D&D 5E Reload hand crossbow

[maritimo80]

A character with a shield in one hand and hand crossbow in the other, can recharge your crossbow and shoot ?

 

[Valador]

You need a free hand available to reload. I'm mobile right now otherwise I would post the reference for you, but I'm sure someone will be along shortly to hook you up.

 

[BoldItalic]

You can shoot but you can't reload unless you stow your shield (which takes one action).

PHB Errata: "Loading a one-handed weapon requires a free hand."

 

[Fimbria]

Which in turn means that hand crossbows are useless for ordinary combat. If you had both hands free to reload the weapon, you would use an ordinary bow instead and do more damage.

As far as I know, the only way to use a hand crossbow effectively is to climb the walls. Then you open a fight with a single ranged attack, and monsters can't retaliate because you are clinging to the ceiling beyond their reach. Dunno what you do on round two, though.

AFAIK, absolutely nothing would break if the DM allowed unlimited one-handed reloading.

 

[ccs]

Which in turn means that hand crossbows are useless for ordinary combat. If you had both hands free to reload the weapon, you would use an ordinary bow instead and do more damage.

AFAIK, absolutely nothing would break if the DM allowed unlimited one-handed reloading.

It would have the exact same effects if i allowed short/long/other crossbows to be re-loaded 1 handed.
And why would I allow that?

 

[Jester David]

Which in turn means that hand crossbows are useless for ordinary combat. If you had both hands free to reload the weapon, you would use an ordinary bow instead and do more damage.

As far as I know, the only way to use a hand crossbow effectively is to climb the walls. Then you open a fight with a single ranged attack, and monsters can't retaliate because you are clinging to the ceiling beyond their reach. Dunno what you do on round two, though.

AFAIK, absolutely nothing would break if the DM allowed unlimited one-handed reloading.

Rogues are only proficient in hand crossbows and shortbows. Both do a d6. Handy to have a free hand and a light weapon.

 

[Horwath]

If you can "Macgyver" some 1handed reloading mechanism that would work.

 

[Azurewraith]

My group run it as if you take this feat and are wielding a light weapon you can reload with out a free hand as you have learned to hold a bolt and a rapier in the same hand or have your weapon strapped on or some other nonsense it hasn't broken the game the thing deals a piddly d6 i see no issue why you cant use a shield.

The whole point of this feat is to "go drow" and use a rapier and a hand crossbow in your OH.

 

[Eltab]

_Out of the Abyss_ has a racial weapon modification that treats a crossbow like a Wild West revolver instead of a Revolutionary War pistol. You get 6 shots and then have to spend an Action to reload. If you are good at taking every possible shot (attack, extra attack, bonus action: attack, reaction) you can run out of ammo on Turn Two. If you're not so quick on the draw, you are probably good for the length of a fight.

If you want to put in a quest to acquire the special weapon, go ahead. The players will appreciate it more when they DO get it.

P.S. Any tinker gnomes in your party?