What function does the "light" weapon property serve on the hand crossbow?

Question

In the equipment section of the D&D basic rules, it lists "light" as a weapon property of the hand crossbow.

The "light" property offers the following attributes:

Light. A light weapon is small and easy to handle, making it ideal for use when fighting with two weapons. See the rules for two-weapon fighting in chapter 9.

So, this would mean I can use my hand crossbow in two weapon fighting... Great! However, in the TWF rules in chapter 9 it says the following:

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.

Two weapon fighting only applies to melee weapons! Why does the hand crossbow have the light property? What purpose is it serving?

Now with the addition of the Feats in the players handbook my question still remains. The feat for crossbow expert says the following:

Crossbow Expert
Thanks to extensive practice with the crossbow, you gain the following benefits:

• You ignore the loading quality of crossbows with which you are proficient.
• Being within 5 feet of a hostile creature doesn't impose disadvantage on your ranged attacked rolls.
• When you use the Attack action and you attack with a one-handed weapon, you can use a bonus action to attack with a loaded hand crossbow you are holding.

As you can see the feat replaces the Two weapon fighting rules, and so the light keyword is still not needed.

Answer 1

I want to challenge your approach to this. As you note, the Light property is defined like this:

Light. A light weapon is small and easy to handle, making it ideal for use when fighting with two weapons.

This property isn't just there as a computer function — it's also part of the basic description. A hand crossbow is small and easy to handle. And it is, as far as crossbows go, ideal for fighting with two weapons. You may need special practice and training (as represented by the feat) to take advantage of it, but it's undeniably better than any other crossbow for that case.

Is it true that mechanically there are no current rules which make particular use of this property? Meh. Probably so. But it does not mean the property shouldn't be there, because that kind of mechanical interaction isn't the only reason weapons have descriptions.

It might have been more elegant from a "the puzzle pieces must fit together!" perspective if Crossbow Expert said "a crossbow with the light property" instead of "hand crossbow", but I don't think that really would add much of actual value.

Of course, there's always the possibility of future features which apply to "light ranged weapons" or the like.

Answer 2

Ruleswise as of now, none

There are no class features or combat rules that benefit a player for dual-wielding hand crossbows as of the release of Basic and the Starter Set.

With PHB's release it will probably see use...

We don't really know what the other class paths will be nor what the final feat list will be. Most likely a feat will make use of the light property on ranged weapons or a class like ranger or rogue will be able to dual-wield them.

From the PHB feat list preview I'd say Dual-Wielder or Crossbow Expert are the feats most likely to allow a player to hold a light crossbow in both hands and shoot at the same time/make an attack with both in one turn.

Answer 3

You could use a loaded crossbow (hand or otherwise) as an improvised melee weapon to stab your opponent with the bolt. There is now a feat called "Tavern Brawler" that allows virtually unrestricted use of improvised weapons, thus making dual-wielding hand crossbows and using them for both ranged and melee combat a viable strategy specifically because they have the light property.

Tavern Brawler, PHB Page 159

Accustomed to rough-and-tumble fighting using whatever weapons happen to be at hand, you gain the following benefits:

• Increase your Strength or Constitution score by 1, to a maximum of 20.

• You are proficient with improvised weapons and unarmed strikes.

• Your unarmed strike uses a d4 for damage.

• When you hit a creature with an unarmed strike or an improvised weapon on your turn, you can use a bonus action to attempt to grapple the target.

Improvised Weapons, PHB Page 138

Sometimes characters don’t have their weapons and have to attack with whatever is close at hand. An improvised weapon includes any object you can wield in one or two hands, such as broken glass, a table leg, a frying pan, a wagon wheel, or a dead goblin.

In many cases, an improvised weapon is similar to an actual weapon and can be treated as such. For example, a table leg is akin to a club. At the DM’s option, a character proficient with a weapon can use a similar object as if it were that weapon and use his or her proficiency bonus.

Answer 4

It is possible the light property is there to empower a DM to make an on-the-fly improvisation. For example, a DM could rule that light weapons give advantage on attempts to hide them from someone searching you for weapons.

You could also joke that the hand crossbow is there to cause lots and lots of posts on the official forums. :-)

• Lots of links that no longer work because Wizards closed and deleted their forums.

Answer 5

A Thri-Kreen¹ can wield a hand crossbow in one of its secondary hands, giving them more versatility.

For example, a Thri-Kreen wielding a greatsword in its two main hands (or, alternatively, a shield and a longsword) would be able to wield a hand crossbow in its secondary arms, which they wouldn't be able to do with a weapon that doesn't have the light property, like a blowgun. This enables greater versatility for the Thri-Kreen.

¹Note: the Thri-Kreen is UA, so it's playtest material, not official, and it's definitely an edge case

Answer 6

There's basically no mechanics reason for the "light" flag.

I would houserule a player being able to dual-wield them, but allow only one shot with them. They don't have a free-hand to reload. Alternately, they could have a weapon in one hand and a light crossbow in another, to get that one shot off. If for some reason you have cartridge-loaded light crossbows, then that might be particularly cool.

There are also some 3.5 feats which allow two-handed weapons to be wielded one-handed. I could see homebrewing an equivalent feat in 5e to allow dual-wielding heavy repeating crossbows for a particularly dedicated player/character.

Approach "why is there a light flag, does this mean they are considered in dual wielding?" and answer it with "sure, why not?"

Answer 7

I know this is an old post and someone might have said it. You can use a light crossbow and a shield if you have a way of eliminating the loading property like an enchantment, an infusion, or the crossbow expert feat. Artificer Battlesmith's can take advantage of this particularly well.

Answer 8

In order to use Two Weapon Fighting, the weapons have to have the Light property. You can see reference to this from the Dual Wielder feat (PHB, page 165; emphasis mine):

You master fighting with two weapons, gaining the following benefits:

• You gain a +1 bonus to AC while you are wielding a separate melee weapon in each hand.

• You can use two-weapon fighting even when the one-handed melee weapons you are wielding aren't light.

• You can draw or stow two one-handed weapons when you would normally be able to draw or stow only one.

So essentially, the Light property allows you to use the Hand Crossbow in your off-hand, and then the Crossbow Expert feat (PHB, p. 165) allows you to make an attack with it as a bonus action:

• When you use the Attack action and you attack with a one-handed weapon, you can use a bonus action to attack with a loaded hand crossbow you are holding.

So with this information available, it would appear that the Light property is just a way to allow you to equip the Hand Crossbow to your offhand, and if you wish to make normal attacks with it, while it is equipped to your off hand, you would need the Crossbow Expert feat, and another one handed weapon in your main hand that also has the Light property, unless you want to take the Dual Wielder feat as well.

Answer 9

There are certain situations that may be effected by such property. For example, hanging from a cliff by dominant hand but must make a ranged attack with the off hand.

The PHB is to be interpreted by the DM. In my experience dual wielding two hand crossbows only works if the following is met:

1. Crossbow Expert feat is in effect, thus no need to have a free hand to load the crossbow
2. Duel Wielder feat is in effect (It states melee weapon but I would accept any light weapon as the only light ranged weapon is the hand crossbow, and unless it was intended to be used for dual wielding that classification seems pointless)
3. Fighter class 10th LVL (2 fighting styles obtained) Archery and Two weapon fighting (add Prof. Bonus to off hand and +2 to attack rolls)
4. Rogue class 10th LVL (possible Sneak attack 5d6 bonus to each attack damage roll)

Max damage output for one turn: (1d6+2)3 + (5D6)3
36 + 90 = 126 + (crit on prone enemy)=252 max possible

Answer 10

Well you left out the part about having the option to throw a light weapon instead of using it as a melee weapon if it has the thrown tag. I would assume that if you are allowed to throw a second weapon as a bonus action that the same exception would apply to firing the hand crossbow.

Answer 11

You could wield the light crossbow in one hand and keep a shield in the other.