D&D 5E 5e question: dual hand crossbows

[brehobit]

Hi folks,
I was reading the 5e PHB (very cool btw) when I started looking at the crossbow feat. A few questions:

• With crossbow expert, could one (somehow) load each hand crossbow without putting the other one down?
• Is there any way to get an off-hand attack with a second crossbow as a bonus action? Two-weapon fighting only works for melee weapons.

Either way, is there a reasonable way for a ranger to get a bonus-action attack with a crossbow? Spending a feat would be fine for the build I'm thinking of.

Thanks,
The long-lost Brehobit.

 

[GX.Sigma]

The crossbow feat gives you an extra attack with a hand crossbow as a bonus action. I think the intention was to use it with dual hand crossbows, but technically there's nothing stopping you from using it with one hand crossbow and a shield.

 

[Juriel]

There is no point in dual-wielding hand crossbows, alas. You can get two attacks off with the same hand crossbow with the feat, though.

It doesn't say anywhere you need a free hand to load, so it should work for hand crossbows, or otherwise longbows cannot reload either (seeing how they're two-handed).

The 'loaded' requirement of the feat's extra attack is weird, but if the GM doesn't let you reload the hand crossbow as part of the attack action (like you could for regular bows), then, if nothing else, you can say you spend your 'free environmental interaction' of the turn on loading your crossbow, in order to get your bonus attack shot off.

 

[ccooke]

There is no point in dual-wielding hand crossbows, alas. You can get two attacks off with the same hand crossbow with the feat, though.

It doesn't say anywhere you need a free hand to load, so it should work for hand crossbows, or otherwise longbows cannot reload either (seeing how they're two-handed).

The 'loaded' requirement of the feat's extra attack is weird, but if the GM doesn't let you reload the hand crossbow as part of the attack action (like you could for regular bows), then, if nothing else, you can say you spend your 'free environmental interaction' of the turn on loading your crossbow, in order to get your bonus attack shot off.

The feat explicitly deals with that.
With a bow or crossbow, you can only shoot them if you have ammunition - therefore, you can only fire a loaded weapon. The "Loading" keyword simply means that the act of loading the weapon takes up enough time that you can't make multiple attacks with it. If you have the Crossbow Expert feat, you ignore the Loading property and can - subject to your stores of ammunition - now load and shoot the crossbow multiple times within a single round.

 

[Juriel]

The feat explicitly deals with that.
With a bow or crossbow, you can only shoot them if you have ammunition - therefore, you can only fire a loaded weapon. The "Loading" keyword simply means that the act of loading the weapon takes up enough time that you can't make multiple attacks with it. If you have the Crossbow Expert feat, you ignore the Loading property and can - subject to your stores of ammunition - now load and shoot the crossbow multiple times within a single round.

Yes, I was more preparing him to deal with GMs who have a hate-on for crossbows.

 

[Quickleaf]

Hi folks,
I was reading the 5e PHB (very cool btw) when I started looking at the crossbow feat. A few questions:

• With crossbow expert, could one (somehow) load each hand crossbow without putting the other one down?
• Is there any way to get an off-hand attack with a second crossbow as a bonus action? Two-weapon fighting only works for melee weapons.

Either way, is there a reasonable way for a ranger to get a bonus-action attack with a crossbow? Spending a feat would be fine for the build I'm thinking of.

Yes you can dual wield crossbows. I was just looking into dual-wielding hand crossbows for a rogue modron PC a la Nordom, it just requires significant feat investment and being a Fighter (two-weapon fighting style) to be worth it.

The relevant rules:

PHB 195, "Two-Weapon Fighting"

When you take the Attack action and attack with a light melee weapon that you're holding in one hand, you can use a bonus action to attack with a different light melee weapon that you're holding in the other hand.

PHB 165, "Crossbow Expert"

• You ignore the loading quality of crossbows with which you are proficient.
• When you use the Attack action and attack with a one handed weapon (e.g. Hand crossbow), you can use a bonus action to attack with a loaded hand crossbow you are holding.

• 
  
  PHB 72, "Fighting Style - Two-Weapon Fighting"
  

  When you engage in two-weapon fighting, you can add your ability modifier to the damage of the second attack.

  
  Later on, if you want to be able to draw both crossbows simultaneously, you could pick up the Dual Wielder feat.

 

[Mithreinmaethor]

Yes you can dual wield crossbows. I was just looking into dual-wielding hand crossbows for a rogue modron PC a la Nordom, it just requires significant feat investment and being a Fighter (two-weapon fighting style) to be worth it.

The relevant rules:

PHB 195, "Two-Weapon Fighting"


PHB 165, "Crossbow Expert"


PHB 72, "Fighting Style - Two-Weapon Fighting"


Later on, if you want to be able to draw both crossbows simultaneously, you could pick up the Dual Wielder feat.

A Hand Crossbow is not a light melee weapon it is a light ranged weapon.

 

[RangerWickett]

It's weird. I'm fine with a mighty barbarian swinging a pair of 8-ft. greatclubs while raging . . . but the idea of a guy holding a crossbow in each hand and somehow managing to load them both is silly.

If any player wants to do this, I'll save my rage for something else, and handwave it as him inventing a clip and autoloading mechanism.

 

[Quickleaf]

A Hand Crossbow is not a light melee weapon it is a light ranged weapon.

Which is why you need to take the Crossbow Expert feat, which grants you a bonus action to make a hand crossbow attack with when you use the Attack action with a one handed weapon (ANY weapon, melee or ranged). So it accommodates sword-and-crossbow style & dual-hand-crossbow style.

The question as [MENTION=63]RangerWickett[/MENTION] rightly points out is whether you can load both in the same turn. That's going to be a DM call. Personally I'd say "Yes."

 

[Mithreinmaethor]

Which is why you need to take the Crossbow Expert feat, which grants you a bonus action to make a hand crossbow attack with when you use the Attack action with a one handed weapon (ANY weapon, melee or ranged). So it accommodates sword-and-crossbow style & dual-hand-crossbow style.

The question as @RangerWickett rightly points out is whether you can load both in the same turn. That's going to be a DM call. Personally I'd say "Yes."

But the Two Weapon Fighting and the Fighting Style only affect MELEE weapons so would have no bearing on the Hand Crossbows.