Crossbowman
Crossbowmen are guards armed with crossbows featured in Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood. They patrol and defend the rooftops similar to the archers. However, unlike archers who draw their swords if Ezio comes too close, they instead also use their crossbows for melee combat, and will still fire a bolt at Ezio even at close range.
Crossbowmen can be an annoyance particularly when encountered in groups. Crossbow bolts prove faster than normal arrows, and will easily hinder rooftop travel by causing you to fall and take damage. Crossbowmen are good shot's, and are able to get rid of one armor point in one shot, and shoot Ezio while he is on rooftops. If you buy the Crossbow at the blacksmith, you will be able to get crossbow bolts from dead crossbowmen.