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Popularized by the infamous 'riot guards' of the Bolton kingdom – itself a cesspit of civil strife and social and cultural upheaval – the riot crossbow is a crossbow built into a heavy shield with a viewport for the wielder. Basically a combination of [[SRD:Heavy Crossbow|heavy crossbow]] and a [[Greatshield (3.5e Equipment)|greatshield]], the total is however much greater than the sum of its parts, and when wielded with the right know-how and martial training, the riot crossbow becomes a terrifying tool for close range suppression.
A riot crossbow grants a +2 bonus to checks to avoid being [[SRD:Trip|tripped]], [[SRD:Bull Rush|bullrushed]] or [[SRD:Overrun|overrun]]. You provoke no [[SRD:Attack of Opportunity|attacks of opportunity]] when firing a riot crossbow in melee. You may use the riot crossbow to shield bash as if using a [[Greatshield (3.5e Equipment)|greatshield]].
You may fire the riot crossbow with only one hand, but it must be reloaded with both hands. Reloading a riot crossbow is a [[SRD:Move Action|move action]]. You retain your [[SRD:Shield Bonus|shield bonus]] to [[SRD:Armor Class|Armor Class]] while reloading.
The riot crossbow is classified as an [[SRD:Exotic Weapon|exotic weapon]], but any creature may treat the riot crossbow as a [[SRD:Martial Weapon|martial weapon]] provided they have [[SRD:Tower Shield Proficiency|Tower Shield Proficiency]] and a [[SRD:Strength|Strength]] of 17. Those who have the proper [[SRD:Exotic Weapon Proficiency|Exotic Weapon Proficiency]] however only need to be proficient with regular shields and have a [[SRD:Strength|Strength]] of 13 , and furthermore gain access to gain the following benefits and [[Weapon Arts (3.5e Other)|weapon arts]]:
*You may choose to reload the riot crossbow as an attack action.
