D&D 3E/3.5 3.5 - Help out with a dual-wielding hand crossbow fighter

[xigbar]

I once made a dual-hand crossbow gunner, based on the video game character of my username. He had some things that aren't essential to hand crossbow combat, for flavor reasons. He was a Wizard 1 (Abrupt Jaunt ACF)/ Targeteer Fighter 2/ Feat Rogue 2/ Swordsage everything else. He had Crossbow Sniper, Shadow Blade, Dead Eye, and the Targeteer ACF, for 3.5 times Dex to damage. Assasins Stance also gave him 2d6 sneak attack, which is minor, but good for activating Shadow Blade. He had +1 Splitting Quick Loading Handcrossbows of Speed, and a Quiver of Endless arrows. With Dex 34 (as a human), he did 1d4+42 damage per arrow, and with Perfect TWFing, he had 20 attacks. I had some way of getting more, but I can't remember.

 

[sirgarberto]

I once made a dual-hand crossbow gunner, based on the video game character of my username. He had some things that aren't essential to hand crossbow combat, for flavor reasons. He was a Wizard 1 (Abrupt Jaunt ACF)/ Targeteer Fighter 2/ Feat Rogue 2/ Swordsage everything else. He had Crossbow Sniper, Shadow Blade, Dead Eye, and the Targeteer ACF, for 3.5 times Dex to damage. Assasins Stance also gave him 2d6 sneak attack, which is minor, but good for activating Shadow Blade. He had +1 Splitting Quick Loading Handcrossbows of Speed, and a Quiver of Endless arrows. With Dex 34 (as a human), he did 1d4+42 damage per arrow, and with Perfect TWFing, he had 20 attacks. I had some way of getting more, but I can't remember.

Quick-loading shouldn't really allow you to do that. It still requires you to have a free hand to load it, even if it's a free action now.

 

[xigbar]

Quick-loading shouldn't really allow you to do that. It still requires you to have a free hand to load it, even if it's a free action now.

Well, it shouldn't, but my DM and I couldn't find something disputing it, other than physics, which the game has problems with.

 

[Omegaxicor]

I'm sure the rules specify that the crossbow requires a free hand to load (I will find the ruling asap) regardless of the action

EDIT: "You can draw a hand crossbow back by hand. Loading a hand crossbow is a move action that provokes attacks of opportunity. You can shoot, but not load, a hand crossbow with one hand at no penalty. You can shoot a hand crossbow with each hand, but you take a penalty on attack rolls as if attacking with two light weapons." - technically it never says you need a free hand, all of the other crossbows do so logically this should but your DM could ignore that.

 

[Salthorae]

I know this is thread necro technically, but I wanted to chime in here as I just started to do research on the viability of a crossbow fighter/archer build and stumbled in here.

Quick-loading is:

QUICK LOADING
Price: +1 bonus
Property: Crossbow
Caster Level: 9th
Aura: Moderate; (DC 19) conjuration
Activation: Free (manipulation) or
move (manipulation); see text

and:

[Action Type] (manipulation): Activating this type of item requires some physical manipulation of it, such as moving an immovable rod or pulling a patch from a robe of useful items. This movement is similar to the somatic component of a spell, in that you need a free hand to perform the action.

Activating a manipulation item provokes attacks of opportunity.

Emphasis mine

So based on this, I doubt you could effectively dual-wield a hand crossbow beyond 1 shot with two, then sheath the 2nd one and continue firing/reloading with the first.