I'm aware that most DM's house rule that you simply reload regardless as the damage is pretty much the same if you just use the hand crossbow by itself, if anything simply using the hand crossbow by itself is superior in every way. I'm completely aware of the issue with reloading without a free hand and so I'm going to try to remove this issue in a very narrow way. The topic is about specifically the hand crossbow and it's usage with a melee weapon and two-weapon fighting.
