Solid metal crossbow-bolts

[malloyd]

Originally Posted by Ottriman

We are scaling up damage and hp logarithmically by the way, not just lift. The base thrust we got was 6d, and that was before the damage modifier of the weapon itself!

Our only problem is that this manner of absurd draw weight (40 times the draw weight of a ST 10 crossbow) wouldn't lend itself to conventional crossbow bolts.

I don't know what you are using as a scaling law, but a weapon that can deliver 6d that stores energy as spring tension will need to have a spring weighing a dozen pounds or more even if it's made of really good stuff like rubber or spider silk. If it uses metal springs, it will weigh considerably over a hundred pounds.

1. Would a normal crossbow bolt even be able to survive being launched from this monstrosity?
2. If a crossbow bolt were made out a dense and strong metal like steel or bronze all the way through, how would that modify the weapons stats?

You probably aren't going to fire something of "normal" crossbow bolt size out of a spring gun that will deliver 6d, it's going to need to be heavier and probably longer. But you should be able to make such a 6d projectile out of wood or fiberglass easily enough. Not that all metal would be a particularly weird composition for a crossbow bolt. Or that there is any obvious reason making a crossbow bolt out of solid metal would alter it's performance significantly. The thing you probably do need to change is the string - if the draw length is similar, you're putting 8 or 10 times the tension on it, hemp cord probably isn't going to hold up, you're going to need something tougher, or actual rope thicknesses.