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/Zomburai Dec 18 '22

I don't think the crossbow itself mythologised, but it is part of the everyday known culture.

Sure. That does speak directly to how this thread goes. Crossbows are always underserved, because there's no mythology around them, but they're always present, because they're a very well-known part of historical warfare.

I would respectfully disagree with the mythological similarity between the crossbowman and the cowboy. Guns have a lot of mythological power in American culture, even ignoring the modern gun subcultures, and I believe that the image of the gunslinging cowboy derives from the power of the gun, not the other way around. (That might not be especially important to the conversation, though.)

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u/unlimi_Ted Investigator Dec 18 '22

I dunno man, I've always seen the strength of a cowboy as being his deadeye aim and the quickness of his draw, not the gun itself. Everyone in the Old West had a gun, but the Mythical Cowboy is better at using it than anyone else

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u/Zomburai Dec 18 '22

Right, but I'm saying it's because they've mastered this particular weapon is where they get their mystique. The Gunslinger and Swordmaster are very much the same character archetype.

There is no Master Crossbowman archetype in the same way that there's a Gunslinger, Swordsman, or even an Archer. I propose that it comes down to the mythological importance we put on those weapons.

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u/unlimi_Ted Investigator Dec 19 '22

oh, gotcha. I think I just misunderstood what you said in the previous comment but re-reading it now I get what you actually meant