The choice of weapon is vitally important to all martial classes. A warrior’s weapon can do much more than simply determine how much damage he deals in combat; it can also define his role on the battlefield, and how his allies and his enemies perceive him.

Take the historic example of the English archer in late medieval Europe. These archers were exceptionally skilled with the longbow and quickly rose to dominance on the battlefield. So much so that archers using the longbow became synonymous with English armies, and the effectiveness of these archers nurtured a strong hatred from other nations whom the English defeated.

The English archer is a fine example of a fighter that has become so specialized in the use of a single weapon that it encompasses his entire identity as a warrior. This example can
easily be followed in your D&D game, as players seek to further establish their characters’ unique identity in the campaign with their choice of paragon paths.

The arbalest, or heavy crossbow, is a robust weapon featuring a steel prod (bow) attached to a stock of solid hardwood. It can fire a bolt farther and with more power than a standard crossbow, but is slow to load.