Is the bows, long and short bow, are the only option for a Fighter Arcane Archer to use their abilities? Or can a crossbow be allowed, if done so under agreement with the DM?
RAW the class states the features work with shortbow and longbow. Perhaps this was intentional design because of crossbow expert either ignoring loading property or being able to bonus action attack with light crossbow or maybe its because of the heavy crossbow damage die. I think you can ask the DM if it could be allowed. Is there a reason you want to use a crossbow instead of a normal bow?
Made a character for a rwby-theme dnd group and plan to have him be a fighter AA, but I have made his custom weapon be able to change into a crossbow from either a sword or battle axe. So that a slight issue with AA at the moment for me.
Made a character for a rwby-theme dnd group and plan to have him be a fighter AA, but I have made his custom weapon be able to change into a crossbow from either a sword or battle axe. So that a slight issue with AA at the moment for me.
Just ask your DM if it would be allowed. Nothing a stranger online posts about allowing something will change the RAW. The only way you can get by this is to talk to your DM. It seems like a table problem. You may have to make concessions like not taking crossbow expert. Maybe you can flavor a longbow as a transforming crossbow. Just ask no harm in trying.
Shaylic nailed it, you just need to clarify with your DM on this. From what I can see online, it's never been clarified further than "It wasn't an oversight" to exclude crossbows from the Arcane Archer subclass, so I don't understand why it was left out. Just take some time with your DM to figure out the logistics of whether it would be too cumbersome to allow it.
Worst case scenario you get to redesign a curved blade or something that could function as a shortbow.
Sage advice Mike mearls said it was balance reasons, an oversight so sounds to me like they just forgot crossbows existed. (Edit) just found one with Jeremy Crawford saying it wasn't an oversight so... *Shrug*
What about a blow gun and/or sling? Would that be stepping over the line a bit, because I mean it says that you need arrows to do the magic arrow thing but what about a blow gun needle or a sling bullet to use the magical effect for instead of arrows? I would love to try this subclass but I would like to use a blow gun since I have never used it before.
What about a blow gun and/or sling? Would that be stepping over the line a bit, because I mean it says that you need arrows to do the magic arrow thing but what about a blow gun needle or a sling bullet to use the magical effect for instead of arrows? I would love to try this subclass but I would like to use a blow gun since I have never used it before.
As the people said above, by RAW, you need a longbow or a short bow. If you want to use something else, you need DM approval. Personally, I would probably allow a blowgun, since it is objectively weaker than a bow, and it’s not a weapon as much as it’s a poison delivery system, so it’s not like you are trying to powergame. But what someone on the internet would allow is irrelevant. Ask your DM.
Is the bows, long and short bow, are the only option for a Fighter Arcane Archer to use their abilities? Or can a crossbow be allowed, if done so under agreement with the DM?
RAW the class states the features work with shortbow and longbow. Perhaps this was intentional design because of crossbow expert either ignoring loading property or being able to bonus action attack with light crossbow or maybe its because of the heavy crossbow damage die. I think you can ask the DM if it could be allowed. Is there a reason you want to use a crossbow instead of a normal bow?
Your secret is safe with my indifference - Percy
Made a character for a rwby-theme dnd group and plan to have him be a fighter AA, but I have made his custom weapon be able to change into a crossbow from either a sword or battle axe. So that a slight issue with AA at the moment for me.
Just ask your DM if it would be allowed. Nothing a stranger online posts about allowing something will change the RAW. The only way you can get by this is to talk to your DM. It seems like a table problem. You may have to make concessions like not taking crossbow expert. Maybe you can flavor a longbow as a transforming crossbow. Just ask no harm in trying.
Your secret is safe with my indifference - Percy
Shaylic nailed it, you just need to clarify with your DM on this. From what I can see online, it's never been clarified further than "It wasn't an oversight" to exclude crossbows from the Arcane Archer subclass, so I don't understand why it was left out. Just take some time with your DM to figure out the logistics of whether it would be too cumbersome to allow it.
Worst case scenario you get to redesign a curved blade or something that could function as a shortbow.
Sage advice Mike mearls said it was balance reasons, an oversight so sounds to me like they just forgot crossbows existed. (Edit) just found one with Jeremy Crawford saying it wasn't an oversight so... *Shrug*
What about a blow gun and/or sling? Would that be stepping over the line a bit, because I mean it says that you need arrows to do the magic arrow thing but what about a blow gun needle or a sling bullet to use the magical effect for instead of arrows? I would love to try this subclass but I would like to use a blow gun since I have never used it before.
As the people said above, by RAW, you need a longbow or a short bow. If you want to use something else, you need DM approval. Personally, I would probably allow a blowgun, since it is objectively weaker than a bow, and it’s not a weapon as much as it’s a poison delivery system, so it’s not like you are trying to powergame. But what someone on the internet would allow is irrelevant. Ask your DM.
Will do. Thanks.