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Once per round, phantom hands load a single ranged weapon or firearm with conjured ammunition. This ammunition counts as magical for overcoming damage reduction and attacking incorporeal creatures, but is the standard for its type (a normal bullet or pellets and black powder in the case of firearms). Conjured ammunition ceases to exist 1 round after it is removed from the weapon, or at the end of the duration, whichever comes first.

With most weapons, like crossbows or single-shot pistols, "single weapon" refers to the weapon's entire capacity. But for items like a double crossbow, dual-barreled musket or pepperbox pistol, a "single weapon" can store up to six units of ammunition. Does "Reloading Hands" reload the maximum capacity of the weapon, in that case?

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2 Answers 2

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You only get 1 bullet/projectile loaded per turn. (1 load 'action')

Once per round, phantom hands load a single ranged weapon or firearm with conjured ammunition. This ammunition counts as magical for overcoming damage reduction and attacking incorporeal creatures, but is the standard for its type (a normal bullet or pellets and black powder in the case of firearms). Conjured ammunition ceases to exist 1 round after it is removed from the weapon, or at the end of the duration, whichever comes first.

The highlighted portion says that it performs a weapon load (action) once per turn.

Now lets take a look at the multishooting weapons: (I'll use double crossbow as an example)

Load: Loading one bolt is a standard action; the Rapid Reload feat reduces this to a move action. Crossbow Mastery allows you to reload both bolts as a single move action.

(again, empahasis mine).

The phantoms hands will load your crossbow once. This load action only loads one bolt at a time.

For early firearms, the same applies:

Early firearms are muzzle-loaded, requiring bullets or pellets and black powder to be rammed down the muzzle. If an early firearm has multiple barrels, each barrel must be loaded separately

If you were using an advanced firearm, you would get the complete capacity.

Advanced firearms are chamber-loaded. It is a move action to load a one-handed or two-handed advanced firearm to its full capacity.

References:

Firearms

double crossbow

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    \$\begingroup\$ While I agree, you're hanging the whole thing on the assumption that "phantom hands load" refers specifically to a game "action". It's a useful assumption, and how I would interpret it, but I think it's still ambiguous. \$\endgroup\$ Feb 16, 2014 at 0:02
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Short of clues I'm missing in other parts of the rules:

"Ammunition" being ambiguous as to singularity or plurality, the best clue here is the parenthetical example... "a normal bullet," singular.

Breaking down the rules bits:

  • The spell reloads every round for the duration of the spell.
  • An advanced firearm takes a move action to reload, early firearms take even longer. (Feats not withstanding.)
  • Conjured ammo ceases to exist at the end of the spell duration.

None of this directly points toward one ruling or the other, but I think it leans toward the parenthetical implication... one unit of ammunition. But there is nothing concrete there I can hang my hat on.

As a GM, I think letting choice of weapon make this spell more powerful (a weapon that can fire two rounds at once, normally takes multiple actions to reload) is a bad idea. My game-designer gut says the developer's intent was a single unit of ammo, but again, no hard evidence either way.

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