Heavy Crossbow

D&D 5e · 2024·Weapons·No attunement

Weapon damage

1d10 piercing

Base weapon damage before your ability modifier. Use the calculator to include hit chance and critical hits.

Damage calculator

Hit chance

55%

Expected damage / attack

4.95

Attack bonus

Average normal hit: 8.5 · Average critical hit: 14 · Critical chance: 5%.

Category: Martial weapon
Damage type: Piercing
Normal / long range: 100 / 400 ft.
Magic attack bonus: +0
Weight: 18 lb
Attunement: Not required
Rarity: Nonmagical
Price: 50 GP

Calculator assumptions & rules

One attack against a creature. Natural 1 misses; natural 20 hits and doubles damage dice, not flat modifiers. Expected damage includes misses and critical hits. Advantage uses the higher of two d20s; Disadvantage uses the lower. Magic bonuses shown on the item are counted once.

Uses only the weapon’s ordinary hit and the listed on-hit extra dice, when enabled. Class features, Sneak Attack, fighting styles, mastery effects, damage on a miss, special critical-hit effects, ongoing damage, resistance and immunity are excluded. Check the full rules below for additional effects.

Changing calculator inputs does not change the item’s rules or create a new page URL.

Using Heavy Crossbow

Dexterity can drive this martial weapon’s attack and damage rolls. Add your proficiency bonus to the attack roll only if you are proficient.
The base 1d10 weapon damage averages 5.5 before your ability modifier and extra effects. Hit chance matters too: compare expected damage per attack rather than the die alone.
The normal range is 100 feet and the maximum is 400 feet; attacks beyond normal range have Disadvantage. The calculator lets you model the attack mode separately.
This weapon needs two hands when you attack, so a wielded shield conflicts with that attack setup.

Martial ranged weapon dealing 1d10 piercing damage. Properties: Ammunition (Range 100/400; Bolt), Heavy, Loading, Two-Handed. Mastery: Push; using it requires a feature that unlocks this mastery property.

Full item details & properties

Weapon details

Damage: 1d10 piercing
Weapon class: Martial Ranged
Range: 100 / 400 ft. (normal / long)
Ammunition: Bolt

Properties

Ammunition(Range 100/400; Bolt)

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

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

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

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

Weapon mastery

Push

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.

You need a feature, such as Weapon Mastery, that unlocks this property for you.

Tags & related references

PiercingPushMartial WeaponNo AttunementNonmagicalRanged WeaponAmmunition →Heavy →Loading →Two Handed →Weapon →

Compare alternatives

Same edition, using your calculator inputs above. Special properties and character features can change the choice.

Heavy Crossbow · current4.95 expected damage / attack55% hit chance1d10 piercing · +0 magic attack · 100 ft. range50 GP · 18 lb Vicious Heavy Crossbow9.15 expected damage / attack55% hit chance1d10 piercing + 2d6 piercing · +0 magic attack · 100 ft. rangeNot specified · 18 lb

Same base weapon; compare its bonuses and rarity

Weapon of Warning (Heavy Crossbow)4.95 expected damage / attack55% hit chance1d10 piercing · +0 magic attack · 100 ft. rangeNot specified · 18 lb

Same base weapon; compare its bonuses and rarity

Hand Crossbow3.75 expected damage / attack55% hit chance1d6 piercing · +0 magic attack · 30 ft. range75 GP · 3 lb

Uses the same attack ability; compare handling and damage

Light Crossbow4.35 expected damage / attack55% hit chance1d8 piercing · +0 magic attack · 80 ft. range25 GP · 5 lb

Uses the same attack ability; compare handling and damage

Ordinary attacks only. Matching extra-damage conditions follow your input; alternatives keep their default bonus allocation.

Heavy Crossbow FAQ

Does Heavy Crossbow require attunement?

No. This entry does not require attunement; follow its activation and use rules.

Is the listed price a guaranteed purchase price?

The listed price is a reference from this catalogue entry. Availability and the final price depend on your game and GM.