Heavy Crossbow 5e weapon

Martial ranged weapon · 1d10 piercing · Push mastery (2024)

Heavy Crossbow stats by edition

2014 (SRD 5.1)2024 (SRD 5.2)
CategoryMartial rangedMartial ranged
Damage1d10 piercing1d10 piercing
PropertiesAmmunition (range 100/400), Heavy, Loading, Two-HandedAmmunition (range 100/400; Bolts), Heavy, Loading, Two-Handed
Mastery—Push
Weight18 lb.18 lb.
Cost50 gp50 gp

What changed in 2024

Average damage

Roll it yourself in the dice roller.

Its properties

Ammunition

2014: You can use a weapon that has the ammunition property to make a ranged attack only if you have ammunition to fire from the weapon. Each time you attack with the weapon, you expend one piece of ammunition. Drawing the ammunition from a quiver, case, or other container is part of the attack (you need a free hand to load a one-handed weapon). At the end of the battle, you can recover half your expended ammunition by taking a minute to search the battlefield. If you use a weapon that has the ammunition property to make a melee attack, you treat the weapon as an improvised weapon (see "Improvised Weapons" later in the section). A sling must be loaded to deal any damage when used in this way.

2024: You can use a weapon that has the Ammunition property to make a ranged attack only if you have ammunition to fire from it. The type of ammunition required is specified with the weapon's range. Each attack expends one piece of ammunition. Drawing the ammunition is part of the attack (you need a free hand to load a one-handed weapon). After a fight, you can spend 1 minute to recover half the ammunition (round down) you used in the fight; the rest is lost.

Heavy

2014: Small creatures have disadvantage on attack rolls with heavy weapons. A heavy weapon's size and bulk make it too large for a Small creature to use effectively.

2024: You have Disadvantage on attack rolls with a Heavy weapon if it's a Melee weapon and your Strength score isn't at least 13 or if it's a Ranged weapon and your Dexterity score isn't at least 13.

Loading

2014: Because of the time required to load this weapon, you can fire only one piece of ammunition from it when you use an action, bonus action, or reaction to fire it, regardless of the number of attacks you can normally make.

2024: You can fire only one piece of ammunition from a Loading weapon when you use an action, a Bonus Action, or a Reaction to fire it, regardless of the number of attacks you can normally make.

Two-Handed

2014: This weapon requires two hands when you attack with it.

2024: A Two-Handed weapon requires two hands when you attack with it.

Mastery: Push (2024)

If you hit a creature with this weapon, you can push the creature up to 10 feet straight away from yourself if it is Large or smaller.

A character can use this only if a feature lets them use the weapon’s mastery property. Other Push weapons · all mastery properties.

Who is proficient

Classes proficient with the heavy crossbow, from their class proficiencies: Barbarian, Fighter, Paladin, Ranger.

Compared with other martial ranged weapons

WeaponDamageAverage (one / two hands)PropertiesMastery (2024)WeightCost
Musket1d12 piercing6.5Ammunition (range 40/120; Bullets, Firearm), Loading, Two-HandedSlow10 lb.500 gp
Heavy Crossbow1d10 piercing5.5Ammunition (range 100/400), Heavy, Loading, Two-HandedPush18 lb.50 gp
Pistol1d10 piercing5.5Ammunition (range 30/90; Bullets, Firearm), LoadingVex3 lb.250 gp
Longbow1d8 piercing4.5Ammunition (range 150/600), Heavy, Two-HandedSlow2 lb.50 gp
Hand Crossbow1d6 piercing3.5Ammunition (range 30/120), Light, LoadingVex3 lb.75 gp
Blowgun1 piercing1Ammunition (range 25/100), LoadingVex1 lb.10 gp
Net——Thrown (range 5/15), Special—3 lb.1 gp

All weapons · Weapon properties · Making an attack