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<blockquote data-quote="Dausuul" data-source="post: 6343255" data-attributes="member: 58197">Going strictly by the letter of the rules, I don't see a lot of reason to use a hand crossbow; sure, you can do shield-and-crossbow, but who does that? (Though Umbran makes an excellent point about spell-and-crossbow. Drow spellcasters ahoy.) And you'd have to be really hard up for Strength for the two pounds of encumbrance savings to be worth it.However, the letter of the rules has been de-emphasized in 5E. IMO, the main virtue of the hand crossbow is that it gives you a free hand, which lets you justify doing a lot of stuff you would otherwise have trouble selling to your DM. For example, while the rules do not say you have to have a free hand to climb, I certainly would not allow a PC clinging to a sheer cliff to use a two-handed weapon! Hand crossbow? Go for it. Likewise if you're swinging on a chandelier or something like that. The hand crossbow is very Cunning Action-friendly. I also expect there will be a feat that lets you dual wield with a hand crossbow.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Dausuul, post: 6343255, member: 58197"] Going strictly by the letter of the rules, I don't see a lot of reason to use a hand crossbow; sure, you can do shield-and-crossbow, but who does that? (Though Umbran makes an excellent point about spell-and-crossbow. Drow spellcasters ahoy.) And you'd have to be really hard up for Strength for the two pounds of encumbrance savings to be worth it. However, the letter of the rules has been de-emphasized in 5E. IMO, the main virtue of the hand crossbow is that it gives you a free hand, which lets you justify doing a lot of stuff you would otherwise have trouble selling to your DM. For example, while the rules do not [I]say[/I] you have to have a free hand to climb, I certainly would not allow a PC clinging to a sheer cliff to use a two-handed weapon! Hand crossbow? Go for it. Likewise if you're swinging on a chandelier or something like that. The hand crossbow is very Cunning Action-friendly. I also expect there will be a feat that lets you dual wield with a hand crossbow. [/QUOTE]

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