Weapon Group: Crossbows

Pictured here: 1) poisoned sand tube, 2) tube arrow shooter, 3) crossbow bolt, 4) hand crossbow, 5) light crossbow, 6) repeating crossbow or chu ko nŭ, 7) crank crossbow, 8) heavy crossbow, 9) heavy repeating crossbow, 10) heavy crank crossbow, and 11) launching crossbow.

Crossbows have a complicated imagery in the Empire.  While the hefted bulk of standard crossbows is closely associated with the patriotic imagery of marching ranks of soldiers defending hearth and home, ownership of crossbows by private individuals is invariably seen as evidence of their less-than-savory doings.  While not banned outright, adventurers sporting crossbows can expect to have their reputations suffer accordingly, being associated with backalley business and underhanded dealings.

CRANK CROSSBOW, HEAVY
Damage: 1d10, 19-20/x2
Range: 120 ft
Type: Ranged exotic piercing
Special: —
Description: This heavy crossbow has a winch mounted below the stock. Up to 50 feet of silk rope can be wound onto the winch as a full-round action that provokes attacks of opportunity. The wound rope can be attached to a barbed bolt as part of a loading action. After firing such a bolt, the wielder can use the winch to retract the rope or pull herself along the rope if the bolt is secure. When used, the winch provides a +2 bonus on grapple combat maneuver checks to pull the target toward you and a +2 bonus on Climb checks.
Cost: 400 gp
Weight: 12 lbs

CRANK CROSSBOW, LIGHT
Damage: 1d8, 19-20/x2
Range: 80 ft
Type: Ranged exotic piercing
Special: —
Description: This weapon functions as a heavy crank crossbow, except that its damage, critical, and range values are equivalent to those of a light crossbow. Its lighter construction means it provides only a +1 bonus on Climb checks and grapple combat maneuver checks to pull the target toward you.
Cost: 250 gp
Weight: 6 lbs

CROSSBOW, HEAVY
Damage: 1d10, 19-20/x2
Range: 120 ft
Type: Ranged simple piercing
Special: —
Description: You draw a heavy crossbow back by turning a small winch. Loading a heavy crossbow is a full-round action that provokes attacks of opportunity. A heavy crossbow fires crossbow bolts.  Normally, operating a heavy crossbow requires two hands. However, you can shoot, but not load, a heavy crossbow with one hand at a -4 penalty on attack rolls. You can shoot a heavy crossbow with each hand, but you take a penalty on attack rolls as if attacking with two one-handed weapons. This penalty is cumulative with the penalty for one-handed firing.
Cost: 50 gp
Weight: 8 lbs

CROSSBOW, LIGHT
Damage: 1d8, 19-20/x2
Range: 80 ft
Type: Ranged simple piercing
Special: —
Description: You draw a light crossbow back by pulling a lever. Loading a light crossbow is a move action that provokes attacks of opportunity. A light crossbow fires crossbow bolts.  Normally, operating a light crossbow requires two hands. However, you can shoot, but not load, a light crossbow with one hand at a -2 penalty on attack rolls. You can shoot a light crossbow with each hand, but you take a penalty on attack rolls as if attacking with two light weapons. This penalty is cumulative with the penalty for one-handed firing.
Cost: 35 gp
Weight: 4 lbs

HAND CROSSBOW
Damage: 1d4, 19-20/x2
Range: 30 ft
Type: Ranged exotic piercing
Special: —
Description: You draw a hand crossbow back manually. Loading a hand crossbow is a move action that provokes attacks of opportunity. A hand crossbow fires standard crossbow bolts, like those used by light and heavy crossbows.  You can shoot, but not load, a hand crossbow with one hand at no penalty. You can shoot a hand crossbow with each hand, but you take a penalty on attack rolls as if attacking with two light weapons.
Cost: 100 gp
Weight: 2 lbs

LAUNCHING CROSSBOW
Damage: —
Range: 30 ft
Type: Ranged exotic
Special: —
Description: This stubby-looking crossbow has a cup-like attachment rather than a groove for a bolt. It is designed to launch splash weapons.  Except where mentioned, a launching crossbow functions identically to a heavy crossbow.
Cost: 75 gp
Weight: 8 lbs

POISONED SAND TUBE
Damage: Special
Range: —
Type: Ranged martial
Special: See text
Description: Resembling a slim scroll case made of bamboo or metal, this tube is filled with fine sand that is soaked or coated with inhaled or contact poison. When loaded with 3 doses of these types of poison, you can blow into the tube to disperse the poisoned sand into your enemies’ faces in a 15-foot cone. Each creature in the cone is affected as if afflicted with 1 dose of the poison. Even when loaded with unpoisoned sand, the tube lets loose a powerful irritant, and an opponent struck must succeed at a DC 12 Fortitude saving throw or be dazzled for 1 round. Once expended, the tube must be repacked before it can be used again. Repacking a tube requires a full-round action, or a standard action if you have the Rapid Reload feat.
Cost: 1 gp
Weight: 1 lb

REPEATING CROSSBOW, HEAVY
Damage: 1d10, 19-20/x2
Range: 120 ft
Type: Ranged exotic piercing
Special: —
Description: The heavy repeating crossbow holds 5 repeating crossbow bolts. As long as it holds bolts, you can reload it by pulling the reloading lever as a free action. Loading a new case of 5 bolts is a full-round action that provokes attacks of opportunity.  You can fire a repeating crossbow with one hand or fire a repeating crossbow in each hand in the same manner as you would a normal crossbow of the same size. However, you must fire the weapon with two hands in order to use the reloading lever, and you must use two hands to load a new case of bolts.
Cost: 400 gp
Weight: 12 lbs

REPEATING CROSSBOW, LIGHT
Damage: 1d8, 19-20/x2
Range: 80 ft
Type: Ranged exotic piercing
Special: —
Description: This weapon functions identically to a heavy repeating crossbow, except that its damage, critical, and range values are equivalent to those of a light crossbow instead of a heavy crossbow. Its significantly lighter construction and pull make it both more portable and more useful to those who rely on stealth or speed.
Cost: 250 gp
Weight: 6 lbs

TUBE ARROW SHOOTER
Damage: 1d4, x2
Range: 40 ft
Type: Ranged martial piercing
Special: —
Description: This weapon consists of a small metal tube hidden within a sleeve; the tube holds a short, spring-loaded bamboo shaft. You gain a +2 bonus on Sleight of Hand checks made to conceal a tube arrow shooter on your body. Releasing the fastener allows the spring to force the arrow out. Once a shaft is fired, the tube must be reloaded before it can be used again. Reloading a tube is a full-round action, or a standard action if the wielder has the Rapid Reload feat.
Cost: 3 gp
Weight: .5 lbs

CROSSBOW AMMUNITION

Ammunition replaces the qualities of normal bolts for whatever crossbow it is used with.  Unless it specifically states otherwise, the details listed below are for a single bolt.  Even bolts listed singly count as ammunition when enchanting them.  You can mix-and-match ammunition types when enchanting them, so long as they do not exceed 50 units in total.  Ammunition does not require a special proficiency; if you can use the weapon, you can use any ammunition for it.

BARBED BOLT, 20
Damage: As crossbow
Range: 30 ft
Type: Piercing ammunition
Special: Grapple
Description: The head of a barbed bolt resembles that of a harpoon. When a barbed bolt is attached to a length of silk rope and fired from a crossbow, the bolt’s range increment is reduced to 30 feet, but it gains the grapple special weapon quality.  If successfully grappled, the target can spend a standard action that provokes an attack of opportunity to automatically free themselves by ripping the bolt free, though doing so inflicts damage equal to the bolt's original damage.
Cost: 2 gp
Weight: 3 lbs

BLUNT BOLT, 20
Damage: As crossbow
Range: As crossbow
Type: Bludgeoning ammunition
Special: —
Description: These bolts have rounded wooden tips that deal bludgeoning damage rather than piercing. An archer can use a blunt bolt to deal nonlethal damage (at the normal -4 attack penalty for using a lethal weapon to deal nonlethal damage).
Cost: 2 gp
Weight: 3 lbs

DURABLE BOLT
Damage: As crossbow
Range: As crossbow
Type: Piercing ammunition
Special: —
Description: Durable bolts don’t break due to normal use, regardless of whether or not they hit their target; unless the bolt goes missing, an archer can retrieve and reuse a durable bolt again and again. Durable bolts can be broken in other ways (such as a deliberate Sunder attack).  Unlike other forms of ammunition, durable bolts are enchanted in bundles of 8 instead of bundles of 50.
Cost: 1 gp
Weight: —

DYE BOLT
Damage: —
Range: As crossbow
Type: —
Special: —
Description: Firing a dye bolt is a ranged touch attack; a creature struck by a dye bolt takes no damage but is splashed with a colorful dye sufficient to coat about 1 square foot.  This dye can be of any color, though black, blue, green, and red are the most common.  It requires the spell prestidigitation or at least a minute of vigorous washing with water to clean the dye off most surfaces.
Cost: 1 gp
Weight: 4 lbs

FLIGHT BOLT, 20
Damage: As crossbow, one size category smaller
Range: +10 ft for light crossbows, +20 ft for heavy crossbows
Type: Piercing ammunition
Special: —
Description: These bolts have aerodynamic heads, light shafts, and special fletching to give them greater range. A flight bolt's range increment is 20 feet greater with heavy crossbows and 10 feet greater with light crossbows. They deal damage as if one size category smaller.
Cost: 2 gp
Weight: 3 lbs

INCENDIARY BOLT, 20
Damage: As crossbow + 1 fire
Range: As crossbow
Type: Piercing and fire ammunition
Special: —
Description: A metal cage behind this bolt's point contains flammable material, such as pitch, oil-soaked cloth, or manure.  Due to the odd design, you take a -1 penalty on attack rolls when firing incendiary bolts. You can light up to six incendiary bolts as a full-round action that provokes attacks of opportunity. Once lit, the bolt burns for 1 minute. On a successful hit, a lit incendiary bolt deals an additional 1 point of fire damage to the bolt's target. On a critical hit, the target must succeed at a DC 15 Reflex save or catch fire.  If used against a flammable, unattended object (such as a tapestry or thatched roof), it automatically ignites it.
Cost: 10 gp
Weight: 3 lbs

PRONGED BOLT, 20
Damage: As crossbow, one size category smaller
Range: As crossbow
Type: Slashing ammunition
Special: —
Description: Rather than narrowing to a single point, a pronged bolt has a wide face with two points resembling a crescent or V-shape. Originally used for hunting small game like rabbit or grouse, a pronged bolt deals damage as if one size category smaller, but you gain a +1 bonus on attack rolls against creatures or objects one or more size categories smaller than you.
Cost: 2 gp
Weight: 3 lbs

WHISTLING BOLT, 20
Damage: As crossbow
Range: As crossbow
Type: Piercing ammunition
Special: —
Description: These bolts come with specially designed grooves and fletching, which cause them to emit a loud keening sound easily audible within 500 feet of their flight path.
Cost: 2 gp
Weight: 3 lbs