).

He's coming in as a 2nd level character, but thoughts for the next 3-6 levels might be helpful as well.

The first problem I pointed out was reloading - you need a free hand to reload. And if he has two crossbows that doesn't leave a free hand. He's decided he's going to use the repeating crossbow as a result.

He's also probably going to take 2 flaws to increase his feats.

Suggestions (other than doing something else, which he's already buried as an option)?

[Snowbluff]

Warblade is your class. They can use crossbows.

Wield 2 great crossbows.

Quickloading is a +1 enhancement. It gives your crossbow a 100 round clip. I think there was a property reverse engineered from the Arms and Equipment Guide that let you reload without a hand. Gloves of the Master Strategist would let you store a crossbow while you reload the the other.

Someone might have a link to this original build. I think they used Aptitude Quick Loading Crossbows with the Lightning Maces feat and Improved Critical. Time Stands Still lets you full attack twice with the crossbows.

This is all of your objectives. You might not be able to meet any right away. At earlier levels, you can carry some extra crossbows and Quick Draw the the loaded ones.

[Deaxsa]

Woodland Archer is an absolute must.

The way i like to do it is:

0. (Either play some sort of drow, or play a human for the exotic prof. feat)
0. Full-on ranger for the Twf feats
1. Hand Crossbow Focus (and RoC/handwaive the reloading, or pay for the weapon enchantment)
3. Point-blank Shot
6. Woodland Archer
9. Rapid Shot/Crossbow Sniper
12. Crossbow Sniper/Rapid Shot

and so by level 6, your build is functional, while you can still take other feats to continue improving. No, you won't ever nova, but it gets online a lot faster (at least as i've seen, i cuold just not understand the build), it's easier to understand, i like to play rangers, and it works.

My favorite was to mix this with swift hunter, that made this a whole lot:smallbiggrin: more fun for me, i was basically running around the battlefield shooting at people (assuming you find ways to proc skirmish that still allow you full attack, like a DC 40(35?) tumble check and the monk's relic that lets you 10-foot step, or falling, or "jump as swift action" stuff). The other nice bit is that you can actually add swift hunter to the build LATER, when you have actually acquired these means, something like ranger11/scout3/ranger7 or something. That solves the issue of needing to wait until everything decides to start working.

[Drachez]

I once made a dual repeating crossbow wielder mage/witch Hunter.

Paladin 4/ Scout 4/ Mystic Ranger 12.

Favored Enemy's : Arcanists (Complete Mage Variant), Undead, Construct.

Important Feats
Ranger Combat style (two-weapon) mastery allowed to dual wield.
Travel Domain : Paladin Turn undead Allowed me to use this multiple encounters to full attack with skirmish.
Swift Hunter : Huge damage bonus and bypass crit immunity from mages favorite servants, undeads and Construct.
Improved Skirmish : More Skirmish :)
Education + Knowledge Devotion : To hit and damage is huge with lots of attacks.

Swift Hunter and Improved Skirmish make 6d6 extra damage per attack from skirmish, dual wield with two Splitting crossbows would make 14 attacks (4 from main hand plus 3 from the off-hand x2 from splitting), making about:

(1d10 + 5 (knowledge devotion) + 6d6 ) x14

And about the reloading, always have an emergency loaded crossbows with Least Crystal of Return (Magic Item Compendium, 300g) that allows you to draw the weapon as a free action.

Sorry if i made any English errors, first time posting.

[John Longarrow]

For low levels, I'd suggest he carry several loaded light crossbows. That way he can fire and drop.

10x Light Crossbow is still less than a single +1 crossbow AND gives you 5 rounds of "Draw and fire". Course you as the DM may have a problem with them carrying loaded crossbows this way...

[Piggy Knowles]

I'm fond of carrying a bunch of pre-loaded hand crossbows, plus the Quick Draw feat, for this style. Think Il Duce from the famous fire fight scene in Boondocks Saints (I highly recommend googling it if you haven't seen it, although it's probably NSFW for language and violence).

Cost efficient? No, but dang if it doesn't have style.

[Callin]

If you can homebrew a Repeating Hand Crossbow that would alleviate some of the strain of haiving to reload. Shouldnt be to imbalanced. THEN if you can allow a back port of something from Pathfinder. The Abundant Ammunition Spell cast on the bolt case will give unlimited shots and then there is another spell that will reload it. So for 5k on top of regular enchantments you get semi automatic unlimited nonmagical ammo. You can still get Greater Magic Weapon cast on them each day to up the Enchantment bonus.

[Psyren]

Psiforged Scout psychic rogue with dual Armbow attachments; now you don't have to reload and you also get sneak attack.

[Metahuman1]

Here is what I'd do as the DM.

have him follow some of the advice here for the lower levels till about level's 6-8 or so. Then, at an appropriate time, drop him a pair of +1 Quickloading Wand Chambered Repeating Crossbows that require someone of his alignment and race to use them, adjusting the price's for them per the DMG. Maybe drop him a Melee weapon of some nature along the same lines to use when shooting isn't an issue.

Now, a bit later that session, drop a pair of custom magic items in his lap that eat the wand slot on wand chambered items, and imbue them with a CL 20 Magic Missle when activated. When in stalled on a crossbow, the activation is pulling the trigger, and they bestow it to the bolt that was just shot. Tell him to just remember to keep buying lot's of ammo so he's always got a fresh "mag" handy, and enjoy every attack that hit's getting +5d4+5 force damage. At around 11-12th level, upgrade it to be empowered. At around 16th-17th level, upgrade it to be maximized.

He's not able to get shots off, afford keeping his weapons relevantly enchanted, and deal enough damage per hit that get's through that it matters. (5d4+5 isn't much as a standard action. As bonus damage to an attack that's part of a full attack involving Rapid shot and TWF chain and possibly if you wanna be generous Two weapon rend and speed property on both weapons or a custom item of haste along with another custom job that let's haste apply extra attacks to all wielded weapons and letting rapid shot apply to both crossbows, maybe even as he get's up in levels a custom Item of Splitting, that damage becomes excellent, even more so as it get's upped to 7d4+7 form empowered, and then too a flat 35 points of auto damage form maximize at high levels.)

He'll be powerful enough that his trick shouldn't be totally useless as the party gains levels. But trust me, this won't be broken at the levels it's happening at.

[Lightlawbliss]

another possibility is using a pair of custom magic items of launch bolt (http://dndtools.eu/spells/magic-of-faerun--20/launch-bolt--1769/) with latter versions having a dm mod of taking an attack action to use instead of standard, or making it act like a more powerfull c-bow. The item could be a heavy c-bow for cosmetics.