D&D 5E Does the new ammunition rule screw up dual hand crossbow?

[transtemporal]

Just perusing the errata, weapons with the "ammunition" property now require a free hand to reload (which makes sense).

Does that render the "crossbow expertise" feats bonus attack null and void since (apart from the first round) you won't be able to load the second hand crossbow without sheathing the first?

Or have we got a "fire 1st hcb, reload 1st hcb, sheath 1st hcb, draw 2nd, fire 2nd, reload 2nd, sheath 2nd" kinda sequence going on? Its the drawing/sheathing two weapons I'm not sure on since crossbow expertise doesn't give that.

 

[MerricB]

Yes, it does. We've already had a big thread on it (the clarification was actually made in the last Sage Advice article).

 

[vandaexpress]

My understanding is that it basically lets you fire one hand crossbow faster, based on sage advice.

 

[transtemporal]

Yes, it does. We've already had a big thread on it (the clarification was actually made in the last Sage Advice article).

D'oh! Missed that thread, will go have a read. Thanks!

 

[Paraxis]

You can just use one hand crossbow and fire it with all your normal Attack action attacks, and then get the bonus action attack off with the same hand crossbow.

The errata changed things so you couldn't have another weapon or shield in your other hand.

They also had to errata two-handed weapons so two-handed ammunition using weapons could be used, or you were left with needing two hands to use a bow and no free hand to reload it.

 

[Sunseeker]

It basically lets you have one semi-automatic hand-crossbow as long as you have a free hand.

It's a visual change and a support of a level of verisimilitude I find somewhat contradictory, but as 5E is a rulings not rules edition I have the power to ignore any errata I choose to support the style of play I prefer. So it's not a big deal IMO.

 

[JackOfAllTirades]

Yeah, if you want to hold a crossbow in each hand and load both of 'em every round with your teeth, that's just fine.

Or use your tail if you're playing a Tiefling, cuz that's awesome.

 

[CapnZapp]

Does the new ammunition rule screw up dual hand crossbow?

Yes.

The designers, in their finite wisdom, decided to tell you "you're playing the game wrong".

"Instead of using two cool hand crossbows, you can and should use only one hand crossbow instead."

"We've clarified our rules to allow you to shoot as many times with the single crossbow as you did with two, to make it pointless to use two. But, to ensure nobody plays our game wrong, we have also added errata specifically telling you you're breaking the rules if you use dual hand crossbows."

That's the take I'm getting out of that nasty discussion.

Why on earth they decided it was a good idea to put a thumb in the eye of all you who love Hong Kong action flicks, and want to play a fantasy John Woo character, I will probably never know.

 

[S_Dalsgaard]

I houseruled that you couldn't dual wield hand crossbows when I was in doubt about the rules before, just like you can easily houserule to allow dual wielding them now. It isn't the only place in the rules where houseruling is the only way to make the game fit your vision of what makes sense.

 

[transtemporal]

Why on earth they decided it was a good idea to put a thumb in the eye of all you who love Hong Kong action flicks, and want to play a fantasy John Woo character, I will probably never know.

That's ok, now I imagine myself as Clint Eastwood in Good, Bad and Ugly.