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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Cor_Malek" data-source="post: 5321969" data-attributes="member: 91608">Hehe, while with a lot of experience with crossbows I can hardly imagine anyone doing this, but the visual ticked me off xD And it is... um... doable*.[disclaimer: as with 90% of my posts regarding rules, it's concerned with believability and practical part  of the problem, not rule-lawyering. So it can be in line with/ irrelevant / contrary to official rules.]You need to realize why you cannot load a crossbow with one had before you try to tackle the problem. The string of bow is elastic, and it stretches in an uneven way if you don't pull it right. It's common to mark your string in the middle, right where the bolt goes, so that you can be sure you loaded it right. It can be hard for a newbie to load a crossbow right with a lever, much less with his hands, which can be a problem even on a tournament level (you mustn't dry-fire any kind of bow).Even if you position the marker in right spot after pulling it with one hand, the string itself will tend to pull to one side.- But what if I positioned my hand directly above the body of crossbow?Well you're onto something, but your fingers would have to be dead-even, and, well, absurdly strong.- Um, so can't I just fabricate, like, a small two-finger, iron claw, and pull that?You sure can. Why not base it on medieval loading hooks? <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" />Said hooks, next to the trigger, nut and stirrup, are the most common part of crossbows that gets unearthed (well, way after bolt heads, obviously). They've been widely used, and are very handy indeed. They make loading crossbow a piss for infantry, and make it possible and relatively easy (especially compared to firing it <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f61b.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":P" title="Stick out tongue    :P"  data-smilie="7"data-shortname=":P" />) for cavalry, who were able to pull it with only one hand. And it wasn't even placed on the hook, but rather holding the body.You put your foot into stirrup, you bend, and place the hook on string. The hook is attached to your belt. Now you just straighten, and presto! A loaded crossbow! Let's kill something! English name for it, is apparently pulley mechanism. Kinda self-explanatory, fits DnD right ;-PA person of average strength can load by hand (or with this appliance) a crossbow of pull equal to his weight. I've once seen a ~90kg bloke load a 120 kg crossbow after X trials, but it was a feat that's taken quite a while. I guess he just rolled a natural 20 <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f609.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=";)" title="Wink    ;)"  data-smilie="2"data-shortname=";)" /> . If you want to load a heavier crossbow, you need some kind of lever.- Damn, too bad there weren't any mechanisms that could be operated with one hand... Or were there?You sure know me, cursive. But while it could be operated with one hand, I can hardly picture using two mechanisms like that simultaneously. Maybe you could figure <a href="http://www.traykon.com/Images/xbow1.jpg" target="_blank">something out</a> . <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:HJRK_A_108_-_Wallarmbrust_c._1460-70.jpg" target="_blank">(Clearer)</a>Thing to remember of course is that it would still be inaccurate, because you wouldn't be able to place your body symmetrically (as mentioned, loading it can be a bitch). The whole idea relies on heavy usage of Rule of Cool anyway, so it's not that much of a problem; but if the system needs tuning down, my advice would be to give additional penalty to hit if you load them both yourself, and try to utilize henchman for loading (although with that many attacks per round, crossbows and staff would be all over the place ;-) ).Additional pictures can be found all over the place once you know what you're looking for.<a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a2/Balestriere1.jpg" target="_blank">[1]</a> and <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/18/The_Martyrdom_of_St_Sebastian_%28detail%29.jpg" target="_blank">[2]</a>All in all, unless you're a total crossbow-fan, it's bows that are made for speed, crossbows are for power and easy use.*when I wrote that, I've heard a whisper. As if thousand of bolts were released at once, searching for my heathen hide.</blockquote>

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