RAW; On your turn, you can move a distance up to your speed and take one action. One action you can take is the Attack action, certain features, such as the Extra Attack feature of the fighter, allow you to make more than one attack with this action. Bonus Action; Various class features, spells and other abilities let you take an additional action on your turn called a Bonus Action. Reaction; Certain special abilities, spells, and situations allow you to take a special action called a Reaction. (These are three separate actions.) Use an Object; You normally interact with an object while doing something else, such as when you draw a sword as part of an attack. Hand Crossbow - Properties - Ammunition; Drawing the ammunition is part of the attack (you need a free hand to load a one handed weapon). Light; A light weapon is small and easy to handle, making it ideal for use when fighting with two weapons. Loading; Because of the time required to load this weapon, you can fire only one peice of ammunition from it when you use an action, bonus action, or reaction to fire it, regardless of the number of attacks you can normally make. (This means one attack per each of these separate actions. It is only applicable to a feature such as Extra Attack, that allows two attacks on the same action.) Crossbow Expert; You ignore the loading property of crossbow with which you are proficient. (This means you can attack twice on the same action with a feature such as Extra Attack.) When you use the Attack action to attack with a one handed weapon, you can use a bonus action to attack with a hand crossbow you are holding. (Both the Light property and Crossbow Expert say you can use a hand crossbow with another weapon in contrast to the Ammunition property requirement to have a free hand to load. This implies clearly that you do not need to meet the free hand requirement under these circumstances.)

That's an unsupported assumption.

The text in the Light property and the Crossbow Expert feat are set up in such a way that you could, if you have the feat, use your action to Attack with the hand crossbow and then use your bonus action to attack with it again. That's the main intent of that part of the feat, though it is pretty nebulously worded.

In addition, if you have extra hands, either through homebrew or by virtue of being a thri-kreen, you can hold a weapon alongside your hand crossbow and still have a hand free to load the crossbow. This would let you use your action to Attack with the other weapon and then your bonus action to make an attack with the hand crossbow.

Don't know where an assumption was made, everything stated is supported by RAW citations, the basic rules are not written to support supplemental content, such as player characters  with more than two hands. You are correct though that you could make an attack with your action and then attack again with your bonus action, as was shown in the RAW. Not sure what your argument is.

Quote from Dave39528 >>

Don't know where an assumption was made, everything stated is supported by RAW citations, the basic rules are not written to support supplemental content, such as player characters  with more than two hands. You are correct though that you could make an attack with your action and then attack again with your bonus action, as was shown in the RAW. Not sure what your argument is.

My argument is that this statement:
"This implies clearly that you do not need to meet the free hand requirement under these circumstances."
is false.

This is where an assumption was made, and this is not supported by RAW citations. Using a "clear implication" to create new rules out of the ether is exactly what an assumption is.

Okay, I see what you mean. To clarify the point, if loading is part of the attack action (RAW) and you need a free hand to do that, you would never be able to use a hand crossbow while wielding another weapon, that is specifically contradicted by both statements (RAW) saying that it can be use while wielding another weapon. Thus the implication that the requirement dose not apply.

Quote from Dave39528 >>

Okay, I see what you mean. To clarify the point, if loading is part of the attack action (RAW) and you need a free hand to do that, you would never be able to use a hand crossbow while wielding another weapon, that is specifically contradicted by both statements (RAW) saying that it can be use while wielding another weapon. Thus the implication that the requirement dose not apply.

That would be an incorrect supposition however. IF you have a weapon in your other hand, you cannot reload the crossbow.

Your approach would be fine in your own personal game, but it isn't following core rules (the so called RAW), and it isn't following the rules.

The lack of ability to reload when you have something in your other hand is intentional, not accidental.

Also, you need to define "supplemental" -- normally that would be something that isn't official rules, and per official rules thri-kreen are an available character species because Spelljammer is not supplemental material.

My intent was not to rewrite or create rules, only to point out what they say. RAW state that loading is part of the attack action, therefore if you have an other weapon in your other hand you could not load your hand crossbow and attack with it as a bonus action if you need to have a free hand to load it, therefore the stated RAW for both the Light property and Crossbow Expert that you can use it with another weapon would make no sense unless they ignore this requirement. It just seems obvious.

As to the "supplemental" comment, what I meant was that the basic rules only include the DMG, PHB, and MM and that the rules are applicable within that framework without the need for other sources to make them valid, not that the other sources themselves aren't official or valid.

Quote from Dave39528 >>

My intent was not to rewrite or create rules, only to point out what they say. RAW state that loading is part of the attack action, therefore if you have an other weapon in your other hand you could not load your hand crossbow and attack with it as a bonus action if you need to have a free hand to load it, therefore the stated RAW for both the Light property and Crossbow Expert that you can use it with another weapon would make no sense unless they ignore this requirement. It just seems obvious.

As to the "supplemental" comment, what I meant was that the basic rules only include the DMG, PHB, and MM and that the rules are applicable within that framework without the need for other sources to make them valid, not that the other sources themselves aren't official or valid.

 
The part that is highlighted above is where you make your error.

RAW is if you have a free hand, you can load it, if you do not, you cannot, and therefore, you cannot take a bonus action.  The two basic functions are not operating at cross purposes -- you can only reload if you have a free hand. If you don't, you cannot reload, because unless they explicitly state that you can reload while your hand is holding something, the rule is you cannot.

Also, basic logic applies -- you can't reload a weapon if you have no free hand.

You are presuming that because it is possible to have a bonus actin, you should always be able to take that bonus action, which isn't the case at all.

That is not my position at all, I am not arguing for what I want to be so, I am simply pointing out what the rules say, and the fact the two rules make a statement that could not be true unless they ignore the other stated rule that "you need a free hand to load a one handed weapon", notice there is no If in the rule. Take a look at them again;  Light; A light weapon is small and easy to handle, making it ideal for use when fighting with two weapons.  Crossbow Expert; You ignore the loading property of crossbow with which you are proficient. When you use the Attack action to attack with a one handed weapon, you can use a bonus action to attack with a hand crossbow you are holding.

Quote from Dave39528 >>

That is not my position at all, I am not arguing for what I want to be so, I am simply pointing out what the rules say, and the fact the two rules make a statement that could not be true unless they ignore the other stated rule that "you need a free hand to load a one handed weapon", notice there is no If in the rule. Take a look at them again;  Light; A light weapon is small and easy to handle, making it ideal for use when fighting with two weapons.  Crossbow Expert; You ignore the loading property of crossbow with which you are proficient. When you use the Attack action to attack with a one handed weapon, you can use a bonus action to attack with a hand crossbow you are holding.

 
None of which changes the basics -- you are restating an empty position. 

In order to use a bonus action, you must have a free hand. That hasn't changed, and neither the property nor the feat change that.

I am willing to hear your argument with the wording of the rule to support what you are saying, so far you just keep telling me that I am wrong. Explain how you are coming to that conclusion.  

Light; A light weapon is small and easy to handle, making it ideal for use when fighting with two weapons.  Crossbow Expert; You ignore the loading property of crossbow with which you are proficient. When you use the Attack action to attack with a one handed weapon, you can use a bonus action to attack with a hand crossbow you are holding.

These both state that you are holding two weapons, How could you ever apply either of these if you can't load and fire your hand crossbow while holding the other weapon?

Quote from Dave39528 >>

I am willing to hear your argument with the wording of the rule to support what you are saying, so far you just keep telling me that I am wrong. Explain how you are coming to that conclusion.  

Light; A light weapon is small and easy to handle, making it ideal for use when fighting with two weapons.  Crossbow Expert; You ignore the loading property of crossbow with which you are proficient. When you use the Attack action to attack with a one handed weapon, you can use a bonus action to attack with a hand crossbow you are holding.

These both state that you are holding two weapons, How could you ever apply either of these if you can't load and fire your hand crossbow while holding the other weapon?

 
You have to drop the second weapon, or, because it is a crossbow, you have it loaded before you pick up the second weapon. That's how you can apply it.

You are ignoring the basic combat rules, the rules for two handed fighting, and basic logic.  You posted this as if it is RAW, and it isn't. Repost it in the rules and mechanics thread and ask there. i will be interested in seeing how the rules lawyers handle it, lol.

You want a rule, go to that thread. Here you are going to get general opinion. If you want to rule that way as the DM for your group, then rule that way. I ain't gonna stop you are argue with you about it.

If you aren't the DM, then take it to your DM and ask them -- I won't argue with them about it no matter what their decision is.

Here, though, you get how I would respond if it was in my game.  Bonus actions are not automatic =-- conditions apply to all of them. Just because you can take one does not mean that you always get to take it. 

All the "ignore the loading property" bit does is allow you to fire it more than once, if you can load it. It doesn't mean you don't have to load it, it just means that you can fire it more than once. The weapon still has to be loaded, even if that is part of the firing action. To load a crossbow requires two hands.

Loading a crossbow with ammunition is not the loading property. The loading property is what gives you the ability to fire it again -- if you can load it, since it requires two hands -- as a bonus action or reaction, if you have a bonus action or reaction.

If you want the rule, funny enough, you have all of DDB to look it up.

Not very "Ideal" if you have to drop one weapon to fire another.

The RAW say that loading is part of the attack action, therefor you can not preload.

I posted the exact RAW verbatim, look it up. I am ignoring nothing.

I am neither trying to get support to use this as a DM or as a Player. I am only pointing out what the RAW say.

I do agree with you completely, that the DM always has the final word as to what happens at his table.

You are correct, the loading property has nothing to do with it. I never claimed it did. Neither does Two Weapons Fighting. As far as real world logic goes, you are a wizard fighting dragons so...

So... you aren't trying to make the claim that you can use a hand crossbow with one hand if you have the Crossbow Expert feat? You're just saying that the rules are worded confusingly?

I am not making a claim at all, I am simply pointing out what the rules say, and they say that you can use a hand crossbow with another weapon which can only be possible if you ignore the need for a free hand to load it. 

Quote from Dave39528 >>

I am not making a claim at all, I am simply pointing out what the rules say, and they say that you can use a hand crossbow with another weapon which can only be possible if you ignore the need for a free hand to load it. 

So, you think that you don't need a free hand to load it then? At least under the conditions that you specified?

That would seem to be what the RAW imply. I am really not trying to be argumentative, I just can't see any other way to read it.

Quote from Dave39528 >>

That would seem to be what the RAW imply. I am really not trying to be argumentative, I just can't see any other way to read it.

Well, the other way to read it is that you do need a free hand to load the crossbow, because that's a stipulation of the Ammunition property, and nothing in the other two bits of the PHB you pointed to says to ignore it. Implications are all fine and dandy, but when they go up against actual, written rules, the written rules almost always win.

Normally I would agree with you completely however, in this case, that would completely negate a main feature of Crossbow Expert. I do not believe that is the intent.

Whatever the rules may be, that's a hell of a lot of activity in a 6-second period of time. Having used crossbows, both 20lb hand, and 150lb stirrup & lever style compound bows, I can tell you that, aside from some auto-cocking mechanism or magic, and some form of magazine pre-loaded with bolts (conceivable, but difficult to build and should be wildly expensive), all crossbows require two hands to cock and load the weapon. Moreover, to loose a bolt, reload, and loose another within 6 seconds, may feasibly be possible with a hand crossbow, but damn difficult. Getting off two aimed shots in that time bracket would border on the impossible.

That's my real world experience. I'm new to the 5E rules, but have not yet been at a table where 2 shots per round were ever allowed, using such weapons. I didn't check the current rules, so have no opinion on what RAW allow for.