TL;DR: Heavy Crossbows have so many limitations that it is barely possible to make them work from level 1. Even when you do, you sacrifice a lot in order to turn a D8 into a D10. Is it worth it?
For a new character I wanted to play with a heavy crossbow. When trying to actually build it I quickly ran into several limitations on what I can do. The first limit is race, anything size small or smaller is immediately off the table due to the Heavy property. The second limit is the class limit due to the Martial weapon property, this limits the list to.
Barbarian
Fighter
Paladin
Ranger
(Hexblade) Warlock
Of these 5 options there's a couple that fall off due to class features. Most of the offensive barbarians features only work with melee attacks, Paladins and Divine Smite have the same problem. With the nature of the Hexblade Warlock, you can only have a heavy crossbow as your pact weapon from level 3 where you unlock the pact of the blade boon and take the improved pact weapon evocation.
That leaves the fighter and the ranger, which immediately hit the third limit, Starting equipment. Only the fighter gets access to a free selection of a martial weapon in the starting equipment, for convenience lets assume the 20 bolts are included. The ranger would have to forgo starting equipment and rely on the wealth feature, which if you get the worst roll means only 50 gold which is exactly the cost of a heavy crossbow. Let's assume the average of 2.5 per die, so 12.5 times 10 equals 125 gold, with that amount it can be done.
The fourth limit is the loading property. This can only be removed with the crossbow expert feat, if your table doesn't employ this optional rule then you basically nullify the extra attacks feature. There's a work around for rangers with the beast master archetype where you can make 1 attack every time you use your action to order your beast to attack. Even if your table uses feats you have to sacrifice your first ASI to take it in order to make use of your extra attacks.
The fifth (minor) limit is archetype, the arcane archer fighter class specifies short or long bows, even though all the magic is applied to the arrows and not the weapon.
Conclusion, In order to make the crossbow work from level 1, you have to limit your racial picks, your class pick, your archetype pick and, depending on your class and archetype pick, you have to give up your first ASI to do more then 1 attack from level 5 on. Is it even worth it to make these sacrifices to turn a D8 into a D10? Are we meant to play with a crossbow?
Not sure that a heavy crossbow has ever been a great choice of starting weapon, regardless of edition...
Aside from the starting equipment the heavy crossbow actually gets worse over time as the loading property doesn't really kick in until you unlock extra attacks.
Yeah, but it doesn't get you that sweet sweet (apparently) d10.
Elf Weapon Training also allows you to be proficient in the longbow regardless of class. What races besides hobgoblin allow you starting proficiency with the heavy crossbow? Variant Human, I guess. Anything else? Our DM surprised us with an armed, armored hobgoblin necromancer recently, that was a good time.
1) there are several races that give proficiency with Martial Weapons, which will take the burden off of class selection in that regard. However, it's not an extensive list...
2) You have ignored several classes that do not have Martial Weapons baked into the level 1 features, but gain it later or separately through subclass specialization. Several of the Divine Domains for Cleric give Martial Weapons, as does the Battlesmith Artificer. Valor Bards also get Martial Weapons.
I'd also point out that certain classes do not have access to Extra Attack, but still have access to Martial Weapons. The Twilight Domain Cleric, in particular, has Martial Weapons but does not get Extra Attack. More than that, the Divine Strike feature (or Smite Lite, as it were) does not require a melee weapon, simply a weapon, so it would apply to a Heavy Crossbow. War Domain Clerics have the same setup, but with a different suite of Features and an alternate Expanded Spell List.
And while Valor Bards do get Extra Attack once, rolling back into the Crossbow Master problem, at 14th level they get a nice bonus that when they cast a spell they can make a weapon attack as a Bonus Action, which could be made using a Heavy Crossbow depending on how your hands are managing your Focus/Component Pouch.
But ultimately Longbow doesn't have the loading property and so does work with extra attack. That means the weapon isn't horrifically behind from level 5+ as you can still make two attacks, you need a specific feat to do the same thing with Heavy Crossbow and that same feat prefers hand crossbow, allowing hand crossbow to make an attack as a bonus action if you only made attacks with a one handed weapon (which hand crossbow itself counts as). Mix this with sharpshooter, heavy crossbow just doesn't compete.
Let's say that you start with 17 Dex going for elf fighter battlemaster and you are targeting something with an AC of 17 how much damage do you do with these different weapons and feats?
Heavy Crossbow
level 1 - 1d10 + 3 with a 45% chance to hit (avg damage per round 3.825)
level 4 (sharpshooter) 1d10 + 13 with a 20% chance to hit (avg damage per round 3.7)
level 5 (ASI) 1d10+4 with a 55% chance to hit (avg damage per round 5.225)
level 5 (crossbow expert) 1d10+3 with a 50% to hit and two attacks (avg damage per round 8.5)
Level 5 (sharpshooter) 1d10+13 with a 25% chance to hit (avg damage per round 4.625)
level 6 (ASI*2) 1d10 +5 with a 60% chance to hit (avg damage per round 6.3)
level 6 (ASI + Crossbow expert) 1d10+4 with a 55% chance to hit and two attacks (avg damage per round 10.45)
level 6 (ASI + sharpshooter) 1d10+14 with a 30% chance to hit (avg damage per round 5.85)
level 6 (crossbow expert + sharpshooter) 1d10+13 with a 25% chance to hit and two attacks (avg damage per round 9.5)
Clearly here, Crossbow expert wins and even ASI beats out sharpshooter, however sharpshooter has other benefits which are hard to model here and battlemaster further gives benefits in favor of sharpshooter. ignoring half and three-quarters cover can be big, making longer ranged attacks too.
Longbow
level 1 - 1d8 + 3 with a 45% chance to hit (avg damage per round 3.375)
level 4 (ASI) - 1d8 + 4 with a 50% chance to hit (avg damage per round 4.25)
level 4 (sharpshooter) - 1d8 +13 with a 20% chance to hit (avg damage per round 3.5)
level 5 (ASI) - 1d8+4 with a 55% chance to hit with two attacks (avg damage per round 9.35)
level 5 (sharpshooter) - 1d8+13 with a 25% chance to hit and two attacks (avg damage per round 8.75)
level 6 (ASI*2) - 1d8+5 with a 60% chance to hit and two attacks (avg damage per round 11.4)
level 6 (ASI+sharpshooter) - 1d8 + 14 with a 30% chance to hit and two attacks (avg damage per round 11.1)
Again, sharpshooter has other benefits. ignoring half and three-quarters cover can be big.
Lastly Hand crossbow
level 1 - 1d6 + 3 with a 45% chance to hit (avg damage per round 2.925)
level 4 (ASI) - 1d6 + 4 with a 50% chance to hit (avg damage per round 3.75)
level 4 (crossbow expert) - 1d6 +3 with a 45% chance to hit and bonus action attack (avg damage per round 5.85)
level 4 (sharpshooter) - 1d6 +13 with a 20% chance to hit (avg damage per round 3.3)
level 5 (ASI) - 1d6 + 4 with a 55% chance to hit (avg damage per round 4.125)
level 5 (crossbow expert) 1d6+3 with a 50% chance to hit, two attacks and bonus action attack (avg damage per round 9.75)
level 5 (sharpshooter) 1d6+13 with a 25% chance to hit (avg damage per round 4.125)
level 6 (ASI*2) - 1d6+5 with a 60% chance to hit (avg damage per round 5.1)
level 6 (ASI+crossbow expert) 1d6+4 with a 55% chance to hit, two attacks and a bonus action attack (avg damage per round 12.375)
level 6 (ASI+sharpshooter) 1d6+14 with a 30% chance to hit (avg damage per round 5.25)
level 6 (crossbow expert+sharpshoorter) 1d6+13 with a 25% chance to hit (avg damage per round 12.375)
So what we get as the best results here at level 6 is
Heavy crossbow - 10.45 (ASI + Crossbow expert)
Longbow - 11.4 (ASI*2)
Hand crossbow - 12.375 (ASI+crossbow expert OR crossbow expert+sharpshoorter)
So if you don't use optional feats, longbow obviously wins but also, if you want a back-up ranged weapon then longbow essentially requires less investment since you need no specified feats and instead increase your dexterity. As this is assuming a starting DEX of 17, one of those ASIs could also be a feat that can boost dexterity as well, such as Elven Accuracy.
If you want to focus ranged and use feats then hand crossbow easily wins and it's really not much of a surprise, it just has straight up better action economy and is ultimately the most reliable weapon pick here. Action surge does prefer the longbow option however but given the limited usage of action surge.
Further too this, sharpshooter is heavily hit by that -5 to attack rolls, lower ACs would significantly improve sharpshooter and also the archery fighting style for it's +2 attack would also give some much needed benefit to sharpshooter. Obviously the -5 attack for +10 damage is optional per attack but far more often than not, you'll get more average damage from using it.
Not going to go as far as mapping out a spreadsheet for these additional details but it'll highlight that heavy crossbow is unfortunately lacking and that you require crossbow expert for it to ever compare to longbow, post level 5.
Surprised the archery fighting archetype even works for crossbows. I also noticed a kensei monk can eventually make a light crossbow their weapon but not a heavy crossbow. So a hand/light crossbow can be immediately magical for them, but an arcane shot or flame arrow wont do anything. So heavy crossbows are never magical?
Some of it will depend on build. Hand Crossbow has a much smaller range than any of the other options and any build that has a bonus action option that would regularly compete (Hunter's Mark, Hex, rogues or monks that use their respective dash, disengage, or hide/dodge options, or kensei monks' Kensei Shot) with crossbow expert's bonus action would prefer the d8 of the Longbow or Light Crossbow or the d10 of the Heavy Crossbow. Additionally, crit fishers will favor the higher damage dice if they can afford the crossbow expert or get access to something like a repeating crossbow.
As for classes, something like heavy crossbow will probably favor multiclass builds and a one to four level dip in fighter to start to grab the proficiency, second wind, archery fighting style, potentially a higher hit die for some number of levels, action surge, a martial archetype and perhaps the ASI to keep on track (or even up to 6 or 8 to grab the extra attack, two more ASIs and whatever other feature comes at 7) is not a bad option.
Depending on starting area, a DM might let you start with starting gear, sell off some number of items and purchase a crossbow.
However, much of what you mentioned is true generally. Heavy Crossbow is much more specialized and losing 1 average point of damage per hit to go down to the longbow or light crossbow or 2 average points of damage per hit to grab the shortbow or hand crossbow is not often going to be a big deal, particularly in builds that can make up the difference elsewhere or that prioritize other feats or ASI increases.
You put far too many limitations on it, such as being able to start with it /and/ multi-attack with it even though characters can't multi-attack until level 5 in most cases anyways.
Heavy crossbow works fine, it's just /always/ a viable pick.
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Any time an unfathomably powerful entity sweeps in and offers godlike rewards in return for just a few teensy favors, it’s a scam. Unless it’s me. I’d never lie to you, reader dearest.
You have ignored several classes that do not have Martial Weapons baked into the level 1 features, but gain it later or separately through subclass specialization. Several of the Divine Domains for Cleric give Martial Weapons, as does the Battlesmith Artificer. Valor Bards also get Martial Weapons.
Pretty sure the Artificer gets Heavy Crossbow Proficiency at Lv1, regardless of sub-class.
You have ignored several classes that do not have Martial Weapons baked into the level 1 features, but gain it later or separately through subclass specialization. Several of the Divine Domains for Cleric give Martial Weapons, as does the Battlesmith Artificer. Valor Bards also get Martial Weapons.
Pretty sure the Artificer gets Heavy Crossbow Proficiency at Lv1, regardless of sub-class.
I know for a fact it does not as I had to specifically add it and the longbow to a homebrewed subclass I made for them.
You have ignored several classes that do not have Martial Weapons baked into the level 1 features, but gain it later or separately through subclass specialization. Several of the Divine Domains for Cleric give Martial Weapons, as does the Battlesmith Artificer. Valor Bards also get Martial Weapons.
Pretty sure the Artificer gets Heavy Crossbow Proficiency at Lv1, regardless of sub-class.
When they were UA but lost heavy and hand crossbow with published version, they got nerfed.
The heavy crossbow is like the just racked shotgun, an intimidation move to get inexperienced fighters to back down. I'm sure you can work that in somewhere through a home-brew mechanic.
Heavy Crossbow doesn't need any kind of homebrew support. It needs realistic expectations. OP doesn't want to use a feat so he can multi-attack after level 5, although crossbow expert exists. OP doesn't want to purchase one on say, a martial weapons cleric after level 1 even though gold exists to spend. OP is upset that there aren't any non-multiattackers that can get a heavy xbow at level 1, and that is an unrealistic expectation. Nearly all characters who get martial weapons, also get to multi-attack...because attacking with weapons is what they do.
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Any time an unfathomably powerful entity sweeps in and offers godlike rewards in return for just a few teensy favors, it’s a scam. Unless it’s me. I’d never lie to you, reader dearest.
Heavy Crossbow doesn't need any kind of homebrew support. It needs realistic expectations. OP doesn't want to use a feat so he can multi-attack after level 5, although crossbow expert exists. OP doesn't want to purchase one on say, a martial weapons cleric after level 1 even though gold exists to spend. OP is upset that there aren't any non-multiattackers that can get a heavy xbow at level 1, and that is an unrealistic expectation. Nearly all characters who get martial weapons, also get to multi-attack...because attacking with weapons is what they do.
Whoa, lots of assumptions and speaking for the OP there.
I never claimed that I don't want to use a feat. I pointed it out as a limitation of the crossbow, and that you have to trade in an ASI I never claimed that I don't want to purchase one. I pointed out that if your table rolls for gold and you get a bad roll you can't get enough gear. "..after level 1..." the premise was heavy crossbow on level 1
" OP is upset..." no he's not. I'm trying to do something very specific and am running into a lot of obstacles. I find that explaining the premise and the problems I'm running into gets good responses. In this post alone I've seen some nice comments and points of view that have helped.
I just started a character I built around the heavy crossbow, who is, indeed, a variant human ranger starting with the Sharpshooter feat, so it was amusing to run across this post.
I just wish I could figure out how to get the Sharpshooter feat to-hit/damage tradeoff listed as an Attack on my Beyond character sheet so I didn't have to do the math by hand every time I used it =\ I tried doing a custom weapon action but I can't get it to work out. If someone knows how, hmu, thanks!
Oh, for the record, I reskinned the heavy crossbow as a "greatbow", and am playing a 16 year old kid who is barely strong enough to draw it, so instead of making trick shots, I flavor Sharpshooter as the arrow just punching a hole through the cover and hitting anyway because the bow is so powerful, but his aim is kind of crap.
A fun thing about rpgs is that you can change the words to anything you want as long as the numbers stay the same ^_^
I just wish I could figure out how to get the Sharpshooter feat to-hit/damage tradeoff listed as an Attack on my Beyond character sheet so I didn't have to do the math by hand every time I used it =\ I tried doing a custom weapon action but I can't get it to work out. If someone knows how, hmu, thanks!
Add another Heavy Crossbow to your inventory and adjust the attack by -5, the damage by +10, and the weight to 0.
I just wish I could figure out how to get the Sharpshooter feat to-hit/damage tradeoff listed as an Attack on my Beyond character sheet so I didn't have to do the math by hand every time I used it =\ I tried doing a custom weapon action but I can't get it to work out. If someone knows how, hmu, thanks!
Add another Heavy Crossbow to your inventory and adjust the attack by -5, the damage by +10, and the weight to 0.
There's this video by Matthew Colville.. I mean Sposta beat me to it.
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TL;DR: Heavy Crossbows have so many limitations that it is barely possible to make them work from level 1. Even when you do, you sacrifice a lot in order to turn a D8 into a D10. Is it worth it?
For a new character I wanted to play with a heavy crossbow. When trying to actually build it I quickly ran into several limitations on what I can do. The first limit is race, anything size small or smaller is immediately off the table due to the Heavy property. The second limit is the class limit due to the Martial weapon property, this limits the list to.
Of these 5 options there's a couple that fall off due to class features. Most of the offensive barbarians features only work with melee attacks, Paladins and Divine Smite have the same problem. With the nature of the Hexblade Warlock, you can only have a heavy crossbow as your pact weapon from level 3 where you unlock the pact of the blade boon and take the improved pact weapon evocation.
That leaves the fighter and the ranger, which immediately hit the third limit, Starting equipment. Only the fighter gets access to a free selection of a martial weapon in the starting equipment, for convenience lets assume the 20 bolts are included. The ranger would have to forgo starting equipment and rely on the wealth feature, which if you get the worst roll means only 50 gold which is exactly the cost of a heavy crossbow. Let's assume the average of 2.5 per die, so 12.5 times 10 equals 125 gold, with that amount it can be done.
The fourth limit is the loading property. This can only be removed with the crossbow expert feat, if your table doesn't employ this optional rule then you basically nullify the extra attacks feature. There's a work around for rangers with the beast master archetype where you can make 1 attack every time you use your action to order your beast to attack. Even if your table uses feats you have to sacrifice your first ASI to take it in order to make use of your extra attacks.
The fifth (minor) limit is archetype, the arcane archer fighter class specifies short or long bows, even though all the magic is applied to the arrows and not the weapon.
Conclusion, In order to make the crossbow work from level 1, you have to limit your racial picks, your class pick, your archetype pick and, depending on your class and archetype pick, you have to give up your first ASI to do more then 1 attack from level 5 on. Is it even worth it to make these sacrifices to turn a D8 into a D10? Are we meant to play with a crossbow?
The longbow is also a heavy weapon and has all of the same racial restrictions as the heavy crossbow.
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Aside from the starting equipment the heavy crossbow actually gets worse over time as the loading property doesn't really kick in until you unlock extra attacks.
Indeed they do.
Yeah, but it doesn't get you that sweet sweet (apparently) d10.
Elf Weapon Training also allows you to be proficient in the longbow regardless of class. What races besides hobgoblin allow you starting proficiency with the heavy crossbow? Variant Human, I guess. Anything else? Our DM surprised us with an armed, armored hobgoblin necromancer recently, that was a good time.
Birgit | Shifter | Sorcerer | Dragonlords
Shayone | Hobgoblin | Sorcerer | Netherdeep
2 items which you may be overlooking.
1) there are several races that give proficiency with Martial Weapons, which will take the burden off of class selection in that regard. However, it's not an extensive list...
2) You have ignored several classes that do not have Martial Weapons baked into the level 1 features, but gain it later or separately through subclass specialization. Several of the Divine Domains for Cleric give Martial Weapons, as does the Battlesmith Artificer. Valor Bards also get Martial Weapons.
I'd also point out that certain classes do not have access to Extra Attack, but still have access to Martial Weapons. The Twilight Domain Cleric, in particular, has Martial Weapons but does not get Extra Attack. More than that, the Divine Strike feature (or Smite Lite, as it were) does not require a melee weapon, simply a weapon, so it would apply to a Heavy Crossbow. War Domain Clerics have the same setup, but with a different suite of Features and an alternate Expanded Spell List.
And while Valor Bards do get Extra Attack once, rolling back into the Crossbow Master problem, at 14th level they get a nice bonus that when they cast a spell they can make a weapon attack as a Bonus Action, which could be made using a Heavy Crossbow depending on how your hands are managing your Focus/Component Pouch.
But ultimately Longbow doesn't have the loading property and so does work with extra attack. That means the weapon isn't horrifically behind from level 5+ as you can still make two attacks, you need a specific feat to do the same thing with Heavy Crossbow and that same feat prefers hand crossbow, allowing hand crossbow to make an attack as a bonus action if you only made attacks with a one handed weapon (which hand crossbow itself counts as). Mix this with sharpshooter, heavy crossbow just doesn't compete.
Let's say that you start with 17 Dex going for elf fighter battlemaster and you are targeting something with an AC of 17 how much damage do you do with these different weapons and feats?
Heavy Crossbow
level 1 - 1d10 + 3 with a 45% chance to hit (avg damage per round 3.825)
level 4 (sharpshooter) 1d10 + 13 with a 20% chance to hit (avg damage per round 3.7)
level 5 (ASI) 1d10+4 with a 55% chance to hit (avg damage per round 5.225)
level 5 (crossbow expert) 1d10+3 with a 50% to hit and two attacks (avg damage per round 8.5)
Level 5 (sharpshooter) 1d10+13 with a 25% chance to hit (avg damage per round 4.625)
level 6 (ASI*2) 1d10 +5 with a 60% chance to hit (avg damage per round 6.3)
level 6 (ASI + Crossbow expert) 1d10+4 with a 55% chance to hit and two attacks (avg damage per round 10.45)
level 6 (ASI + sharpshooter) 1d10+14 with a 30% chance to hit (avg damage per round 5.85)
level 6 (crossbow expert + sharpshooter) 1d10+13 with a 25% chance to hit and two attacks (avg damage per round 9.5)
Clearly here, Crossbow expert wins and even ASI beats out sharpshooter, however sharpshooter has other benefits which are hard to model here and battlemaster further gives benefits in favor of sharpshooter. ignoring half and three-quarters cover can be big, making longer ranged attacks too.
Longbow
level 1 - 1d8 + 3 with a 45% chance to hit (avg damage per round 3.375)
level 4 (ASI) - 1d8 + 4 with a 50% chance to hit (avg damage per round 4.25)
level 4 (sharpshooter) - 1d8 +13 with a 20% chance to hit (avg damage per round 3.5)
level 5 (ASI) - 1d8+4 with a 55% chance to hit with two attacks (avg damage per round 9.35)
level 5 (sharpshooter) - 1d8+13 with a 25% chance to hit and two attacks (avg damage per round 8.75)
level 6 (ASI*2) - 1d8+5 with a 60% chance to hit and two attacks (avg damage per round 11.4)
level 6 (ASI+sharpshooter) - 1d8 + 14 with a 30% chance to hit and two attacks (avg damage per round 11.1)
Again, sharpshooter has other benefits. ignoring half and three-quarters cover can be big.
Lastly Hand crossbow
level 1 - 1d6 + 3 with a 45% chance to hit (avg damage per round 2.925)
level 4 (ASI) - 1d6 + 4 with a 50% chance to hit (avg damage per round 3.75)
level 4 (crossbow expert) - 1d6 +3 with a 45% chance to hit and bonus action attack (avg damage per round 5.85)
level 4 (sharpshooter) - 1d6 +13 with a 20% chance to hit (avg damage per round 3.3)
level 5 (ASI) - 1d6 + 4 with a 55% chance to hit (avg damage per round 4.125)
level 5 (crossbow expert) 1d6+3 with a 50% chance to hit, two attacks and bonus action attack (avg damage per round 9.75)
level 5 (sharpshooter) 1d6+13 with a 25% chance to hit (avg damage per round 4.125)
level 6 (ASI*2) - 1d6+5 with a 60% chance to hit (avg damage per round 5.1)
level 6 (ASI+crossbow expert) 1d6+4 with a 55% chance to hit, two attacks and a bonus action attack (avg damage per round 12.375)
level 6 (ASI+sharpshooter) 1d6+14 with a 30% chance to hit (avg damage per round 5.25)
level 6 (crossbow expert+sharpshoorter) 1d6+13 with a 25% chance to hit (avg damage per round 12.375)
So what we get as the best results here at level 6 is
Heavy crossbow - 10.45 (ASI + Crossbow expert)
Longbow - 11.4 (ASI*2)
Hand crossbow - 12.375 (ASI+crossbow expert OR crossbow expert+sharpshoorter)
So if you don't use optional feats, longbow obviously wins but also, if you want a back-up ranged weapon then longbow essentially requires less investment since you need no specified feats and instead increase your dexterity. As this is assuming a starting DEX of 17, one of those ASIs could also be a feat that can boost dexterity as well, such as Elven Accuracy.
If you want to focus ranged and use feats then hand crossbow easily wins and it's really not much of a surprise, it just has straight up better action economy and is ultimately the most reliable weapon pick here. Action surge does prefer the longbow option however but given the limited usage of action surge.
Further too this, sharpshooter is heavily hit by that -5 to attack rolls, lower ACs would significantly improve sharpshooter and also the archery fighting style for it's +2 attack would also give some much needed benefit to sharpshooter. Obviously the -5 attack for +10 damage is optional per attack but far more often than not, you'll get more average damage from using it.
Not going to go as far as mapping out a spreadsheet for these additional details but it'll highlight that heavy crossbow is unfortunately lacking and that you require crossbow expert for it to ever compare to longbow, post level 5.
Also longbow has a far superior range than the H Crossbow.
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Surprised the archery fighting archetype even works for crossbows. I also noticed a kensei monk can eventually make a light crossbow their weapon but not a heavy crossbow. So a hand/light crossbow can be immediately magical for them, but an arcane shot or flame arrow wont do anything. So heavy crossbows are never magical?
Some of it will depend on build. Hand Crossbow has a much smaller range than any of the other options and any build that has a bonus action option that would regularly compete (Hunter's Mark, Hex, rogues or monks that use their respective dash, disengage, or hide/dodge options, or kensei monks' Kensei Shot) with crossbow expert's bonus action would prefer the d8 of the Longbow or Light Crossbow or the d10 of the Heavy Crossbow. Additionally, crit fishers will favor the higher damage dice if they can afford the crossbow expert or get access to something like a repeating crossbow.
As for classes, something like heavy crossbow will probably favor multiclass builds and a one to four level dip in fighter to start to grab the proficiency, second wind, archery fighting style, potentially a higher hit die for some number of levels, action surge, a martial archetype and perhaps the ASI to keep on track (or even up to 6 or 8 to grab the extra attack, two more ASIs and whatever other feature comes at 7) is not a bad option.
Depending on starting area, a DM might let you start with starting gear, sell off some number of items and purchase a crossbow.
However, much of what you mentioned is true generally. Heavy Crossbow is much more specialized and losing 1 average point of damage per hit to go down to the longbow or light crossbow or 2 average points of damage per hit to grab the shortbow or hand crossbow is not often going to be a big deal, particularly in builds that can make up the difference elsewhere or that prioritize other feats or ASI increases.
You put far too many limitations on it, such as being able to start with it /and/ multi-attack with it even though characters can't multi-attack until level 5 in most cases anyways.
Heavy crossbow works fine, it's just /always/ a viable pick.
Any time an unfathomably powerful entity sweeps in and offers godlike rewards in return for just a few teensy favors, it’s a scam. Unless it’s me. I’d never lie to you, reader dearest.
Tasha
Pretty sure the Artificer gets Heavy Crossbow Proficiency at Lv1, regardless of sub-class.
I know for a fact it does not as I had to specifically add it and the longbow to a homebrewed subclass I made for them.
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When they were UA but lost heavy and hand crossbow with published version, they got nerfed.
Ahh... okay.
Clearly I need to update one of my characters then...and apologise to one of my players.
The heavy crossbow is like the just racked shotgun, an intimidation move to get inexperienced fighters to back down. I'm sure you can work that in somewhere through a home-brew mechanic.
Jander Sunstar is the thinking person's Drizzt, fight me.
Heavy Crossbow doesn't need any kind of homebrew support. It needs realistic expectations. OP doesn't want to use a feat so he can multi-attack after level 5, although crossbow expert exists. OP doesn't want to purchase one on say, a martial weapons cleric after level 1 even though gold exists to spend. OP is upset that there aren't any non-multiattackers that can get a heavy xbow at level 1, and that is an unrealistic expectation. Nearly all characters who get martial weapons, also get to multi-attack...because attacking with weapons is what they do.
Any time an unfathomably powerful entity sweeps in and offers godlike rewards in return for just a few teensy favors, it’s a scam. Unless it’s me. I’d never lie to you, reader dearest.
Tasha
Whoa, lots of assumptions and speaking for the OP there.
I never claimed that I don't want to use a feat. I pointed it out as a limitation of the crossbow, and that you have to trade in an ASI
I never claimed that I don't want to purchase one. I pointed out that if your table rolls for gold and you get a bad roll you can't get enough gear.
"..after level 1..." the premise was heavy crossbow on level 1
" OP is upset..." no he's not. I'm trying to do something very specific and am running into a lot of obstacles. I find that explaining the premise and the problems I'm running into gets good responses. In this post alone I've seen some nice comments and points of view that have helped.
Thank you players.
I just started a character I built around the heavy crossbow, who is, indeed, a variant human ranger starting with the Sharpshooter feat, so it was amusing to run across this post.
I just wish I could figure out how to get the Sharpshooter feat to-hit/damage tradeoff listed as an Attack on my Beyond character sheet so I didn't have to do the math by hand every time I used it =\ I tried doing a custom weapon action but I can't get it to work out. If someone knows how, hmu, thanks!
Oh, for the record, I reskinned the heavy crossbow as a "greatbow", and am playing a 16 year old kid who is barely strong enough to draw it, so instead of making trick shots, I flavor Sharpshooter as the arrow just punching a hole through the cover and hitting anyway because the bow is so powerful, but his aim is kind of crap.
A fun thing about rpgs is that you can change the words to anything you want as long as the numbers stay the same ^_^
Add another Heavy Crossbow to your inventory and adjust the attack by -5, the damage by +10, and the weight to 0.
Creating Epic Boons on DDB
DDB Buyers' Guide
Hardcovers, DDB & You
Content Troubleshooting
There's this video by Matthew Colville.. I mean Sposta beat me to it.