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Unless, of course, your players are paying attention to who is using a longsword and who swapped to a crossbow when they choose paths in regards to OAs.

Monsters aren't exempt from the rules.  Their statblocks are largely condensed, and don't include an equipment list, but most monsters still only get two hands and if their weapon can't be used for the attack, then they can't do the attack.

Just because it's a power in a monster statblock, that doesn't mean you can use it.  The vast majority of monster movement powers, for example, stop working if conditions change, such as the monster being Immobilized.  The same logic applies for weapons. 

They are also subject to the rules for drawing and stowing items, the same as everything else.

As far as RAI?  No, I don't believe artillery are intended to have their melee basic attack available at all times.  Being up in an artillery's face is supposed to be bad for them.  That's the point of being artillery.

There's a difference between saying "the rules don't tell us how to resolve it" and "you should ignore it because it's not important."  I completely disagree with Salla, it is worth the effort, because doing things like not letting them make a melee attack when it had a crossbow out on its turn and didn't spend the action required to stow it and draw another weapon makes the monsters more a part of the world, rather than just a collection of numbers impeding the progress of the story.

Dec 26, 2012 -- 2:43PM, Mand12 wrote:

Their statblocks are largely condensed, and don't include an equipment list

Monsters that have equipment have an equipment list in their statblock.

FWIW The rules even say that If a character gains a monster's equipment, he or she can use it as normal gear and does not gain the powers that a monster uses through a piece of equipment.

MV 11 Equipment: A monster's "Equipment" entry notes important items a monster is carrying. A monster might carry equipment that is not noted here. Equipment that is unimportant to a monster is left for the Dungeon Master to decide. If a character gains a monster's equipment, he or she can use it as normal gear. A character does not gain the powers that a monster uses through a piece of equipment. A piece of equipment that player characters use does not necessarily have the same properties for monsters. For example, a greataxe has the high crit property, but a monster using the item does not benefit from the property unless otherwise noted in its statistics.

That has nothing to do with monsters using the weapon, it just says that PCs can. It even specifically says that the mechanical function of the weapons has nothing to do with the monster powers.

As a productive member of the charOP boards you should appreciate the separation between fluff and crunch.

Correct.

However the rules are perfectly clear in this case. However the fact that it is not important (which it isn't) is not important. I can agree there.