Horseback Bow?
 

Hello,
Which bow can be used from horseback? Longbow, regular bow, short bow, composite bow, crossbow, pistol crossbow, or prodd?

Thanks,
Paolo

Re: Horseback Bow?
 

Yes.

To expand on that, any of them could be, though I believe that the longbow and regular bow - especially the longbow - might be more difficult than the others (and a composite bow is a type of construction, not a size, so like the crossbow it depends on that specific weapon, not on the general type).

Re: Horseback Bow?
 

The longbow and regular bow might need to be constructed like a Japanese bow, with the grip about 1/3 of the way up from the bottom instead of at the halfway point.

Re: Horseback Bow?
 

Relevant book/page references for rules on this topic may be found under Horse Archery, 4e Basic p231, Attacking From Moving Vehicle or Mount, 4e Basic p548, as well as Combat Riding, 4e Martial Arts p69 and Mounted Shooting, 4e Martial Arts p77.

Re: Horseback Bow?
 

Possibly. There are other options, like holding it at an angle or standing in the saddle, but those would be a bit awkward, I think.

Re: Horseback Bow?
 

A longbow is according to a book about traditional bows nearly as long as the archer. It should be as long as the distance between the fingertips of both hands, when you stretch out your arms. That makes shooting even standing in the stirrups very difficult. Most bows who were invented as horsebows, are no longer than1,2 m if they are symmetric. If the bow is longer the horse neck will make aiming difficult, and you can not follow your target from left to right without disturbance.

As for crossbow use while staying mounted, every crossbow which can be reloaded without mechanical help is a potential weapon on horseback. Maybe you should consider to allow only crossbows that needs a bit less STR than the PCs have, because you can use only the muscle power of your arms.

Re: Horseback Bow?
 

Crossbows include a stirrup to assist in loading, so you can probaby reload it on horseback without any issues as long as the horse is not moving faster than a walk. It would be amusingly difficult while galloping away from the enemy, a -4 to Riding rolls and any Fast-Draw rolls. Of course, shooting at an enemy behind you while on a galloping horse is quite difficult, so you need to be exceptional anyway.

Re: Horseback Bow?
 

Historical or modern?

Historic
Short bow, Composite Short Bow, or the various crossbows (at least one shot if its already loaded).

Being at least familiar with horse riding and proficient with bows, there is almost no way you could accurately shoot, or frankly even fully draw a long bow (which is the only way to shoot a bow accurately)
You might be able to shoot some of the smaller varieties of "regular" bow, though you would probably only be able to in specific angles from your bow hand side.

If you want to play a game of "what could I maybe do", then Im sure a case could be made for any particular brand of craziness at a high enough difficulty modifier.

Modern
Its more about the size of the bow, a compact compound bow would honestly be the ideal if you had to shoot a bow from horseback. A full size bow of any variety would be the same issue as a long bow.

Crossbows of course you can shoot, but reloading will be the same challenge it would be doing it while riding a bike or other equally difficult situations.

Re: Horseback Bow?
 

I could be wrong, but that seems contrary to the facts of Japanese samurai archery.

Re: Horseback Bow?
 

The asymmetric Japanese bows are a sufficiently odd special case that it may be reasonable to call them a different weapon.