Emerald Expansion 9 - Crossbows

Crossbow

Skill: Small Ranged+2d10
Damage: 2d10
Range: 50ft/100ft/150ft

Alright then, now that I've addressed the better and the worse, let's take care of the third and last of the Small Ranged options. Though 2d10 set damage is still poor, it does have a 2d10 accuracy bonus! Which come Qi 2 actually makes it a better Slicing Arrow user than the Composite Bow, buuuuut, the goal of this series is to more substantially differentiate the playstyles of the weapons, so that's hopefully not your only consideration. With Composite Bows taking a (mostly) straightforward ranged attack approach, and Short Bows taking a hard turn into melee builds, I think it'll be fun if Crossbows help you keep your distance from pesky would-be attackers.

I've chosen to present the techniques in level order rather than alphabetically so you get a sense for how skill with the weapon progresses. Without further ado: 

Pinch of the Fallen Horn

Discipline: Waijia

Skill: Small Ranged against Evade

Type: Normal

Qi: 1

You make a brutal crossbow shot through your victim’s foot, pinning him in place.

Make a Small Ranged roll with a -1d10 targeted strike penalty against one target’s Evade. On a Success you do normal damage and he can’t move from that spot until he removes the bolt that fastens his foot to the ground. Carefully freeing himself takes a full turn, though he may remove it for free by suffering 1 Wound.

Cathartic: Cathartically you gain +2d10 to your technique roll.

Burning Beetle's Airborne Oppression

Discipline: Waijia

Skill: Small Ranged against Evade

Type: Counter

Qi: 2

You identify your opponents’ movement techniques, leading your shot to arrive where they do.

Make a Small Ranged roll against the Evade of someone using a traversal kung fu technique such as Crawling Tiger, Bounding Spider, or Great Stride. On a Success you do normal damage.

Cathartic: On a Cathartic use you land your hit before she is able to move, halving the distance she covers with her technique.

Silver Beetle Pincers

Discipline: Qinggong

Skill: Small Ranged against Evade

Type: Normal

Qi: 3

You take a crossbow shot, move, then shoot again.

Make a Small Ranged roll against one target’s Evade. On a Success you do normal damage plus 1 Extra Wound. You may then move up to your normal move. If you move any distance, you may make another Small Ranged roll against one target’s Evade. On a Success you do normal damage plus 1 Extra Wound.

Cathartic: Cathartically you may move up to double your normal distance, and each attack does 2 Extra Wounds.

Lift of the Star

Discipline: Waijia

Skill: Leg Strike against Parry, then Small Ranged against Evade

Type: Normal

Qi: 4

You kick your foe up into the air, then shoot her with your crossbow before she falls back down to the ground.

Roll Leg Strike against the Parry of one target. On a Success she takes normal damage and is knocked 10 feet per Rank of Waijia up into the air, taking appropriate falling damage when she lands. Also while she is in the air you may make a Small Ranged roll against her Evade, and on a Success she takes normal damage from that.

Cathartic: On a Cathartic use double your Waijia for the purposes of determining fall height.

Repelling Beetle Attack

Discipline: Waijia

Skill: Small Ranged against Evade

Type: Counter

Qi: 5

You quickly fire a crossbow bolt into the chest of someone approaching you.

Make a Small Ranged roll against the Evade of one target who is closing the distance between you. On a Success you do normal damage plus 1 Extra Wound per 10 feet he was from you when he began moving.

Cathartic: On a Cathartic use you do 1 Extra Wound per 5 feet of original distance.

Bloodthirsty Beetle Arrow

Discipline: Neigong

Skill: Small Ranged against Evade

Type: Normal

Qi: 6

You load your crossbow with a bolt of qi energy, launching more of a beam than a projectile.

Make a Small Ranged roll against the Evade of everyone in a line 40 feet long per Rank of Neigong. On a Success you do 6d10 damage.

Cathartic: Cathartically you do Open Damage.

Thousand Beetle Desolation

Skill: Divination against Evade

Type: Normal

Qi: 7

You launch a volley of bolts up into the air, creating a hailstorm which falls upon any who dare approach you.

Make a Divination roll against the Evade of everyone you choose within 50 feet of you. On a Success, each person struck takes 6d10 damage plus 2 Extra Wounds. Additionally, until your next turn, every time someone within 50 feet of you moves at least 5 feet, if your technique roll succeeds against them, you may have them take 2 Wounds from an additional bolt that lands along their movement path.