The hand crossbow part of the Crossbow Expert feat is now nigh-on impossible to actually use. While you can ignore the Loading aspect of crossbows, you still can't ignore Ammunition. This requires a free hand, even on one-handed weapons (PHB p146). However, if you have a free hand, then you don't have an extra attack from Light Weapon's extra attack, since you are only holding one weapon in the first place.
I suppose if you had previously loaded the hand crossbow, you could do use this feature once, in the first round of combat. Alternatively, an Artificer's Repeating Shot infusion may help, but that's not even a core rulebook feature.
Under the 2014 PHB rules, the feat allowed you to fire a hand crossbow with the Attack action, then fire the same hand crossbow again as a bonus action, as long as you kept one hand free to replenish the ammunition, and you could do this every round. The reason you could do this is because the feat wasn't linked to two-weapon fighting at all, which I believe was deliberate. It seems as though linking the feat to the light weapon extra attack rule has nerfed the feature in a way that was not intended.
The hand crossbow part of the Crossbow Expert feat is now nigh-on impossible to actually use. While you can ignore the Loading aspect of crossbows, you still can't ignore Ammunition. This requires a free hand, even on one-handed weapons (PHB p146). However, if you have a free hand, then you don't have an extra attack from Light Weapon's extra attack, since you are only holding one weapon in the first place.
I suppose if you had previously loaded the hand crossbow, you could do use this feature once, in the first round of combat. Alternatively, an Artificer's Repeating Shot infusion may help, but that's not even a core rulebook feature.
Under the 2014 PHB rules, the feat allowed you to fire a hand crossbow with the Attack action, then fire the same hand crossbow again as a bonus action, as long as you kept one hand free to replenish the ammunition, and you could do this every round. The reason you could do this is because the feat wasn't linked to two-weapon fighting at all, which I believe was deliberate. It seems as though linking the feat to the light weapon extra attack rule has nerfed the feature in a way that was not intended.
Actually it does not say anywhere on page 146 that you need a free hand to do this. Ammunition says it expends ammo, and it says you can load the weapon as part of the attack action, it says no where that you need a free hand to do this, and I feel that it is not rules as intended to have crossbow expert not function.
By default, anyone can now dual-wield with a hand crossbow. Crossbow Expert makes a character better at that, among other things. Perhaps the intent is for the Ammunition property to change somewhat. If not, then Crossbow Expert might need to include a trait that works around the need for a free hand.
You can equip or unequip one Weapon before or after any attack you make as part of this Action, even if the attack is with an Unarmed Strike.
Its a bit awkwardly worded, but does this let you draw/stow one weapon before or after each attack? If so, you can dual wield the crossbows pretty easily.
Or is it that you get one equip/unequip per Attack action? If the latter, Hand crossbow probably works best with throwing knives.
Certainly under 2014 rules you can only draw or stow one weapon over the entire Attack action. If you want to draw two/store two weapons at once, you have to take the Dual Wielder feat. This doesn't seem to have changed. Even then, you can only draw two weapons or stow them both; it doesn't allow you to draw a weapon and stow one in the same turn.
The hand crossbow part of the Crossbow Expert feat is now nigh-on impossible to actually use. While you can ignore the Loading aspect of crossbows, you still can't ignore Ammunition. This requires a free hand, even on one-handed weapons (PHB p146). However, if you have a free hand, then you don't have an extra attack from Light Weapon's extra attack, since you are only holding one weapon in the first place.
I suppose if you had previously loaded the hand crossbow, you could do use this feature once, in the first round of combat. Alternatively, an Artificer's Repeating Shot infusion may help, but that's not even a core rulebook feature.
Under the 2014 PHB rules, the feat allowed you to fire a hand crossbow with the Attack action, then fire the same hand crossbow again as a bonus action, as long as you kept one hand free to replenish the ammunition, and you could do this every round. The reason you could do this is because the feat wasn't linked to two-weapon fighting at all, which I believe was deliberate. It seems as though linking the feat to the light weapon extra attack rule has nerfed the feature in a way that was not intended.
Actually it does not say anywhere on page 146 that you need a free hand to do this. Ammunition says it expends ammo, and it says you can load the weapon as part of the attack action, it says no where that you need a free hand to do this, and I feel that it is not rules as intended to have crossbow expert not function.
This needs to be clarified, I agree.
By default, anyone can now dual-wield with a hand crossbow. Crossbow Expert makes a character better at that, among other things. Perhaps the intent is for the Ammunition property to change somewhat. If not, then Crossbow Expert might need to include a trait that works around the need for a free hand.
Ammunition (p. 146). The following text has been added to the end of the third sentence: “… (you need a free hand to load a one-handed weapon).”
was one of the first errata's that came out for the PHB https://media.wizards.com/2018/dnd/downloads/PH-Errata.pdf
But leads to the question when they say refer to the 2014 PHB in the playtest does that mean ignore errata ?
I think you need to throw one light weapon and then use the crossbow. This meets the requirements for both.
Or break up your attack and drop it, although that would be subject to interpretation.
I do believe the wording is intentional.
Its a bit awkwardly worded, but does this let you draw/stow one weapon before or after each attack? If so, you can dual wield the crossbows pretty easily.
Or is it that you get one equip/unequip per Attack action? If the latter, Hand crossbow probably works best with throwing knives.
Certainly under 2014 rules you can only draw or stow one weapon over the entire Attack action. If you want to draw two/store two weapons at once, you have to take the Dual Wielder feat. This doesn't seem to have changed. Even then, you can only draw two weapons or stow them both; it doesn't allow you to draw a weapon and stow one in the same turn.
Per attack action, unless you take the feat.
One thing they could do, would be to move the language about needing a free hand from the ammunition weapon property to the loading weapon property.
1) Stab with a light weapon in hand (A)
2) Fire pre-loaded hand crossbow in hand (B) using light weapon feature
3) Make a bonus attach with hand (A)
or be a Thi-Keen (SP)