MrScafuto 34 Share Posted March 24, 2015 Generally it seems people have a lack of knowledge on crossbows, as with bows; so I created this thread to aid in understanding that very thing. Backstory: Despite what some people believe, and what they may have you believe, the crossbow has existed for a very long time. Where, and when the crossbow was invented is unknown, but it is believed to have been created by the chinese around 5th century BC. Mechanics/how it works: While there are many variants of the crossbow (Which will be detailed below) most share a fairly similar mechanism. Essentially it is a bow on a stick, that has a catch and release system. Depending on the draw strength of the crossbow it will usually have a crank, not unlike the one in the above diagram. It uses a pulley system of sorts, thus when you start to crank the crannequin it begins to pull the string towards the nut/catch. Some you pull up using your hands(The more basic ones, and the ones that don't have high draw strength.) Others are like the above diagram, where you use a Crannequin, and some even use the windlass system. Either way, however, if it is two-handed it is going to have stirrup which is for aiding in reloading. You place the stirrup on the ground (so the crossbow is aiming downwards), you then place a foot through, and begin cranking; this is to help stabilize it when cranking. After you finish cranking, you may load a bolt, raise it, and aim. To fire off a bolt, you squeeze lever/trigger, which causes the nut/catch to release, thus sending a powerful and accurate projectile towards whoever is unfortunate enough to be in the way. Draw strength: Draw strength is the pounds of force stored in the bow, and the bowstring. So 100 lbs of draw strength, is effectively 100 pounds of force, so (With bows) you'll need to be able to pull back 100 lbs using arm/shoulder strength. The way the crossbow is designed, it uses a lever/crank system, making it much easier to pull back enormous amounts of draw strength. Note: The higher the draw strength, and the larger the crossbow, the more noise it will generate. Arrows? No; bolts/Quarrel: Crossbows don't use arrows like bows do, and there is a difference between the two. Quarrel usually aren't as long as arrows, sometimes they can be heavier than arrows as well, especially if the crossbow firing it is a strong one (High draw strength). That is to add to the power, and penetrating quality of the bolt. Crossbow Variants: The Arbalest A larger, 'newer', and more powerful version of the typical crossbow, there was no armour the arbalest couldn't pierce. Depending on design, and preference, the Arbalest used the windlass pulley system (As seen above.) It is placed on the ground, like you would normally load a crossbow and you pull the cranks. It isn't the initial cranking that is the slow part. After you wind it up (And have the string pulled back) you take the windlass off, load a bolt and then can aim and fire (The arbalest tends to be loud.). To reload, you must unwind the windlass, re-attach it to the crossbow, crank, and then load it. Depending on how skilled you are, and how fast, I reckon you could get 2 bolts off in a minute. The draw strength of an arbalest can be quite high, the ones that use a windlass (For easier pulling) can be up to 1250 lbs of draw strength, sometimes higher. "Chu-ko-nu/repeating crossbow" The repeating crossbow The Chu-ko-nu, more commonly known as the repeating crossbow, was created by the chinese to improve the firing speed of a crossbow. It has a magazine containing several bolts on the top of the bow, which aids in the rapid firing(the magazine, can be seen in the picture above as: A ). The repeating crossbow may be fired, and reloaded by simply pushing, and pulling on the lever (As seen above: C) one hand holds the crossbow handle, and the other: the lever. The weapon was extremely easy to manufacture and use, and, in the hands of a trained soldier, could easily launch ten bolts in fifteen seconds. Though, it has small and light ammunition, so its accuracy and power would pale greatly in comparison to the arbalest. Now that we have the description of crossbows out of the way, I will explain how to apply to Roleplay, and a few basic rules to follow. If you read the information provided, that will help in the use of a crossbow in Roleplay, however it is still a weapon, and some rules would apply to it. Crossbows and commoners?: Because of the design of a crossbow, the military/guard are the ones who you will be seeing using it the most. They'd be fairly expensive, depending on the crossbow. Your 'regular' crossbow could be possible to get, probably for a more wealthy commoner. I doubt you'd be able to buy an arbalest, considering that it'd most likely be a military weapon. I doubt the violet order/guards would carry arbalests, it just isn't practical. The repeating crossbow would probably be expensive as well, and quite rare, it is a Chinese made weapon. Shooting people: Crossbows fire in more of a straight line than bows, making them more accurate in a way (In certain circumstances). The bolt flies fast, the crossbow produces kickback (Especially the arbalest), and it is noisy. Despite being more accurate in a straight shot, that doesn't mean you'd be able to fire into a crowd, and hit the one person you aim at. There is a chance you may hit them, but there is also a chance you may hit poor little johnny instead. Also, if you get hit by a crossbow bolt, it will hurt, it will possibly kill you (Depending on where it hit) and it certainly isn't something you can ignore easily. Distance/range?: Just like any projectile, be it an arrow, a knife, etc.. It has a limited range, sure a crossbow can fire far, but eventually it'll lose speed and start to slow down, thus causing it to drop. Wind, and other weather changes can effect the bolt; while it does fly faster, and more powerfully than arrow it is still slower than a bullet (Bullets are still effected by wind, and such as well, just in case you didn't know). Last note: Armour penatration: Depending on the distance, the draw strength, and the armour; the crossbow is more than capable of punching through most armour. Leather won't stop an arrow from a bow, so it won't stop a crossbow bolt, and neither will chain. Plate armour will keep you from being injured by an arrow from a bow, but not a crossbow (Especially if it is an arbalest). If you get shot by an arbalest, in the chest, you're dead.. Even if you are wearing pull plate. I know it is a lot of information, but there you are.. If you have any questions, please ask. I also hope this helped you in gathering information on the crossbow, for Roleplay or otherwise. 10 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
excited 10833 Share Posted March 24, 2015 Thanks! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TavernLich 324 Share Posted March 24, 2015 Amazing! Though I believe this should be put in the guides section. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrScafuto 34 Author Share Posted March 24, 2015 Amazing! Though I believe this should be put in the guides section. Well, I wasn’t entirely sure where to put this, so I put this in the Lore Idea’s section just incase crossbows weren’t a thing. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MamaBearJade 2088 Share Posted March 24, 2015 Well, I wasn’t entirely sure where to put this, so I put this in the Lore Idea’s section just incase crossbows weren’t a thing. We have crossbows on LotC, but this is good information for others ^^ 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TavernLich 324 Share Posted March 24, 2015 Oh, crossbows are a thing. We have arbalests and the repeating crossbows here as well as other weird RP creations. EDIT: … aaaannnndddd Jade beat me to it :C But yes, this is an extremely helpful guide, especially the repeating crossbow since the concept of it was hard to wrap my mind around. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrScafuto 34 Author Share Posted March 24, 2015 We have crossbows on LotC, but this is good information for others ^^ Oh, crossbows are a thing. We have arbalests and the repeating crossbows here as well as other weird RP creations. EDIT: … aaaannnndddd Jade beat me to it :C But yes, this is an extremely helpful guide, especially the repeating crossbow since the concept of it was hard to wrap my mind around. Well, thanks! I then request that this be maybe moved into the guides section, if thats possible. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dohvi 622 Share Posted March 24, 2015 Moved to roleplaying guides. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Althidon 16 Share Posted March 24, 2015 Great guide!This one goes to the newbs who fire arrows out of arbalests. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hjgklmn0ajuvxc 688 Share Posted March 24, 2015 hello mick.... we meet again, this time not in central texas, sadly. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anderssn 1115 Share Posted March 24, 2015 To be honest I don't even want to see people RPing a Chu-Ko-Nu on lotc. Anyway, I think you could add some more examples on variations and comparing it to a bow. Note: "Woow crossbow so much more power!" You also have to look at the differences on the draw length. With a crossbow the draw length is shorter which means less time for the bolt to accelerate. Everybody knows crossbows are slower to reload, but with a lighter crossbow and a pull lever you can reload and fire pretty quickly. But when using a windlass lever for a heavier crossbow, it's going to take much longer time. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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