[karlosovic]

I recall hearing something about crossbows being outlawed at some time in the middle ages (obviously not all of it, or maybe it was like a military assault rifle in the present day). Anyway, the point is that crossbows DO actually make people explode. It's a highly concussive impact, on top of a big bit of sharp metal sticking through you. Just like some high powered rifles of today, a solid crossbow will hit a person with such force that for example, a shot in the upper arm will cause enough pressure in the veins to catastrophically rupture the heart.

Considering this, I think crossbows should do a lot more damage than a bow, just at a slower rate of fire.