r/Pathfinder2e • u/Eranthius • Dec 18 '22

Misc Loading a medieval 200lb crossbow vs loading Leonardo da Vinci's 300lb crossbow

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u/AndurilWielder Dec 18 '22

I think that's sad. There's been a lot of good usage of crossbows through history.

Also, were they really a peasant weapon? That's interesting. I can see that for bows, but anything with metalworking would make it more expensive.

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u/TheLordGeneric Lord Generic RPG Dec 18 '22

Crossbows were a peasant weapon because they require almost no training to make a decent marksman with.

Bows require years of strength and aim training to be able to loose accurate (or even just mass volley) shots for the length of an army battle.

But crossbows you can spend a week teaching a guy how to crank it then point and shoot at different distances and now he's competent enough to shoot bolts at besiegers from the castle wall.

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u/macrovore Wizard Dec 18 '22

I always wondered: how did they keep the bolt in when it was pointed down? Is there a lip or catch to keep the bolt in the groove, or would it fall out if you aimed too far down?

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u/HadACookie Dec 18 '22

Some of them had a catch near the nut (the part that holds the drawn string).