I am not sure what line Xalthu is referring to as I only see the term Bow used. However DnDBeyond does still list the Dragon Wing when I filter for only hand crossbow magical weapons.
I am not sure what line Xalthu is referring to as I only see the term Bow used. However DnDBeyond does still list the Dragon Wing when I filter for only hand crossbow magical weapons.
Strange. When I search dragon wing bow, the top result gives me a whole chart labeled “applicable weapons”
No, a Dragonwing Bow cannot be a crossbow. Its entry in Fizban's Treasury of Dragons makes it clear that it can be "any bow," and crossbows are not bows. I can only assume that D&D Beyond's table includes crossbows because of a data entry error.
I am not sure what line Xalthu is referring to as I only see the term Bow used. However DnDBeyond does still list the Dragon Wing when I filter for only hand crossbow magical weapons.
Strange. When I search dragon wing bow, the top result gives me a whole chart labeled “applicable weapons”
Ah, I was looking at its entry in Fizban's Treasury of Dragons.
I am not extensively familiar with magical items so now I wonder if there is a magical weapon that specified "Weapon (any crossbow). Such a counter example would be helpful in determining if Crossbows are intended to count as Bows or not.
No, a Dragonwing Bow cannot be a crossbow. Its entry in Fizban's Treasury of Dragons makes it clear that it can be "any bow," and crossbows are not bows. I can only assume that D&D Beyond's table includes crossbows because of a data entry error.
I'd say that that is unclear. Nothing I have seen in the rules says either yes or no and weapons groups doesn't really exist in 5E. It is however quite common for similar games to have bow and crossbows to all be the same group of weapon. I'd probably say that the answer is "ask your DM" unfortunately.
I am not extensively familiar with magical items so now I wonder if there is a magical weapon that specified "Weapon (any crossbow). Such a counter example would be helpful in determining if Crossbows are intended to count as Bows or not.
AFAIK the only magic weapons called "bow" is the oathbow (specifically a longbow), the one from the Theros book (specifically a short bow) and the dragon wing bow (that just says bow) and there are no magic weapons called "crossbow" at all. So not much help I'm afraid.
No, a Dragonwing Bow cannot be a crossbow. Its entry in Fizban's Treasury of Dragons makes it clear that it can be "any bow," and crossbows are not bows. I can only assume that D&D Beyond's table includes crossbows because of a data entry error.
Are we sure that D&D doesn't include crossbows within "any bow"?
No, a Dragonwing Bow cannot be a crossbow. Its entry in Fizban's Treasury of Dragons makes it clear that it can be "any bow," and crossbows are not bows. I can only assume that D&D Beyond's table includes crossbows because of a data entry error.
Are we sure that D&D doesn't include crossbows within "any bow"?
The basic rules don't really define weapons but we can remark that crossbows use bolts and bows use arrows. But in real life they're obviously different types of weapons.
EDIT you have magic items like Arrow of Slaying that makes a distinction between bows and crossbows.
Arrow of Slaying: Other types of magic ammunition of this kind exist, such as bolts of slaying meant for a crossbow, though arrows are most common.
No, a Dragonwing Bow cannot be a crossbow. Its entry in Fizban's Treasury of Dragons makes it clear that it can be "any bow," and crossbows are not bows. I can only assume that D&D Beyond's table includes crossbows because of a data entry error.
Are we sure that D&D doesn't include crossbows within "any bow"?
The basic rules don't really define weapons but we can remark that crossbows use bolts and bows use arrows. But in real life they're obviously different types of weapons.
EDIT you have magic items like Arrow of Slaying that makes a distinction between bows and crossbows.
Arrow of Slaying: Other types of magic ammunition of this kind exist, such as bolts of slaying meant for a crossbow, though arrows are most common.
Actually a quick google search suggests that what we are calling 'bows' are collectively referred to as 'vertical bows.' Webster's dictionary refers to crossbows as bows mounted on stocks (quoted earlier by another poster). Oxford dictionary refers to them as a type of bow. Personally, if they can be any type of bow otherwise, it feels to me a bit nitpicky to say they can't be crossbows.
Oxford's definition doesn't sit well with D&D one as it says it's a mounted bow shooting short arrow called bolt. Bolt and arrows are different type of ammunition as well.
Ranged attack also make the distinction between bow and crossbow
Ranged Attack: When you make a ranged attack, you fire a bow or a crossbow
I mean, a crossbow is a bow in the sense that it's a bowed ranged weapon with flexible limbs that fires a projectile via a tensioned string. It even looks like a bow. A crossbow isn't a shortbow, and it's not a longbow, but I don't see why it wouldn't fall into the category of "any bow."
If you search for Magic Items here on D&D Beyond, and you filter by the weapon type to only include one or more of the three crossbow types, the Dragon Wing Bow does show in the results. So that would imply that "Any Bow" is meant to include crossbows, at least from a rules perspective. If you think the rule for "Any Bow" is supposed to exclude crossbows, feel free to submit a bug report and see what they say. If you believe that a crossbow shouldn't count as a bow in the real world, kindly remember that this is a game and not a physics/history simulation. :)
Ranged attack also make the distinction between bow and crossbow
Ranged Attack: When you make a ranged attack, you fire a bow or a crossbow
That's a good find tbh, probably the closest we will come to a clear answer on this. It is also quite a bit sad IMO as it means that the only way to get a magic crossbow is to be a Artificer and take the repeating shot infusion (or homebrew a weapon). Everything in the description of the Dragonwing bow seems like it would fit just as well on a crossbow as on a bow so I guess I'll do that if I ever need to, just a different style of homebrewing a solution I guess.
Ranged attack also make the distinction between bow and crossbow
Ranged Attack: When you make a ranged attack, you fire a bow or a crossbow
That's a good find tbh, probably the closest we will come to a clear answer on this. It is also quite a bit sad IMO as it means that the only way to get a magic crossbow is to be a Artificer and take the repeating shot infusion (or homebrew a weapon). Everything in the description of the Dragonwing bow seems like it would fit just as well on a crossbow as on a bow so I guess I'll do that if I ever need to, just a different style of homebrewing a solution I guess.
What makes you think it's exclusive or, not inclusive or? Inclusive or is how English works by default. For example, this statement is true: "Iron is ferromagnetic or metallic." That doesn't mean iron can't be both, and indeed, it is.
Ranged attack also make the distinction between bow and crossbow
Ranged Attack: When you make a ranged attack, you fire a bow or a crossbow
That's a good find tbh, probably the closest we will come to a clear answer on this. It is also quite a bit sad IMO as it means that the only way to get a magic crossbow is to be a Artificer and take the repeating shot infusion (or homebrew a weapon). Everything in the description of the Dragonwing bow seems like it would fit just as well on a crossbow as on a bow so I guess I'll do that if I ever need to, just a different style of homebrewing a solution I guess.
What makes you think it's exclusive or, not inclusive or? Inclusive or is how English works by default. For example, this statement is true: "Iron is ferromagnetic or metallic." That doesn't mean iron can't be both, and indeed, it is.
That's definitely not how English works "by default." While one could correctly say "Iron is ferromagnetic or metallic" and mean that both is possible, most English speakers would understand there to be an unspoken "but not both" with that particular example if they didn't know about iron and be confused about why you didn't say "and" if they did know about iron.
Ranged attack also make the distinction between bow and crossbow
Ranged Attack: When you make a ranged attack, you fire a bow or a crossbow
That's a good find tbh, probably the closest we will come to a clear answer on this. It is also quite a bit sad IMO as it means that the only way to get a magic crossbow is to be a Artificer and take the repeating shot infusion (or homebrew a weapon). Everything in the description of the Dragonwing bow seems like it would fit just as well on a crossbow as on a bow so I guess I'll do that if I ever need to, just a different style of homebrewing a solution I guess.
What makes you think it's exclusive or, not inclusive or? Inclusive or is how English works by default. For example, this statement is true: "Iron is ferromagnetic or metallic." That doesn't mean iron can't be both, and indeed, it is.
That's definitely not how English works "by default." While one could correctly say "Iron is ferromagnetic or metallic" and mean that both is possible, most English speakers would understand there to be an unspoken "but not both" with that particular example if they didn't know about iron and be confused about why you didn't say "and" if they did know about iron.
"But not both" normally requires an "Either." "Either this or that." It may be, however, that it is more common in American English to be considered exclusive?
However, even treating it as exclusive is still, in an important sense, inclusive. One could say "A bow is a (vertical) bow or a crossbow." In that sentence, a bow cannot be both. The two are mutually exclusive. However since the subject overall is bows, it is inclusive in that both are types of bows, just as vertical bows include longbows, short bows, etc., and crossbows include light, heavy and hand varieties. A crossbow is a light, heavy or hand crossbow. A (vertical) bow is a longbow or short bow. A bow is a (vertical) bow or crossbow.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
To post a comment, please login or register a new account.
Rules as written, can the dragonwing bow be a crossbow?
Yes. There’s lines specifically detailing them as xbow heavy, light or hand.
I am not sure what line Xalthu is referring to as I only see the term Bow used. However DnDBeyond does still list the Dragon Wing when I filter for only hand crossbow magical weapons.
Strange. When I search dragon wing bow, the top result gives me a whole chart labeled “applicable weapons”
https://www.dndbeyond.com/magic-items/4047200-dragon-wing-bow
No, a Dragonwing Bow cannot be a crossbow. Its entry in Fizban's Treasury of Dragons makes it clear that it can be "any bow," and crossbows are not bows. I can only assume that D&D Beyond's table includes crossbows because of a data entry error.
Ah, I was looking at its entry in Fizban's Treasury of Dragons.
I am not extensively familiar with magical items so now I wonder if there is a magical weapon that specified "Weapon (any crossbow). Such a counter example would be helpful in determining if Crossbows are intended to count as Bows or not.
I'd say that that is unclear. Nothing I have seen in the rules says either yes or no and weapons groups doesn't really exist in 5E. It is however quite common for similar games to have bow and crossbows to all be the same group of weapon. I'd probably say that the answer is "ask your DM" unfortunately.
AFAIK the only magic weapons called "bow" is the oathbow (specifically a longbow), the one from the Theros book (specifically a short bow) and the dragon wing bow (that just says bow) and there are no magic weapons called "crossbow" at all. So not much help I'm afraid.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/crossbow
<cough>
Are we sure that D&D doesn't include crossbows within "any bow"?
"Not all those who wander are lost"
The basic rules don't really define weapons but we can remark that crossbows use bolts and bows use arrows. But in real life they're obviously different types of weapons.
EDIT you have magic items like Arrow of Slaying that makes a distinction between bows and crossbows.
Actually a quick google search suggests that what we are calling 'bows' are collectively referred to as 'vertical bows.' Webster's dictionary refers to crossbows as bows mounted on stocks (quoted earlier by another poster). Oxford dictionary refers to them as a type of bow. Personally, if they can be any type of bow otherwise, it feels to me a bit nitpicky to say they can't be crossbows.
Oxford's definition doesn't sit well with D&D one as it says it's a mounted bow shooting short arrow called bolt. Bolt and arrows are different type of ammunition as well.
Ranged attack also make the distinction between bow and crossbow
I mean, a crossbow is a bow in the sense that it's a bowed ranged weapon with flexible limbs that fires a projectile via a tensioned string. It even looks like a bow. A crossbow isn't a shortbow, and it's not a longbow, but I don't see why it wouldn't fall into the category of "any bow."
"Not all those who wander are lost"
If you search for Magic Items here on D&D Beyond, and you filter by the weapon type to only include one or more of the three crossbow types, the Dragon Wing Bow does show in the results. So that would imply that "Any Bow" is meant to include crossbows, at least from a rules perspective. If you think the rule for "Any Bow" is supposed to exclude crossbows, feel free to submit a bug report and see what they say. If you believe that a crossbow shouldn't count as a bow in the real world, kindly remember that this is a game and not a physics/history simulation. :)
That's a good find tbh, probably the closest we will come to a clear answer on this. It is also quite a bit sad IMO as it means that the only way to get a magic crossbow is to be a Artificer and take the repeating shot infusion (or homebrew a weapon). Everything in the description of the Dragonwing bow seems like it would fit just as well on a crossbow as on a bow so I guess I'll do that if I ever need to, just a different style of homebrewing a solution I guess.
"Any bow" is a pretty broad category.
"Not all those who wander are lost"
What makes you think it's exclusive or, not inclusive or? Inclusive or is how English works by default. For example, this statement is true: "Iron is ferromagnetic or metallic." That doesn't mean iron can't be both, and indeed, it is.
That's definitely not how English works "by default." While one could correctly say "Iron is ferromagnetic or metallic" and mean that both is possible, most English speakers would understand there to be an unspoken "but not both" with that particular example if they didn't know about iron and be confused about why you didn't say "and" if they did know about iron.
"But not both" normally requires an "Either." "Either this or that." It may be, however, that it is more common in American English to be considered exclusive?
However, even treating it as exclusive is still, in an important sense, inclusive. One could say "A bow is a (vertical) bow or a crossbow." In that sentence, a bow cannot be both. The two are mutually exclusive. However since the subject overall is bows, it is inclusive in that both are types of bows, just as vertical bows include longbows, short bows, etc., and crossbows include light, heavy and hand varieties. A crossbow is a light, heavy or hand crossbow. A (vertical) bow is a longbow or short bow. A bow is a (vertical) bow or crossbow.