Missile Weapon Rate of Fire

In general, missile weapons are allowed a single attack per round, just as are melee weapons. However, crossbows are an exception, as reloading a crossbow between shots is time-consuming. A light crossbow can be fired once per two rounds, and the user may not perform any other actions (including movement) during the "reloading" round. A heavy crossbow can be fired just once per three rounds, again requiring the user to spend two rounds doing nothing other than cocking and loading the weapon in order to fire it again. Siege engines also fire less often than ordinary weapons. The rate of fire for such a weapon is presented as a fraction, indicating the number of attacks per round; for example, 1/6 means one attack every six rounds. Of course, the user of such a weapon may drop or sling the weapon and switch to another weapon rather than reloading. Also, it is possible (especially when defending a position) to load more than one crossbow in advance and then switch weapons each round until all have been fired. In a dungeon environment this sort of strategy is unlikely, of course.