Editing v0.34:Crossbow

{{quality|Fine|08:05, 27 September 2010 (UTC)}}{{av}}{{Buggy}}

:''See [[Weapon]] for a general overview of weapons and related information.''
'''Crossbows''' can be made from [[wood]], [[bone]] or [[metal]]. Wooden and bone crossbows are made at a [[bowyer's workshop]] using the [[crossbow-making]] skill; metal crossbows are made at a [[metalsmith's forge]] using the [[weaponsmithing]] skill.
A dwarf will open fire at a range of '''20''' tiles, but the bolts may travel further and hit something by accident.

== Crossbows in Ranged Combat ==
Crossbows use [[Bolt|bolts]] as their [[ammunition]]. The quality of the crossbow affects the accuracy of the shot, while the material of the crossbow is unimportant.

== Crossbows in Melee ==
In melee combat, crossbows use the [[Hammer]] skill. [[Cross-training]] your marksdwarves so that they can hold their own in a melee is advisable. Choosing a better material will, of course, result in a more damaging butt-stroke - but crossbows make a poor melee weapon anyway.

== Hunters and Crossbows ==
[[ambusher|Hunters]] use crossbows to hunt with, and will automatically pick one up if they don't already have one.  They'll also carry a quiver and bolts.  You can modify their ammunition allotment using the [[Military_interface#Ammunition|Military screen]].

Hunters will typically give up on hunting if they run out of ammunition, thus the material of their crossbows is unimportant.

==Bugs==
*If squad is assigned multiple ammo types, dwarves with "individual choice ranged" carry wrong ammo{{bug|1374}}.
{{Category|Weapons}}
{{Category|Military}}
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 :''See [[Weapon]] for a general overview of weapons and related information.''
-[[File:DaVinci Crossbow.JPG|thumb|220px|Sketch by Leonardo da Vinci, c. 1500]]
+'''Crossbows''' can be made from [[wood]], [[bone]] or [[metal]]. Wooden and bone crossbows are made at a [[bowyer's workshop]] using the [[crossbow-making]] skill; metal crossbows are made at a [[metalsmith's forge]] using the [[weaponsmithing]] skill.
-'''Crossbows''' are the only native ranged [[weapon]] available to dwarves (although one can also acquire blowguns and bows through trading or looting of failed [[siege]]s). While more difficult to set up than melee weapons, crossbows have the distinct advantage of allowing dwarves to fight at range, often killing enemies before they can enter melee distance. They are thus an excellent support weapon, especially if you have already filled out your <s>meat shields</s> melee squad(s).
+A dwarf will open fire at a range of '''20''' tiles, but the bolts may travel further and hit something by accident.
-== Production ==
+== Crossbows in Ranged Combat ==
-Crossbows can be made from a variety of materials, be they [[wood]], [[bone]] or [[metal]]. Wooden and bone crossbows are made at a dedicated [[bowyer's workshop]] using the [[bowyer]] skill, whereas metal crossbows are made at a [[metalsmith's forge]] using the [[weaponsmithing]] skill. Making a crossbow from bone takes only one bone off a stack.
+Crossbows use [[Bolt|bolts]] as their [[ammunition]]. The quality of the crossbow affects the accuracy of the shot, while the material of the crossbow is unimportant.
-Crossbows shoot [[bolt]]s, which are made in [[stack]]s of 25 (for wood and metal) or 5 (for bones); wooden and bone bolts are made at a [[craftsdwarf's workshop]], metal bolts are made at a metalsmith's forge.
+== Crossbows in Melee ==
+In melee combat, crossbows use the [[Hammer]] skill. [[Cross-training]] your marksdwarves so that they can hold their own in a melee is advisable. Choosing a better material will, of course, result in a more damaging butt-stroke - but crossbows make a poor melee weapon anyway.
-== Ranged combat ==
+== Hunters and Crossbows ==
-Crossbows shoot [[bolt]]s as their [[ammunition]], and will engage targets up to 20 tiles away, including shooting down z-levels. Shot bolts may miss the target and fly a bit further than intended, potentially striking another foe (but '''never''' a friendly soldier on the other side).
+[[ambusher|Hunters]] use crossbows to hunt with, and will automatically pick one up if they don't already have one.  They'll also carry a quiver and bolts.  You can modify their ammunition allotment using the [[Military_interface#Ammunition|Military screen]].
-The material that the crossbows are made of are irrelevant to ranged combat, where the [[quality]] of the craftsmanship and [[skill]] of the marksdwarf determine accuracy, and the quality and material of the [[bolt]]s themselves (metal being better than bone being better than wood) determines damage. If you are confident your melee soldiers can keep your marksdwarves safe from melee engagements and have a skilled [[bowyer]], then easily-produced, high-quality wooden or bone crossbows are excellent equipment for your marksdwarves.
+Hunters will typically give up on hunting if they run out of ammunition, thus the material of their crossbows is unimportant.
-As can be expected, targets that are stationary are much easier to hit then those that are moving. Since marksdwarves can down targets at range, they do a much better job taking down fleeing thieves and goblin ambushes that your regular soldiers might not be able to catch.
-== Melee combat ==
-Nonetheless, marksdwarves that are approached by enemies will engage in melee combat with them, using the butt of their crossbows like [[Hammerman|hammers]]. Because of this it is useful to [[cross-training|cross-train]] your dwarves with hammering skill, so that they will be better able to stand their ground in a fight, but a marksdwarf fighting a similarly armed and armored enemy with a melee weapon will usually lose either way. Focusing their training in defensive skills such as Blocking and Dodging is much more convenient, since it lets them at least hold off the enemy long enough to give a soldier more suited for melee combat a chance to surprise the enemy and dispatch them quickly.
-The denser the material, the more damage a crossbow butt-strike will do in melee combat. Metal, specifically copper with its SOLID_DENSITY of 8930, performs the best and [[feather tree]] wood the worst. Silver crossbows are even better, but these can only be acquired through trade and rarely have good quality multipliers. Equipping your [[fortress guard]] with light wooden crossbows will reduce the severity of the [[Justice#Punishments|beatings]] they deliver while still allowing them to pincushion enemy soldiers with masterwork steel bolts.
-== Logistics ==
-Crossbows require bolts to fire, otherwise they are tantamount to useless. Bolts are typically carried in [[Equipment#Quivers|quivers]], which can be made of leather from [[leatherworking]], obtained from [[caravan|caravans]], or as [[goblinite]].
-When shot, one of two things will happen: either the bolt will shatter on impact with the ground or the target, or it will stay whole and, when all's said and done, be retrievable. This is a bit difficult, however, as shot bolts are automatically [[forbidden]] by default; in the [[orders]] screen, under [F]orbid, you can change it so that shot ammunition is automatically claimed. Otherwise, the easiest way to reclaim spent ammunition is to find them in the [[stocks]] screen and unforbid them.
-Military barracks for [[Soldier#Marksdwarves|marksdwarves]] require [[archery target]]s for training. Bolts will be a constant demand from a training marksdwarf squad; it is recommended to create a large stock of wooden bolts for training purposes, and reserve metal bolts for actual combat use.
-== Hunting ==
-[[Ambusher|Hunters]] use crossbows when hunting; [[migrant]] hunters automatically arrive with a free crossbow and a small number of bolts, and hunters will automatically pick one up from your ammunition stockpile when they go hunting, as well as the necessary [[quiver]] and [[bolt]]s. Hunters have a special [[Military_interface#Ammunition|section]] in the military screen, from which you can modify their ammunition allotment. Disabling the hunting labor will cause them to drop their weapon and equipment at the nearest applicable stockpile, and is absolutely necessary if you have embarked in a particularly [[evil|fun]] location. Hunters usually give up on hunting if they run out of carried ammunition.
-== Forging and Melting ==
-* Metal crossbows cost '''one''' [[metal]] bar to [[forge]], or '''three''' [[adamantine]] wafers.
-* When a non-adamantine metal crossbow is [[melt|melted down]], it will return '''0.9''' metal bars, for an '''efficiency of 90%'''.
-* When an adamantine crossbow is melted down, it will produce '''0.9''' wafers, for an '''efficiency of 30%'''
 ==Bugs==
-* If squad is assigned multiple ammo types, dwarves with "individual choice ranged" carry wrong ammo{{bug|1374}}.
+*If squad is assigned multiple ammo types, dwarves with "individual choice ranged" carry wrong ammo{{bug|1374}}.
-* Crossbows can regularly pierce even adamantine armor with wooden bolts. Copper and other low-grade metals can do so virtually every time.{{bug|5516}}
-==See Also==
-[[Crossbowman]]<br/>
-[[Archery]]
-{{Gamedata}}
-{{Weapons}}
 {{Category|Weapons}}
 {{Category|Military}}