TWF with crossbow in the offhand: Why not?

[Kryx]

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. You don’t add your ability modifier to the damage of the bonus attack, unless that modifier is negative.
If either weapon has the thrown property, you can throw the weapon, instead of making a melee attack with it.

By default this means you can with with a shortsword for d6+dex and then throw a Handaxe, Javelin, Spear, or Trident. All are 20ft except the Javelin which matches the 30ft of the Hand Crossbow. It doesn't quite make sense why TWF is limited to melee + thrown. The only ranged weapon with the light category is the Hand Crossbow and the math shows it to be the same as a Javelin.

Crossbow Expert would still be a great feat as it allows any weapon (not just light) and still allows for adding dex to dmg on the offhand. Plus its other uses.

Any reasons why I, as DM, shouldn't allow players and NPCs to do this by default?

[SpawnOfMorbo]

http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?385629-Why-do-People-Hate-on-Crossbow-Expert

Ask your questions here, your thread is being covered by another already existing thread.

[Kryx]

That thread is an absolute mess discussing a poorly written feat, not changing the default of TWF to allow for light ranged weapons. Different topic.

[GiantOctopodes]

To answer your question, mechanically it would not be unbalanced to allow that. I suspect the reason they did not include it was to make crossbow expert more appealing to someone intending to do that, but feats are an optional component of the game anyway.

Regardless of why they chose not to include it, it would not cause significant balance issues to allow it.

[Kryx]

Regardless of why they chose not to include it, it would not cause significant balance issues to allow it.
Cool, that's what I was looking to hear. Thanks!

[Frenth Alunril]

Cool, that's what I was looking to hear. Thanks!

Look up "repeating crossbow" even that required two hands to load it. So, while it mechanically doesn't botch the game, how do you load it again after the first shot?

[JoeJ]

Look up "repeating crossbow" even that required two hands to load it. So, while it mechanically doesn't botch the game, how do you load it again after the first shot?

Having something in your hand does not make that hand completely unusable. A hand crossbow has a grip very much like a pistol, so it would only take the thumb and index finger to keep from dropping it, leaving three fingers available to do something else - like load the other crossbow.

[GiantOctopodes]

Look up "repeating crossbow" even that required two hands to load it. So, while it mechanically doesn't botch the game, how do you load it again after the first shot?

That same logic would make a hand crossbow impossible to use with a shield. A Hand Crossbow is expressly a one handed weapon, and does not require a free hand to load. How? I have no clue. Maybe the character has a little knob on the underside of his other arm's elbow that he uses to draw the string (it's a hand crossbow, it's not like it has a monster draw), and has a bolt case designed to release ammunition into the appropriate slot when the hand crossbow is placed underneath it, much like a gerbil and his water bottle?

The point is, from a fluff standpoint that might be fun to figure out, but just be aware that you are not required to do so by any means. When asked that question about dual wielding hand crossbows, the lead developer responded "very carefully". Your character does it by being pretty awesome, that's how.

[Kaeso]

Your character does it by being pretty awesome, that's how.

If it fits the rules, I can dig it. Sometimes the Rule of Cool just trumps common sensibilities.

[Kryx]

The point is, from a fluff standpoint that might be fun to figure out, but just be aware that you are not required to do so by any means. When asked that question about dual wielding hand crossbows, the lead developer responded "very carefully". Your character does it by being pretty awesome, that's how.
Exactly this. It's a player's choice of how to fluff it. My 2 suggestions:


The Hand Crossbows are strapped to your wrist which allows you to reload the other one.
A reloading system built into a belt of some sort.