Ray crossbow
A ray crossbow is a type of telekinetic weapon, using an ordinary crossbow as an energy storage mechanism which is then used to generate a force bolt. This is accomplished by extending the crossbow's stock forward from the muzzle, the extension being used to house a ray projector. The ray projector converts the kinetic energy of a physical bolt into a force bolt, which then travels to the target. A picture of a ray crossbow can be seen below:
A ray crossbow.
The main advantages of this type of weapon are unlimited range and unlimited ammunition. Unlimited range arises because force bolts are not affected by gravity, so they do not follow a ballistic trajectory. As a result, the range of a ray crossbow is limited only by line of sight and thus by the horizon; at high altitudes, this may mean that the only real limitation to range is the ability of the archer to spot targets. Unlimited ammunition arises because the physical bolt used to transmit power to the ray projector can be re-used indefinitely. In practice, the number of shots such a weapon can fire is limited by wear and tear; eventually the string will break, the bow will crack, or the bolt will break or get dull. However, all of these tend to happen long after the archer succumbs to fatigue, and can be solved by carrying around a supply of spare parts.
Because force bolts are not affected by wind or gravity, this makes the ray crossbow a potentially very accurate weapon. In most cases, the actual accuracy of the weapon is limited by shoddy construction, so ray crossbows intended for hunting are often of limited military value. However, finely crafted ray crossbows are among the most accurate weapons in the Locus.
The best ray crossbows are used for sniping. These weapons are equipped with recoil compensators (small weights to correct for the change in balance as the bow snaps forward) and scrying sights. A scrying sight is a small line-of-sight scrying orb that functions like a telescope; in this case magic is used to replace not only optics technology, but most of the weight of the scope. Sniper-grade ray crossbows, in the right hands, are effective at ranges of over a mile.
The main disadvantage of the ray crossbow is its slow rate of fire and limited power. Because it relies entirely on physical force to inflict damage, it is much less powerful than other comparably expensive magical weapons. This is exacerbated by the fact that many forms of magical armor are specifically designed to deal with the threat of force bolts. However, these drawbacks tend to be compensated by its range and accuracy; an archer with a high-quality ray crossbow has plenty of time to bring their target down before their target can get into close combat or return fire with lesser ranged weapons.
Ray crossbows usually use a taggant to render the force bolt visible. The force bolt appears as a shadowy apparition in the form of a crossbow bolt, flying towards its target at extreme speed. The purpose of this is to improve accuracy, much in the manner of a tracer round in a gun. The archer is able to watch the projectile as it approaches the target and see where it actually lands; this is then used to adjust the weapon's sights. In the case of sniper-grade weapons, the taggant can be turned on or off; this allows the force bolt to be visible when the sights are being calibrated, but invisible when used against a combat target. Invisible force bolts make it difficult to even roughly estimate the direction of an incoming attack, as the lack of a physical projectile means that entry and exit wounds often look a lot alike.
The basic principle for the ray crossbow is identical to that used on the rayballista. However, the rayballista is a much larger and mechanically more complex weapon that cannot be wielded without some form of pintle or other mount.