Crossbow

The crossbow

The crossbow is a missile weapon. It is similar to a bow, but more powerful and therefore also has more taxing requirements. It appears in Ultima IV, Ultima V, Ultima VI, Ultima VII, Ultima VII Part Two and Ultima Underworld II.

Description

The destructive power of this weapon is even higher than that of the bow. However, this comes at the price that the crossbow is difficult to use, and therefore only agile warriors like bards can use it to effectively. In Ultima IV required no ammunition. Thereafter, it required normal bolts or the enhanced and more destructive magic bolts.

Ultima VI also saw an improvement to the simple crossbow: the triple crossbow. Its only other appearance was in Ultima VII.

Effectiveness of the Weapon

In Ultima V the crossbow has a damage rating of "12" and a range of "8".

In Ultima VI the crossbow has a damage rating of "12" and a range of "7".

In Ultima VII and Ultima VII Part Two, crossbows have a damage of "10" and a reach of "13".

Lore

“	Now here is a real missile weapon. The impact of the crossbow will stop a rampaging troll. The crossbow is traditionally made of mahogany with carved maple veneer on the sides depicting Lord British’s device, the Silver Serpent. A favorite among Bards for the singing of the crossbow’s string. – from The History of Britannia (Ultima IV)

“	Made from strong and resilient yew, bows, and their stronger counterparts, crossbows, make formidable long-range weapons. Be aware, however, that one engaged in hand-to-hand combat is unlikely to be able to load such a weapon, much less shoot it. – from The Book of Lore (Ultima V)

“	Bows and crossbows are capable of firing with tremendous force, but they require use of both hands and cannot be used effectively at point blank range. – from Compendium (Ultima VI)

“	The disadvantage of bows, crossbows and sling is that loading them requires the use of both hands. Bows and crossbows also requires two hands to fire. – from Fellowship (Ultima VII)

Trivia

• In Ultima VII, when examining any crossbow, Iolo claims they were the result of the fine craftsmen at Iolo's Bows. Oddly, even in Serpent Isle, a land with little contact with Britannia, the same claim is again made. This proud boast even extends to The Silver Seed, which is set not only in the Serpent Isle, but also 400 years in the past.

See Also

• Weapon values
• Bolts
• Magic bolts
• Bows

References

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Weapons

Melee Weapons
Basic Melee Weapons	Axe ☥ Bladed staff ☥ Club ☥ Custom sword ☥ Cutlass ☥ Dagger ☥ Decorative sword ☥ Dum‑dum ☥ Halberd ☥ Hammer ☥ Jeweled weapons ☥ Knife ☥ Mace ☥ Main gauche ☥ Morning star ☥ Poison dagger ☥ Saber ☥ Scimitar ☥ Serpentine dagger ☥ Serpentine sword ☥ Silver sword ☥ Spear ☥ Spiked helm ☥ Spiked shield ☥ Staff ☥ Sword ☥ Two‑handed axe ☥ Two‑handed hammer ☥ Two‑handed sword
Enhanced Melee Weapons	Blackrock sword ☥ Exotic Weapons ☥ Fire sword ☥ Glass sword ☥ Great dagger ☥ Lightning sword ☥ Lightning whip ☥ Magic sword ☥ Mystic Weapons ☥ Sword of defense

Ranged Weapons
Basic Ranged Weapons	Blowgun ☥ Boomerang ☥ Bow ☥ Crossbow ☥ Iolo’s bow ☥ Flaming oil ☥ Hawk ☥ Musket ☥ Siege bow ☥ Sling ☥ Throwing axe ☥ Triple crossbow
Enhanced Ranged Weapons	Anachronistic weapons ☥ Fire wand ☥ Infinity bow ☥ Lightning wand ☥ Lightning whip ☥ Magic axe ☥ Magic boomerang ☥ Magic bow ☥ Magician’s wand ☥ Starbursts

Ammunition
Basic Ammuntion	Ammunition ☥ Arrows ☥ Bolts ☥ Cannonballs ☥ Sling stones
Enhanced Ammuntion	Burst arrows ☥ Fire arrows ☥ Love arrows ☥ Lucky arrows ☥ Magic arrows ☥ Magic bolts ☥ Mana arrows ☥ Serpent arrows ☥ Sleep arrows

Non-traditional Weapons
Non-traditional Weapons	Cannon ☥ Cleaver ☥ Death scythe ☥ Fellowship staff ☥ Fishing rod ☥ Hammer ☥ Hoe ☥ Hoe of Destruction ☥ Pick ☥ Pitchfork ☥ Powder keg ☥ Rake ☥ Rock hammer ☥ Rolling pin ☥ Scythe ☥ Shears ☥ Shovel ☥ Tongs ☥ Torches ☥ Whip

Others
Other Weapons	Weapons in Savage Empire ☥ Weapons in Martian Dreams ☥ Gloves ☥ Rope & spikes