A case for crossbows for the Urban Fantasy Vigilante

[WaterAndWindSpirit]

So let's assume you are an Urban Fantasy vigilante. Let's get the base assumptions out of the way: some phenomenon makes it so that most people cannot recognize the existence of magic. As such, terrorists throwing fireballs in public places, rapists using mind altering spells, peddlers of alchemical addictive drugs, magical assassins and others of their ilk will never get convicted due to lack of evidence, and the police and military will never be truly prepared for paranormal threats. Thus you (and potentially your friends), being aware of the magical nature of the world, have become vigilante(s).

Now using guns may be an obvious choice, but crossbows could be a decent choice.

Using a regular composite crossbow (available since TL 6), if your ST is between 10 and 15, you'll deal between 2D and 2D+2 of Impaling damage, with just regular ammo. Exotic ammo could produce better results, but we will come back to it later.

Crossbow is an Easy skill to learn. The big advantage of crossbows over guns is that crossbows have no LC. Automatic guns are LC 2, semi auto are LC 3. Therefore, crossbows are less legally controlled than guns. It becomes a big advantage because if you want to legally purchase a gun, you need at least a license and if people start dying from gunshot wounds the cops will start looking for suspects who own guns that could have shot the ammunition you use.

Another advantage of crossbow is that they are less noisy weapons that unsuppressed guns. Suppressors, and silent ammo are highly restricted items. If you shoot someone with legally acquired suppressors and silent ammo, the list of suspects is gonna be a short one. If, on the other hand, you use black market equipment, you risk getting caught with highly illegal contraband. Using a crossbow, you can pretend to be a hunter and sell enough meat between missions to give yourself a cover story should you be subject to a control. Enough hunters use hunting crossbows that it could work.

Crossbows also leave behind less evidence than guns. Ammunition cases and rounds buried deep inside your enemies' flesh have some evidence linking to your gun, like the rifling twist on the bullets or the unique patterns left on the casing by the firing pin. While killing with crossbows is less common than with guns, it is harder to match a given bolt to a given crossbow. Just be careful not to leave fingerprints, or worse, DNA evidence on them.

A crossbow and bolts could be carried in a specially made padded briefcase to attract less attention.

Lastly, exotic ammunition is easier to make than for guns. Myth Busters proved that while silver bullets are possible to create, they are a nightmare to actually craft. Silver and Cold iron rounds could at the very least increase maintenance requirements on your guns. Using a wood tipped bolt as an impromptu stake is more practical than wooden bullets, and if you know an armorer in the know, glass bolts could be cheap but deadlier than regular bolts.

So... How am I doing so far?

[Refplace]

Pretty good overall.
You may also find it easier to smuggle a crossbow, especially if it comes apart.
Shorter range really isnt an issue for most urban environments.
However the LC does vary, some places make them illegal or require a permit.

[tbone]

Daryl Dixon gives your thoughts a thumbs-up (and an approving yet dispassionate grunt).

[Christopher R. Rice]

You can also stake vampires with wood arrows sans arrowheads. That's useful in pretty much any situation when dealing with the undead.

[benz72]

Rate of fire and bulk are not great. Make sure you use it only in appropriate circumstances.

[mr beer]

Most of these sound good on paper but the reality is that people who fight in urban environments overwhelmingly choose guns over crossbows.

The one that could work is specialist ammo, specifically wood because wooden bullets are a total PITA.

A few other ways if you want crossbows to be favoured:

- Critters are resistant to guns but not crossbow bolts
- Low tech weapons can be enchanted and guns can't
- There are a whole bunch of nasty magical ammunition options - for low tech weapons only

[Dalillama]

Originally Posted by mr beer

Most of these sound good on paper but the reality is that people who fight in urban environments overwhelmingly choose guns over crossbows.

In reality, most people who fight in urban environments don't have the particular needs of urban fantasy vigilantes, in that they are usually soldiers in a war, who are allowed to carry guns and engage in urban combat, police SWAT teams likewise, members of criminal organizations which have resources to avoid legal retribution, and people who have given up on there being a significant future after they start shooting. Hunting werewolves in NYC is a whole other kettle of fish.

[Dustin]

If you're world-building, then yes, it's absolutely possible to make crossbows a very viable choice compared to guns for a magical vigilante type. You'll need to overcome the crossbow's drawbacks though (get it, "drawbacks"? sorry.)

bulk - their shape makes them far more difficult to conceal on your person than any comparable firearm

rate of fire - that second shot is going to be MUCH slower than typical TL6 firearms. Don't miss.

Your points about leaving evidence behind work both ways. It's not possible to match a bolt to a crossbow, but its rarity will make it stand out.

I advise leaning heavily on the magic angle if you want this to be as good an option as TL6 firearms. Impaling damage is already preferable to piercing damage if zombies or other corporeal dead are a concern, so there is that as well.

[mr beer]

Originally Posted by Dalillama

In reality, most people who fight in urban environments don't have the particular needs of urban fantasy vigilantes, in that they are usually soldiers in a war, who are allowed to carry guns and engage in urban combat, police SWAT teams likewise, members of criminal organizations which have resources to avoid legal retribution, and people who have given up on there being a significant future after they start shooting. Hunting werewolves in NYC is a whole other kettle of fish.

Most of the advantages stated would be advantages for anyone who is not official law enforcement: LC, quiet, less evidence, easier to smuggle. But in the real world, they choose guns.

It's not until we get into specific properties against the supernatural that we start stacking up reasons for these guys to use crossbows.

[khorboth]

A disadvantage might be the cost of ammunition. Due to low demand and the large amount of material, crossbow bolts are much more expensive than firearm ammunition.

An advantage in a fantasy setting may be that it is obvious if it's been tampered with. Magic may be able to mess with the internal workings of a pistol in a subtle way, but a cursory inspection of a crossbow is much more likely to spot sabotage.