Grumbs: Dedicated xbows are not infantry. For properly using a 2slot xbow you need at least 140wpf to have reliable accuracy. 150-160 or above is probably the number that people use for these weapons. Leaves 1 slot for either a 2h mace, langes messer or any 1h.
Ahem. When someone gets hit with a bolt, it doesn't matter whether it was difficult for the xbow player or not. It still does the same damage. They don't have to spend points on PD, they can drop them into PS or IF or WM or extra attribute points for greater PS or IF or WM. So you don't find many "dedicated" xbowers, mainly infantry with a handy range spam sidearm that hits just fine when fired into a crowd. You don't need WPF for that.
Xbow's need to be designed similiar to archery so that any tincan can't simply pick it up and do as much damage as a dedicated xbow'er.
Example, if they put the minimum into archery (1 PD), they would be laughably ineffective compared to an archer with 6PD. The best they can use is a short bow, and they would not get the bonus damage % per PD. Compare that to the Rus Bow with 6 x the bonus damage and there
is no comparison.
Throwing is the same situation. A tincan with 1 PT and throwing knives is not even close to being as deadly as a thrower with 6 PT and Throwing Spears (or 7 PT and Throwing Lances!)
The solution to the "ranged problem" is so disgustingly simple I don't know why it hasn't been implemented. Use the same mechanic that archery and throwing both use so that a tincan with the minimum invested into a xbow can
only use the smallest crossbow with only 1 PD and so that someone who is dedicated can do more damage with the same weapon due to higher PD. If they want to run around with an Arbalest, make them get 6 or 7 PD. (Yes, I realize base damage would need to be reconfigured so that PD 7-8 or so is the about the same as current damage)
You would see ranged spam dramatically decrease as it would be more worthwhile for them to take something else,
or they would need to dedicate more precious skill points and be
less effective as melee.
To offset that change, make it so that players have a 5 slot inventory limit if a player
does not have a xbow, a bow, or a throwing weapon equipped. So yes, ranged would get fewer options, while melee would have more
melee options as they should. That would allow
dedicated melee to both have a 2 slot weapon for up close fighting,
and a 3 slot pike or something for dealing with cavalry, while preventing ranged from doing the same. Or they could have a 2 slot 2 hander, plus a 1 hander AND a 2 slot shield.
